Saratoga Spotlight, June 2023

This year’s wintry spring will soon turn to summer warmth and the much-anticipated local fruit season. In the orchards, a splendid cherry crop is ripening. Not long after the cherries, the beloved Blenheim apricots will be ready for picking, between Father’s Day and the 4th of July. In August, French prunes will reach their dusty purple perfection. These are the fruits that made the Santa Clara Valley world famous for its extraordinary beauty and bounty. We are fortunate to still find them all growing right here in Saratoga.

For about 100 years, from the 1849 Gold Rush to WWII, Santa Clara Valley transformed into the Valley of Heart’s Delight. The valley’s rich soil, plentiful water, and temperate weather were the resources immigrants turned into highly productive orchards and farms. Farms as small as 5 acres could support a family given the growing population’s demand for fruit. At its peak in the 1940s, family farms spread across 125 square miles. French Prunes were the largest crop, with 56,000 acres of land. Apricots were the second largest covering 18,500 acres.

Many people still remember the orchards that spread across the hills and valley floor, perfuming springtime with their astounding blossom display. Travelers came to view the spectacle from trains, planes, and automobiles. Saratoga’s Blossom Festival, which began in 1900, grew so popular it attracted visitors from around the world until it ended with WWII. Growing up in Saratoga in the 1960s as I did, orchards were still plentiful, but we were living on the cusp of great change. Farms were being sold and plowed under for suburban development and the world’s most productive fruit industry was disappearing at an alarming rate.

Fortunately, a little bit of our agricultural past remains today, thanks in part to a few steadfast fruit farmers who preserve the Valley of Heart’s Delight heritage. Here in Saratoga, the Novakovich family have farmed their 11-acre orchard on Fruitvale Avenue for nearly 125 years. Novakovich Orchards features Blenheim apricots, Bing cherries, and other stone fruits they sell fresh in season while preserving much of their crop for year-round enjoyment and holiday treats. As the last family farm in Saratoga, Novakovich Orchards is a unique resource and a registered historic landmark with a farm shop that is open year-round. If you stop by to shop and chat with the family, you will find time slows down as you connect with Saratoga’s deep agricultural traditions.

In the 1970s, the cities of Saratoga, Los Altos, and Sunnyvale preserved “Heritage Orchards” to demonstrate the agricultural history of the region. Local orchardists like the Novakovich family cared for the trees and preserved the fruit for public enjoyment. In 2020, Saratoga changed course to open the Heritage Orchard up to U-pick. While inviting the public to pick fresh fruit for free has proved popular, there are trade-offs to consider, including economic impacts to local commercial farmers, reducing the amount of fruit available to the community year-round, and fruit waste. A conversation between our remaining heritage farmers and the cities who operate “heritage” orchards is needed to find common ground for fair and best practices with a goal to ensure these community treasures are mutually sustainable and flourish for decades to come. 

In 2013, Saratoga’s Historical Foundation revived the Saratoga Blossom Festival celebration of springtime and the summer fruit harvest to come. The festival connects new and old residents to Saratoga’s special place in the Valley of Heart’s Delight history. I enjoy sharing my cookbook and memories with attendees, including Saratoga’s Mayor.

For more information about apricots, recipes, and history, please visit fortheloveofapricots.com.