rich and creamy you can taste it in every bite. and for that, she relies on the hundreds of dairy farms that call california home. one of those farms is the giacomazzi family dairy in hanford. for more than 100 years now, they've taken care of the land and the countless number of dairy cows they've had on the farm, all in an effort to supply healthy, wholesome milk to people across the nation. >> it is my responsibility as a dairy farmer to not only produce a very-high-quality product that has amazing nutritional value, but also to do it in a responsible way. animals as part of our family in addition to being part of our business, and so our values require us to treat them with respect and make sure they're taken care of. >> in addition to caring for his animals, dino has won

numerous environmental awards for his conservation efforts at the farm. he says for him, being a dairy farmer isn't a job or a career, it's a lifestyle, and as a multigenerational d@iry farmer, it's a lifestyle he hopes to continue well into the future. >> well, i think i have somewhat of a responsibility to my family's legacy. i'm the fourth generation, and we've been doing this now 117 years in the same place, and i'm not gonna be the one to blow it, right? i mean, i have to at least make it work and make it available to my son if he decides he wants to do that. >> and while dino's son is a little too young to enjoy this ice cream--don't worry, folks, he's only scooping it here--others are over the moon for this new premium ice cream. >> it's like mixing the 2 best things in the world together in one. the golden state produces more milk, butter, and ice cream than any state in the nation, and since it's also a leader in both farming and innovative artisan foods, it

looks like these two might just innovative artisan foods, it looks like these two might just have a spirited partnership for years to come. for "california country," i'm tracy sellers. >> brought to you by allied insurance, a member of the nationwide family of companies, which also includes nationwide insurance--on your side. from farm to feast--stay tuned for more of the tempting tastes of california.

>> welcome back to "california country." >> joanne neft didn't start out a few years ago yearning to become a food rock star, but now, in placer county, her swirl of bright gray hair turns heads everywhere she goes. >> 20 years ago, i started the farmers' markets in placer county. and i thought to myself, what could we do that would help people understand that there's something wonderful to eat in placer county every day of the year? i had a friend, susan dupre,

who came for lunch in december, and we had what i had picked up at the farmers' market on saturday. and so we finished our little lunch, and she pushed her chair back from the table, and she said, "why don't you just write a cookbook?" >> so along with professional chef laura kenny, joanne decided to show her friend and the rest of us just how it's done. >> so we started two weeks after we decided we were going to, and we had dinner, just the 4 of us, on january 5, and it was awesome. so we decided we should invite some more people to come with us. >> joanne and laura invited different folks over for dinner every monday night for a year. this book is a collection of those menus and recipes, organized in a easy-to-follow manner while highlighting the region's farms and succulent foods. >> we've gotten to know quite a bit of the farmers over the past year.

>> she has her motherly advice, and then as soon as she gives that, she pokes you with a sharp stick and gets you on your way, because it doesn't do it for you, but it helps encourage you to get it done. >> i was praying there'd be 100 people at the book signing, quite honestly, and i think, oh, we did phenomenal numbers. and just the community response has been overwhelming, and it's been wonderful. >> this is really a community process. this is not about joanne neft and laura kenny. this is about the farmers, and this is about the greater community and connecting those two, and if you please, we're simply the facilitator. i just want to thank each one simply the facilitator. i just want to thank each one of you, too, because it takes a village. nobody does this alone.

>> do you know that we've almost sold 8,000 books of our first printing? and our first printing is 10,000. so it's been out for a month and about 2 or 3 days now, and we are ready to go for our second printing already. >> first of all, welcome to our table. i would like you to know that this morning at the farmers' market, we purchased everything that you're gonna have for dinner tonight, and so--including the centerpiece, which is some artichokes and some romanesco. >> we had a message--i mean, to eat locally, eat in season--but we didn't know how it was gonna be received, and

luckily it's been received very well. it's very humbling. people's response is enormous. they love that we have a guide to the farmers' market for them to take with them and go home and be able to prepare meals that they know are local and in season and healthy and they should be eating. and now dhey have the skills and the tools to be able to do that. >> we can all eat healthy food for the entire year and eat what nature is providing for us. >> this segment is brought to you by the california farm bureau federation.

>> welcome back to "california country." >> we're at the world-famous hearst castle here in san simeon. it's a place that each year thousands of tourists flock to to get a taste of old hollywood fame and fortune. but these days, they're getting a taste of the new hearst empire, courtesy of a very special ranch. this palatial estate is what media mogul william randolph hearst is perhaps best known for--the hearst castle.

once the home of the famous newspaper giant, it is now one of the world's largest tourist attractions. with 56 bedrooms, 61 bathrooms, 19 sitting rooms, a movie theater, and the world's largest private zoo, the castle is almost like a small, self-contained city rather than just one man's humble abode. >> william randolph hearst sat here in the center of the table. he liked to be surrounded by his guests. he sat here so he could talk and understand more about his guests. these were newswcrthy people that sat here around him for his meals. >> but it was the land just below his home that hearst truly cherished, a place referred to simply as "the ranch." for a man who lived his life in the public eye, this was his true oasis, a place to slip into obscurity. >> so he built his castle here at san simeon, but the love of the ranch, the cowboy lifestyle--it was always something that hearst really

favored. but william randolph hearst wrote a letter to his mother--once quoting, then, from mr. hearst-- that if he could spend a month anywhere in the world, it would be at the ranch at san simeon. >> today, william randolph's cowboy dreams are being lived out by his gisat-grandson steve hearst. the now 80,000-acre hearst ranch is one of the largest and oldest working cattle ranches on the california coast. but when the new generation of hearsts took over, the question quickly became, how can the ranch keep thriving in the modern era? >> and it was my ranch manager cliff garrison who said, "gee, steve, it's a shame we couldn't do anything with our beef." and i said, "well, why couldn't we?" and so ultimately we started pursuing the grass-fed beef,

and it fit right in with the whole conservation solution for the property. >> it's fun. it's a picnic every day. you know, we love it. it's a beautiful place and a great place to work. >> so from the shadow of their famous neighbor, the hearst ranch is stepping into the spotlight these days with their brand-few grass-fed beef operation. grazing on rolling hills with picturesque views, the hearst beef is billed as nothing being added but their history, and it's true. the cattle thrive on nutrient-rich native grasses that have been there since the days of william randolph hearst, and today they're actually being helped and not hindered by the animals that call this place home. >> the native grasses and all the grassland areas that are here are a rdsult of the cattle operation. they've been here for the 140 years, as well. >> the perfect balance between man and nature is exactly what

william randolph had intended when he began the cattle °9 and built hiq famous home overlooking his beloved ranch. the result of all those years of dedication to the land and animals is beef with extraordinary flavor that's almost as memorable as the surrounding landqcape. the once-niche product has become a staple among chefs looking for the newest and greatest product, especially when it comes from a local legend. >> it is funny to say. you hear the words "up-and-coming company," but people are like, "hearst? he's been around for a long time." but yet their beef and their ranch is relatively new, their product on the market. and so far, it's just a wonderful product, so they're slowly growing that. and it's a great concept because they're very unique in what they do. they start from finish to the end. >> and this historic working cattle ranch and landscape will be preserved forever thanks to

one of the largest land conservation easements in california history. it's just one more way that the hearst legacy is living on through the land and agriculture that have been part of this famous family for generations. >> i thought it might ruin it for me when i took over running the properties and--you know, because i'd be down here all the time working. and then when i got here, i realized that this job is kind of the best of all worlds because i can't tell whether i'm working or playing.

>> welcome back to "california country." >> aancient chinese proverb promises, "eat a peach, live forever." and even to this day, the peach tree is still revered as the tree of life, which is a perfect metaphor for what peaches do for chef michelle

polzine: breathe new life into her ever-evolving dessert menu here at the range restaurant in san francisco. from tarts to cakes and even ice cream, she believes every peach deserves its day in the sun and a place on her menu. >> this variety is a sun crest peach, which is kind of an old-fashioned variety. it's super fuzzy. a lot of the--a lot of varieties are hybridized to be less fuzzy, but these are kind of--these are like the old-fashioned, like, grandma peach. >> and what does it take to grow a really great-tasting peach? is it the soil? is it the sun? is it the farmer? well, here in the central valley, one farming family thinks they have found the perfect combination for growing the perfect peach. at blossom bluff orchards in parlier, growing outstanding

produce is all in a day's work. on more than 75 acres of rich farmland, ted and fran loewen look after some of the most prized produce seen on menus across the state. the couple represents the third generation of farming in a family that first moved to the area inthe 1930s. fran and ted eventually took over the operation from her dad herb and immediately saw a need to change a few things in order to stay competitive. >> father-in-law back in the sixties had a fairly typical orchard for this area, where he would have a number of varieties to go through the season and he would pack them, and they would get marketed with others doing the same thing. as the market changed, we had a choice to make: either get bigger or find a niche market. >> in addition to changing the fruit they grow, the loewens also strived to change

the way they grew their fruit. long before the days of organic and in a time when farmland around them was rapidly disappearing, the loewens, along with some local farmers, came up with a set of growing guidelines called "california clean," which later became the catalyst for them going 100% organic. >> taking care of the land--the idea is to do something that can be done forever. >> and today through meticulous maintenance of the land and careful planning, the family can now offer an assortment of unique varieties that ripen at different times, offerin customers a variety of sweet, exotic colors and fruits throughout the year. in addition, the family perfected their hands-on treatment. you'll notice there are no machines in this packing shed, just trained eyes, with attention to detail being paramount. and from patterson apricots to may diamond nectarines to dapple dandy plums, the fruit here is extremely diverse, whether it's fresh or dry.

>> the biggest demand is--would be apricots, apriums, plums and pluots, white nectarines, white peaches. people love them. and this is another way that we can continue our season at the farmers' market. >> so from the kitchens of world-class chefs to the world-class orchards they farm, the entire loewen family is hoping to ensure their fruit is around for generations to come. and now with the whole family completely invested in the land that has given thee so much over the years, the next time you take a bite out of a blossom bluff pea@h, make sure to savor the fact that you are also biting into 75 years of a family's hard work and loving care of the land. >> and as long as we can keep doing it, i just feel like it's a way of keeping up a tradition, and we take pride in what we do. everyone here takes pride in what they do, so we just want to do a really good job. >> hi. i'm adrienne garcia, and today we're gonna make a stone fruit granite and--

with whipped cream. so here we have some pots that i've cooked just in water and sugar. you just want to cook them until they're tender when you pierce them with a knife. and you can--what you're gonna do firsd is you're gonna puree these. you can use a blender, a food processor--whatever you want. i like the food processor becaupe you end up with a nice texture. and we're gonna puree this until it's--there are no chunks left. [whirring] so granite is just a french word for granita, or shaved ice. you need sugar in it or else it won't scrape at all. it'll be completely rock s@lid. so what we're gonna do is just pour it into any dish you have. leave yourself overnight. and here we have one that i did a little earlier. it just freezes perfectly flat. you'll take a fork and scrape

it just so you end up with your consistency of, like, shaved ice that you get at the fair or anywhere. you can do any fruit. you can do coffee, basil--anything--just make sure you have sugar in there. so now we'll just spoon some into our serving dish. and then to garnish it, i like to use products similar to what it's made of, or that complement the flavor, so i'm gonna use fresh pluot, peach, and apricots. and then because i--the pluots are--they're pretty tart, i like to put a little bit of whipped cream on top just to cut that tartness. so this is a really simple, beautiful dessert that you can serve at a party. it can all be done ahead, and you're making people happy. >> that concludes today's tour of the best of "california country." join us next time for more undiscovered treasures from the most fascinating state in the country. [captioning made possible by california farm bureau federation]

[captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org] >> coming up next on "california country," go behind the scenes of one of the most recognized food companies in cali@ornia. then learn about the important ingredient in this italian favorite. next, meet the family that is putting the fun back in fungi. and learn a great new recipe you can make today. it's all ahead, and it starts now. [c@ptioning made possible by california farm bureau federation] welcome to the show. i'm your host tracy sellers. so, have you eer wondered, "what does it take to stay fresh in the world of agriculture?" well, one dried fruit company thinks they have found the answer. and they would know. they've been growing strong in the business more than

a century now. this time of year, there's only one thing on marysville farmer sam nevis' mind--getting his fruit off the tree. just like any other farmer, getting his harvest in and on time is crucial, even though you won't be seeing these plums in the produce section of the market. that's because you'll be seeing them as dried plums, otherwise known as prunes. and there's no better place for finding some of thbest dried plums than this area. did you know the state's greatest dried plum production actually happens here in the sacramento and san joaquin valleys? farmers here produce more dried plums than the rest of the world

combined. >> right now, we're looking at french prunes about to be harvested. and what i look for to see if they're ripe or not is color. we test for sugar. we look at overall fruit development. and this tree is ready to be harvested. >> here they are harvesting 96 tons of fruit a day. so, to be efficient, almost all the harvesting is done by machines now. a mechanical shaker grabs a tree's main limb and, in a matter of seconds, shakes the fruit onto a fabric catching frame spread underneath. from there, it's a quick conveyor ride to bins destined for the dehydrator. and just in casd you were wondering, they're prus in the field and dried plums after they've gone to the dehydrator. the next step in the life of a prune soon to become a dried

plum happens here at the nearby dehydrator. here, the fruit is thoroughly washed and then placed on large wooden trays. then the fruit is wheeled into these huge ovens where the temperature reaches upwards of 185 degrees. and in a matter of hours, 18 to be exact, voila! you've @t dried plums. then they're off to the next stop-- to the largest family-owned global producer of dried fruit in the world--the mariani fruit company in vacaville. >> my grandfaher came here when he was only 16 years old and decided that he had an opportunity to have a better living here in california. and he came from yugoslavia and got into the agricultural business. so, that was over 104 years ago. >> and now more than a century later, and it's mark mariani and his children michael, christopher, and natalie, who literally have grown up in

the dried fruit business, that are carrying on the family tradition of marketing some of the golden state's best fruit. at their headquarters, trained personnel inspect the fruit, rate it for size, and then package it. and speaking of which, mark's dad was actually the first to package dried fruit in a completely different way. >> as you go into a produce area, you take a look, and you touch and feel, and you see the product. and we just couldn't understand why our competitors wanted to put it behind a bag they can't see. and so, he said, "let's put it in a visible bag. the consumer can see it." and that's been the philosophy that we've had since 1950. >> in addition to those dried plums, they now have a complete line of dried fruit and even dried produce for trail mixes and popular cereals as well. they're processing about 100 million pounds of fruit a year here, so quality is of the utmost importance. and for that, they rely on farmers like sam to keep the family tradition going. >> we find that the best growers in the world are from

california. they have the best technology, the best practices. they're committed to the business. they don't look at ht as a commodity. they all have an interest, a value added. and when you combine all that, you will have the best product out there. >> i'm prgud to be a mariana grower because it @ives what you do a good feeling. i mean, you wake up in the morning and, like, "i can do this and grow a good crop and provide it to the area and put it out there in a nice pack." and... makes you feel good. >> so, another member of the family, natalie, here. now, natalie, what do you do for the company? what's your job? >> i have been fortunate enough--i worked in the company a little bit before i had my child, my son. and then i got to come back and be a spokesperson-- >> oh, good. ok. >> and share delicious recipes and do a little bit of online things for them. so... >> that's great. 'cause i think people think of dried fruit, and they think of maybe, oh, just trail mix or snacking. but i mean, look at all this stuff we have here. this is amazing.