See Canyon Fruit Ranch celebrates sweet life in SLO

To ring in the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, the JCC-Federation of San Luis Obispo is hosting its first Apples and Honey Festival on Sunday afternoon at its headquarters, 578 Marsh St. in San Luis Obispo.

“It’s a tradition to dip apples in honey for New Year — anything sweet for a sweet new year,” said Lauren Bandari, executive director of the JCC-Federation of San Luis Obispo. Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on Oct. 2, and ends at sundown on Oct. 4.

“We wanted to have a mini Jewish festival for San Luis Obispo to celebrate the cultural life here,” Bandari said. “It’s open to all, so people can learn a bit about Jewish culture and enjoy some delicacies.”

Some of the booths at the family-friendly festival will feature açai bowls from San Luis Obispo’s Ubatuba and homemade goods such as rugelach pastries and challah bread. Sales from the bake sale benefit the nonprofit organization’s social services programs, Bandari said.

Among the featured vendors will be See Canyon Fruit Ranch in San Luis Obispo, which showcases both apples and honey at its seasonal fruit stand, open daily Sept. 1 through the end of November. The stand also sells apple cider, eggs, vegetables and locally made crafts.

See Canyon Fruit Ranch will bring a variety of its apples to the festival for sale, as well as California Bee Co. honey.

Owner/beekeeper Jeremy Rose harvests the honey from bees kept at various local locations such as Susie and Paul Kenny’s picturesque See Canyon Road property. Because of the bees’ residency, none of their fruit trees are sprayed with pesticides.

At the Apples and Honey Festival, Susie Kenny will present the interactive bee education program she developed for students on field trips to See Canyon Fruit Ranch. After fitting everyone with “bee puppet” gloves, Kenny explains the basic workings of a beehive.

“(Then) I assign them their (honeybee) hive roles,” she said. Kenny crowns one of the students the queen bee, and tasks others with the parts of drones, workers and so on.

After the students have flown a symbolic mile in a bee’s wings, “They really get it,” she explained.

“It’s my passion as the mother of eight kids to make kids aware of nature, of the four seasons,” said Kenny, known as Mama Kenny to most. “When they get an apple in their lunch, I want them to know it’s not just an apple — there’s a story behind it.”

The historic See Canyon Fruit Ranch dates back to 1894 and has had only four owners; it’s currently owned by the DeVincenzo family. The Kennys have leased the property since 1997, and raised all eight of their children there.

Paul Kenny has used his degree in ornamental horticulture from Cal Poly to nurture the most out of the scenic property. He and his wife, enthusiastic and creative caretakers of the land, have established See Canyon Fruit Ranch as a distinct destination for special events ranging from weddings and concerts to quilt shows and afternoon teas.

“We used to work just up the road at the old Daisy Dell Apple Ranch … and we were married there 40 years ago,” Susie Kenny recalled.

Kenny’s own local roots go even deeper. A native of San Luis Obispo, she’s related on her father’s side from to John Price, the founder of Pismo Beach. And she’s got a serendipitous connection to the Jewish New Year.

“My great-grandfather (on my father’s side) was a Polish Jew” who immigrated to New York to escape persecution circa World War II, Kenny explained. Eventually, he moved to San Francisco, where he was the head of the Jewish Businessman’s Association for 40 years, she said.

“I often get to share that story … because we always get a lot of Jewish people coming this time of year to buy apples and honey,” Kenny said. “So when (Lauren) asked me to participate in the festival, I said, ‘Sure!’”

This story was originally published September 19, 2016 at 2:49 PM with the headline "See Canyon Fruit Ranch celebrates sweet life in SLO."