Join Grassdoor cannabis expert Lindsay as she takes you on a virtual farm tour of Huckleberry Hill Farms. Located in Southern Humboldt County, part of the legendary Emerald Triangle, known to have the ideal combination of climate and soil for optimal cannabis production. Lindsay is joined by Founder Johnny Casali as he shows us what makes Huckleberry Hill Farms’ picturesque landscape the ideal place to cultivate premium cannabis. See for yourself how truly in tune with nature a modern cannabis operation can be. Know your cannabis grow!
Lindsay:
Hello everyone I’m Lindsay from Grassdoor today we are in the iconically beautiful County of Humboldt, California. I’m here with Johnny from Huckleberry Hill Farms. Johnny thank you for having us.
Johnny:
Thank you for taking the time out of your day to come here and to see our farm. I know it’s a long way and it means so much to us that you’re taking the time to truly understand what we’re trying to do here.
Lindsay:
Of course it’s an honor. I feel as though even if you don’t know anything about cannabis you’ve heard about Humboldt. I’m just curious why why do you think that is?
Johnny:
That goes back you know as far as I can remember. It goes back 40 years to be to be honest, and it leads back to really where we’re at today with legalization. So many small farmers in the Emerald Triangle, and specifically Southern Humboldt County, had to evade law enforcement and had to fight for the the meaning of this plant. We fought for the medicinal value that this plant is now providing so many different consumers. It’s our hope that we get to share our lives work with the consumer and that maybe we can heal some of their ailments. Maybe help people get a good nights sleep. Eventually, perhaps, we can cure cancer with some of our legacy genetics.
Genetics that thrive in Southern Humboldt
Lindsay:
What type of genetics would you say thrive in this microclimate?
Johnny:
The reason we’re growing my family’s genetics here still today is because these strains that we’ve created over the last 40 years grow better here on this property than any other place in the world. I’ve tried to grow them on the east side of the county and they don’t do as well. However, this is a special and unique microclimate where we get an influence from the fog from the ocean that comes over those mountains.
We lose light at six or seven o’clock at night, earlier than a lot of the higher elevation farms. It’s taken us years of making mistakes to really hone in those strains that thrive the best here. Whitethorn Rose, Mom’s Weed and Amalfi are strains that we created here from a strain I used to grow with my mother when I was 10 years old.
Challenges due to climate
Lindsay:
Outdoor growing really is puts you up against so many challenges. I feel that’s due to the climate. What would you say are your biggest challenges in this microclimate?
Johnny:
I think in part of the reasons we developed some of these strains that finish earlier like the Whitethorn Rose which is done September 15th. Fruit Loops is usually done early September. We’ve actually grown those here on this property because we lose light earlier in the season, around mid-September. We don’t get a whole lot of light here, plus we’re always growing according to the weather patterns. We used to get inches and inches of rain back in the 80’s and so we had to actually get our crops out earlier in order to avoid mold and different types of crop loss. That is why we grow in the strains we do in this region.
Lindsay:
Johnny, all of these petunias are gorgeous. Is there any particular reason why you have them interwoven with the plants?
Petunias as indicators
Johnny:
I really I use them as an indicator when the cannabis plant might need to be fed or might be experience some kind of problem. To be honest I just love the beauty. I love the feel of the petunias and really what it adds to the farm and that’s the honest truth.
Lindsay:
I love that as an indicator. They are beautiful indicators.
Johnny:
People come to the Emerald Triangle to Southern Humboldt for some of the world’s best cannabis, but they move here for this community. We always had to rely on this community for support. Really we had to risk our lives with each other and so we’ve built a bond like no other. We’re still standing here today sharing our craft cannabis with the world.
Lindsay:
The endocannabinoid system, which everyone has in their body, is very similar to the pH balance in your body. Not one person is the same. It really is a matter of being able to find out what you like. Not letting potency be the thing that draws you to that next experience. If you tried something that was high THC it wasn’t necessarily the high potency that gave you that desirable experience.
A big challenges for small farmers
Johnny:
Great way to put that. That’s the biggest challenge for us now as small farmers because the marketplace is really saying high THC. However, we’re looking towards our consumer really wanting them to learn more and more about us and about Grassdoor, who who has similar values as a small farmer. Trying to slowly educate people that maybe you should look a little deeper. Perhaps there’s a little bit more to this this magical plant than high THC. Experiment around and figure it out for yourself, and really find out what magic there lies in the plant.
Know your grow!
Lindsay:
Is there was one thing you wanted to translate out to everyone who’s enjoying cannabis today?
Johnny:
Until you get to know your farmer, it’s a tough question to answer. I want them to know that we’re doing what we do farm out of love. We’re doing this what we’re doing on this farm because it’s the first time in our lives we’ve been able to share our life’s passion. It isn’t about the money, and I know that’s hard to believe, it’s about interacting with the consumer. It’s about developing relationships with people outside of this farm. I just want to heal whatever ailments they have and give them the best possible experience. That’s the that’s the truth of the matter.
