After year off, popular event celebrates spring bloom in five towns
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Almond blossoms and the crop itself are celebrated
during the Capay Valley Almond Festival this weekend.
(Photos courtesy Capay Valley Almond Festival) |
This weekend marks the 107th annual Capay Valley Almond Festival, a five-town salute to this major California crop.
After canceling the festival in 2021 due to Covid restrictions, the small cities of Esparto, Capay, Brooks, Guinda and Rumsey will again host all things almond with special events Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 26 and 27. Held on the last weekend in February, the festival showcases the beauty of the almond groves in the Capay Valley while saluting this signature crop.
Started in 1915, the almond festival originally was held in October as a harvest celebration. In 1964, the then-new Esparto Regional Chamber of Commerce breathed new life into the almond fest and switched it to early spring when the blossoms are in bloom.
Will there be flowers? Unseasonably warm weather in early February brought out the blossoms very early. Then, extremely cold overnight temperatures this past week forced many almond trees to drop their flowers prematurely. Nonetheless, there still will be trees in bloom along the Capay Valley almond trail and lots of almonds (from the 2021 crop) for festival weekend.
Each town will have something different going. For example, Esparto will host music, food trucks, vendor booths and an almond bake-off Saturday. On Sunday, Esparto festivities start with a breakfast at 8 a.m. and continue all day with music, food trucks, vendor booths, carnival rides and more (including appearances by the 2022 Almond Queen and her court).
Some Capay Valley landmarks will host their own almond-themed events. Seka Hills Olive Mill in Brooks will host Almond Festival events from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.
Admission to most events is free. For a schedule of what’s going on when and where, check out www.espartoregionalchamber.com/almond-festival-capay-valley-cache-creek-california and www.facebook.com/capayvalleyalmondfestival .
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Garden Checklist for week of Nov. 3
November still offers good weather for fall planting:
* If you haven't already, it's time to clean up the remains of summer. Pull faded annuals and vegetables. Prune dead or broken branches from trees.
* Now is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from fall and winter rains.
* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.
* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.
* Plant garlic and onions.
* Keep planting bulbs to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.
* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.
* Rake and compost leaves, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.
* Save dry stalks and seedpods from poppies and coneflowers for fall bouquets and holiday decorating.
* For holiday blooms indoors, plant paperwhite narcissus bulbs now. Fill a shallow bowl or dish with 2 inches of rocks or pebbles. Place bulbs in the dish with the root end nestled in the rocks. Add water until it just touches the bottom of the bulbs. Place the dish in a sunny window. Add water as needed.
* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.
* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.
* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while dormant.
* To help prevent leaf curl, apply a copper fungicide spray to peach and nectarine trees after they lose their leaves this month. Leaf curl, which shows up in the spring, is caused by a fungus that winters as spores on the limbs and around the tree in fallen leaves. Sprays are most effective now.
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