It takes more than just people to make California agriculture a huge success. It also takes animals. To be more specific, it takes dogs. But how do you turn the typical, untrained canine into a hardworking, valuable helpmate? You send the dog to college.

At this time of year, a popular heartland commodity is ripe for the picking. It was named after Enoch Bartlett, a Massachusetts nurseryman. Eventually his sweet fruit came west with the 49ers.

From pears we go to pigs…and chickens…and sheep. That’s what you’ll find at a guest ranch near Santa Barbara. While there’s plenty of horseback riding and other activities for the adults, for the little ones there’s a petting zoo that comes with something different.

For the human animal there’s little that’s more nutritious than a diet rich in dark, green, leafy vegetables. When your mother said, "eat your spinach," that was sound advice. Spinach is so nutritious its juice was added to wine and served to French soldiers during World War II. It was believed that the chlorophyll and iron in spinach fortified troops weakened by blood loss. And according to Pat, our appetite for spinach here in California is rapidly gaining strength.

Now that we’ve made you hungry for spinach you may want to enjoy a nice spinach salad. And what better way to top off such a salad than with California onions.

While onions are often featured in fast food, and fast food plays a role in most of our diets, there are times when we prefer something more elegant – a meal of fine wine, cheese and beef, fish or fowl. And, as Allison reminds us, fowl doesn’t just mean chicken anymore.

Pat is a trooper! She’ll try almost anything for California Heartland, even a dog biscuit made from homegrown California ingredients.

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