Brazo Gitano led me to a Stockton cherry orchard, SF Chronicle 2019

We drove down a narrow strip of asphalt that cut a makeshift road through old walnut, almond and cherry trees. The friction between the tires of the car and the ancient earth created trails of airborne dust and left a storm behind us.

These dusty backroads of Northern California’s San Joaquin Valley are emblazoned in my memory. My mom worked the fields when she was young and would later become a sorter on the line for Almond Growers, a company now known as Blue Diamond. I consider myself lucky that I can visually identify all sorts of fruit and nut trees by their leaves alone. I also consider myself lucky that I know how almonds are harvested (a machine shakes the trees). Above all, I consider myself lucky to have some of the most beautiful produce in the world readily accessible in my backyard.

How my hankering for brazo gitano led to a Stockton cherry orchard