Monterey, one of the major agricultural counties south of San Francisco in california, with a reputation as ‘America’s salad bowl’. The coast may be exceptionally picturesque while the county’s inland Salinas Valley is planted with vast stretches of lettuces, broccoli, artichokes, carrots, tomatoes, capsicum, and strawberries which have their own kind of beauty, as described in John Steinbeck’s novels, notably The Grapes of Wrath. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and some Riesling were the varieties in fashion in the second decade of the century, plus a shrinking acreage of the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot that were once dominant despite the chilly conditions.
