Made in the Valley: Sarabian Farms Watermelon
FRESNO COUNTY (KFSN) -- The Central Valley is home to thousands of acres of farmland.
This week on our popular "Made in the Valley" series, we're taking a closer look at the very fruits and veggies grown here in our own backyard.
It's another busy day on the Sarabian Farm in Fresno County, as workers pick watermelon after watermelon. For this fourth generation farm, the watermelon is one of the family favorites.
"I love the taste of it," said Virginia Sarabian. "I love the fact that it has no seeds. It's a lot easier to eat nowadays then it was say, 20 years ago."
Virginia, her sons and grandchildren run the Fresno County farm now, but its roots started decades ago with raisins. Over the years, they've added more crops and watermelons are one of their newest commodities.
"We started growing it as a hobby for our kids after high school. We wanted them to do a business venture," said David Sarabian. "So we gave them some ground and they started watermelons."
Every year since then, Sarabian's sons and his friends, a group of college students, have spent their summers in the fields picking and tossing watermelons into hundreds of bins.
"They got the job done," said employee Patrick Smith. "And we're more appreciative of it."
It takes about three months for watermelon to grow in these fields.
The students say their time on the farm has taught them about hard work and given them a deeper respect for the agriculture industry.
While each growing seasons comes with challenges, the Sarabians say they enjoy seeing others eat the fruits of their labors.
David explained, "It makes a lot of people happy. I just love it because it's a good crop. It's sweet."
A sweet summertime treat that's grown right here in the Valley.
You can purchase watermelons at the Sarabian fruit stand off Highway 180 & De Wolf or Simonian Farms.
