NOT RED, NOT ORANGE

Pomegranates are red but ours are pink right now,  Persimmons are orange but ours are brown right now.  Waiting for red pomegranates and orange persimmons?  We are currently selling "white " pomeganates.  This is an old variety that my grandfather planted. They have sweet pink arils with a very small core.  Our persimmons currently have brown flesh.  These brown fleshed varieties are sweet when pollinated in the spring. Red pomegranates will appear in November and orange fleshed Fuyu persimmons will appear around the end of October.

 Hachiya persimmons are just starting to turn orange.  Most are still  hard and puckery. It may take another month for many of them to be soft and sweet.  Every year is different so give us a call if you need an update.

The hoshigaki process will soon begin.  When the hachiya persimmon has full color but still hard and puckery, "shibui," we will select appropriate sized fruit to peel and dry.  Meanwhile we are getting the racks cleaned up and the drying rooms dusted to accommodate the hundreds of persimmons that will be soon hanging in pairs on sticks.  We will soon be starting to peel Hachiya for the hoshigaki process.  

 

 

We are currently in the middle of  Jujube season. Jujube are small round fruit containing a date-like seed.  They are sweet and enjoyed at various stages of maturity.  When yellow and starting to turn brown people eat them to enjoy their sweet crisp apple-like texture.  As they develop more, color they become  sweeter and are still crisp.  As they darken the crispness disappears and the fruit develops wrinkles, and more sweetness.  Still other perfer them completely dried with deep  wrinkles. These dry jujube can be enjoyed out of hand or added to soup or other dishes for flavor, nutritional value and sweetness.   

As we move farther into fall, summer vegetables just are not getting enough sunlight to keep producing, especially the sun loving tomatoes. Lately, I go to harvest 3 times a week with fewer and fewer tomatoes to show for my effort.  Squash are dwindling and cucumbers are still producing but getting shorter and skinnier. Beans, however, are making a short fall comeback. 

 

 Hachiya and Fuyu persimmons are not ready for harvest.  They are getting more color daily but not yet ready.  Fuyu are often ready in late October.  We will soon start to harvest Hachiya but they will not be ready to eat for another month.  I must add that every year is different.

 

 

 

 Hours

    Tues thru Sat  10:00 am to 6:00 pm

    Sunday 11:00 to 5:00

    Closed on Mondays 

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

PLUMS

Casselman:  Yellow fleshed plum.  Very sweet and flavorful.  Becomes more sweet and juicy when stored.    

JUJUBE                                         

Li jujube:   Large sweet and crisp or soft and chewy.  Often referred to as Chinese Dates or Red Dates.  Fresh Jujube are low in calories and high in fiber.  As they mature sugars become more concentrated. 

PERSIMMONS

Coffeecake:  Early ripening persimmon.  Don't let them fool you.  They look like Fuyu persimmons but are actually brown fleshed persimmons.   Can be eaten crisp or softer. Sweet flavor when pollinated and brown fleshed. 

Back row: Nagamaru (Chocolate,Tsurunoko), Hyakume (cinnamon), Hachiya. Front row  Maru, Coffee Cake (Nishimura Wase), Fuyu.

 

 

For the novice, our recommendation is to cut the persimmon to see the sweet brown flesh before biting into the fruit.

Maru, Nagamaru, and Chocolate: These persimmons  are brown fleshed when pollinated.  They are sweet and can be eaten hard  or softer.  For the novice, our recommendation is to cut the persimmon to see the sweet brown flesh before biting into the fruit.

 

 

      

 

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. We strive to make the best hoshigaki without any shortcuts.  This takes time and attention during the drying season.  We usually begin processing the new season hoshigaki in October.  We plan to put a mail order form on this website in late October.  At this time only hoshigaki strips are available at the farm stand.

 APPLES          

Reinette Simirenko, Fuji, Granny Smith, Striped Red Delicious

Striped Delicious:  Sweet, crisp apple.  Red blush over light yellow skin.   Great for snacking and sauce.

Reinette Simienko:  Ukrainian apples.  Sweet tart crunchy apple with unique flavor. Green skin.

Granny Smith:  Green skinned sweet tart apple. White flesh does not discolor with exposure to air.  Although often used for baking it also can be enjoyed eaten out of hand.  For pies it is recommended to add a squeeze of lemon juice.

Fuji:   Our Fuji apples are green with light red blush.  I blame this on our warm weather compared to cooler apple growing regions in the Northwest. Nonetheless our Fuji apples are sweet, crisp and full of juice. They are mostly used for fresh eating but also good for baking, cooking, drying and adding to salads. 

ASIAN PEARS  

Yali:  This Asian pear has the shape of a European pear  It is yellow with smooth skin.  It is tender, sweet, crisp and juicy. Often eaten out of hand. Yali can be added to salads or cooked and paired with a meat dish.

Shinko:  A popular sweet Asian pear. Shinko are crisp and juicy with a background of citrus and butterscotch.  It has brown skin with ivory colored flesh. A refreshing snack to be shared with others or added to salads.  They can be roasted or added to baked goods.  Unwashed Shinko pears can be stored in the produce bin of the refrigerator for one to three months.

POMEGRANATES

White Pomegranates:  The actual name of this variety is unknown. Kichitaro Kawano, founder of this orchard, planted it over 100 years ago.  The name has been lost.  Yellow skin over pink arils. The seeds are sweet with a smaller core than other pomegranates.  Pink juice does not stain.

Quince:  Related to pears and apples, quince are firm, fragrant, and tart. They contain pectin which promotes gelling. Seldom eaten raw, it is usually cooked with sweetener for jam jelly, candy or added to stews. Quince sauce pairs nicely with pork. Thinly sliced raw quince can be added to tea or water.

Local Honey  Honey 🍯 from bees 🐝 at Otow Orchard. Bee pollen from bees 🐝 at Otow Orchard is also available.

⚘ Calendula  Salve and Lip Balm:  Wonderfully thick salve for healing dry skin, bug bites and scrapes.   

Summer Squash:

Green and Yellow Zucchini.

Cucumbers:

Armenian:  Light and dark green in color.  Young cucumbers have few seeds.  Background flavor of melon. 

Asian cucumbers:  Bumpy or spiny. Long green seedless cucumbers. Sweet, flavorful and often burpless. Melon rind-like flavor.

Lemon cucumber:  Small, round, green, tender cucumber unless I wait too long to pick it and it becomes yellow and seedy.

Other Vegetables: (Limited supply.)

Green beans

Bell peppers 

Here is what we have from other producers:

Sunnyslope Farm in Granite Bay, Conventional practices.

    Fuji apples:  Sweet and crisp with red blush over green skin.  Very juicy. 

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

Fresh Bouquets: of colorful in-season flowers from La Bella Vito Farm in Loomis. (Limited supply.)

     Vanilla Exract:  Homemade in Loomis, CA at La Bella Vito Farm. Fragrant vanilla flavoring from Madagascar vanilla beans.

 

Kijani Farm in Granite Bay.  No spray practice:  

 Butternut Squash:  Sweet nutty winter squash. Orange flesh is concentrated in the neck of this squash.

 

The California Persimmon:  A book published by the ANR covering history and background of persimmons. Contains many new and traditdional persimmon recipies.