The bounties of Fresno State’s campus farm will be on display for the community to enjoy at the Rue and Gwen Gibson Farm Market’s third annual Fall Festival, featuring a pumpkin patch, free food samples and a kid’s zone.
The free, public event will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20, at the Gibson Farm Market (5368 N. Chestnut Ave.) and will showcase a variety of food and wine products made by Fresno State students and staff, as well as a campus-grown pumpkin patch.
Free Fresno State food samples will include the market’s popular raisins, pumpkin and vanilla ice cream, sausage, raspberry tea, olive oil, pumpkin butter, cranberry sauce and other items from the dairy, meat, fruit, vegetables, nut, horticulture and food processing units managed by the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology at Fresno State.
“The fall festival is a great chance to support fresh, locally-grown products and learn first-hand how they’re made right here on campus,” said Jeremy Lewis, Gibson Farm Market manager. “Families can enjoy lots of free samples, see farm equipment and animals up close, pick up a pumpkin, get great deals and enjoy lots of fun activities for the kids.”
A kid’s zone will offer a free scavenger hunt, face painting, crafts, prizes and a chance to take a photo on a tractor. The Block and Bridle Club will have horses, dairy calves, piglets and lambs on display and the horticulture nursery will offer reduced prices on fall and winter vegetables plants and houseplants.
Student organizations Alpha Zeta, the Culinology Club and the Student Nutrition Dietetic Association will offer free samples of granola, waffles and fresh bread that will be on sale this fall at the market each Tuesday and Thursday through November.
Patrons can also purchase barbecue tri-tip sandwiches, roasted sweet corn and new items such as sweet corn salsa, sweet corn relish and strawberry rosé spread.
The Fresno State Winery will welcome wine club members to its Flavor of Fall event that will feature a tasting of its 2017 Sauvignon Blanc from Sonoma County and 2016 Zinfandel from Duarte Vineyards. Members can barrel sample a new Muscat dessert wine that will be bottled next spring and is among several wine club exclusives planned for 2019 and 2020.
Wine club membership is free and includes three, four-bottle shipments annually that feature a 20 percent discount and cost about $50 per shipment. Additional benefits include access to the private sensory seminar series, an opportunity to rent the World Cooperage Barrel Room for private parties and a chance to vote on next year’s club blend.
Nearly all of the Gibson Farm Market’s products come from the 1,000-acre University Agricultural Laboratory’s 22 enterprises that are managed by Fresno State staff and students. Proceeds from sales help fund programs for the Jordan College and its enterprises that mirror the diversity of the nation’s leading agricultural area.
For more information, contact the Gibson Farm Market at 559.278.4511.
