The bounty of far East County agriculture will be even easier to access this year, as the Harvest Time consortium added several new members at its annual member gathering last week. More than 64 member representatives attended the annual Business Meeting at Sweeney’s Grill and Bar in Brentwood and were generously feted by owners Peter and Veronica Charitou and their staff.

A nonprofit group of local farmers, ranchers and wineries, Harvest Time has been headquartered in Brentwood since 1976. The group has grown from 10 to more than 44 members.

The addition of four new members was significant, including the addition of Hartey Ranch (The Stand at Knightsen), Von Uhlit Farm, Brentwood Iris Gardens, Mangini Ranch, and the return of Canciamilla Ranch. As the public’s desire for produce straight from the source increases, boosting East County agri-tourism, Harvest Time continues to add members.

In addition to publishing more than 75,000 free brochures for distribution to the public, Harvest Time’s popular Web site (www.harvest4you.com) generates more than 90,000 hits per year, assisting the public in its search for the freshest produce in the Bay Area. The group is also a part of the Buy Fresh, Buy Local program that promotes local agriculture and receives part of its funding from the Agricultural Enterprise Grant managed by the City of Brentwood and from member dues.