San Benito County Local News: Agriculture, Food & Gardening

12/08/2023
The California Department of Water Resources released an environmental impact report for a tunnel that the state would like to build through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The report identifies potential impacts to farmland, tribal remains and endangered species of fish.

12/07/2023
Even though California is facing a crippling housing shortage, one potential source remains untapped. The state allows thousands of apartments used for part of the year by farmworkers to otherwise sit vacant for three to six months.

11/29/2023
Water managers in Pajaro Valley are paying farmers for water they get back into the ground. The move comes as California has grappled with water shortages in recent years.

11/28/2023
The Double Up Food Bucks program—with its proven ability to connect food-insecure families and individuals to more fresh produce—officially debuted in Monterey County.

11/28/2023
Chef Jean Pierre Iuliano—who helmed Café Mare in Santa Cruz for nearly 22 years—served his last meal Nov. 26. But don’t despair. Café Mare will reopen Dec. 1 under new ownership by Marco Paoletti and Andrea Loporcaro, who both worked there in the early days.

11/27/2023
Watsonville has a winner in new Tacos Al Fuego, and it’s not surprising that the family-owned addition to the Hangar food complex proves excellent.

11/21/2023
This whole Lady & Larder thing is a lot to digest. That becomes clear within 30 seconds of talking with the twin sisters behind it, Sarah and Boo Simms, who have returned to the Carmel Valley to relaunch the business.

11/20/2023
HERBL, one of California’s biggest cannabis companies, collapsed earlier this year. The company, which sold $700 million of cannabis last year, reportedly shorted the state $17 million in taxes.

11/14/2023
It was roughly 30 months ago when Edible reported Villa Azteca was adding an ambitious sibling on Carmel Plaza’s ground floor next to Alvarado Street Brewery & Bistro.

11/13/2023
Center for Food Safety has filed arguments seeking to revoke the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ approval of nationwide permit 56, which authorizes industrial finfish aquaculture structures in ocean waters around the country. CFS represents a coalition of conservation, tribal, and fishing organizations.

11/09/2023
The Elmore Desert Ranch gets 22.5 billion gallons of water from the Colorado River, almost as much as is cleared for Scottsdale, Ariz. And that’s just a fraction of the 386.5 billion gallons from the river going to 19 other families in Imperial Valley.

11/07/2023
The vodka—shaped like a water pipe and inspired in part by the movie “Up in Smoke”—is being made in partnership with Scotts Valley spirits house UBlendIt.

11/07/2023
Attorney Paul Rovella was recognized as a friend to agriculture Nov. 4 at the Barn Event Center in Tres Pinos. About 100 guests came to the event hosted by the San Benito County Farm Bureau.

11/06/2023
In a study published in Nature Sustainability, scientists assessed the potential for wide-scale synthetic production of dietary fats. The raw materials are the same as those used by plants: hydrogen in water and carbon dioxide in the air.

11/01/2023
Janice and Joseph Gali of Gali Vineyards in Watsonville still have fruit hanging. There’s good news and bad news, as with anyone trying to ripen coastal syrah this season.

11/01/2023
The acquisition includes the Daou brand, Daou Mountain Estate, four luxury wineries, and around 400 acres of vineyards in Adelaida District of Paso Robles in San Luis Obispo County.

10/22/2023
Little did Aaron and Jason Ricketts know, when they opened their Hapa Bros food truck in August 2022, that they would be helping to redefine the local mobile food scene.

10/13/2023
Up to 15 food vendors will be located by the public parking lot at Sixth and East streets from Oct. 17 to Nov. 14.