Shamaz Valley Farm
Farming Uncommon Apples for 50+ Years
by Lisa Ludwigsen
As a visitor arriving at the pristine home of Shamaz Valley Farm on a crisp fall day, the first take is that this place is not just well cared for, it is well loved. Situated just east of Potter Valley, the land abuts the Mendocino National Forest and evokes the feeling of being in the Sierra foothills. Surrounded by a mixed conifer forest of ponderosa and sugar pines, Douglas fir, oaks, bays, and madrones, the farm’s well-appointed log house sits beyond a bubbling pond that provides hydroelectric power to the residence. The hot, flat Ukiah Valley, just a few miles to the southwest, seems a long way off.
This is the 108-acre parcel that Darshan Mayginnes has been stewarding for over 50 years, first as a part-time weekender and now as a full-time fruit farmer. His home is completely off-grid, generating energy through solar and that hydropower system. He explained, “We’re lucky to have plenty of water here in the Eel River watershed so we can generate hydro power to supplement our solar system. The high water table allows us to dry-farm our orchards. No irrigation is needed.”
Darshan, with assistance from his 15-year-old daughter, Ambrosia, grows over 45 varieties of apples, along with pears, peaches, cherries, and nuts. They sell mainly at the Ukiah farmers market on Saturdays, where you’ll find them from June through December. Darshan explained, “Our market season begins in June with cherries and transitions to apples in July with the earliest ripe apple, the Yellow Transparent. The final apple of the year, Hauer Pippin, ripens in December.” That’s almost six months of freshly harvested apples.
Most apples on grocery store shelves have been in storage for months, or even up to a year. Yes, apples are a dependable staple, but Darshan has strong opinions about eating and enjoying fresh apples. “I don’t want to sell anyone an apple that has been in storage, so I only sell apples that are picked the day before,” he offered. “Ambrosia and I get great pleasure sharing samples of our apples at the farmers market. It’s a big part of what we offer. It changes the way people think about apples, and they almost always come back for more.” The superior taste and overall quality are obvious. Shoppers can also find Shamaz Valley Farm apples at a few select local grocers like the Ukiah Natural Foods Co-op and through the MendoLake Food Hub.
If names like Arkansas Black, King David, Rubaiyat, or Sierra Beauty don’t ring a bell, you aren’t alone. A wide world of taste profiles and textures reach well beyond a Honeycrisp or Fuji. Other Shamaz favorites include Rhode Island Greening, Macoun, Tompkins County King, and Esopus Spitzenburg, an apple first discovered in New York in the late 1700s and planted by Thomas Jefferson. Rhode Island Greening, developed on the east coast in the mid 17th century, are highly prized for pies because of the complex flavor and that they hold their shape when cooked. Darshan and Ambrosia delight in describing each variety’s distinctive characteristics. Clearly, apples are their jam. Their animated stories and accounts express their shared passion for their vocation.
In his book, The Botany of Desire, Michael Pollan reported on the ways plants have evolved to create symbiotic relationships with humans. Apples originated in the forests of Kazakhstan and were brought to North America via seeds with the pilgrims. As apples slowly became sweeter, their interactions with humans increased. John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, followed western expansion in North America at the beginning of the 19th century, planting apple orchards at new settlements. Chapman lived eccentrically, mostly barefoot using a cooking pot as a hat, and occasionally sleeping in tree trunks while tending his burgeoning orchards, some of which still stand today. Because those apples’ bitterness rendered them virtually inedible, they were pressed and fermented into hard cider, which was enjoyed around tables at all times of the day, because the cider provided a safe beverage when water quality and supply were of concern. Pollan writes, “Really, what Johnny Appleseed was doing and the reason he was welcome in every cabin in Ohio and Indiana was he was bringing the gift of alcohol to the frontier.” The apples were also turned into vinegar, a key ingredient in food preservation. Two hundred years later, that symbiotic relationship between apples and humans has flourished, and we would do well to follow Darshan’s lead to seek out and enjoy the less common varieties. The apples want us to enjoy all of them!
Feeding and developing her entrepreneurial spirit, Ambrosia is an integral participant in the farm. Her education through Ukiah Independent Study Academy allows her to apply her talents and interests to all aspects of running a farm. She’s already adept at pruning, grafting, harvesting, and general farm maintenance. Ambrosia also takes care of the farmers market set-up and marketing of the business. An Apple-of-the-Month club, offered through the MendoLake Food Hub, may be in the works as well. Just like heirloom tomatoes lifted us out of the expectation that tomatoes are hard, watery, uniform orbs, farms like Shamaz Valley help us remember the immense joy and satisfaction of seeking out different versions of old staples. We’ve seen that consumer interest and demand can shift how and what producers grow. It may just be the time for apples!
What is Mayginnes’ all-around favorite apple? “The Thompkins County King, because it reminds me of my childhood.” The best pie apple? Rhode Island Greening.
Darshan and Ambrosia’s shared commitment to thoughtful caretaking of the land and their orchards is evident throughout their operation. Ambrosia may take the reins from her father one day, but for now they’ll continue to spread the apple gospel one taste at a time.
Darshan’s Apple Crisp
INGREDIENTS
• 8 cups sliced apples
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup rice flour
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
DIRECTIONS
Mix cinnamon and maple syrup with sliced apples. In a separate bowl, combine butter into flour and
brown sugar. This is easiest to do by hand. Place apples in baking dish, add ¼ cup water, and top
with butter/flour mixture. Bake for 45 minutes or until apples are soft.
Find Darshan and Ambrosia on Instagram @ShamazValleyFarm.
Lisa Ludwigsen has been working in environmental education and small scale agriculture for 25 years. She chronicles her experiences and travels at Food, Farms & Families at https://lisaludwigsen.substack.com
Cover photo by Lisa Ludwigsen
All other photos courtesy of Darshan Mayginnes