UC ANR leadership welcomed Maria Anguiano, chair of the UC Board of Regents, on May 19 for a tour and interactive learning experience with UC Cooperative Extension San Diego and UC ANR leaders: Darren Haver, associate vice president for research and Cooperative Extension; Jennifer Bunge, associate vice president of finance and capital planning; and Janine Woods, executive director for County Cooperative Extension; and Chandra Richards, UCCE San Diego and Imperial counties area director.
“I am sure Regent Anguiano came away with a deeper understanding of both the challenges and opportunities in California,” Bunge said.
The group met at the UCCE office, where UC Master Food Preservers gave a hands-on demonstration. Since its founding in 2022, the San Diego UC Master Food Preserver Program has expanded educational outreach to communities across San Diego County. The program currently has 17 volunteers with 15 trainees soon to graduate.
Shirley Salado, UC Master Food Preserver Program and Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program supervisor; Dom Fiume, MFP volunteer; and Leah Taylor, MFP and UC Master Gardener coordinator, began with a food safety lesson, then demonstrated a variety of food preservation equipment, including a pressure canner, boiling water canner and steam juicer canner and displayed dehydrated and freeze-dried fruits, vegetables and herbs.
During the fresh mozzarella-making demonstration, Salado described how five simple ingredients and five scientific steps transform fresh milk into soft, smooth mozzarella cheese.
“The process begins with acidification, followed by coagulation, cutting and heating, draining the curds, and finally, stretching and shaping,” she explained.
The participants donned cheese-making gloves, dipped curds into hot water and stretched the cheese into fresh mozzarella balls, then tasted their fresh mozzarella.
Lunch was hosted at the Carlsbad Strawberry Company by owner Jimmy Ukegawa who is also the San Diego County Farm Bureau president. Ukegawa discussed UC ANR’s collaborations with the local farm bureau over the years. The group was joined by past presidents of San Diego County Farm Bureau: Dana Groot, Janet Kister and Neil Nagata. After lunch, the guests were invited to pick strawberries at the farm, which has been cultivated by four generations of Ukegawa’s family.
After the strawberry picking, Rebeca Manzo, 4-H community education specialist, introduced Margaret and Sam, two members of the Surfside 4-H Club, who gave presentations on chickens and dogs and about their 4-H experiences.
The group continued their tour in Carlsbad at The Flower Fields, a working farm and seasonal attraction managed by the Ecke family and Mellano & Company. Mike Mellano, UC President’s Advisory Commission on Agriculture and Natural Resources chair and chief science officer of Mellano & Company, greeted Anguiano and the group. Mellano discussed his family’s flower-growing business and longstanding relationship with UC ANR. He also described the Ranunculus Varietal Improvement Program at The Flower Fields.
Leah Taylor, UC Master Gardener Program coordinator for San Diego County, and Heather Holland, president of Master Gardener Association of San Diego County, led the group on a walking tour of the UC Master Gardener Demonstration Garden and described the Ranunculus Varietal Improvement Program.
Regent Anguiano then toured local Cooperative Extension research being conducted at The Flower Fields. Eric Middleton, UCCE area UC Integrated Pest Management advisor, showed the regent how to identify insects using a camera app and detachable lens on fruit fly and black scale in olives. Gerry Spinelli, UCCE San Diego County production horticulture advisor for nursery and floriculture, showed her how to measure conductivity and salinity in reclaimed water and soil. Matt Fatino, UCCE subtropical crop advisor for San Diego and Riverside counties, highlighted research on subtropical crops grown in the region, showed her how to identify weeds and discussed weed control.
“The presentations brought to life the important role UC ANR plays in helping Californians address complex challenges through research, innovation and practical solutions,” said Bunge. “They connected their work to issues that affect communities throughout the state and provided powerful examples of how UC ANR delivers science-based solutions to real-world problems.”
At the end of the tour, Mellano invited the group to pick blueberries at The Flower Fields.
Regent Chair Anguiano later posted on LinkedIn: “This is UC at its best: practical, place-based, and deeply connected to the lives of Californians…What stood out most was the breadth of this work!”