Croptoberfest: The Fall Festival connects the community with Fresno State students

The Rue & Gwen Gibson Farm Market is celebrating fall by showcasing a

cornucopia of products — grown, harvested, processed, produced, and/or created by Fresno State students.

The Fall Festival is set for 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 22.

It connects the community with Fresno State students — allowing them to express their passion for

agriculture.

Fresno State students receive hands-on education and training through the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and

Technology, which includes the University Farm Laboratory.

The farm market employs Fresno State students who can explain the farm-to-fork process to customers. It started as a fruit stand on the corner of Barstow and Chestnut avenues in the 1980s.

Now, the Jordan Agricultural Research Center sits on the corner.

“The Dairy Processing [Lab] soon followed suit and began selling ice cream from a portable freezer that was powered by a long extension cord,” said manager Jeremy Lewis. “And thus, the farm market was born.”

Lewis said Fresno State students started to see their hard work and dedication to their education be enjoyed by the community, which sparked an interest to start the annual festival a decade ago.

In 2013, the farm market moved into a storefront on Chestnut Avenue near Chardonnay Avenue — “thanks to a very generous gift from Joyce Mae Gibson,” he said.

“The farm market was named in honor of her parents, Rue and Gwen Gibson, for their love of the San Joaquin Valley, agriculture and education,” he added.

The Fall Festival will feature products — including candy-coated almonds and raisins, crunchy walnuts, pomegranates, squash and pumpkins, olive oil, corn stalks and cranberry sauce — from various departments that compose the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology.

“I think the public will be very happy with what we have to offer,” Lewis added.

It will also feature a pumpkin patch, which Lewis hopes to be a

success.

The Fresno State Winery will offer samples of the 2013 Muscat Canelli, the 2013 Sauvignon Blanc, the 2012 Saviez Syrah and the 2013 Barbera.

The farm market sells 19 varietals of Fresno State Wine including the Fresno State Winery TailGate White, the 2013 Fresno State Vineyards Muscat Canelli and the Uva Doce.

In addition to Fresno State Wine, grab a bag of Fresno State Coffee: the Bulldog Blend, the President’s Blend, the Timeout Roast and the Victor E. Blend. If you’re feeling hungry while filling your cart, barbecue tri-tip sandwiches — prepared by the Fresno State Meat Lab — will be available for purchase.

The Department of Food Science and Nutrition, will be selling 8-ounce bags of pumpkin pie-flavored almonds — prepared by Julia Jepson and Aida Beltran — and cranberry sauce, designed by Dr. Dennis Ferris.

The Fresno State Horticulture Nursery will be selling vegetable plants and certified-organic herbs like rosemary.

This story was originally published October 19, 2016 at 10:22 AM with the headline "Croptoberfest: The Fall Festival connects the community with Fresno State students."