“Farming is horrifying. Farming is gorgeous. You get your crop and also you get to get pleasure from it and see different individuals get pleasure from it. And farming is extraordinarily unpredictable.”
Scary, stunning, and unpredictable—that’s how Megan Shanley Warren describes her life in three phrases.
Megan began farming California finger limes, avocados, ardour fruit, and extra specialty crops together with her father, Jim Shanley, in 2011. Then, in 2022, Jim handed away, leaving Megan, her husband Justin Warren, and their three younger sons to run Shanley Farms alone.
Jim Shanley of Shanley Farms
“Justin turned a farmer in a single day,” Megan informed The FruitGuys. “He rolled up his sleeves and began getting after it, fixing damaged pipes, clearing mudslides, and repairing wells virtually the following day.”
Justin used to work in actual property. He’s nonetheless adjusting to the sluggish tempo and instability of farming, however he’s invested in rising stunning fruit to go away a legacy for Megan and their boys.
Shanley Farms homeowners Megan and Justin with their sons
“I need proof for Megan that she and her dad have been on the appropriate path and this will actually be one thing massive sooner or later,” he informed The FruitGuys.
By “this” Justin meant finger limes: a singular Australian fruit Jim helped convey to the US market.
Shanley Farms: America’s First Finger Lime Farm
Finger limes are a small, jalapeño-shaped citrus native to Australia. Their pores and skin ranges in shade from brilliant lime inexperienced to deep purple-brown. However their actual magic is on the within. Pop one open, and also you’ll see a cache of tiny, juicy pearls which can be typically referred to as citrus caviar.
“[The flavor] is a lemony-limey-grapefruity burst, however you don’t get that till your tooth crush a pearl,” Justin defined.
Jim Shanley fell in love with finger limes at a citrus exhibition hosted by the College of California Riverside in 2011. He was farming avocados in Morro Bay, California, and had simply bought a second piece of land in Visalia to plant oranges, lemons, and kiwis. After tasting his first finger lime, he determined to place in finger lime bushes, too.
That call turned Shanley Farms into the primary industrial finger lime grower in the US. As a result of its two properties have totally different climates, Megan and Justin can harvest finger limes from June by means of December.
“We have now about 10,000 finger lime bushes planted. We’re the biggest grower within the nation and probably on this planet. Her dad simply liked this fruit and planted a ton of this stuff. We have now a Purple Pearl selection, Inexperienced Pearl, Champagne—mainly an oversupply of what we will promote,” Justin mentioned.
Breaking into the US market has been a problem. Most individuals have nonetheless by no means tried a finger lime. However the fruit is gaining traction, particularly with foodies (for some time, Shanley Farms bought jarred finger lime pearls at Entire Meals) and with youngsters who love their sweet-tart style.
In 2023, Shanley Farms partnered with The FruitGuys to promote extra of its finger limes nationwide. We tuck them into our contemporary fruit supply bins for workplaces and promote them to varsities by means of our Farm-to-Faculty Program.
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Learn how to Eat Finger Limes
Finger limes are robust to reap (the bushes are lined in so many thorns that employees must put on leather-based gloves and masks) however they’re straightforward to snack on. Simply snap the fruit in half and suck out the pearls inside.
“Finger limes are actually a mixture of tartness and sweetness,” Megan mentioned. “… You squeeze out the pearls, then crunch on them, and that’s the place you get this pop of citrus taste in your mouth. Some individuals suppose, ‘Wow, that’s actually bitter’ and a few individuals say they’re virtually candy. They’re positively actually brilliant.”
In the event you discover the fruit a little bit too tart, attempt incorporating it right into a meal or snack.
“The children sprinkle it on tacos and on high of different fruit—watermelon and papaya are a few of our favorites,” Megan mentioned.
Sushi and oysters additionally style nice with finger lime pearls heaped on high. Or, you may freeze the pearls and eat them by the spoonful like a sweet-tart sorbet.
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Are Finger Limes a Secret Superfood?
Finger limes are full of immune system-boosting nutritional vitamins C and E. However they could produce other distinctive well being advantages, too.
“Lately we’ve had Cal Poly [California Polytechnic State University] right here to do a little analysis on a number of the oils and different natural compounds throughout the fruit, and there are some very fascinating natural compounds that aren’t actually present in something,” Justin mentioned. “This plant is in its personal genus. It was discovered rising wild in Australia, and the aboriginal individuals used it as an antiseptic and meals.”
Finger limes have anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties. Megan and Justin have additionally seen them assist with nausea—maybe due to their signature bitter taste.
“We have now a whole lot of pals which have been pregnant. They get nauseated and it simply zaps it proper out, it’s gone,” Justin mentioned.
“They’re calling me their complete being pregnant asking for extra finger limes as a result of it’s the one factor serving to with their nausea,” Megan added.
Assist Help & Save Shanley Farms
Megan and Justin are obsessed with their fruit, however there’s a purpose the phrases “scary” and “unpredictable” made Megan’s listing. Typically, they mentioned, farming with out Jim seems like an uphill battle with climate, pests, low-priced imports, and laws all working in opposition to them.
If the climate will get too chilly, edema can strike their citrus—making it swell, burst, and go moldy. And at some point, Megan opened the mail to search out an surprising $30,000 invoice. The way forward for the farm is precarious.
“We mentioned, ‘We’ll give it our greatest, and if that may’t make it occur, then we’re going to must go a unique course.’ However we, principally Justin, noticed how a lot my dad and I put into this and he mentioned, ‘We’re not going to let it go simply but, let’s give it our shot and see what we will make occur,’” Megan mentioned. “…We wouldn’t ever wish to hand [our sons] a farm they have been struggling to maintain alive. Our greatest objective is to show this into one thing we will cross on.”
Megan and her sons, who she hopes will inherit her household farm
You possibly can assist help the farm by buying Megan and Justin’s fruit—together with their trademarked Citriburst finger limes, wealthy and oily Morro Bay Avocados®, and snack-sized Gator Egg avocados—by means of The FruitGuys and different retailers that help small farms. The farm’s finger limes are in season from June by means of December, and its avocados peak in September, October, and November.
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