Gilcrease Orchard–An Oasis in the Desert
Founded in 1920, Gilcrease Orchard has been an oasis in the desert that hundreds of families visit weekly. A city known for its unbearable heat and dry weather, Vegas isn’t the perfect place for growing crops and maintaining a farm business. So, it’s hard to imagine a farm filled with garden-fresh fruits and vegetables in the Las Vegas Valley. That’s why I interviewed some people at the farm about their work there!
Mark Ruben, the director of Gilcrease Orchard, has worked in horticulture his entire adult life. Previously working in various related jobs, Ruben joined the orchard family 13 years ago. His work on the farm includes answering customer questions during open visits, educating employees, and preparing things for open days. He also trims the trees, plants, and crops in winter.
Working on a farm often means thinking of new ideas and ways for things to work, which is why Ruben stayed in the industry for many decades.
He shared how it’s always fun and provocative to create something new for the farm, what crops to grow, how to attract more customers, and what special events to organize during holidays. Countless valuable memories on the farm bring Ruben joy in his work.
Pick Your Own!
People can visit Gilcrease Orchard throughout the year during its open season to pick their own food and enjoy prepared items made right there on the farm, like apple cider, ice cream, eggs, and honey! Make sure to see what’s in season when preparing for your visit. For instance, you can pick things like peaches and sunflowers right now in the summer, and produce like pumpkins and squash are available in the fall.
Whenever you visit, make sure to appreciate the beautiful view from the north side of town. Stacy, the marketing manager of the orchard, shared that the mountain range views always struck her in wonder while working on the farm every day. So not only can you enjoy the food picking in the orchard, but you can also admire a natural, grassy view of the valley away from the hustle and bustle of Vegas life.
Gilcrease Orchard Educates The Next Generation On The Farm
Due to the lack of education about agriculture, visitors to the orchard may not truly understand how different seasons and the climate impact the growth of crops. For example, in wintertime, visitors often raise questions like, “Why are there no fruits to pick?” and “Why is the orchard closed?”
When asked these questions, Mark Ruben and his teammates have to explain the plant life cycle to the customers and try to educate them with words and examples that are easy to understand.
When asked about the misconceptions he’s heard about agriculture, Ruben said, “People think that farmers are trying to poison everyone with pesticides. Why would farmers spend the extra time and money on pesticides, organic or not, if they didn’t have to?”
With the raised awareness of food safety and ethics, people are now more concerned about where our food comes from, whether it’s organic, and whether the farm exploits its workers’ rights. They also show more interest in how to show their support to local farms, which is an excellent start to getting involved in understanding how our food is grown.
Visiting the Gilcrease Orchard provides a great opportunity for families to educate their children that an apple comes from mother earth–not supermarkets.
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Farm Workers at Gilcrease Orchard
Areli, a crew member of the orchard since 2019, expressed her passion as a farm worker.
“I love talking to people,” she shared. “It’s meaningful to educate people about where food comes from and to let them learn about the farm. Also, I love getting dirty. I feel good when I am working with my hands.”
Greeted by the genuine smile on Areli’s face, I understood how Gilcrease Orchard earned its popularity and reputation in town over the years.
Areli’s routine on the farm includes setting up food stands at six in the morning, packaging foods, and greeting and registering people during open visits.
When asked about the least enjoyable part of working in the orchard, Areli said, “It’s always hard to kick people out when the farm is closing. Unfortunately, people are sneaking in, which causes the crew a headache.”
Working as a farm worker is not a solitary job; it involves teamwork and unity. Gilcrease Orchard holds regular staff parties to build team spirit and boost interactions between crew members. Everyone in the orchard is important as running a farm requires multiple parts, and the crew members serve as different wheels to ensure the whole goes smoothly and efficiently.
Conducting this article for Farm Worker’s Day on June 9th, I asked Areli the best way to celebrate the awareness day. “Be supportive to small businesses. Show your interest in them,” she said. “Appreciate what the earth gives us and don’t take what we consume for granted.”
#GetinMotion with Gilcrease Orchard
On National Farm Workers Day, we can start appreciating all the work that goes into the food people take for granted. Growing food is undervalued in our culture, and it’s time to ring the alarm and let the public recognize the sweat of farmers. Start by checking out our very own local farm. Not only will you save more money, but you also help reduce the emissions produced by produce grown in other places that must be transported to the grocery store.
Visit Gilcrease Orchard on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 7 am to 10 am. Make sure you have your sunglasses and hat ready for an enjoyable yet sweaty food pick with your family and friends! Hours and days of operation change throughout the year, as does the available produce, so follow them on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date! Visit their website for additional information.
Farm Workers Day
For many of us, Farm Workers Day is just an ordinary day on the calendar. When grocery shopping, we seldom pay attention to the origins of foods, whether the food is produced locally or on foreign farms. Living in one of the most developed countries in the world, people here in the States easily forget how blessed we are to enjoy all those fresh fruits and vegetables sold almost everywhere. We must not take for granted how our food is produced and how it gets to our tables.
At the orchard, I heard someone telling his friends that he had never peeled an apple before. Instead, he only ate apples stored in plastic bags and precut into slices. It made me gasp at first, but then I realized how easily we take our living conditions for granted. In many less developed countries, having a stable food source is a luxury, let alone packaged apples and boiled eggs sold neatly in the supermarket’s aisles.
That’s why we celebrate National Farm Workers Day. It’s a day to show our appreciation to all the farm workers in the country. They devote their lives and hearts to ensuring the crops grown in fields are healthy and safe for the public. They work from dawn to dusk, rain or shine. I can’t imagine how our lives would be if farm workers weren’t harvesting all the fruits, vegetables, wheat, legumes, and everything else necessary for keeping us healthy and strong. So make sure to visit a local farm like Gilcrease Orchard!
