by Jake Ferguson

The great thing about being a SacFoodie is that often times our job takes us outside of the office and to the front lines of some pretty cool places. Whether it’s Tuscany, New York City, or traveling up and down California’s Central Valley, we’ve been fortunate enough to call some unique places our “office” for the day.

For me, one of my favorite aspects of the job has been the ability to meet and interact with industry members and multigenerational farmers who help to put some of my favorite foods (and clients) on the table for folks all around the world.

In December, I started working on an exciting video project with California Walnuts, helping to tell the story of the California Walnut from seed to store shelves. Aside from the fact that I’ve seen walnut trees my whole life as a Northern California native, I was relatively unaware of the hard work and precise process that goes into growing walnuts. Filming has showed me the dedication and hard work that goes into producing such a commodity.

So far, I’ve been fortunate enough to capture a day of seed planting in December (on one of the coldest California mornings I’ve experienced) and just a few weeks ago I traveled to an orchard in Wheatland for a day of pruning. Not only does a day like this allow for some fresh air and getting one’s boots a little dirty, but the face-to-face interaction and conversations with the growers I’ve met along the way allows for a greater appreciation of the foods I enjoy each day!