Making California Raisins
Alan's bride Miyoko, with this year's raisin crop in progress.
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Alan, with so little available moisture, do you have blue skies every day (unless there's smoke haze)?
ReplyDeleteGenerally speaking, yes. But this valley is open to the prevailing winds from the NW, and closed at the south end; and often an inversion layer forms. Consequently various air pollutants get trapped until a good wind comes through. I think it was night before last that we had some rain and even a bit of thunder and lightning during the night (it didn't wake us) from the thunderstorms that formed offshore and came onshore north of San Francisco. The first Spanish explorer to come through this area (in the summer) noted that there was a white haze that obscured the view of the mountains. And this time of year the almond harvesting kicks up a lot of dust; first they shake the trees with a big machine, then sweep up the almonds with big rotary sweepers. Interestingly, the almond hulls have enough protein in them to serve as cattle feed once they are ground and steamed. The raisin capstems are also processed into cattle feed.
DeleteOh, and a lot of the grapes we set out are already turned into raisins in just a week. We are removing the capstems now, which is rather tedious work when done by hand. In the processing plants they are moved across a big vibrating plate with holes that are just big enough for the capstems, which are pulled off by a vacuum. The raisin processing plants make a good school field trip.
DeleteIt used to be that California's Central Valley was known for its dense fog in the winter, but decreasing rainfall and soil moisture has made it rare. The fog decreased evaporation, keeping moisture in the soil and significantly reducing the need for irrigation during the summer. Being so far inland snow would not be surprising, but the cold air flowing down from the mountains was heated by compression and the valley floor was generally kept above freezing. Typical winter weather was overcast during the day and foggy at night and in the early morning. The Sierra Nevada (literally the "Snowy Mountain Range") used to have some of the heaviest snows in the world; there were places where the *normal* winter snowfall was a hundred feet. No more-- and the change has come rapidly (within the past twenty or thirty years). We would gladly have our gray skies back.
DeleteGosh, I wrote a response here on Sunday afternoon, but it's gone!
DeleteI found your posts about weather and clouds and no clouds and fog and inversion so interesting.
Up here we get fog and all sort and manner of cloud. I like the clouds that gather on mountaintops, and tend to hang over land moreso than over The Lake...though Lake Champlain gets its share of thunderstorms, gales and rainbows. But, of course, this is New England. If you don't like the weather in New England, wait a minute (it'll change).
Kid just left. Winning once again the most work done in less than twenty four hours.
ReplyDeleteHurrah for your Good Kid!!
DeleteI’m always so grateful for him!!
BTW, folks on your FB page were worried about you, so I let them know you came through Ida’s passing fine.