on more than 75 acres of rich farmland, ted and fran loewen look after some of the most prized producen 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. >> takin

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