Monday, May 7, 2007

Blueberry tasting May 12, Parlier

Dear CRFG Members and Friends of the Berry:See note below from our friend and fellow CRFG Member, Martin Berghuis of the Sequoia Chapter!!!If you enjoy the Blueberry meeting we will have on May 12 at Cal Poly, you may want to drive over to Parlier (U.C. Field Station) and meet with Manuel Jimenez and see his collection of 72 varieties!!!!!!!!!!! Manuel was a speaker at our Festival in September and is a great guy.Shucks, stay over night in Reedley and attend the FREE Blackberry Meeting the next day????See below;Joe

3 comments:

Alice said...

correction, it's May 16 for the tasting. I don't have the time jsut an email from Bill Grimes.

Bill Grimes said...

Blueberry Informational Meeting May 12, 2007

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Area residents are invited to learn all about growing blueberries at the next gathering of the Central Coast chapter of the California Rare Fruit Growers on Saturday, May 12, 2007.
The organization will meet in Building 17, at the Cal Poly Crops Unit, located at the corner of Highland and Mt. Bishop Road on the campus. Parking permits are not required on Saturday. The meeting starts at 1:30 with a short business meeting followed by a program presented by Dr. Mark Gaskell, U.C. Cooperative Extension Advisor for Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties. Dr. Gaskell has an extensive planting of blueberries on the campus and will give a tour of the planting which is located very close to Building 17.

Blueberries are a fascinating and healthy crop to grow on the central coast. Dr. Gaskell will discuss how to grow these delicious berries and will discuss all cultural practices including selecting the proper variety, planting, irrigation, and interesting soil pH requirements. Mark has about 25 different blueberry varieties planted at Cal Poly!!! If the weather cooperates, there will be some blueberry tasting! The central coast provides an excellent environment for growing this specialty crop.

The Crops Unit is on Highland Drive at Mount Bishop Road, just west of the railroad tracks.

The California Rare Fruit Growers (CRFG) is a non-profit educational organization with members in nearly every state and over 39 countries. The Central Coast Chapter is one of more than 20 chapters in the state and has monthly meetings at various homes, orchards, vineyards, and nurseries.

For more information, call Cal Poly Professor Emeritus Joe Sabol at (805) 544-1056 or e-mail him at jsabol@calpoly.edu.
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Bill Grimes said...

Here is more information on the Blueberry Field Day on the 16th of May (Wednesday). It's at the Kearley Agricultural Research & Extension Center, 9240 S. Riverbend Ave., Parlier. Registration starts at 7:30 AM, the meeting starts at 8:15 and ends at 3:30 and includes lunch.

Registration is $25 if paid or postmarked no later than May 10 (includes lunch) or $35 after May 10 (lunch not guaranteed). If questions, call Mary at 559-685-3303. Spanish and Hmong translation will be available.

They are growing 72 varieties of blueberry.