Picking sweet and juicy peaches right off their branches, and
later watching bell peppers mashed into red puree, delegates from
Morgan Hill’s newest sister city, Mizuho-Machi, Japan, enjoyed the
final day of their official visit Thursday by touring Andy’s
Orchard and George Chiala Farms.
Morgan Hill – Picking sweet and juicy peaches right off their branches, and later watching bell peppers mashed into red puree, delegates from Morgan Hill’s newest sister city, Mizuho-Machi, Japan, enjoyed the final day of their official visit Thursday by touring Andy’s Orchard and George Chiala Farms.
After touring the lush agricultural sites with several local residents, the four Japanese city officials adjourned to a picturesque lunch on the patio of Guglielmo Winery, where they were joined by a pair of representatives from Headford, Ireland, another recently-named sister city of Morgan Hill.
It was a fitting farewell to a week of new exploration and friendship between three corners of the globe where tilling the earth is a common part of the economy.
“The whole idea of the tour with these delegates is so they can understand the heritage of our city,” said Karen Anderson, a member of the Morgan Hill Sister City Committee. “These are the roots of Morgan Hill.”
Anderson said an important distinction among Morgan Hill’s sister cities is the farming traditions of their past generations.
More than 100 years ago, immigrants from Japan, Ireland, Mexico and Italy migrated to California’s fertile valleys in search of new prosperity.
A number of these immigrant farmers were essential in laying the foundation of what is now Morgan Hill.
In the last decade, Morgan Hill has sought to commemorate those cultural bonds by establishing sister city relationships with the four countries.
The link with Headford, Ireland, was christened on St. Patrick’s Day this year, and the partnership with Mizuho Town became official this month after more than a year of correspondence and groundwork on both sides of the Pacific.
Morgan Hill’s two other sister cities are San Casciano in Val di Pesa, Italy, and San Martin de Hidalgo in Jalisco, Mexico.
The Japanese delegation, including Mizuho Town’s Mayor Kouemon Ishizuka, began the day at Andy’s Orchard, where proprietor Andy Mariani cordially greeted the visitors in a festive Hawaiian shirt.
The easy-going farmer explained to the group how the 55-acre farm had been part of Morgan Hill for more than 50 years. The farm grows exquisite niche varieties of cherries, apricots, peaches and nectarines.
After offering a delicious sampling of freshly picked fruit, Mariani led the group on a tour of the peach trees.
He relished in telling how much of the orchard was once a paved lot, serving as a hot surface for drying fruit.
“This is probably the only example in the history of South County of anyone digging up pavement to put an orchard in,” he joked.
The tour then moved on to George Chiala Farms, a family-owned business known for its roasted garlic and bell pepper products, among other tasty things. The company’s clients include Olive Garden, Red Lobster and Campbell’s Soup.
Masao Nakagawa, an officer in Mizuho Town’s planning division, said Japanese farms were much different.
“The scale is smaller,” he said, adding that Mizuho Town is buffered by many family-owned ranches that grow green tea. But the sun’s power, he said, isn’t as intense in the Tokyo suburb.
Just as Morgan Hill and Mizuho Town share agricultural similarities, both cities also lie in rapidly growing areas.
“The agricultural heritage is diminishing,” Nakagawa said, noting that his city’s population of about 35,000 has grown quickly over the last 50 years, just like Morgan Hill’s.
Headford, Ireland, on the other hand, remains a tiny haven of rural life. Its population, said Headford representative Noel Monaghan, numbers about 2,500.
