Taylor Leaf Blog

Menu Menu

Category Archive: News

1. A Superfruit That’s Delicious, Versatile, AND Great for You? Must Be an Avocado

   May 20, 2020 10:16 pm

   Avocados… Yum! They’ve become a staple in our diets, and most likely yours, too, which is why we’re so excited to celebrate National Avocado Day today with a few fun facts, just for you!

   First off, did you know avocado is a fruit? It’s true… and it’s grown on a tree!

   Second, as of 2015, avocado consumption in the United States doubled since 2005 and quadrupled since 2000. In fact, 4.25 billion avocados were sold in the U.S. in 2015. (We probably only account for about 1 billion of those!)

   And third, avocados are extremely healthy! They target insulin resistance with heart-healthy fat, fight Alzheimer’s with Omega 3 fatty acids, and contain Vitamins C, E, and K! In addition, avocado is high in oleic acid which helps keep skin soft and hydrated, and supports regeneration of damaged skin cells, reducing redness, and irritation.

   Delicious AND great for you? Can it get any better? Oh, yes. It can! We’ve stepped in and we’re so on board with this superfruit, we’ve highlighted it in our convenient and mouthwatering Taylor Farms Avocado Ranch Chopped Salad and the brand new Taylor Farms Avocado Tomatillo Crunch, as well as featured it in several delicious recipes! Check out the recipes below to see all the great things you can do with avocado in the kitchen:

   Avocado Ranch Poke Bowls

   

   Stuffed Avocados

   

   Grilled Tilapia and Avocado Tacos

   

   Creamy Avocado Pesto Pinwheels

   

   Avocado Deviled Potatoes

   

   Spinach and Avocado Spring Rolls

   

   Are you making any delicious avocado dishes today to celebrate National Avocado Day? Be sure to upload photos of your beautiful creations and tag @yourtaylorfarms and #GoToGreens on Instagram or Twitter for the chance to be featured on our feed or in our Instagram stories.

    

2. 6Th Annual Food & Wine Festival Brings Focus to Oldtown Salinas

   9:58 pm

   This past weekend the historic streets of Salinas were host to the 6th Annual Food and Wine festival (August 11 – 13). Taylor Farms is proud to have been a sponsor of this wonderful, independent event.

   

   The festival is ran by a group of dedicated volunteers in partnership with the non-profit Oldtown Salinas Foundation. It raises funds for a variety of worthy non-profit organizations, including: The Boys and Girls Club of Monterey County, the Oldtown Salinas Foundation, the Greenfield Police Explorers and Sun Street Centers.

   

   The festival kicked off with a mixer on Thursday, a Wine Maker’s Gala dinner Friday, and the main event on Saturday. Saturday’s main events consisted of exhibits and booths featuring a variety of local wines, artisan craft brews, live music and the best in culinary arts the Salinas Valley has to offer. At the Taylor Farms booth, we were sampling two of our Chopped Salad Kits,the Farmhouse Bacon and Mediterranean Crunch.

   

   “We take pride in organizing an all-volunteer led event supported by dozens of dedicated Salinas residents, who appreciate the fine wine and good food and are excited about this year’s festival,” said Rosemary Soto, chairwoman of the 2016 festival.  “The event is brought to you by the incredible support of local organizers, performing artists, businesses, merchants, wine makers and masters in the culinary arts who simply want to share the beauty and richness of the Salinas Valley.”

   With Salinas as our hometown, Taylor Farms is happy to support this event year after year. Just a year ago Oldtown, dubbed the Salad Bowl of the World, became home to our Taylor Farms headquarters, as well.  

   

   Roman Gonzales, Katrina Gargiulo, Gilbert Gamez, and Emily Roth of Taylor Farms

   According to Soto, the mission of the festival is “creating a space where Main Street comes to life with a celebration of pride in our community – of the arts, culture, wine and food.”

3. 5 Easy Steps to Create the Refreshing Taste of the Mediterranean

   9:53 pm

   Step 1: Grab a jar and start with our handcrafted basil balsamic vinaigrette
   Step 2: Add diced cucumber, white beans, and cooked orzo
   Step 3: Layer on the fresh radicchio, escarole, endive, and broccoli (all included in the Mediterranean Crunch Chopped Salad Kit

   

   Step 4: Top with grilled chicken, and the kit-included feta cheese and pita-style chips
   Step 5: Take joy in the refreshing, delicious (and portable) crunch this combo creates!

   Don’t miss the other recipe videos in this month’s series:

   • Our Farmhouse Bacon Chopped Salad recipe helps you stick to your healthy eating New Year’s resolution
   • Our Greek Chopped Salad recipe makes bringing your lunch to work easy
   • Our Sweet Kale Chopped Salad recipe makes eating this healthy superfood extra tasty and super simple
   • Our Asian Chopped Salad recipe helps you get creative with an effortless Deconstructed California Roll
   • Our Southwest Chopped Salad recipe gives you fresh, bold flavors in a convenient way

   Remember to check back next week for the final recipe in the series!

4. 13.1 Miles Down – Salinas Valley Half Marathon 2015

   9:37 pm

   Last weekend our Taylor Farms Team of 34 runners participated in the 5^th Annual Salinas Valley Half Marathon. As a founding sponsor of the Half Marathon, we are pleased to support an incredible and fun local event to promote the Salinas Valley in a healthy and positive way.

    

   

   Meet Team Taylor Farms – Full of Runners & Volunteers

   

   Chris Smoot with Taylor Farms Retail happy the race is complete

   

   Justin Pedersen with Taylor Farms Retail as he crosses the finish line

    

    

    

    

    

   

   Dale Easdon with our Deli Division as he crossed the finish line

    

    

   The destination race garners competitive runners from all over the world, who experience the beauty of Salinas Valley while running alongside local wineries and fields of fresh produce. Runners start at the Historic Soledad Mission and end their race at the Finish Festival hosted at the Pessagno Winery in Gonzales, CA.

   Team Taylor also had a booth on display during the Finish Festival, where we handed out samples of veggie snack trays and fruit packs to runners and attendees. Our snacks were overwhelmingly popular among participants – 1,200 snack samples were gone in a matter of 2 hours!  Popular is an understatement!

   

   Finish Festival Booth

   

   Taylor Farms volunteers passing out refreshments and Taylor products to runners as they finished the race.

    

   Congratulations to all the race participants and volunteers who helped make the event an overwhelming success.

5. Taylor Farms 2019 Scholarship Luncheon

   May 11, 2020 4:40 pm

   For almost a decade now, Taylor Farms has been awarding college scholarships to deserving students looking to further their academic goals. On Friday June 28, we held this year’s Scholarship Luncheon and awarded 20 students, who are children of active, full-time Taylor Farms employees, with a $5,000 academic scholarship and to date have issued over one million dollars in academic scholarships.

   

   We’ve partnered with Community Foundation for Monterey County for the past two years on the Taylor Farms Scholarship program.  This partnership allows our applicants to utilize their online platform to apply for 40+ additional local scholarships instantly that they may not have been aware of. They simultaneously apply for the Taylor Farms Scholarship and any others that they are qualified for. This year three students won additional scholarships through the Community Foundation of Monterey County this year.

   

   Scholarship recipient, Mariluz Tejeda-Leon, with her family and Bruce Taylor and Mark Campion of Taylor Farms

   

   Scholarship recipient, Pablo Mendoza-Contreras, with family and Bruce Taylor and Mark Campion of Taylor Farms

   We believe an excellent education is the foundation of a thriving future. Each year, we strive to support the children of our valued team members with academic scholarships to pursue their college dreams. Hector Juarez-Vargas, was one of last year’s recipients and is now attending the University of California, Berkeley. Read about this story here.

   We are proud to share the Taylor Farms 2019 Scholarship list – Congratulations to all! 

   • Adan Lopez Calderon – University of California, Berkeley
     Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services
   • Francisco Javier Romero- San Francisco State University
     Architecture and Related Services
   • Jesus Alfaro- University of California, Santa Barbara
     Psychology
   • Jonathan Josue Quintero Ramos – California State University, Monterey Bay
     Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services
   • Leonardo Reynoso – University of California, Davis
     Agriculture, Agriculture Operations and Related Sciences
   • Matthew Steven Morasca – University of Nevada, Reno
     Health Professions and Related Programs
   • Pablo Mendoza-Contreras – University of California Davis
     Legal Professions and Studies
   • Ronaldo Aguilera – University of California, Los Angeles
     Social Sciences
   • Seth-Abdiel Briano Palacios – Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
     History
   • Andrea Rivera Maranon – California State University Fresno
     Health Professions and Related Programs
   • Brenda Ruby Rodriguez- University of California, Berkeley
     Biological and Biomedical Sciences
   • Cecilia Linares – UC Davis
     Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs
   • Emma Horton – University of California, Los Angeles
     Biological and Biomedical Sciences
   • Erika Servin Vela – California State University, Monterey Bay
     Psychology
   • Gloria Angelica Tinoco Estrada – California State University, Monterey Bay
     Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
   • Jasmine Beltran – Sacramento State University
     Biological and Biomedical Sciences
   • Karen G Navarro – California State University Long Beach
     Biological and Biomedical Sciences
   • Maria Ramirez – University of California, Davis
     Engineering
   • Mariluz Tejeda-Leon – Yale University
     Social Sciences
   • Maria Guadalupe Duran – Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
     Agriculture, Agriculture Operations and Related Sciences