It’s not just a question – it’s an event! 2017 marks the inaugural What’s Growing in Yuma festival, a family-friendly agricultural festival that celebrates our region and what is, by all accounts, the longest growing season in America! With 350 days of sunshine every year, it’s no wonder farmers love to be here.
It’s not just about the sunshine though. We have a very unique climate and soil combination, also known as “terroir”. Despite being a desert with our arid climate and sandy soil, we have enhanced fertility due to the proximity of the Colorado River basin, which adds a high percentage of calcium and nitrogen-rich alluvium to the soil. Combine that with our hard-working labor force and some judicious irrigation practices, you’ve got a recipe for nutritious, delicious produce, fruits and vegetables that you can’t get in too many other places.
It’s where your food comes from
As the United States’ third largest producer of vegetables, there is always something fresh on offer. Between November and March, 90% of the country’s lettuce comes from Yuma. Broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, watermelons, cantaloupes, lemons, tangelos and tangerines are all here in abundance, and as you may know, Yuma is the number one producer of Medjool dates. In fact, we produce more dates right here than anywhere else in the world. And on a side note – 40,000 acres of wheat is planted here too. Much of it is exported to Italy for use in high-end pastas, and a large portion of it is kosher, destined for matzoh meal. Mazel tov! Take all these factors into consideration, and the atmosphere is “ripe” for a festival.
Taking over historic downtown Yuma for two whole days of agri-fun!
The festival is on Saturday and Sunday, February 24 and 25, 2017 from 10am – 5pm in historic downtown Yuma. Since this is the first year for this festival, there doesn’t seem to be any specific information about what the schedule is or what we can expect. I do know that there is going to be lots of activities for the kids, kid friendly food and live entertainment for the whole family. We are promised some cooking demonstrations and even farm equipment displays – that ought to be interesting! It’s amazing how high-tech farm equipment is, from the tractors to the harvesters, understanding how your food gets from the farm to your table is always fascinating.
The best time to be out discovering Yuma
February is the best time to be out and about in Yuma. The temperature is moderately cool (for us, anyway), and it’s a great time to be outdoors enjoying the Arizona sunshine. Plus, our season has barely started, so we’ve got plenty of time on our hands to mix, mingle and be brand ambassadors for our delicious organic dates. Naked Dates will be participating in the What’s Growing festival, representing our internationally acclaimed date-growing community and selling our date soda, date floats and of course, our delectable Medjool Naked Dates. Finding us is easy: just look for Daphne, our vintage VW bus, and you’ll find us. See you there?
Visit the Naked Dates farm when you’re in Yuma
If you are in the Yuma area, whether you live here or are just passing through, make some time to come visit the Naked Dates farm. We’d love to give you a little tour, walk you through the process and introduce you to date products that you can’t get anywhere else. Plus, we’re a pretty cool and sociable family, and we’d love to meet you ‘just because.’