The Farm Store

Hello. Another beautiful Sunday.

I started taking some classes at Cal Poly Pomona this year through open university, and one day, I noticed a sign near the campus that said "Farm Store" and pointing down Temple. Having ended class early Tuesday, I finally decided to check it out. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera with me, but the place is really big and sells a variety of stuff from their own honey to different fruit trees, all grown on campus. They also raise and process their own pork and beef. It was very peaceful and quiet there, and you could admire all the produce and plants growing on Cal Poly's farmland.


I bought a small pack of strawberries for $2.50. You can also pick your own for $2.99 a pound. When I got home and measured the strawberries though, they were nearly a pound (14 oz), so it's pretty much the same price. The strawberries were okay. Some were sweet, while others were mildly so.


Fruas 3 for $1. What is a frua? Apparently, it's a hybrid grown here of a tangerine and grapefruit. The inside flesh was the color of an orange. It initially tasted bitter like a grapefruit, but the sweetness of the tangerine came through afterwards. Another frua (or is it fruas?) I had didn't have as much grapefruit taste to it, and was a lot sweeter than the other.


Large Zutano Avocado for a buck. These avocados were pretty huge, although it may not look like it in the picture.


They also had some interesting, unique soft drink selections, and after some careful deliberation, I chose to try a bottle of Sparky's Fresh Draft Root Beer brewed from Pacific Grove, CA by Knox Brewing. $1.99 for a 12 oz bottle. A bit pricey. What's the difference between this and say the more commercialized and popular Barq's or Mug? Sparky's uses pure cane sugar (and also honey) instead of high fructose corn syrup. Now, don't get me wrong. I do appreciate a cold Barq's or IBC root beer, but there is a noticeable difference in taste when the brewing companies use real sugar. My experience with these kinds of root beer or sodas is pretty limited, but I do enjoy Virgil's Root Beer (they once sold small kegs of these at Costco). So how was Sparky's? There were some wonderful smells of vanilla and anise, and I never thought I'd say this about root beer, but the flavor was very strong and initially almost overwhelming for me upon the first sip. Upon doing some research, I found that flavor to be birch root/wintergreen. However, the brew left a lingering sweetness on my tongue, and I had no problem finishing this complex bottle of brew. Although the strong taste threw me off, I'd like to try another bottle of this sometime.

So there you have it. My trip to the Farm Store. If you're into buying locally, this is great and interesting place to go (with free samples) and explore.

Farm Store at Kellogg Ranch
(Located just south of Temple Ave.)
4102 S. University Drive
Pomona, CA 91768
Sunday - Friday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.

http://www.csupomona.edu/~farmstore/