SUN KISSED TOMATOES

 Tomatoes were just waiting for the warm weather.  Tomatoes are now at the peak of the harvest.  That is to say we have a large selection: slicers, salad size, heirloom, cherry, colorful, and sauce tomatoes.  They are so tasty and juicy with just the right texture.  It is a good time to freeze, can or dry these summer time gems for enjoyment in winter soups and stews. At this time we are letting quantities ago for discounted prices.

The Japanese cucumbers are starting to get a little smaller.  The Armenian cucumbers are  enjoying this season.  A few are short but many are very long.  When the Japanese Uri is not available, Armenian cucumbers are often substituted for them in America.  These make firm, crisp Japanese pickles.  Armenian cucumbers can be used in salads, in stir fries, for dipping and just for munching.

Don't wait too long or you may miss out on the Suncrest peaches.  These beautiful juicy peaches are coming from Sunnyslope Farm, a conventional farm in Granite Bay.  They will be gone in a week.  After that, there will be a few other varieties of peaches from Sunnyslope Farm.

Otow Orchard peaches continue to struggle. Very few are left.  We should be transitioning into fall fruit in a couple weeks with apples, Asian pears and figs.  Winter squashes are starting to take shape.

The gardens are finally producing fresh, tender long beans. A  great addition to stir fries.  They also make a good summer salad. I like to boil and cool them off before adding salad dressing.  Slowly we are getting a few tender Okra.  These plants struggled for a long time, and may have a discouraging production this year.  Japanese Eggplant, however, are quite happily producing a tasty, tender, thin skinned vegetable.

HOURS:

Tues through Sat  10:00 am to 6 pm 

Sunday  11:00am to 5:00 pm

CLOSED ON MONDAYS 

Armenian Cucumbers

Slicing Tomatoes

Here is what we have at the Farm Stand from Otow Orchard

Hoshigaki:  These are whole dried persimmons.  They were hand massaged while they dried over a period of four to eight weeks.  Some are firm, others are soft and moist.  All are coated with naturally formed white persimmon sugar.  No sugar added and no preservatives used.  They should be stored in the  freezer if not consumed within a day and definitely kept cool at all times.  You may purchase these at our farm stand.

Plums:  Limited supply.  You may have to ask.

Peaches: Very limited supply. 

Apples:  Gravenstein are sweet tart with aromatic fragrance. Wonderful flavor and is often used for baking and sauces.

Wild Blackberries:  With the heat, these will have a short season. Flavorful, sweet, and juicy.

Valencia Oranges:   Juicy, sweet with some tartness.  These are juicing oranges and also good for eating fresh

Yellow Grapefruit:   Sweet, tart, and flavorful with a wonderfully bitter background.

Eureka Lemons:  These are the tart lemons.  Great for lemonade or Lemon Meringue Pie.

Figs:  Gone for now.  Waiting for the next crop, probably mid to late August .   

Honey 🍯 from bees 🐝 at Otow Orchard. Bee pollen from bees 🐝 at Otow Orchard.

⚘ Calendula  Salve and Lip Balm

Dehydrated grapefruit and lemons

Tomatoes:   Slicing, salad, colorful, and cherry tomatoes.  All vine ripened and full of flavor.

Summer Squash: zucchini and yellow squash.  Extra large hard skinned zucchini are also available.

Cucumbers:  Japanese cucumbers are thin skinned, crisp, seedless and sweet.   Armenian cucumbers are firm, and crisp.

Japanese Eggplant:  Thin skinned, tender and few seeds.  Subtle flavor.

Okra: When we pay attention, we try to  harvest tender pods.

Long Beans :  Similar in taste to green beans.   Texture is more tender.

Here is what we have from other producers:

WoodRose Country Garden  in Granite Bay, organic practices:  melons, summer squash, eggplant, okra, onions, basil, rosemary, oregano, thyme, fresh garlic, Armenian cucumbers, bell peppers, potatoes, beans , snow peas, slicing tomatoes, San Marzano paste tomatoes, and cherry tomatoes. Ambrosia melons and watermelons.

Top O' the Hill Apiary in Granite Bay: Honey🍯. Top of the Hill Apiary also has bees wax 🐝.

La Bella Vito Farm in Loomis is bringing us fresh🥚 eggs from pastured 🐔🐔chickens.

Sunnyslope Farm in Granite Bay:  Suncrest peaches: Yellow freestone peaches with red flesh, juicy and sweet.  Great flavor.

Kijani Farm in Granite Bay, organic practices:  Red Russian Kale, Dino Kale, Swiss Chard, Beets.

An immature Red Kuri Squash

SUNCREST PEACHES

    Often considered the best peach, Suncrest peaches have arrived.  The Suncrest are coming from our neighbor, Sunnyslope Farm, in Granite Bay.  This is a conventional farm.  Its growing practices are like those of the  produce you see at the super market except the peaches are left on the tree long enough to fully mature. Tree ripened fruit has the right texture and flavor.  These Suncrest peaches are juicy and sweet.  The flesh is soft to sturdy and has a give to it that releases the juice. The inside is streaked with red flesh.

 

We anticipate having Suncrest peaches for 7 to 10 days.  Then the peach sales will once again be limited unless the neighbors find some hidden gems.

WoodRose  Country Garden is bringing us Ambrosia melons and yellow fleshed watermelons.  Ambrosia melons look like a cantalope. They are sweet, tender and juicy.

 

Wild blackberries from our farm are still available.  These are small and mighty. Sweet, juicy, and flavorful.   The temperature has been so high that many of the blossoms are drying up before they can form fruit.  It may be a short season for blackberries this year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HOURS:

Tues through Sat  10:00 am to 6 pm 

Sunday  11:00am to 5:00 pm

CLOSED ON MONDAYS 

Here is what we have at the Farm Stand from Otow Orchard

Hoshigaki:  These are whole dried persimmons.  They were hand massaged while they dried over a period of four to eight weeks.  Some are firm, others are soft and moist.  All are coated with naturally formed white persimmon sugar.  No sugar added and no preservatives used.  They should be stored in the  freezer if not consumed within a day and definitely kept cool at all times.  You may purchase these at our farm stand.

Plums:  Limited supply.  You may have to ask.

Peaches: Very limited supply. 

Apples:  Gravenstein are sweet tart with aromatic fragrance. Wonderful flavor and is often used for baking and sauces.

Wild Blackberries:  With the heat, these will have a short season. Flavorful, sweet, and juicy.

Valencia Oranges:   Juicy, sweet with some tartness.  These are juicing oranges and also good for eating fresh

Yellow Grapefruit:   Sweet, tart, and flavorful with a wonderfully bitter background.

Eureka Lemons:  These are the tart lemons.  Great for lemonade or Lemon Meringue Pie.

Figs:  Gone for now.  Waiting for the next crop, probably in August.   

Honey 🍯 from bees 🐝 at Otow Orchard. Bee pollen from bees 🐝 at Otow Orchard.

⚘ Calendula  Salve and Lip Balm

Dehydrated grapefruit and lemons

Tomatoes:   Slicing, salad, colorful, and cherry tomatoes

Summer Squash: zucchini and yellow squash

Cucumbers:  Japanese cucumbers are thin skinned, crisp, seedless and sweet.   Armenian cucumbers are firm, and crisp.

Japanese Eggplant:  Thin skinned, tender and few seeds.  Subtle flavor.

Okra

Long Beans 

Here is what we have from other producers:

WoodRose Country Garden  in Granite Bay, organic practices:  melons, summer squash, eggplant, okra, onions, basil, rosemary, oregano, thyme, fresh garlic, Armenian cucumbers, bell peppers, potatoes, beans , snow peas, tomatoes and cherry tomatoes.  Limited supply of nectarines.

Double Delight Nectarine

Top O' the Hill Apiary in Granite Bay: Honey🍯. Top of the Hill Apiary also has bees wax 🐝.

La Bella Vito Farm in Loomis is bringing us fresh🥚 eggs from pastured 🐔🐔chickens.

Sunnyslope Farm in Granite Bay:  Suncrest peaches: Yellow freestone peaches with red flesh, juicy and sweet.  Great flavor.

Kijani Farm in Granite Bay, organic practices:  Red Russian Kale, Dino Kale, Swiss Chard, Beets.

Suncrest peaches

Long beans

TOMATOES AND MELONS

For eons we have enjoyed a climate conducive to growing food.  Now we deal with  extremes of wind and rain in the off season and extremely hot summers.  Plants are struggling, food is more challenging to produce. 

Tomatoes are starting to come into the farm stand.  We are getting slicing, heirloom, and paste  tomatoes from WoodRose Country Gardens.  These are vine ripened juicy tomatoes.  There are also sweet Sungold, Sweet 100's, and yellow pear cherry tomatoes.

 

WoodRose is also  bringing us  melons. Ambrosia look like cantaloupe with sweet, tender, pale orange flesh. They have a wonderful melon flavor. There are also a few watermelons.

 

The peach crop continues to be small and sporadic.  Quickly, Gene Elberta, Delight, and Suncrest  will be finished. We are also getting a few white peaches: Sugar Lady and Silver Logan.

 

For the moment, we have Double Delight nectarines from WoodRose.  Very sweet and juicy.

 

Although the fruit crop is diminished, the vegetable gardens are producing.  They are struggling with the heat but continuing to produce.  We have a good supply of green and yellow summer squash. and a good supply of Japaneses cucumbers and Armenian cucumbers.  The Japanese eggplants are also starting to produce.

 

It may seem early, but we are starting to harvest Gravenstein apples.  These apples are sweet tart with aromatic fragrance. Wonderful flavor and is often used for baking and sauces.  

 

For the moment, we are getting wild blackberries from our farm.  These are small and mighty. Sweet, juicy, and flavorful.   The temperature has been so high that many of the blossoms are drying up before they can form fruit.  It may be a short season for blackberries this year.

HOURS:

Tues through Sat  10:00 am to 6 pm 

Sunday  11:00am to 5:00 pm

CLOSED ON MONDAYS 

Here is what we have at the Farm Stand from Otow Orchard

Hoshigaki:  These are whole dried persimmons.  They were hand massaged while they dried over a period of four to eight weeks.  Some are firm, others are soft and moist.  All are coated with naturally formed white persimmon sugar.  No sugar added and no preservatives used.  They should be stored in the  freezer if not consumed within a day and definitely kept cool at all times.  You may purchase these at our farm stand.

Plums:  Limited supply.  You may have to ask.

Peaches: Very limited supply. 

Apples:  Gravenstein are sweet tart with aromatic fragrance. Wonderful flavor and is often used for baking and sauces.

Wild Blackberries:  With the heat, these will have a short season. Flavorful, sweet, and juicy.

Valencia Oranges:   Juicy, sweet with some tartness.  These are juicing oranges and also good for eating fresh

Yellow Grapefruit:   Sweet, tart, and flavorful with a wonderfully bitter background.

Eureka Lemons:  These are the tart lemons.  Great for lemonade or Lemon Meringue Pie.

Figs:  Gone for now.  Waiting for the next crop, probably in August.   

Honey 🍯 from bees 🐝 at Otow Orchard. Bee pollen from bees 🐝 at Otow Orchard.

Bread and Butter pickles from Japanese cucumbers

⚘ Calendula  Salve and Lip Balm

Dehydrated grapefruit and lemons

Summer Squash: zucchini and yellow squash

Cucumbers:  Japanese cucumbers are thin skinned, crisp, seedless and sweet.   Armenian cucumbers are firm, and crisp.

Japanese Eggplant:  Thin skinned, tender and few seeds.  Subtle flavor.

Here is what we have from other producers:

WoodRose Country Garden  in Granite Bay, organic practices:   summer squash, eggplant, okra, onions, basil, rosemary, oregano, thyme, fresh garlic, Armenian cucumbers, bell peppers, potatoes, beans , snow peas, tomatoes and cherry tomatoes.  Limited supply of nectarines.

Double Delight Nectarine

Top O' the Hill Apiary in Granite Bay: Honey🍯. Top of the Hill Apiary also has bees wax 🐝.

La Bella Vito Farm in Loomis is bringing us fresh🥚 eggs from pastured 🐔🐔chickens.

Sunnyslope Farm in Granite Bay:  Japanese Ume plums:  These small very tart apricots are pickled for Japanese  cuisine.  They are commonly pickled in salt, sugar, honey, or alcohol. 

Kijani Farm in Granite Bay, organic practices:  Red Russian Kale, Dino Kale, Swiss Chard, Beets.

NOW YOU SEE THEM, NOW YOU DON'T

Peaches are playing an elusive game this year.  Yesterday we had peaches.  Now the supply is diminished to very few, again.  Red Haven and Regina made very short appearances.  We are selling Frost peaches now.  This variety was selected for its resistance to peach leaf curl.  While it is not as rosy colored as most of our peaches, it is still juicy and sweet.  Problem is, I find it more enjoyable when it has a green cast to it.  So it looks like it is not ready, but that is the best time to eat it.

We are getting some help in the peach department from our neighbor, Sunnyslope Farm and our other neighbor, WoodRose Country Garden.

Plums are also giving us a small crop.  Santa Rosa plums are in short supply and may be gone by the end of this week.  Now and then we get a handful of Tulare Giant, Duarte, or Eldorado plums to add to our table. Sad to say, just not much stone fruit.

Amazingly, citrus are still hanging on the trees.  Lemons are big and beautiful, Valencia oranges are sweet and juicy.  And there is still a supply of yellow grapefruit.

Now is the time to eat your vegetables. The green and yellow squash are fresh and tender.  The supply of Japanese cucumbers is not always predictable since they are in such high demand.  We are getting small Japanese eggplants that are thin skinned and tender. Few seeds to contend with!

WoodRose Country Garden and Kijani Farm are adding to our vegetable offerings.  A few real tomatoes have gone home with a few lucky customers.  More to come.

Our supply of hoshigaki is getting very low.  At this time of year we warn people to keep their hoshigaki cold and out of the sun.  If you don't see hoshigaki on display in the farm stand, please ask.  It is chilling in the frig. 

Don't forget the figs.  The Breba crop will not last very long.  The next crop won't start till next month.

HOURS:

Tues through Sat  10:00 am to 6 pm 

Sunday  11:00am to 5:00 pm

CLOSED ON MONDAYS 

Here is what we have at the Farm Stand from Otow Orchard

Hoshigaki:  These are whole dried persimmons.  They were hand massaged while they dried over a period of four to eight weeks.  Some are firm, others are soft and moist.  All are coated with naturally formed white persimmon sugar.  No sugar added and no preservatives used.  They should be stored in the  freezer if not consumed within a day and definitely kept cool at all times.  You may purchase these at our farm stand.

Plums:  Santa Rosa:  Heirloom variety. Sweet tart and extremely flavorful and fragrant. This variety has stood the test of time and is very popular for good reasons.

Peaches: Very limited supply. 

Frost peaches are best when a little green.

Valencia Oranges:   Juicy, sweet with some tartness.  These are juicing oranges and also good for eating fresh

Yellow Grapefruit:   Sweet, tart, and flavorful with a wonderfully bitter background.

Eureka Lemons:  These are the tart lemons.  Great for lemonade or Lemon Meringue Pie.

Figs:  Panache, Black Mission.  Limited supply        

Honey 🍯 from bees 🐝 at Otow Orchard. Bee pollen from bees 🐝 at Otow Orchard.

⚘ Calendula  Salve and Lip Balm

Dehydrated grapefruit and lemons

Summer Squash: zucchini and yellow squash

Cucumbers:  Japanese cucumbers are thin skinned, crisp, seedless and sweet. 

Japanese Eggplant:  Thin skinned, tender and few seeds.  Subtle flavor.

Here is what we have from other producers:

WoodRose Country Garden  in Granite Bay, organic practices:  lettuce, summer squash, onions, basil, rosemary, oregano, thyme, fresh garlic, bell peppers, potatoes, beans, carrots, snow peas, and cherry tomatoes.  Limited supply of tomatoes, nectarines, and Kim Alberta peaches.

Double Delight Nectarine

Top O' the Hill Apiary in Granite Bay: Honey🍯. Top of the Hill Apiary also has bees wax 🐝.

La Bella Vito Farm in Loomis is bringing us fresh🥚 eggs from pastured 🐔🐔chickens.

Sunnyslope Farm in Granite Bay:  Japanese Ume plums:  These small very tart apricots are pickled for Japanese  cuisine.  They are commonly pickled in salt, sugar, honey, or alcohol.  

Sunnyslope Farm in Granite Bay:  June Pride are yellow fleshed, freestone peaches.  Limited supply.

Kijani Farm in Granite Bay, organic practices:  Red Russian Kale, Dino Kale, Swiss Chard, Beets.

Lupi Farm in Granite Bay, no spray.  Black Mission figs