History
Ignacio Sanchez, or "Nacho" as he is referred to by family and friends, emigrated from Mexico with his family in 1964 to a small town called Cutler. He was three years old at the time. His parents were seasonal harvesters of tomatoes, oranges and stone fruit. At that time families were allowed to bring their children along to harvest. It wasn't long before Nacho was running his own crew for a farm at the young age of thirteen. After graduating from college with a degree in Plant Protection, he purchased 6.34 acres of tree fruit in 1989 with his wife, Cassi. "It was a big step, but owning my own farm was my ultimate dream." In 1991 Nacho and Cassi's twins, Christyna and Serena, were born, thus inspiring the name Twin Girls Farms. When their third daughter Savannah was born, Nacho named a couple of peach varieties after her.
Nacho never liked to use chemicals even before he started farming organically in 1994. "Because of my degree, I understood the long-term effects of using chemicals, but I saw early on what chemicals could do - the headaches, acid rashes, burning eyes." Nacho says his employees feel much safer working in the fields knowing that harsh chemicals aren't used, including his parents who now work with him. All of Nacho's production is registered organic by QAI (Quality Assurance International). "We use old cultural practices when it comes to farming organic. The many different commodities require different monitoring, applications and different preventative measures."
Nacho states, "My diversity is key. My niche is farming organically and farmers' markets. I am very loyal and grateful for farmers' markets. I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for farmers' markets." Early on, Nacho saw how much money could be generated from one acre at a farmers' market. "They (farmers' markets) eliminate the packer, the shipper, the broker and the supermarket." Nacho works seven days a week and his crew starts at 6 a.m. He leaves his packing facility at 1 a.m. in the morning for the farmers' markets in the Bay Area.
Nacho says his employees are an integral part of his operation. "My employees are very hard-working and loyal. They would do almost anything within reason for me. They have year-round employment with me as opposed to seasonal. I try to pay them higher than the typical wage and treat them the way I like to be treated."
Nacho's acreage has grown from his initial purchase to over 400 acres producing over 90 different varieties of organic citrus and tree fruit. "I didn't inherit anything. I have 14 farms now - 60 miles apart from both ends. I love the challenges of this business. I love what I do - growing, meeting people, experimenting with different varieties. I'm constantly looking at different commodities. There are lots of benefits, but I also enjoy the high risk. I am good at this."
January crops to watch for:
Navel oranges, Blood oranges, mandarins, pumellos, lemons. With Navel oranges, look for good color, a citrus smell, palm size and the peel should come off easily. Owari is a mandarin variety that is great for kids. It's easy to peel, has a distinct mandarin aroma and kind of "crackles" when peeled. Note: mandarins don't have seeds - tangerines do.
The majority of Twin Girls fruit is packed for wholesale marketing and sold to various distributors. You can also buy directly from Ignacio and staff at several farmers' markets in the Bay Area: Campbell, Corte Madera, Marin Civic Center, Menlo Park, Napa, Oakland, San Francisco Ferry Plaza and Sunnyvale.
Preparation:
Using a sharp knife, cut, peel and remove all white membrane from grapefruit and orange. Holding fruit over a bowl to catch juice, cut sections free and drop into bowl. Add lemon juice and oil, mix gently, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour or up to four hours. Just before serving, arrange lettuce leaves on four individual plates. Pit, peel, and slice avocado. Arrange avocado equally on lettuce then top evenly with citrus mixture and juices. Sprinkle with cashews or peanuts.
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