“People speak of terroir* in regards to wine,” says Jennifer Crane, “but I apply that concept to melons, as well.”
Crane, the sixth generation to farm her family’s 100-acre Santa Rosa ranch, knows what she’s talking about. In the early years of the last century her great-great-grandfather, Oliver Crane, spent more than a decade trying to develop a melon that could grow with little irrigation in his 100% clay soil. He worked with many then-common melon varietals such as Ambrosia, White Japanese, and Persian, crossing them in various combinations. Finally, one summer, he produced a melon he liked. Neighbors liked it, too. Crane started selling his botanic invention to ranch visitors, and, by the early 1920s, the Crane Melon had a devoted regional following.
And it still does. During September and October, when the 4-6 pound fruit ripens, devotees flock from across the Bay Area to the historic 1868 Crane Family Barn in pursuit of the pear-shaped, tangerine-fleshed, sugar-sweet melon. Too thin-skinned and delicate to travel well, it’s best purchased where it was intended to grow: in the soil type and climate found in a certain part of Sonoma County. It’s true that Crane Melons are grown elsewhere—Texas, for example. But, as Jennifer Crane says, the melon “was meant to be grown on this soil, this terroir, and farmed in a particular manner. You can plant the seed anywhere, but it just won’t taste the same.”
One of the earliest people to appreciate the county’s soil and climate was Luther Burbank, who arrived in Santa Rosa from Massachusetts in 1875. Only 27, the self-educated horticulturist had already developed the Russet Burbank potato (still the most popular US potato cultivar), selling its rights for $150 to finance his trip west. In Sonoma County, with its mild climate, long summers, plentiful sunshine, and year-round growing season, Burbank hoped to create fruits and vegetables that could help increase the world’s food supply. “The climate is perfect,” he wrote home soon after his arrival.
After a short stint as a farm laborer, Burbank purchased 15 acres in Petaluma and built an experimental farm, Gold Ridge, where he ultimately developed 800 different plant strains and varieties. Many of Burbank’s 200 fruits and vegetables still appear on our tables today. The Santa Rosa Plum—with its tart flavor, deep purple skin, and yellow flesh—is the nation’s most widely-grown plum, and the July Elberta peach and Flaming Gold nectarine remain popular. Since Burbank created peaches with easily removable pits, essentially freeing their stones, he is responsible for every Freestone peach on the market. You can also thank him for plumcots, a tasty half-plum/half-apricot hybrid. And did we mention such novelties as the White Blackberry?
Both Oliver Crane and Luther Burbank intentionally used Sonoma County’s terroir as a horticultural “incubator,” albeit with different ends. Crane created a single plant that thrives in a specific county micro-climate. Burbank created numerous plants, designing them to succeed in many climates around the world.
Differing from both approaches are already-developed plants that have arrived by chance and prospered so well that they’ve become synonymous with Sonoma County. No better example exists than the famed Gravenstein Apple.
A long-cherished story holds that the Gravenstein, which originated in 17th century Europe, was introduced into Sonoma County sometime around 1812 by Russian fur trappers at Fort Ross. More recent evidence, however, indicates that the apple may have arrived in California earlier, brought by the Spaniards (perhaps via the Mission system).
A delicious, early-season ripener and a prolific producer, the Gravenstein isn’t merely crisp, juicy, and delicious—it’s also versatile. Depending on ripeness, it can be used for cider, applesauce, pies, or just enjoyable eating. “If the Gravenstein could be had throughout the year,” Luther Burbank once said, “no other apple need be grown.”
The Gravenstein was planted up and down Sonoma County with excellent results, particularly in the Sebastopol region with its loamy soils, foggy mornings, and sunny days. By the late 1800s the Gravenstein was a major commercial factor in the county, shipped around the nation, and it remained so for almost a century. In recent years, however—due to suburban development, orchard/vineyard conversion, a global over-abundance of apples, and other factors—Gravenstein production has declined significantly.
But around these parts, the Gravenstein still rules. The Gravenstein Apple Fair, held each August since 1907, celebrates the plucky fruit with games, entertainment, crafts, farm activities, apple tastings, and apple pie baking contests. Gravensteins are easily found in season at local farmer’s markets. And, of course, you can travel the county’s beautiful backroads, soaking in all that Gravenstein terroir, and buy the apples direct from farmers.
*The French term terroir was originally used to denote characteristics bred into wine by soil, geology, sun, and altitude.
Article written by: Suzie Rodriguez