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MACDONALD FARMS
Vendor: Bill Macdonald
Bill Macdonald and his apples have been with the PAFM every Autumn since the Market first opened in 1981. Bill has been growing apples at his farm in Sebastopol for 27 years, as well as pears and quince. Every Saturday morning during apple season he leaves his home at 4:15 am to get to the Market for our 8am opening. Bill got started with apples by accident. Thirty years ago, he’d just gotten his Rn degree and moved to Sebastopol to start a new job. The lot he bought “just happened to have an acre and a half of apples on it.” Bill got hooked on apples. His original lot had Gravensteins, Golden Delicious, Rome Beauties, and Jonathans on it, but now he farms 20 acres that play host to about 25 varieties, including many heirlooms. Bill decided to go organic several years ago and his apples were certified two years ago. “It [being organic] helps” he says, to bring people back to his stand. “Bringing it directly to the market at its peak freshness” also helps make his produce - apples and pears and quince - so special. What Bill likes about PAFM is “seeing the little kids who ate my apples 20 years ago grow up into adults” who are still eating his apples! Bill says that the PAFM “is more productive” than other markets. “When I started, there were only 3 markets – San Francisco, San Mateo, and Palo Alto. Now there are so many, but the Palo Alto Market is even more productive than before.” Bill attributes this to PAFM’s particularly loyal customers. Bill still loves farming after all these years and he has this to say about it: “young people who are considering going into farming have got to know that it’s something you do because you enjoy it, not because you’re trying to make a lot of money.” Wise words for us all! Come round to his place, and you might find quinces baked with raisins and cinnamon, a family favorite.
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