Pajaro Valley Magazine August 13 2021

THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF THE PAJARO VALLEY

AUGUST 13 -19, 2021

Flower Power A supplement to The Pajaronian

Kitayama Brothers navigates ever-changing market P4

GARDENING P6 | HOME OF THE WEEK P7 | MIXING BOWL P8

THE RIGHT CHOICE.

Over 40 years of combined real estate experience. Specializing in Home Listings, Home Sales and Property Management.

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Kathy Oliver

REALTOR® 831.254.1432 egagne@baileyproperties.com Cal DRE #01450406

Broker Associate/REALTOR® 831.206.2249 Kathy@OliverPM.com Cal DRE #01116175

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Owner of Oliver Property Management

MAGAZINE

21 Brennan St, Suite 18, Watsonville, CA 95076 Phone: 831.761.7301

CEO & Executive Editor

Dan Pulcrano Publisher

Jeanie Johnson

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Ad Director

Debra Whizin Editor

Erik Chalhoub Contributing Writers

13-19, -19, 2021 | PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE AUGUST 13

Erik Chalhoub, Johanna Miller, Tarmo Hannula Kate Russell, Sarah Ringler

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Gardening

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Home of the Week

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Mixing Bowl

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Hon Truong Cover Photography:

KB Farms

Published by WatsNews, LLC, Watsonville, CA. Entire contents © 2021. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in any form prohibited without publisher’s written permission.

TO PLACE AN AD Email:

sales@pajaronian.com Call:

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831.761.7325

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS BREAKING NEWS!

Santa Cruz Gives will merge with the Volunteer Center’s annual Human Race.

The number of nonprofits accepted for the 2021 campaign will be 80.

Local nonprofits are eligible to apply to Santa Cruz Gives, a holiday fundraising program organized by Good Times with the support of the Volunteer Center and the Community Foundation Santa Cruz County, with additional partners to be announced.

The community will learn about each nonprofit and a project chosen for this campaign in the November 17 issue of Good Times and at SantaCruzGives.org. Donors will be encouraged to donate online where a leaderboard will track donations daily.

This year Santa Cruz Gives will merge with the Volunteer Center’s annual Human Race and will double the number of nonprofits accepted to 80 (in 2020 40 were accepted) that will receive funds donated by the public and other supporters, plus matching funds, and be eligible for three special awards.

An ad campaign via print, radio, web and social media will spread the word.

Deadline for proposals: Tuesday, September 7 The application may be completed at: SantaCruzGives.org

PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE | AUGUST 13 -19, 2021

Nonprofits must be based in Santa Cruz County and benefit Santa Cruz County, or any area within it.

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KB Farms

ON THE MOVE

AUGUST 13 -19, 2021 | PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE

The annual Gerbera Festival was held in June as a drive-thru event.

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Room to grow

Kitayama Brothers adapts as flower market continues to shift

By JOHANNA MILLER

T

his year Kitayama Brothers, a cut flower grower based in Watsonville, is celebrating its 73rd year in business.

Not long after World War II, brothers Tom and Ray Kitayama landed in San Francisco’s east bay and began working for Yoshimi Shibata and Dan Shinoda, two famous flower pioneers of the time. The Kitayamas decided to jump into the industry themselves, opening up a greenhouse in Union City with younger brothers Ted and Kee.

The business grew, expanding to secondary locations in Brighton, Colo. and Watsonville. By the late 1970s, Kitayama had become the largest greenhouse grower in the United States.

But the industry changed. Large amounts of offshore growers gradually began infiltrating the market, and a good portion of hyper-local and large U.S. growers alike began losing business.

Kitayama found themselves having to adjust, looking for ways to incentivize customers and stay afloat. In the early 2000s they scaled down to just their Watsonville location (KB Farms), and began focusing on different types of flowers. These days, they grow

KB Farms

GREEN WORK Kitayama Brothers’ Watsonville location, shown here in the mid-1990s.

THE BROTHERS Tom, Ray, Kee and

Ted Kitayama in 1988.

PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE | AUGUST 13 -19, 2021

Valentine's Day or Christmas,” he said. “So this is definitely a positive trend.”

KB Farms’ biggest event of the year, the Gerbera Festival, was canceled last year due to Covid-19.

It returned in June, reimagined as “Gerbera-N-Go,” where people could pre-order potted flowers and pick them up in a drive-thru.

The event raised money for the Santa Cruz State Parks and the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau, who Henderson said has been a great supporter during the pandemic.

KB Farms hopes they can hold their usual event, complete with food, vendors and presentations next year. Meanwhile, they will continue to move forward.

“We don’t know what anything will look like next year,” Henderson said. “Hopefully we’ll have at least the option to hold gatherings.

No matter what, we’ll still be here growing flowers.”

To learn more, visit kitayambrothers.com. Follow Kitayama Brothers on Facebook to view “Life at KB.”

Photos by KB Farms

mostly gerbera daisies, lilies and snapdragons.

“We first pivoted from growing roses to carnations,” said Jasen Henderson, sales and marketing manager for Kitayama. “And now we’re focusing on harder-to-import grows, ones that are best when grown locally.”

Two weeks ago, Kitayama kicked off a social media-based photo series “Life at KB,” in which they share their history as well as a glimpse of day-to-day happenings at KB Farms.

Henderson, who has worked at the company for the past year and a half, saw it as a way to better connect with their customers and the larger Kitayama family, many of whom now live out of the area.

“We were trying to figure out, ‘What exactly is marketing, for a grower like us?’ We don’t often sell directly to consumers, we have a set list of customers,” he said. “But we still wanted to have a presence, a visibility. This series has been a way to stay engaged.”

Henderson, along with their new social media manager and other staff, have been digging through the company’s archives and staying up-to-date with daily farm happenings. Every week, they update “Life at KB” with new photos and write-ups.

“We want to be a little more active online, so we can continue to grow,” Henderson said.

That proclivity to adapt and move on is perhaps why Kitayama has survived so long.

Henderson said that at the start of the pandemic, they were uncertain if they should plant as normal, or scale back. The vice president at the time made the decision to take the risk.

“And it was the right call… because actually, the market went up,” Henderson said. “With people staying at home, they would buy flowers for themselves and their spaces… not just for special occasions.”

This has been great for the industry as a whole, Henderson said.

“For us, flowers are most productive in the summer time… not when they’re popular to buy, on

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GARDENING

Submitted photo

AUGUST 13 -19, 2021 | PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE

PLANNING AHEAD There are many questions gardeners should ask themselves when choosing which tree to plant.

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Tree selection Fall is the ideal time to plant bare root trees

By KATE RUSSELL

F

ruit and nut trees make excellent additions to landscapes, but how do you know which trees to plant?

The questions below will help you select the best fruit and nut trees for your yard.

First, how big of a tree do you want? These trees are available in standard, semi-dwarf, and dwarf sizes. Most standard fruit and nut trees can reach 20 feet in height and width, or more, though peach

and nectarine trees rarely grow larger than 12-15 feet. Semi-dwarf trees grow 12-15 feet, while dwarf trees only reach 8-10 feet. Smaller trees have the added advantage of being easier to care for and producing fruit sooner than larger trees.

Most dwarf trees can be grown in large containers.

How big of a crop can you use?

Different species produce different sized crops. Under ideal conditions, a dwarf apple tree might produce 200 pounds of fruit, a semi-dwarf

apple can yield 400 pounds, and a standard apple tree might produce 600 pounds. A dwarf apricot tree only produces 40 pounds and a standard apricot tree might yield 240 pounds.

What is your Hardiness Zone?

Hardiness Zones are geographic regions with specific annual minimum temperatures. This information helps you select plants appropriate to your microclimate. The Pajaro Valley is in Hardiness Zone 9 (b).

How much sun does your yard get? Most fruit and nut trees need at least eight hours of sunlight each day to be healthy and productive.

Will you need a pollinator tree? Some fruit and nut trees are self-fertile. This means they have both male and female flowers and only one tree is needed to produce a crop. Other varieties need a second tree for cross-pollination.

Self-fertile trees are significantly more productive when there is a second tree nearby.

Which pests and diseases are in your neighborhood? Knowing ahead of time which pests and diseases are likely to affect your fruit and nut trees can help you select varieties that are resistant. This means less work for you.

Finally, how many chill hours do you get? Chill hours are the combined number of hours below 45 degrees Fahrenheit experienced by a tree each year. Without adequate chill hours, trees will generally not produce. Most of northern California gets 800 to 1,500 chill hours.

Fall is the best time to plant bare root trees; just be sure to plant them at the proper depth. This means the flare of the trunk and any grafting are visible above the soil level. For the first few years, when your fruit tree produces flowers, it will live a longer, more productive life if you remove those blossoms before they start turning into a crop. This gives the tree the time it needs to generate a healthy root system.

Kate Russell is a UCCE Master Gardener.

HOME OF THE WEEK

PRIVATE TENNIS LESSONS

High Energy, Positive Classes

Tom Brezsny’s

Real Estate of Mind Provoking thought since 1990

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Nem queforrecuste PA I D Arolls DVaround ERTO RI AL March Madness again.

Real Estate of Mind

Country property features orchard, high vantage point

T

his Corralitos home exudes country living, with its ridgetop location on more than five acres.

Located at 220 Whippet Run, the 3,880-square-foot home includes four bedrooms and three bathrooms.

Hardwood floors and high ceilings are throughout the home, with a solarium that is not included in the square footage of the living

area. The master suite is adjacent to an office area and deck that looks out to mountain and valley views.

The 980-square-foot garage can fit three vehicles, with adjacent room to park an RV. An orchard features apple, pear, fig, plum and other fruit trees.

The home, built in 1986, is listed at $1,495,000 by David Lyng Real Estate. For information, visit bit. ly/3fRyZwo.

TOPS in Their Field 1/6v

Tom Brezsny

Tom Brezsny (831) 722-4694

Realtor® DRE #01063297 831-818-1431 getreal@sereno.com PA I D A D V E R T O R I A L

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PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE | AUGUST 13 -19, 2021

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WHIPPET RUN This Corralitos home sits on more than five acres.

7

THE MIXING BOWL

Burmese Tea Leaf Salad • 1/2 cup of loose dried green tea leaves • 2 cups water • 1 lemon, juice one half and slice the other half into wedges • 12 cloves fresh garlic • 1/2 jalapeño pepper, diced and divided in half • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1 standard bunch green onions, diced and divided in half • 1 large romaine lettuce or cabbage, chopped roughly • 1 cup ripe tomatoes, diced • 1/4 cup sesame seeds • 1/2 cup green lentils, dried • 3/4 cup peanut oil (for frying) • Chopped roasted peanuts

Tarmo Hannula

LAHPET THOKE This mixture of flavors and textures creates a stimulating and flavorful summer salad.

AUGUST 13 -19, 2021 | PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE

Green Tea Salad

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By SARAH RINGLER

L

ahpet Thoke, also known as Burmese Tea Leaf Salad, is a many flavored and textured salad. Green tea leaves are fermented over a couple of days, lentils become crispy after being boiled then fried, and a slew of other highly flavored ingredients are chopped and minced to become this beautiful production that is Myanmar’s national dish. In the distant past, Lahpet was a peace offering and even in colonial times was served after a court verdict.

There are many versions, and I consulted quite a few of them, to come up with this one that has ingredients that are locally available and still fits the many flavors. If you want a more authentic version, you might want to try ordering this at a Myanmar restaurant of which there

are quite a few in the Bay Area.

The Republic of the Union of Myanmar, also called Burma, is a medium-sized country tucked into Southeast Asia and bordered by India, Bangladesh, China, Laos, Thailand, the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea. It has natural resources of jade, gems, oil and natural gas. Its location and resources have led to a chaotic history of coups, colonization, civil wars and to this day, unstable governments that give it the status of having one of the widest income gaps in the world according to the Sept. 15, 2014 “Democratic Voice of Burma.”

First, ferment the tea leaves. Check the tea leaves for unwanted items like twigs, stems or foreign matter. Put the tea leaves in a heatproof bowl. Bring 2 cups of water to the boil. Allow to sit for a few minutes to cool a little, then pour into the bowl over the tea leaves. Let sit for 10 minutes. Drain the hot water

from the tea leaves. Cover with some cold water and allow to sit for an hour.

Drain the tea leaves and press them through a fine mesh strainer, pushing down to drain out as much water as you can. Put the drained tea leaves into a food processor or blender. Add the juice of 1/2 lemon, 4 cloves of fresh garlic, one half of the diced jalapeño pepper, 1/2 a bunch of chopped green onions, 1 tablespoon of fresh minced ginger and salt. Process until a paste is formed similar to the consistency of pesto. Put the paste into a ceramic or glass airtight container and seal. Put aside for two days to ferment in a cool and dark place, away from heat or light sources.

Just before serving, prepare the lentils and garlic. Thinly slice 8 garlic cloves.

Rinse the lentils under cold water and put into a small

saucepan. Cover with 3/4 cup of water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook for about 40 minutes until they are no longer hard but not too soft. Drain thoroughly.

When the lentils are done, heat the peanut oil in a deep saucepan over medium high to high heat.

Do not leave the stove when deep fat frying. Add the lentils with care and fry for 4 to 5 minutes. They will sizzle and spit, so be careful. Fry until crispy and then remove with a slotted spoon. Place the fried lentils on a paper towel to drain.

In the same oil, fry garlic slices over a medium-high heat until the garlic turns crispy but not burnt.

Remove from the heat and drain on a paper towel.

Finally assemble the salad on a large wide plate. Place the chopped lettuce across the entire serving plate. This forms the base of the salad. Place separate clumps of tomato chunks, chopped roasted peanuts, fried garlic, fried lentils, sesame seeds, diced jalapeños, diced green onions and lemon wedges around the salad, keeping each ingredient in a distinctive pile. Add the fermented tea leaf mixture to the middle of the salad.

Squeeze lemon juice over the whole salad. Serve immediately.

Serves 2-4 people.

HOMEOWNER’S SERVICE GUIDE Keep your home in top shape with the help of these local professionals.

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For information on how to include your business, email sales@pajaronian.com

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PHOTO GALLERY

Tarmo Hannula

fence in the front yard of an Elm Street home in Watsonville.

GATHERING SPOT These crows

congregate to soak up the afternoon sun before darkness arrives as seen on Struve Slough.

STILL LIFE A window setting is shown at Castro Adobe State Historic Park in Watsonville.

Tarmo Hannula

10

ADORNED WITH STRIPES A model of a zebra tops a

Ford Kanzler

AUGUST 13 -19, 2021 | PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE

Have a recent photo you’d like to share? Send it to us for consideration by emailing it to echalhoub@weeklys.com or mailing it to 21 Brennan St., Suite 18, Watsonville, CA 95076. Please include a brief description of the photo as well as the name of the photographer.

PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE | AUGUST 13-19, 2021

11

I want to Soak up the sun

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