WEST OF THE 5 EAST OF THE 101    12:49

Heirloom Organics is located in the Panoche Valley, a remote corner of Central California.  Lisa and Bill visit Stuart Dickson, who founded Heirloom and owned it until 2006. Stuart tours us around the operation, and describes the wild ride as the big boys moved into the baby greens niche.

YO <HEART> TWIN GIRLS    11:33

Nacho Sanchez graduated from Fresno State with a B.S. in Agriculture and a dream to own his own farm. How did Nacho & his family make their dream come true? Hard work.      

MISTER MIYASHITA AND THE ODORIKO   11:51

Miyashita Nursery, located near Watsonville, grew hothouse roses for nearly 30 years. When the US market became flooded with cheap offshore roses, the Miyashita family got creative and started producing some of the finest fresh greenhouse tomatoes in California. Bill and Lisa visit the Miyashita greenhouses & visit with Mr. Miyashita and his son David.

SCENES FROM THE WILD MUSHROOM TRADE    21:14

The commercial harvest of wild edible mushrooms is the other multi-million dollar industry in the forests of Northern California. Each fall, pickers comb the remote corners of the northern mountains, then sell their mushrooms directly to buyers at mobile buying stations. Jack Vong, a mushroom buyer & dealer, supplies the Monterey Market. Jack kindly invites Lisa to visit him & his crew in Happy Camp, CA.

MARKET STORIES

MIKI'S GROCERIES   1:58

Miki Werness loves groceries as much as Bill loves produce. Miki rules over the two grocery aisles at the end of the store, which he's transformed into a compact grocery powerhouse.

THE BERRIES   9:43

John Amano, dean of the Monterey Market premium fruit aisle, offers a quick tour of the berry locker. Dessert wizards Lindsey Shere (Chez Panisse) & Maryjo Thorsen (Jojo) taste and talk about berries.

OAKLAND TERMINAL MARKET   28:58

Small farmers making deliveries in the  parking lot is an important part of the Monterey Market's supply chain. Bill's nightly trips to the Oakland Terminal Market are just as important. The Oakland Terminal Market is a hold-out: as large supermarket chains have taken over their own sourcing & warehousing, wholesale produce markets across the United States have increasingly lost their former function of allowing buyers to taste, touch & see what they are purchasing, & take advantage of the seasonal ebb and flow in supply. Bill introduces Lisa to an amazing group of maverick wholesalers.