[captioning made possie by cbyifornia farm bureau federation] >> coming up on "california country," meet a farming family finding a way to give back to their community. then find out why this crop is coming out of the dark literally. next, it's turkey time. learn how to make a new recipe with the holiday favorite. and travel to one of the most unique farmers markets in the stata. it's all ahead, and it starts now. you would think being around watermelons all day, you might get sick of eating the sometimes messy snack, but not for farmer dan van groningen. >> that's good. that's crispy. it's sweet. it's wet. it's everything a watermelon should be. >> but then again, he's had a lot of practice eating watermelons at his family farm in ripon. for more than 70 years now, they've been growing the picnic favorite and have loved every minute of it, seeds and all. >> 1939, we started growin' watermelons the first time. my grandfather did, and, uh, my father was young then, and he would do the harvesting. they would, uh, load the watermelons into small, little trucks and-- and bring 'em to the rai

[captioning made possible by california farm bureau federation] [captioned by the national captioninginstitute --www.ncicap.org] >> everyone deserves a bank account. in san francisco, anyone can have a bank account, things to an innovative program, bank on s.f. >> everyone is welcome, even if you are not a citizen or have bad credit to qualify for a bank account is simple. just live or work in san francisco and have a form of id. >> we started bank on s.f. six years ago to reach out to folks in the city who do not have a bank account. we wanted to make sure they know they have options which should be more low-cost, more successful to them and using chat catchers. >> check cashing stores can be found all over the city, but they're convenient locations come with a hidden price. >> these are big. >> i remember coming in to collect -- charged a fee to collect a monogram. >> people who use check catchers, particularly those who use them to cash their paychecks all year long, they can pay hundreds, even a thousand dollars a year just in fees to get access to their pay. >> i do not have that

[captionibg made possible by california farm bureau federation] >> coming up on "california country," see how one farmer is breaking bread with his customers, literally. then we offer an ode to olives thanks to this historic company. and see how salads are getting a makeofer thanks to these long-time farmers. plus see how your flowers get from the field to the florist. it's all ahead, and it starts now. nestled into the hills of the quiet little town of ojai is where you'll find the rio gozo farm. "rio," which means river in spanish, and "gozo," which means joy, is run by former chef and now full-time farmer john fonteyn. and if you watch him work long enough, you'll realize just how much gozo is actually flowing around these parts. >> good morning. >> you, too. how are you all? i mean, my first love qith food wap really preparing food and cooking it. i just kind of felt like since food was a relationship i'm gonna have my whole life, and one i check in with 3 times a day, that it'd be good to really kind of explore it deeper. >> and john gets to explore his love f@r food every day, n

[captioninmade possible by california farm bureau federation] >> welcome to the show. i'm your host tracy llers. we're in the beautiful mountains of el dorado county today, which is just a short drive away from sacramento. andhat brings us to our first story. if you're anything like me, you've probably consumed this next produce item at let once this week. that's because it's been called america's favorite vegeble. but we like to call it a reason to get our hands dirty and meet some real potato pioneers. with their adaptability and versatility, it's wonder potatoes are a fan favorite. bad, mashed, diced, or scalloped, no matter how you slice it, from potato chips to french fries d almost anything in between, the potato has been a staple of our diet throughout history and today. and there's no denying we have a special love affair with t spuds. you know, on average, each of us will actually eat 135 pounds of potatoes a year, and in a wide variety of forms. in fact, potatoes are the leading vegetable crop in the united states, with annual total production being about 41

[captioning made possible by california farm bureau federation] >> coming up on "california country": think this sweet treat just cab't get any better? think again. >> oh, my! it's ready. >> it's ready? >> it's ready. >> then find out why this meal was 52 weeks in the making. >> i would like you to know that this morning at the farmers' market, we purchased everything that you're gonna have for dinner tonight. >> next, learn the hidden ranching roots behind hearst castle. and they're a summertime favorite--see what you can do with some of the season's best frtit. it's all ahead, and it starts now. [captioning made possible by california farm bureau federation] >> ♪ la la la la la la da da da da... ♪ >> here at birk's restaurant in santa clara, they're known for being a south bay institution. since 1989, plate after heaping plate has been served up to a pretty discriminating crowd. and no matter how full they are, most leave room for dessert, desserts that are almost too pretty to eat--almost. >> here we have the orange- creamsicle-flavored ice cream. it sits on a carved-out half of a

california's agriculture industry facing a labor shortage as farm workers who live in the state now get older and fewer workers come in from mexico to replace them. the california farm bureau federationker shortage starting this spring. now, aging farm workers here in california say their children just are not interested in fieldwork and toughening immigration enforcement means fewer workers coming in from mexico. >>> well, tonight march madness starts for a lot of bay area basketball fans as they get ready for a wcc showdown. the st. mary's gayles face the bulldogs from las vegas. the winner gets an automatic bid in the tournament. the gaels play gonzaga for the 15th season. amber orange scored the winning lay-up with just eight seconds left on the clock. stanford beat uc. the cardinal could be the number one seed. >>> it is 8:20. in one year, b.a.r.t. experienced more than 500 delays. the main reason behind these holdups. >>> look out the window right now. this is a live picture. more beautiful weather ahead. we can see warmer temperatures in part, of the bay area. meteorologist rosemary orozco's forecast is next. >>> 500 delays in the last year. according to information collected

. >>> california farms could face a labor shortage. the state's farm bureau federationn 70% of producers will expect a shortage starting this spring. fewer migrants are coming into the country. their children are not interested in field work. experts say a declining number of workers can make them switch to crops that require less labor. it's a $44 billion industry in california alone. >>> stress can do bad things to the heart. a new study shows prolonged stress can lead to heart risk. researchers found higher rates of cardiac problems in people who lived in new orleans six years after hurricane katrina. the largest study was with more than 200,000 veterans, those are ptsd were more likely to get high blood pressure and high cholesterol. >> coming up next, a warm up on the way. plus, how to catch a rare glimpse of a comet in the evening sky this week. >>> it started as a class. now tens of thousands of meals are being delivered to cancer patients. a story to make the bay area proud. >>> hundreds of girls in high school picked out their prom dresses for free today. they

remember, buy ripe, buy local, and buy california. >> this segment is brought to you by the california farm bureau federation. from farm to feast. stay tuned for more of the tempting tastes of california. >> welcome back. beyond the bustle of the big city is an undiscovered paradise called california country. >> here in san diego county, flowers are all around us to enjoy, to smell, and now even to eat. anyone who has received a bouquet of flowers will tell you the magnificent qualities about them aren't just limited to their awe-inspiring beauty or to their sweet floral scent. they can offer so much more. just ask john clemons, a flower farmer for more than 20 years now. you can step onto his farm in the town of jamul and think it looks similar to the other dozens of flower farms in s@n diego county. but look a little closer, and you'll discover a sweet surprise. >> in the mid-nineties, i was lookin' through a book, came across a recipe for crystallized violets, and i thought, hmm. egg whites, dip the flower in. throw it in sugar. roll it around. put it down. it dries, and you have something crunchy that's

[captioning made possible by california farm bureau federation] for anybody who has tried a piece of california citrus, it's not surprising it's been called the best in the west. and it's yet another of the products that made the golden state a leading force in the world of agriculture. california is the leading producer of fresh citrus fruits. but as the industry has gotten larger, the size of the fruit has actualy gotten smaller. in fact, many think that this little guy may be a big part of the future of citrus farming in california. so, what's bright orange, fits in your pocket, and has marketing potential in california? if you answered mandarin oranges, you'd be right. you see, while oranges count for 2/3 of the state's citrus crop, there is something gaining in popularity these days--their pint-size peers, tangerines, mandarins, and clementines. in fact, they're so big here, california may someday overtake the citrus capital of the u.s., florida, in production of them--all of which doesn't surprise farmers like craig kaprelian one bit. >> california has a much better climate to g

charlotte fadipe for "california country tv." >> this segment is brought to you by the california farm bureau federation. the people, the places, the unforgettable tastes of california will be back in a moment. >> welcome back. beyond the bustle of the big city is an undiscovered paradise called california country. >> we're in san francisco. beauty has gone organic. and it's so farm fresh, people like me just can't wait to start feeding their skin. at sephora in the bay area, the hunt is on for the perfect potion to turn back the hands of time. and thanks to a new product, customers are getting exactly what they asked for. and one thing is for sure--the old adage that you are what you eat takes on an entirely different meaning now. juice beauty is the name of a new product line started by women in the bay area who began to look at skin care from a different perspective. >> [indistinct] organic green apples a little bit? >> ok. um, yeah. yeah, actually. >> yeah. >> some apple. >> it's just really a lot of organic fruits. >> smells like applesauce. >> uh, yeah, but in a good way. i never really thought ab

[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