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Valley News
08/27/07
Farms plant seeds for family outings
By Kimberly K. Fu/Staff
Writer - TheReporter.Com
Faud Ateyeh (right), his wife (left) and daughter look for vegetables Sunday during Suisun Valley Fun Family Farm Days. (Nina Robinson/The Reporter)
As the clock struck 11 a.m. Sunday, Suisun Valley merchants opened their arms and their businesses to visitors of the first of three Family Fun Farm Days of the season, an event inaugurated last year.
By 1 p.m., the area teemed with people, along with chickens, dogs, llamas and myriad other animal friends.
At Parker Farms, a sweet-faced canine nodded off under a tall white table as Vacaville resident Diane Stam picked through the tomatoes exhibited on top.
"I have never seen this many colors of tomatoes so we wanted to try new ones," she said, indicating the greens and yellows in her bag. She soon wandered into the cabana area, which is new this year. Also new are the chickens slated to produce organic eggs.
Around front, children and adults threw ripe tomatoes at a pair of scarecrows and won candy for their hits.
Many of the youthful players, it seems, have surprisingly good aim, said game staffer Devon Anderson of Fairfield.
"Some of these kids, you don't think they've got it in them, and they have an arm and just bust it," she said with a grin.
At Tenbrink Winery, visitors sifted through sweet pluots and marveled at the gigantic tomatoes. Owner Linda Tenbrink refused to identify a favorite variety, emphasizing that "it's like asking me to choose between my children. I like them all."
Meanwhile, Mario Moratorio with the University of California Cooperative Extension explained the use of a refractometer in gauging the sweetness of wine grapes. According to his test, Tenbrink's Pinot Noir rated a 26, making it sweeter than the Petit Sirah, which rated a 23.
At 99 Cherry Orchard, 3-year-old Christopher Castles of Sacramento repeatedly hugged Mr. Jelly Belly as Sneakers the dog sat on his grandmother's foot. As Pat Stevens coaxed the pooch into another position, the boy continued his love fest.
"He likes any person that's in a costume," said his mom, Leila Castles. The family likes fun drives with family activities, she said, which made this day perfect.
"The gourmet stuff is nice for the adults and there's stuff for the kids," she said.
The next Family Fun Farm Day is set for Sept. 23, with the final event on Oct. 21.
Kimberly K. Fu can be reached at cops@thereporter.com.