The day I met Gary Wayne is the day I forever changed the way that I look at food.

Today every time that I look at a beautiful head of green leaf lettuce or a vibrant orange or tomato or a sumptuous piece of beef I think of the farmer or rancher and all of the work that they and their teams had to go through to get the food to the stores or preferably to the farmers market.   I, like so many others have on an occasion or two taken for granted the abundance of food that is available to us in this great country. We have so much and far too often people unknowingly and unintentionally believe that our food comes from the back room of oh, yes... a supermarket.

It is my intention and hope to both share and enlighten others with a glimpse of what our farmers go through and the distance that they travel in heart and mind to bring us the fresh, healthy organic foods that we are so privileged to enjoy. Since we are preparing for the upcoming cherry season I thought that it would be most appropriate to share what occurs during Frost Control and the protective measures that are taken to ensure that the precious buds are shielded from the bittersweet frost. In order to be understand exactly what Frost Control is I thought I would first share with you information provided by *WSU Extension and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"The temperature at which the fruit buds are injured depends primarily on their stage of development. Buds are most hardy during the winter when they are fully dormant. As they begin to swell and expand into blossoms, they become less resistant to freeze injury.

Not all blossom buds are equally tender. Resistance to freeze injury varies within trees as it does among orchards, varieties and crops. Buds whom develop slowly tend to be more resistant. As a result, some buds usually are killed at higher temperatures, while others are resistant at much lower temperatures."