Christmas Tree Farm Grows Tradition For Southwest RivCo Families: 2024
SOUTHWEST RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — The newest Christmas tree farm is opening in the Temecula Valley in 2024, ready to decorate with lights and fill your home with all of the aromas of Christmas this holiday season.
Gold Crown Farm’s Christmas tree farm is a choose-and-cut-your-own grower located just six minutes from Old Town Temecula. Owner Kurt Merrill tells Patch that the farm plans to open for reservations this holiday season, starting Nov. 29. He estimates enough trees for 300 families.
Gold Crown Farms is located in the hills of De Luz, minutes from Murrieta and Temecula. It is owned by 13th-generation farmer Merrill, who, with his growers at Gold Crown Farms, has judged that their Christmas trees are ready to deck the halls of Temecula Valley homes.
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“After five years of hand-cultivating our Monterey Pine Christmas Trees, we are so happy to finally be open this year”, Merrill said. “There is nothing like the experience of walking through the fields and choosing the perfect family Christmas tree. The smell of a freshly cut Monterey Pine Christmas Tree in your home is really special!”
Many of the trees top at 8- to 9-feet in height, he said.
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“My Dad worked closely with the Christmas Tree industry,” Merril said. “I worked with a lot of Christmas tree growers up and down the eastern seaboard as a kid. There was something always so cool about going into a Christmas tree farm, selecting the perfect tree and bringing it home to enjoy for the holidays. We wanted to recreate that type of experience for families in the Temecula area.”
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The Monterey Pines, native to California, do well with minimum water and tolerate the heat very well, he said. “They can be a challenge to shape into the classic Christmas tree shape – that’s our ‘secret sauce’ of growing these trees.”
Merrill and his staff have worked to that end for the past five years. One of Southern California’s leading growers and processors of Macadamia Nuts, Gold Crown, decided to expand its farming operations and plant over 2,000 Christmas trees during the COVID shutdown.
“Our trees spent around five years growing before harvest,” he said. “During that time, they produce oxygen, provide habitat for wildlife, and preserve green space. Unlike artificial trees, they are 100 percent recyclable and biodegradable.” Already, trees are growing for the next several years of cultivation.
General Manager Christi Caruso spoke on the coming event as a true memory maker for families in the valley.
“Besides the fact that we love Christmas, farmer Kurt has a deep family background in growing Christmas trees,” Caruso said. “The thought of having one of our hand-grown Christmas Trees as the centerpiece of your family’s holiday is a real joy and privilege for us.”
Why go real instead of fake this year?
“The benefits of choosing a fresh-cut Christmas tree are real!” he said on Facebook. “Cutting your own tree creates joy in the moment, traditions over the years, and memories that last a lifetime.”
Plus, that authentic Christmas tree scent can’t be faked with a plug-in wallflower or candle.
“The smell of a real Christmas tree is the number one scent of the holiday season,” he added. “Most people believe that until the fresh scent of a real tree arrives, it’s not truly Christmas.”
According to Merrill, Gold Crown Farms considers itself “stewards of the land, caring for its health to support yours. “Our family is proud of Gold Crown Farms and the products that we produce. We feel privileged to grow and process macadamia nuts, honey, and fruits for your family’s table, along with Christmas Trees that are the centerpiece of your holiday celebrations.”
Find Gold Crown Farms at 44385 Via Barranca in De Luz. Remember! You must make an advanced reservation as there is a finite inventory of live trees. Visit www.goldcrownfarms.com/christmas-trees to make yours.
Related:
Temecula Business Strikes Gold Selling Cold-Pressed Macadamia Nut Oil
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