HAPPY THANKSGIVING

 Otow Orchard hours for Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28, 2024

Shortened hours for just one day.

                Thurs. Nov 28:   Open 11:00 am   Closed  3:00 pm

 

🍑🍎🍏🍅🥒🍐

We love this time of year.  A time of remembering so many who have helped us have a successful year and business.  A big THANK YOU  to customers, workers, family and friends  who are faithful to support us through long hot summers and on cold and sometimes very wet days.  

💖 👫 👪 🙏 👷🚜

WE ARE THANKFUL FOR YOU.  HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY. 

Regular hours will resume on Friday Nov. 29, 2024. 

 

REGULAR HOURS

Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri, 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.

Persimmon: 

    Hachiya:  Popular persimmon.  Until soft it is very astringent.  Hachiya are tall and pointed like an acorn.  These are often used in cookies, breads, and puddings.  Many people enjoy just eating them out of hand or pairing them with ice cream, smoothies, or oatmeal.  This is also the variety most commonly used to make hoshigaki (Japanese hand dried persimmons).   Frozen Hachiya persimmon pulp is also available.  

    Gyombo, (Giombo) :  Similar to Hachiya. These can not be eaten when hard.  They become soft and very sweet with time.  More liquid y but sweeter than Hachiya persimmons.  More mild flavor.

    Fuyu:  Very popular persimmon. They are always sweet and usually eaten hard like an apple.  Fuyu can also be sliced or added to salads.  As we go through the season they get bigger and sweeter and the skin goes from yellow to orange.

     Maru:  Sweet, round, brown fleshed persimmon. Can be eaten hard and crunchy or when it is softer and sweeter. Only when pollinated do they become brown and sweet.  We try to display only the sweet ones 😋but may occasionally miss.  😝. 

    Nagamaru, Tsurunoko, Chocolate:  Three names.  Sweet, dark brown fleshed persimmon.  It is orange skinned and a tall oblong shape.  Can be enjoyed hard or more soft.  Only when pollinated do they become brown and sweet.  We try to display only the sweet ones 😋but may occasionally miss.  😝. Whether pollinated or not, Nagamaru will be sweet when soft. 

    Hyakume:  This persimmon is often referred to  as cinnamon due to its light coloration and speckles  in the flesh.  Tasty with nice sweet flavor.   Only when pollinated do they become brown and sweet.  We try to display only the sweet ones 😋but may occasionally miss.  😝.  The Hyakume that we suspect are more astringent are treated with vodka to make them sweet. 😋

Pomegranates:

    White Pomegranates:  Light skinned with pink arils.  Sweet with small core.

    Red Wonderful Pomegranates:  Traditional pomegranates with sweet tart, deep red arils.

    Ambrosia Pomegranates: Pink skinned with pink arils.  Sweet tart arils. (Limited supply.)

 

Apples:

    Granny Smith:  Light green skin over white flesh.  Sweet, tart, and crisp.  Great for cooking and baking.  It retains its shape.  Also enjoyed eaten out of hand. 

Quince:  Firm yellow fruit, always tart, wonderfully aromatic.  Used for jam, jelly, candy, and sauce due to its high pectin content. Often added to stews.

Asian Pears:  Asian pears should be enjoyed while firm and crisp like an apple.

        Shinko:  Firm, sweet and crisp pear.  Brown skin with outstanding flavor and floral fragrance. Eat out of hand or slice and add to salads.  Good for storage.

         Okusankichi:  Large brown Asian pear. Crisp and juicy.  This is a winter keeper and is not as sweet as the earlier varieties.  Very refreshing. Thick skin with course white flesh. Flavor improves with storage.

 

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. Early season hoshigaki is currently available in the farm stand.  Contact us for large on-farm pick-up orders. (916) 791-1656 or email at otowochard@yahoo.com.  For mail orders, click on the Hoshigaki/Persimmons tab at the top of this blog post to get the mail order form.

Winter Squash:

         Butternut:   One of the most popular winter squashes because of its generous flesh.  The seeds are contained in the bulbous end and the neck is all flesh.   It has a sweet nutty flavor.  It can be roasted, steamed, baked  and chopped into soups, stews, casseroles and curries.  Flavor a can be savory or sweetened with syrup and butter.  

    Acorn: Green or orange skin with longitudinal ridges.  It has sweet yellow orange flesh inside.

Chili peppers: Aji Amarillos, Jalapeno, and Buena Mulata.

    Tomatillos: Look like a green tomato in a papery husk.  Often used in salsa, sauces and soups. Can be sliced into salads.  (Limited supply.)

Local Honey 🍯 from bees 🐝 at Otow Orchard. Bee pollen from bees 🐝 at Otow Orchard. Honey is an easy, local, and practical gift idea.

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

Here is what we have from other producers:

Pleasant Hill Farm:  in Lincoln.

     Satsuma Mandarins:  Easy to peel, sweet mandarins from the foothills of Placer County.  You will find both the regular yellow orange skinned variety and the reddish orange skinned mandarins. The yellow ones are citrus y sweet/tarp full of juice.  The red ones are more mild with less tartness.

Sunnyslope Farm  in Granite Bay, conventional farming:

    Granny Smith Apples:  Light green skin over white flesh.  Sweet, tart, and crisp.  Great for cooking and baking.  It retains its shape when cooked. Also enjoyed eaten out of hand or added to salads.

WoodRose Country Garden
 in Granite Bay, organic practices:

        Arugula: spicy aromatic greens (Limited supply.)

        Sweet peppers:  Green, orange and purple skinned.

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

Mihara Farm in Lincoln, conventional farming:

    Chestnuts 

 

 

 

 

Master Gardener's 2025 calendar:  This is a gardener's companion calendar.  It tells how to cared for your garden and gives a timeline of suggested garden activities. (Limited Supply.)

 

The California Persimmon Recipe Book:  Introduction to basic persimmon knowledge followed by recipes for the different types of persimmons.

 

COOL WEATHER

     We will be spending the next three weeks immersed in the process  of making hoshigaki, Japanese hand dried persimmons.  We are peeling 60 to 100 pounds of hachiya persimmons, 5 days a week.  After drying in the sun for a few days, the persimmons are getting ripe enough to gently knead and massage.  Every 3 to 5 days we try to break up the pulp and keep it smooth  and supple. This is challenging when there are 1000 or more persimmons, each waiting for a nice massage.  Often the drying is completed indoors after the first week. By the end of 5 to 8 weeks, depending on the weather, the hoshigaki have dried to 1/5 of their original size, and changed from yellow-orange to dark brown with persimmon sugar covering the surface. Along the way we have watched the temperature and tried to control the humidity.  When we handle the drying hoshigaki we use our senses to assess if we need to turn on a fan, start up the dehumidifier, open a window or take them outside for some time in the sun. I hope we can begin to sell the early season hoshigaki before Thanksgiving.  Wait and see.

    Daytime temps are generally pleasant but nights are a little chilly, often in the 40's. Suddenly I see brilliant orange leaves on some of the persimmon trees. Geese regularly walk the orchard floor, helping us remove food for rodents and disease.  It's always a bit  breathtaking to hear and see a flock of geese take off at dusk. I don't know where they are headed, somewhere safe I assume.

REGULAR HOURS

Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri, 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.

Persimmon: 

    Hachiya:  Popular persimmon.  Until soft it is very astringent.  Hachiya are tall and pointed like an acorn.  These are often used in cookies, breads, and puddings.  Many people enjoy just eating them out of hand or pairing them with ice cream, smoothies, or oatmeal.  This is also the variety most commonly used to make hoshigaki (Japanese hand dried persimmons).   Frozen Hachiya persimmon pulp is also available.  

    Gyombo, (Giombo) :  Similar to Hachiya. These can not be eaten when hard.  They become soft and very sweet with time.  More liquid y but sweeter than Hachiya persimmons.  More mild flavor.

    Fuyu:  Very popular persimmon. They are always sweet and usually eaten hard like an apple.  Fuyu can also be sliced or added to salads.  As we go through the season they get bigger and sweeter and the skin goes from yellow to orange.

     Maru:  Sweet, round, brown fleshed persimmon. Can be eaten hard and crunchy or when it is softer and sweeter. Only when pollinated do they become brown and sweet.  We try to display only the sweet ones 😋but may occasionally miss.  😝. 

    Nagamaru, Tsurunoko, Chocolate:  Three names.  Sweet, dark brown fleshed persimmon.  It is orange skinned and a tall oblong shape.  Can be enjoyed hard or more soft.  Only when pollinated do they become brown and sweet.  We try to display only the sweet ones 😋but may occasionally miss.  😝. Whether pollinated or not, Nagamaru will be sweet when soft. 

    Hyakume:  This persimmon is often referred to  as cinnamon due to its light coloration and speckles  in the flesh.  Tasty with nice sweet flavor.   Only when pollinated do they become brown and sweet.  We try to display only the sweet ones 😋but may occasionally miss.  😝.  The Hyakume that we suspect are more astringent are treated with vodka to make them sweet. 😋

    Coffee Cake:  Shaped similar to Fuyu persimmons but with a different character.  When pollinated they are brown fleshed, sweet and crunchy.  Only when pollinated do they become brown and sweet.  We try to display only the sweet ones 😋but may occasionally miss.  😝.  (Limited supply.)

Pomegranates:

    White Pomegranates:  Light skinned with pink arils.  Sweet with small core.

    Red Wonderful Pomegranates:  Traditional pomegranates with sweet tart, deep red arils.

    Ambrosia Pomegranates: Pink skinned with pink arils.  Sweet tart arils. (Limited supply.)

 

Apples:

    Granny Smith:  Light green skin over white flesh.  Sweet, tart, and crisp.  Great for cooking and baking.  It retains its shape.  Also enjoyed eaten out of hand. 

    Fuji: Popular apple known for being sweet and crisp. Our Fuji apples range from green and yellow to red and yellow.

    Reinette Simerenko:  Crisp green apple. Pleasing sweet tart flavor and fragrance.   

Quince:  Firm yellow fruit, always tart, wonderfully aromatic.  Used for jam, jelly, candy, and sauce due to its high pectin content. Often added to stews.

Asian Pears:  Asian pears should be enjoyed while firm and crisp like an apple.

        Shinko:  Firm, sweet and crisp pear.  Brown skin with outstanding flavor and floral fragrance. Eat out of hand or slice and add to salads.  Good for storage.

         Yali:  Pear-shaped, firm Asian pear.  Smooth-skinned with fine sweet-tart flavor similar to anise and spice. Very juicy and fragrant. Attractive delicate appearance. (Limited supply.)

        Olympic:  Large, sweet, brown pear. Flesh is dense and has a crunch.

 

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. The hoshigaki is currently not available.  Contact us for large on-farm pick-up orders. (916) 791-1656 or email at otowochard@yahoo.com.  For mail orders, click on the Hoshigaki/Persimmons tab at the top of this blog post to get the mail order form.

Winter Squash: 

     Kaboch:   This winter squash is a popular Japanese pumpkin. It has a hard dark green skin with a thick deep yellow or orange flesh.  Sweet and nutty flavor.  Great for steaming, roasting, baking, stuffing and adding to soup and stews. 

     

         Butternut:   One of the most popular winter squashes because of its generous flesh.  The seeds are contained in the bulbous end and the neck is all flesh.   It has a sweet nutty flavor.  It can be roasted, steamed, baked  and chopped into soups, stews, casseroles and curries.  Flavor a can be savory or sweetened with syrup and butter.  

    Acorn: Green or orange skin with longitudinal ridges.  It has sweet yellow orange flesh inside. 

    Red Kuri:  This Kabocha variety has bright orange eatable skin.  The flesh is smooth and creamy with sweet nutty flavor. Prepare as with other winter squash.

Chili peppers: Aji Amarillos, Jalapeno, Buena Mulata, and fish.

    Tomatillos: Look like a green tomato in a papery husk.  Often used in salsa, sauces and soups. Can be sliced into salads.  (Limited supply.)

Local Honey 🍯 from bees 🐝 at Otow Orchard. Bee pollen from bees 🐝 at Otow Orchard. Honey is an easy, local, and practical gift idea.

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

Here is what we have from other producers:

Sunnyslope Farm  in Granite Bay, conventional farming:

    Granny Smith Apples:  Light green skin over white flesh.  Sweet, tart, and crisp.  Great for cooking and baking.  It retains its shape when cooked. Also enjoyed eaten out of hand or added to salads.

WoodRose Country Garden
 in Granite Bay, organic practices:

        Arugula: spicy aromatic greens (Limited supply.)

        Sweet peppers:  Green, orange and purple skinned.

        Basil:  (Limited supply.)

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

Mihara Farm in Lincoln, conventional farming:

    Chestnuts 

 

APPLES, PEARS, AND PERSIMONS

     The persimmon crop seems a bit late this year.  Hachiya, the type that must be soft to be enjoyed, is being harvested now.  Most of them are used for making hoshigaki.  If they are too small or too large we sell them  fresh to our customers.  Most customers want the already soft ones.  I usually tell them that if they don't buy them today, when they come back these will be sold and there will be new hard ones on our table. We recommend leaving the hard hachiya on the counter at room temperature till it is soft and gelatinous.  This may take a week or two.  The internet recommends putting the unripe hachiya into a closed container with an apple or banana which will produce the ethylene gas to hasten ripening.

     Hoshigaki production is in full swing.  We are peeling at least 15 boxes a day, 5 days a week.  We peel, hang them in pairs on string, balance the pairs of persimmons on sticks, put the sticks on racks in the sun.  Then wait for the fruit to begin to ripen on the inside.  When the skin is leather-like and the inside is getting soft, we begin to massage each one.  Every few days we massage the fruit to break up any masses inside.  After massaging we like to bring the hoshigaki indoors.  The fruit is getting sweet and is a tempting treat for the critters.  After 2 to 4 weeks much of the liquid has evaporated and the hoshigaki is becoming a concentrated bag of sweet  persimmon pulp.  Then the magic begins to happen.  Somehow the sugars from the fruit begin to form a dusting of white sugar on the surface.  With a little more drying the sugars coat the surface of the persimmon.  Now we have Hoshigaki.

    Fuyu persimmons are starting to come into the farm stand.  They are more yellow and starting to get that orange glow.  Fuyu are round and usually flattish.  They can be eaten like an apple:  hard, crisp, and sweet.  Great for snacking and adding to salads.  I hope to have a bountiful supply beginning in November.

    The brown fleshed persimmons have been slowly ripening.  A few come in and a few get sold.  Brown fleshed persimmons are astringent unless pollinated.  Back in April when the trees were in bloom, the bees were  buzzing.  If the flower was fully pollinated , seeds would form and give off ethylene gas  to make the flesh brown and sweet.  The problem arises when a flower is only partially pollinated and less than half of the seeds form.  This fruit will be only partially sweet.  It's always a risk.  We recommend cutting the fruit and eating only the brown, sweet flesh.

    Apples and pears are still an important part of our production. We are currently harvesting Reinette Simerenko and Fuji apples.  Later will come Pink Lady and Granny Smith.   Our last European pear is Comice.  When the skin turns yellow it is ready to eat.  It is sweet, soft, and very juicy.  We have several Asian pears:  Shinko, Olympic, and Yali.  They are all crisp, juicy and sweet.  I would say Shinko is the sweetest, Olympic the hardest, and Yali the juiciest.

HOURS:

Tues through Sat  10:00 am to 6 pm 

Sunday  11:00 am to 5:00 pm

CLOSED ON MONDAYS 

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

Hoshigaki:  Currently sold out. 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.  Hoshigaki processed in 2022 have sold out.  We normally begin peeling persimmons in October.  The early hoshigaki may be available in November. You may contact us for on-farm pick-up orders. (916) 791-1656 or email at otowochard@yahoo.com.  For mail orders please use our mail order form . Mail order shipments do not usually begin until December.

Apples: 

        Fuji: Known for being sweet juicy and always crisp.

        Reinete Simerenko:  a green sweet-tart apple with great flavor. I call it a cider apple.

European Pears:

        Comice :  Large, juicy, sweet pear when ripe.  Wait for the skin to turn yellow. Similar to a Bartlet pear.

Asian Pears:  

    Shinko:  Large round pear with brown skin.  Very sweet, crisp, and juicy, a good keeper.

    Olympic: Large, dark brown, round Asian pear.  It has a good crunch and the flavor is intense. It is juicy and very sweet.  Can be used for pies and cobblers.

Persimmons:

    Hachiya:  Tall acorn-shaped persimmon.  It is astringent until soft and jelly-like. It becomes very sweet soft and delicate. Fresh eating right out of its skin or often used for baking cookies and pudding. Used for making hoshigaki.

    Fuyu:  Apple type persimmon. Can be eaten hard and crisp.  These are always sweet and a favorite among our customers and future customers. At this time of year they are hard and crisp.  Later in the season or if held for a period of time they will become more orange-red and the flesh will become tender and sweeter. Used for fresh eating and  in salads.

    Maru, Chocolate, and Nagamaru:  These are the brown fleshed persimmons.  Back in April when the trees were in bloom, the bees were  buzzing.  If the flower was fully pollinated , seeds would form and give off ethylene gas  to make the flesh brown and sweet.  The problem arises when a flower is only partially pollinated and less than half of the seeds form.  This fruit will be only partially sweet.  It's always a risk.  We recommend cutting the fruit and eating only the brown, sweet flesh. Some varieties will sweeten as they soften.

    Jujube:    Jujube are often called Chinese dates, ber, or  when dried  they are called red dates. We harvest when they are yellow and brown.  Gradually they become all brown and eventually shriveled.  They are enjoyed at all these stages. They are sweet and crisp like an apple but not as juicy.  An easy snack but watch out for the seed.  This little round fruit has long been recognized by Chinese medicine as having many health benefits. It contains minerals and antioxidants.  Avoid if on anti-seizure or anti-depressant medications. Limited supply.

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

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

Tomatoes:  Just about finished. The tomatoes are small and not as flavorful as when we had intense heat and long days. This late in the season, sizes and quality are challenged. Limited supply. 

 

Chili Peppers:   Aji Amareto, Buena Mulata, Jalapenos, ---All limited supply.

Tomatillos:   These look like small green tomatoes in a paper shell.  They can be cooked or eaten raw. You can add them to salads or make them into green salsa.

Japanese Eggplant:  These have a long shape with thin skin.  It has tender flesh with delicate flavor and few seeds.

Sweet Peppers: Green, yellow and purple varieties.

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

Winter Squash:

    Kabocha, Red Kuri, Black Futsu:  Known as a Japanese pumpkins.  These varieties have sweet, thick dry flesh. They can be steamed, baked, roasted, sauteed or added to soups and stews.

    Butternut Squash:    One of the most popular winter squashes because of its generous flesh.  The seeds are contained in the bulbous end and the neck is all flesh.   It has a sweet nutty flavor.  Is can be roasted, steamed, baked  and chopped into soups, stews, casseroles and curries.  Flavor a can be savory or sweetened with syrup and butter.  

Quince:  This fruit is firm and seldom eaten raw.  It has a pleasing fragrance which can be preserved by making sauce, jams, jelly, adding it to  apple dishes, and pairing it with pork.  It is a great source for pectin.  Quince must be peeled, cored and cooked to make it softer.  It is famously used to make Quince sauce or Doulce de Membrillo, Quince candy.

Pomegranates:  Sweet White Pomegranates

Here is what we have from other producers:

WoodRose Country Garden  in Granite Bay, organic practices:

    Eggplant, okra, beans, colorful bell peppers, potatoes, garlic and arugula.

    Seasoning:  basil, rosemary, oregano, thyme, fresh garlic

    Tomatoes: Tomatoes, and cherry tomatoes.

    Winter squash:  Pink Banana Squash,

Top O' the Hill Apiary in Granite Bay:   Bees wax 🐝. 

Sunnyslope Farm Conventional practices, Garanite Bay, CA:  Fuji Apples.

La Bella Vito Farm in Loomis is bringing us fresh🥚 eggs from pastured 🐔🐔chickens. Production is low.  As days get shorter the chickens go through molting. This is the process of loosing old feathers and regrowing new feathers.  During this period, egg laying decreases and chickens concentrate on storing nutrients for the next season.

Kijani Farm in Granite Bay, organic practices:

    Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes

     Kabocha, Japanese winter squash (pumpkin).  Butternut winter squash

Mihara Farm  conventional farming in Newcastle, CA:  Kiwi, Chestnuts, Hachiya persimmons.

Stoney Point Farm, Organic certified, Loomis, CA:  Hachiya persimmons.

Placer County Master Gardeners:   2024 Gardening Guide and Calendar.  Provides helpful hints throughout your gardening year.

PERSIMMON SEASON

Please note: Shortened hours for Sunday Nov. 6.  11 AM to 3 PM.      

        Persimmon season is starting.  The crop is light this year, so we expect the season will  be short.  The Maru and Nagamaru, brown fleshed persimmons are now in season.  If these were pollinated in the spring, seeds will form.  The seeds will influence the flesh to become brown and sweet.  We look at the shape and color of the mature fruit and make a GUESS as to its sweetness.  Many times only half the fruit is sweet.  Sometimes our guess is off target.  Hyakume are also beginning to mature.  They are similar to the other brown fleshed persimmons but the flesh is more a "sprinkled cinnamon" in color.  When we think they will be mostly puckery, we treat them with vodka to sweeten them.

       Fuyu persimmons are perhaps the most popular.  No guessing for this variety.  They are always sweet. They are also the last variety to mature.  The ones we are harvesting now are on the crisp yellow side.  In a week they will be getting deeper in color and sweeter but eventually go from crisp to a crunch. 

       We use Hachiya and Gyombo persimmons to make hoshigaki (Japanese dried persimmons). These persimmons are in short supply at our farm and other farms in the area this year.  Our hoshigaki production will be much smaller.  Thankfully we are able to buy some hachiya persimmons from other farmers.  Smaller and blemished fresh hachiya are available in the farm stand. A few are starting to get soft.

        In the past we took orders for hoshigaki.  With the shortage this year we can't possibly fill all requests.  We are asking people to call a day or two before coming to pick up hoshigaki.  We can then let you know if any is available for us to save for you.  Things may change so keep checking this page on our website.  If we have enough for mail order we will link this page to an order form.  There is no order form at this time.  Also due to the shortage of hachiya persimmons, the need to purchase persimmons to dry, and continuing farm expenses that we would like to cover, the price will definitely be much higher than in past years. It looks like we will need to limit the quantity of hoshigaki people can buy so that more people will get some. As farmers often do, we are hoping for a better crop next  year.

      Winter Squash of many descriptions is now available.  We have Butternut, Kabocha, and Black Futsu.  WoodRose Gardens is bringing us Spaghetti squash and occasionally a large green squash.  The gardens are putting out a last hurrah. We have chilies, tomatillos, long beans and okra.  WoodRose garden has tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, beans peppers, eggplant, chilies and herbs.  Kijani Farm brings us Kale and Chard.

 

REMINDER: SHORT HOURS FOR SUNDAY NOV. 6  11 AM TO 3 PM

 

REGULAR  SEASON HOURS:

TUESDAY THRU SATURDAY  10:00  TO  6:00

                            SUNDAY      11:00 TO 5:00

CLOSED ON MONDAYS

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

Apples:

           Granny Smith:  🍏Sweet tart, green skinned apple. Retains shape when cooked or baked. Can also be enjoyed fresh.

Asian Pears: 

           Okusankichi:  Generally large crisp and juicy.  Refreshingly sweet. A good keeper for winter enjoyment.

Jujube:  About the size of a date, this Asian fruit starts off greenish yellow, smooth and crisp with the consistency of apple.  It is low acid and contains a date-like seed. As it matures it becomes sweeter and brown then wrinkled and soft.  It is enjoyed at all stages.  When dried it is often used in clear soup.

Brown Fleshed Persimmons:   Maru, Nagamaru (Chocolate), Hyakume

Hachiya: Must be soft to be sweet. Eaten out of hand or used in baking. Mild distinct persimmon flavor.

Gyombo:  Must be soft to be sweet.  Similar to Hachiya with a different flavor, sweeter and more liquid.

Fuyu:  Crisp and sweet. Eaten fresh like an apple or sliced into salads.

Frozen persimmon pulp.

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

⚘ Calendula  Salve and Lip Balm 

Long beans:  long green beans, use like regular green beans. These are tender and cook quickly. (limited supply)

Winter squash:

         Kabocha:  Green shell with thick, sweet, nutty, dry flesh. Traditional Japanese pumpkin. Often steamed with soy sauce, broth and mirin.

         Black Futsu:  The black bumpy shell turns orange when mature.  Sweet flesh with fruity background.  Can be roasted, steamed, baked, fried and even made into pie.

         Butternut:  Pinkish beige shell yields a neck of solid flesh and a small seed cavity. Smooth, sweet flesh can be baked, steamed, or roasted.  Can be added to soup, stir fry, stews.

Hot peppers🌶:

         Buena Mulata hot peppers.

         Jalapenos

         Aji Amarillos:  Peruvian chili peppers

         Shishito:  Japanese chili peppers that may or may not be hot.

         Fish

Tomatillos:  green tomato like vegetable often used in green salsa.

Okra:  Little green slimy vegetable. Great when fried with cornmeal.

 

Here is what we have from other producers:

Sunnyslope Farm in Granite Bay,Conventionally Grown: Granny Smith apples. 🍏 Sweet tart eaten out of hand or for baking and cooking.  Known for keeping their shape when cooked and maintaining a white color when sliced.

WoodRose Country Gardens in Granite Bay: (organic practices)  Sun-dried San Marzano tomatoes, Sweet cherry peppers, 🌶Jalapenos, Serrano, and Poblano chilies. Greek oregano 🌿🌿, rosemary, thyme, and basil.  Winter squash:  Spaghetti squash, and Delicata squash.
Short supply of:  summer squash, cucumbers, Armenian cucumbers, eggplant, bell peppers,  🍅 slicing tomatoes, cherry tomatoes.

Kijani Farm in Granite Bay:(organic practices)  Fresh Swiss chard, 🥬 kale, and cherry tomatoes on the vine.

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 (limited supply).

Mihara Farm in Lincoln, conventionally grown:  Kiwi: 🥝 Green fleshed and sweet.

Lupi Farm in Granite Bay (no spray):  Quince:  Yellow ancient fruit in the pear/apple family.  Seldom eaten raw.  It is hard and needs to be cooked and sweetener added.  It is very fragrant and high in pectin.  Used to make jelly, quince paste, quince candy (Dulce  de Membrillo).  It can be added to apple sauce or cranberry sauce for flavor.  Great with pork dishes or pork stew.

TIME TO ORDER HOSHIGAKI

 

The Hachiya persimmons are beginning to show their beautiful orange complexion. And so the Hoshigaki (Japanese hand dried persimmon) process has begun.   We are peeling hundreds of them a day and carefully hanging them by their stems in the sun.   The first few have been massaged and are ripening and shriveling.  Soon they will develop sugar on the surface.

Hoshigaki from the previous season are available at the farm stand while the supply lasts. Early season hoshigaki may be available in November.  The best hoshigaki may not be available until late November and December. If you want to pick up premium hoshigaki from the current season, it is best to get on the waiting list.  These hoshigaki will probably be available is December.  You can call (916) 791-1656 or email us at:  otoworchard@yahoo.com. For mail orders, please go to our website and use our order form.

Along with many of our customers we are awaiting Fuyu (apple type)persimmons. The color and maturity is not quite there yet.  We are hoping to have Fuyu persimmons from the last 2 weeks of October through November.  Meanwhile, we are selling soft ripe hachiya persimmons for eating out of hand or for baking.  Brown fleshed persimmons are also starting their harvest. We have Maru, Nagamaru (also called Tsurunoko and Chocolate), and Hyakume.

It is Apple and Asian pear season.  We have Fuji aples from our orchard and Mutsu (similar to Golden Delicious) apples from Sunnyslope Farm.  We have 3 varieties of brown Asian pears: Shinko, Okusankichi and Olympic.

This time of year we are also harvesting jujube, red and white pomegranates, and quince.  We are getting winter squash from the garden:  Delicata, Kabocha, Black Futsu, and Red Kuri.  WoodRose Country Garden is bringing us eggplant, peppers and basil.

Although the song makes us think of chestnuts as a holiday treat, Placer County chestnuts are falling off the trees.  We just received a delivery of big beautiful chestnuts from Mihara Farm in Newcastle.  My advice is to pierce each one, soak overnight in cold water, then boil the next morning for  20 minutes.  Peel as soon as cool enough to handle.

 

HOURS:

Tues through Sat   10 am to 6 pm

Sun.                       11 am to 5 pm

Closed on Mondays

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

Grapes:

        Kyoho: Purple, seeded grapes with concord-like flavor

Hoshigaki:  whole

Jujube:  Li, GA 688

Asian Pears:  Shinko, Okusankichi, Olympic

Apples:  Fuji

Pomegranates: White and Red

Brown fleshed Persimmons: Maru, Nagamaru, Hyakume

Hachiya persimmons: Must be soft to be sweet

Quince
Honey and bee pollen from bees at Otow Orchard
Calendula Salve and Lip Balm
Cucumbers:  Asian (limited supply)
Okra

Chili peppers

Winter squash:  Delicata, Kabocha, Black Futsu, Red Kuri

Persimmon Pulp


Here is what we have from other producers: 

Sunnyslope Farm: Ganny Smith, Mutsu apples, conventionally grown. Fresh eating or cooking with sweet/tart flavor. Similar to Gloden Delicious.

Mihara Farm: Chestnuts, conventionally grown

Wood Rose Country Garden: American eggplant, basil, bell peppers
Top O' the Hill Apiary:  Honey, and comb honey
Eggs from Two Feather Farm in Granite Bay
Jams from the Good Stuff. We currently have Plum (Santa Rosa), Peach Cardamon, Chili Apricot, Pepper Pomegranate, Fig Orange Brandy, Chili Blackberry, and Quince Marmalade

 

PERSIMMON TIME

         We are now harvesting Fuyu and other persimmons.  Fuyu are the dependably sweet and crisp persimmon that so many people are learning to love. The color is getting deeper, and the fruit is getting sweeter and the fruit is firm and crisp.  Not only are we harvesting hachiya persimmons but they are ripening right along.  These hachiya persimmons are puckery when firm but become tender sweet globes of pudding texture.  Just right for spooning right out of their skins. Many  people use this variety for cookies, breads and puddings,
       We currently have 3 pollination dependent varieties of persimmons.  The presence of seeds make these persimmons brown fleshed (chocolate color) and sweet.  The problem  is that we are never 100% sure if the fruit has seeds.  We try to make an educated guess. Sometimes there are less than 8 seeds and the fruit will be partially sweet and the non-brown flesh will remain puckery.  Maru, Nagamaru, and Hyakume varieties are available in the farm stand.  When uncertain, we treat the hyakume with vodka to make it 100% sweet.  Unfortunately we are not 100% good at this and sometimes the persimmon gets ripe too fast or the weather changes and we left them in the vodka for the wrong length of time.  There are just too many factors for this non-scientific farmer to manage.
      Hoshigaki, dried persimmons, are making progress.  The days seem to be too warm so we try to shade the persimmons and keep them out of the sun. We are having difficulty making the first ones tender as well as sugared.  As the  weather cools the process will slow down and the end result will be more to our liking. We are starting to put in many hours day and  night squeezing, trimming, tossing and tending hoshigaki.  Many visitors have been to the farm to see us at work and see the wall of persimmons on the side of our warehouse. Hoshigaki is now available in the farm stand.

      Purchasing hoshigaki is not always straight forward.  We  hope to start selling the early ones by the beginning of November.   The premium grade usually shows up after Thanksgiving.  We are now accepting mail orders for people who cannot come to the farm to pick up their order.  Although we do not start shipping till December, you must send in your order soon since we fill requests in the order received.  For instructions on how to get on the list for mail order please go to our mail order form page.    If you are purchasing a small amount of  hoshigaki at the farm, we hope to have a supply on hand.  If you are looking for premium grade or more than one pound, we ask you to come by the stand or  call: (916) 791-1656 or email: (otoworchard@yahoo.com) for a pre-order.

     We are selling apples and Asian pears. We have Shinko and Olympic brown Asian pears. They are sweet,crisp and juicy.  The difference is in the slight flavor difference and the texture.  In the apple department there are Fuji, Reinette Simerenko and Black Arkansas.  Sunnyslope Farm is bringing us Fuji and Mutsu apples.
       We continue to have a good supply of winter squash.  There is Kabocha, the sweet Japanese pumpkin with thick orange flesh. Also we have Butternut squash, a tradition at our table for holiday dinners.

Official Statement: We have NO pick-your-own activities.

  HOURS

Tuesday to Saturday: 10 am to 6 pm 

Sun: 11 am to 5 pm

 Closed on Mondays

Here's what we have in the farm stand from Otow Orchard:
Apples:   Reinette Simerenko, Fuji
European Pears:   Comice
Brown Asian Pears: Shinko, and Olympic
Quince
Pomegranates:  White and Ambrosia (sweet and pink seeded) 
Red Pomegranates:  Wonderful
Persimmons:
       Brown Fleshed Persimmons:  Maru, Chocolate, Tsurunoko, Hyakume
       Apple Type Persimmons:  Fuyu
       American Persimmon:  Gyombo, Hachiya (must be soft to be sweet)
       Hoshigaki: dried persimmons
Tomatillos
Winter Squash:  Kabocha,  Butternut
Chili peppers
Rosemary
Olives (raw)
Calendula salve and lip balm
Honey from our orchard

This is what we have from other producers: 
Sunnyslope Farm:   Fuji apples, Mutsu (Crispin) apples
Jams from The Good Stuff
Bee pollen from Top O' The Hill Apiary
Honey from Top O' The Hill Apiary
Comb Honey from Top O' The Hill Apiary
Eggs from Two Feather Farm