In Capay Valley, the First Freeze Sets the November Calendar
October 22, 2026
October 22, 2026
"We have to get our fruit off the trees by about the first of December," Jim Etters, director of land management at Séka Hills, told Olive Oil Times in its March 2026 profile of the estate. "That's about the time when we see our first freeze events here."
The deadline is tied to a number. In the same interview, Etters explained that if fruit is still on the trees when the temperature drops to 26 or 27 degrees Fahrenheit, it freezes and can no longer make high-quality extra virgin olive oil. That one temperature shapes the valley's late fall. Most of the year's last events, new bottles and farm classes fall between the end of October and the first week of December. If you live in Brooks, Esparto, Guinda or Rumsey, November is the month to plan around.
Séka Hills is owned and operated by the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation. The Nation grows olives on its farmland in Capay Valley, and its mill also presses fruit for other tribal and local growers. The orchards started with an 80-acre planting and grew block by block. They now stretch across roughly 15 miles of varied terrain and microclimates.
That spread is what makes the freeze deadline workable. Etters told Olive Oil Times that blocks of the same variety ripen at different times depending on soil and microclimate. That lets the crew finish the harvest in about 45 days, moving from block to block as each one reaches the right maturity.
"We like to harvest some of it early on the green side, but for the most part pretty much in the middle."
That was Etters again, in the same Olive Oil Times piece. He added that the team tracks oil and moisture content with lab tests as harvest gets close. Arbequina is part of the mix. In 2026 results, a Séka Hills Coratina monovarietal earned the estate a Gold Award.
Count back 45 days from about December 1 and the start of harvest lands around mid-October. That lines up with the UC Davis Olive Center, which says its own orchard usually harvests in late October or early November. By the time this post goes up, the valley's crush season is well underway.
Séka Hills holds its free Olive Crush Festival on Sunday, November 1, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Séka Hills Olive Mill + Tasting Room, 19326 Road 78 in Brooks. The event lands in the middle of harvest, so the mill tours show an actual working season. Here's the schedule:
The tours run on the half hour and the cooking demo starts at noon. If you get there around 11:15, you can catch the first tour, eat, and be back in time for the demo.
The Brooks tasting room is open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the phone number is 530.796.2810. If you're a Séka club member, your fall bundle is ready for pickup from October 24 through November 22. That window ends about a week before the harvest deadline.
The UC Davis description of olio nuovo explains why timing matters. It's the freshest extra virgin olive oil there is, made from the season's first harvest and bottled right after milling. It's left unfiltered, tastes bright and bold, and is best used within a few months of harvest. That means a bottle pressed in November is at its best through the winter holidays and into early spring. Oil from the same trees that's filtered and stored for the rest of the year is a different product.
Séka Hills' festival listing promises tastings. It doesn't name a 2026 olio nuovo release date or price, so ask at the Brooks counter.
Several other valley producers sell oil too:
Grumpy Goats' price and shipping window can change on its live page, so check it before you order.
The harvest deadline only governs the olives. Still, the valley's other late-fall events fall in the same few weeks.
Full Belly Farm's November 7 farm dinner is already sold out. The evening runs from a 5 p.m. farm tour and appetizers to an 8:30 p.m. finish. The farm's wreath classes still list as available. Each one runs 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and costs $175, including lunch, drinks and materials:
The fall classes are on a weekday and a weekend day in the middle of harvest. The winter classes fall on the first weekend after the harvest deadline.
That same first weekend in December is also when Capay Valley Grown plans its Holiday Gift Trail. It's a free, self-guided shopping route through valley farms and businesses. The group's homepage lists December 6, 2026, but the event page still says "Official Date TBD," and the stops will be confirmed closer to the day. The event page also shows a 2025 trail poster, which is last year's map, so don't plan your route from it. If the December 6 date holds, the trail and the Sunday wreath class will be on the same day.
In Esparto, Circle Z Floral & Farms changes its storefront over for Christmas. A June 2026 Valley Voice profile listed its hours as Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 or 4 p.m., and all day Saturday.
Some of the valley's roadwork runs on its own weather window. Yolo County broke ground on the Rumsey Bridge replacement on May 1, 2026. Most of the work was planned for the May through October construction season, with the old bridge removed and the roadway finished in 2027.
Supervisor Angel Barajas wrote in an August 4 Daily Democrat update that the project was about 35% complete and that the old bridge stays open throughout construction. County Road 41 is also being realigned to meet Highway 16 at a safer angle. Steelhead Constructors of Redding holds the contract. A monument at the site will tell the bridge's history, developed with the Rumsey Improvement Association, the Greater Capay Valley Historical Society and the Yolo County Historical Society.
The same update said repaving, widening and restriping on the Highway 16 and County Road 95 corridor are done. Flashing safety beacons were scheduled to go in this fall. If you're driving to Brooks for the festival on November 1, you may see that work in progress.
Many Capay Valley parcels have their own olive trees, and how many trees, what variety and how close they are to a mill all change what that land can do in a season like this one. If you're thinking about what your acreage could produce, or what a parcel you're looking at could support, Lupe Springer can walk the land with you and talk through it. Schedule a free consultation.
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