Jammin It On Humboldt Synchronicitrees Farm

Aiyana Gregori

Did you know that 80% of craft cannabis farms are in a high fire danger zone?

On Sept 4th, 2022, the Ettersburg fire ripped through my farm, leaving me with less than a fourth of my harvest. I received the news while in Eureka. I raced home, my heart pounding the entire two and a half hour drive to assess the damage. My team and I had just finished clearing, re-planting and trellising three weeks prior, I remember feeling tremendous gratitude when I learned that our volunteer fire departments had the flames under control and that my residence and outbuildings were safe, as were all my neighbors on the twelve mile dead end mountain road.

I was still in shock the next morning. Smells of charred grass and wood invaded my nostrils. Firetrucks and firemen were present for several days. I know the importance of maintaining a positive attitude and decided to take action. Coincidentally, I had recently picked three large totes of plums from an orchard in Myers Flat. After talking with the fire chief and telling him what I knew for the investigation, I decided to unload my delicious red plums. Jammin to good tunes while I prepped these scrumptious organic fruits raised my spirits considerably.

Daniel Montero is constantly raving about my high end, healthy, scrumptious healing food so I shared a few quarts with him. Being from a business background he ended up selling all of his gifted jars within a week! I hadn’t thought of starting a business but I was dreaming about plum jam in a gluten free vegan cake on homemade fruit ice cream or in a healthy tart to share with my friends and community.

After talking with Daniel about his success and my innate desire to create and share my passion for healthy eating, we decided to chart a course as craft food entrepreneurs. I started looking around at what other local resources were available for jammin it in the Emerald Triangle and we ended up picking Asian Pears from my family orchard that I planted as a child with my Dad and sister Mariah. My Dad Gil Gregori totally helped us by picking pears with me. After some practice, I crafted a recipe for my Asian Pear Chai Spice Sweet Chutney and Caramelized Citrus Chai Spice Pear Butter.

After many, many years of being slammed with the annual cannabis harvest, we always had little to no time to enjoy the apple, Asian pear and chestnut bounties on my father’s 550 acre farm. I remember an exquisite feeling of wealth and gratitude as I lugged my totes and struggled to drag the orchard ladder under the first Asian pear tree. We filled eight big totes between Danny, my Dad and I. The next step for me was to create and of course taste my delicious chutney and caramelized butter until I had perfected my recipes. In the meanwhile Danny brought an electric peeler corer to the table to replace the hand cranked, ancient hardware I was borrowing from my Dad. We were set.

During the pear-a-thon of peeling, canning, mixing pear butter on the stove all day to achieve the pear-fect caramelized touch, I came up with two more apple recipes and will soon be offering jalapeño and mulled spice apple jelly.

It is now the first week of November and I just finished processing the last of the Asian pears. I'm now eagerly digging into my treasure trove of apples and chestnuts. I have been enjoying long hours reconnecting with the bounty of the land and giving thanks for the orchards my family and I planted decades ago.

Our higher goal as a community is to preserve our sustainable economic lifestyle and to improve the financial crisis our California craft cannabis farmers are facing. Optimizing regional resources, sharing knowledge and working together are all ways we can create economic well being for our farmers and communities. We can generate additional income by growing organic fruits and veggies, craft products, and participating in a cannabis tourism industry that promotes global sustainability, land preservation and culture. It is up to us to think out of the box during these trying times and to manifest the harmony we have always dreamed of.

Our money is like a seed, we create growth wherever we plant it, supporting businesses that in return help to flourish the society we truly want to live in for the rest of our lives.

Anything is possible. Now is the time to begin!

Shop Humboldt Synchronicitrees Online at www.gwsb.tv. A pear-fect gift for the holidays.