California fruit harvest on track

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Capital Press reporter Tim Hearden provided an overview of California's 2011 fruit and nut season in an article published in yesterday's edition. Table grapes, nectarines, plums, Valencia oranges, lemons and blueberries were being picked and shipped as of Aug. 8, according to a USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Many crops are holding their own despite getting a late start in development, as rain and cool temperatures in the spring gave way to a mild summer, Hearden reported.

For perspective on the NASS report, Hearden spoke to Carolyn O'Donnell of the California Strawberry Commission, a California Farm Bureau Federation spokesperson and UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Rick Buchner. Buchner said plums grown for drying are approaching the sugar content needed for harvest

Harvests should begin in a couple of weeks, which would make the crop about seven to 10 days late, Buchner said. The crop is heavy, so growers "will have to hang on long enough to get the sugar up."

The table grape harvest is under way in the San Joaquin Valley. (Photo by Edwin Remsberg, USDA)