When the day was done July 23, volunteers from the Rotary Clubs of Sonoma Valley, Jack London State Historic Park and staff from Farm to Pantry had picked 798 pounds of ripe plums that will be given to people facing food insecurity.
The day of gleaning helps the hungry, and is important to the continuing restoration of the park’s historic orchard.
“This orchard is such a beautiful place, and it’s a real pleasure coming out to help restore the historic groves,” said Scott Murray, president of the Rotary Club of Sonoma Valley. “Helping restore the existing groves, picking seasonal harvests, and replanting the historic peach grove are important environmental projects for the Rotary clubs in this area. This is why the Rotary Club of Sonoma Valley together with the Rotary clubs of Sonoma Sunrise, Sonoma Springs, Glen Ellen/Kenwood, and Valley of the Moon, and the Sonoma Valley High School Interact Club are all contributing people and resources to this effort.”
Twenty-six volunteers from across the local Rotary groups have participated in the orchard workdays, he said, “and we have more work and harvest days scheduled over the next 12 months.”
The 110-year-old orchard, located three miles from the main park entrance of the park, is a beautiful and rewarding hiking destination, said Matt Leffert, the park’s executive director. “Now, thanks to the Rotary Club of Sonoma Valley and Farm to Pantry, the literal ‘fruits’ of our labors are serving a greater purpose in the realm of food justice.”
“We love that these historic trees that we’re working so hard to preserve are also producing food for people facing food insecurity throughout the county,” he said,
The partnership with the park yields much more than fruit, agreed Duskie Estes, executive director of Farm to Pantry. “Together, we are helping to feed people, promote health and nutrition for the community and reduce food waste.”
It’s hard to believe in this beautiful wine country, she said, that one in three of us in Sonoma County are experiencing food insecurity and that the future food supply may dwindle due to our drought emergency. “We are very grateful that we get to share the bounty of the Jack London historic orchard with those who need it most. This is such an amazing partnership and use of land on so many levels.”
In 2021, nonprofit Farm to Pantry rescued over 350,000 pounds or 1.4 million servings of Sonoma County grown fruits and vegetables. Since 2008, workers have delivered over 4.5 million servings of fruits and vegetables in Sonoma County.
In August, volunteers from nearby Benziger Winery will gather to glean Bartlett pears, which will find their way to pantries and hungry mouths throughout Sonoma County.
In 2002 Jack London State Historic Park acquired approximately 600 acres of land from the Sonoma Developmental Center State Hospital. This land included an historic orchard – 110 acres of apple, pear, apricot, peach, cherry, and plum trees that were planted primarily in 1908-1912. By the 1980s, the orchard was abandoned.
In 2007, California Department of Parks and Recreation and the National Park Service partnered on an assessment of the orchard and determined it to be a valuable Historic and Cultural Landscape and that it should be stabilized for future generations to experience.
Soon after that, Jack London Park Partners entered into an operating agreement with the Department of Parks and Recreation to manage Jack London State Historic Park and the nonprofit began working in this historic orchard to stabilize the historic trees. This work consisted of clearing competing vegetation away, pruning deadwood, bracing, thinning fruit, mulching, watering and removal of harmful invasive species, and this work continues today.
Jack London Park Partners developed a plan with California State Parks for a cultural restoration of the historic orchard, which began in 2017.
This new expanded plan includes replanting areas of the historic orchard grid with cuttings taken from the historic trees. These cuttings (scions) are grafted onto rootstock by a grafting expert. When ready, they are planted on the same grid where historic trees have disappeared.
By doing this, visitors to the orchard will not only get to see and appreciate the individual trees, some of which are over 100 years old, but will also be able to experience what a pre-World War II orchard landscape would have been like.
In the fall of 2017, Jack London Park Partners planted the first tree in the orchard in over 50 years – a quince seedling grown from a cutting taken from the last surviving quince tree in the historic orchard. To date more than 50 trees have been planted including quince, apple, pear, cherry, and apricots.
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