NOT WINTER BUT SUMMER

 It's not winter, so hoshigaki season is on the back burner. It is still available at the farm stand but not through mail order.  And now we switch our attention to things of summer like stone fruit and veggies.

The peach season has started but it seems that they sell almost as soon as they are brought into the farm stand.  Don't worry, much more is on the way.  A few lucky customers were able to snag some of the Springrose or Springcrest peaches.  There will soon be Maycrest and Junecrest.  Then we will start harvesting Flavorcrest and Regina peaches.  

Apricots are happy this year.  I'm not sure why but something in the weather we were handed was agreeable to them.  Robada and Royal Rosa apricots sold out quickly.  Now we are bring in Blenheim (Royal) and Patterson.  Both are excellent varieties.

It is an unusual year. Not only do we have a good harvest of apricots but there are also respectable nectarines on the trees.  Meaning they are not quite as scarred up and cracked as we normally have.  There will be a limited amount of white Jade nectarines in the near future.

Loquats are now producing small, sweet and juicy fruit.  Between the large brown seed and the firm yellow skin is sweet juicy flesh.

SANTA ROSA plums are starting ripen.  These are the most popular and sought after variety of plums. They  have a distinctive flavor and enticing fragrance. They are both sweet and  sour at the beginning of the season.  Later ones are all sweet and juicy.  

We are now offering flowers.  The fresh flower bouquets are coming from La Bella Vito Farm in Loomis. The bouquets are garden fresh and contain colorful in-season blooms.  Come check them out.

Slowly the gardens are starting to produce.  Green and yellow summer squash have both made their debut.  A few Sungold cherry tomatoes are getting ready.  Sorry, but big tomatoes and cucumber are weeks away.

 Last fall we dried and massaged persimmons to make hoshigaki.  The ones that did not sell were stored in the freezer.  We will be slowly selling these at the farm stand.  Most of the hoshigaki that we will be selling are firmer or not as sugared as we like.  Nonetheless they retain the favor of hoshigaki.  We cut firmer hoshigaki  into strips and are sold in snack bags.  All this this say hoshigaki is not available through mail order at this time.  Most likely mail order will be available late November and December.  People are encouraged to look for the 2025 Mail order form in October and send their order in early.

 

 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.

Apricots:

 Patterson:  This apricot has good flavor and can be used for canning, baking drying and fresh eating.  When ripened it is both flavorful and sweet with tangy background. 

Blenheim (Royal): Old and very popular variety. Although small, this variety is aromatic and full of flavor.  Don't be fooled by the greenish shoulders the Blenheim is juicy and sweet with tangy background. Customers keep coming back for them. Blenheims are used for canning baking, drying and fresh eating.

Loquat:  A subtropical fruit popularized in Asia.  Loquat are small round or pear-shaped fruit that grow in clusters.  They are covered with a downy orange skin. The flesh is also orange containing 2 to 4 oval brown seeds.  The taste is tangy, sweet and juicy. We often refer to these as memory fruit.  Children walking to school would sampling them from landscape trees along their route to school.

 

PEACHES

 Maycrest:  Yellow freestone peach.

Junecrest: Yellow freestone peach.

Flavorcrest: Yellow freestone peach.

Regina: Yellow freestone peach.

PLUMS

Santa Rosa:  Old sought after variety for their rich aromatic flavor.  Early season Santa Rosa have yellow flesh that is sweet tart. Late season Santa Rosa have red flesh and are all sweet.  Soon their fragrance will fill our farm stand. They are great for fresh eating and have been known to win jam contest for their flavor and sweet tart contrast.

  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.  Hoshigaki are now available in the farm stand.  Contact us for large on-farm pick-up orders. (916) 791-1656 or email at otowochard@yahoo.com. 

 Hoshigaki strips:  These are pieces of hoshigaki sliced for easy snacking.

 Hachiya Pulp:  Frozen Hachiya persimmon pulp is available. Often used to make cookies, puddings and breads.  Many customers put it on yogurt and oatmeal  or add it to their smoothie.

Eureka Lemons:  These are very tart lemons. Great for contrast in sweet and sour recipes like:  lemonade, lemon meringue pie, sweet and sour pork, and lemon bars.

Yellow grapefruit:  Sweet tart grapefruit with yellow flesh.  This variety has great flavor.

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.

Peach trees:  We have a few peach trees for planting.  Regina peaches are  a yellow freestone peach that is harvested around the end of June. 

Pakistani Mulberries:  Long dark mulberries. Very sweet. Available only to those on the request list. Call to get on the list.

Summer Squash:

Green and Yellow Zucchini.

Yellow crookneck  

Here is what we have from other producers:

Stoney Point Orchard,  Loomis, CA organic certified:

    Rio Red Grapefruit:   Juicy and sweet with a bit of tartness. Flesh is pink.

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. 

 

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

 

 

 

 

SUMMERTIME ON ITS WAY

     How quickly summer is approaching.  Not only is the weather telling me this but the fruit on the trees are showing signs.   In the blink of an eye the first variety of early peaches are gone. Not many trees and only a few lucky people got them.   Our ume crop was very damaged but a few customers are trying their best to process them.   If successful,  I'm sure it will taste fabulous.   

 

    We are about ready to begin the Spring Crest peach harvest.   These are yellow flesh, freestone peaches. It doesn't happen every year but we are surprised to have apricots this year.   The first variety is Royal  Rosa.  It will be followed by Robada and then Blenheim or Royal.

 

    The farm stand hours will revert to our regular hours on Tuesday June 3.  Starting June 3 our hours will be:  

    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.

Apricots:

     Royal Rosa:  Our first apricot of the season.  It is sweet with mild, low acid flavor. 

     Robada:    Our second apricot of the season.  This one is very attractive with its size and beautiful reddish blush.  Robada has orange flesh, good flavor and fragrance.

Loquat:  A subtropical fruit popularized in Asia.  Loquat are small round or pear-shaped fruit that grow in clusters.  They are covered with a downy orange skin. The flesh is also orange containing 2 to 4 oval brown seeds.  The taste is tangy, sweet and juicy. We often refer to these as memory fruit.  Children walking to school would sampling them from landscape trees along their route to school.

 

Peaches

Springcrest: Our first of the season yellow freestone peach.  Beautiful red and yellow fuzzy skin over juicy orange mild flesh. We call it an early season peach.

  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.  Hoshigaki are now 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 please use our 2024  mail order form.

 Hoshigaki strips:  These are pieces of hoshigaki sliced for easy snacking.

 Hachiya Pulp:  Frozen Hachiya persimmon pulp is available. Often used to make cookies, puddings and breads.  Many customers put it on yogurt and oatmeal  or add it to their smoothie.

Eureka Lemons:  These are very tart lemons. Great for contrast in sweet and sour recipes like:  lemonade, lemon meringue pie, sweet and sour pork, and lemon bars.

Yellow grapefruit:  Sweet tart grapefruit with yellow flesh.  This variety has great flavor.

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.

Peach trees:  We have a few peach trees for planting.  Regina peaches are  a yellow freestone peach that is harvested around the end of June. 

Pakistani Mulberries:  Long dark mulberries. Very sweet. Available only to those on the request list. Call to get on the list.

Here is what we have from other producers:

Stoney Point Orchard,  Loomis, CA organic certified:

    Rio Red Grapefruit:   Juicy and sweet with a bit of tartness. Flesh is pink.

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

 

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

 

 

REGULAR HOURS

Beginning Friday May 31, 2024 we  will go back to our regular hours:

 Tuesdays through Saturday:   10:00 am to 6:00 pm

                            Sundays :  11:00 am to 5:00 pm

                            Closed on Mondays 

 

We are starting off the summer season with apricots, plums and peaches.  Spring Rose is an early season white peach. For unknown reasons three varieties of apricots are ripening at the same time.  We have Robada, Royal Rosa, and Royal Blenheim.  Loquats are also in season.

We are continuing to thin our fruit trees.  Many have a heavy crop that needs to be thinned out and blemishes removed.  If we don't do this we will have tasty but small fruit. 

The gardens are starting to fill in. I am battling bind weed and an unknown insect that likes to eat tender baby cucumber and bean plants.  Weeding is a daily chore.  We have covered several rows of vegetables with Agribon to protect them.  Summer squash has not had these problems and are now producing. 

 This year, the ume season was fast and furious. Suddenly it was ready to pick. Not just one variety, but all of them.  A few people were able to get enough to make their annual supply of umeboshi, umeshu, ume syrup, and ume vinegar. I will start taking orders for next years crop in April 2025.

 We continue to have a supply of hoshigaki (Japanese dried persimmons) in the freezer.  These are sweet and tender with traditional persimmon flavor.  They are coated  with hoshigaki sugar.  A sweet treat.  They are available at the farm stand and through mail order.  For mail order, please use our 2023 mail order form.

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

Peaches:  Spring Rose: Early season white peach. Not as flavorful as later varieties. Still delicate, sweet and juicy.

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 available in the farm stand. You may drop in for on farm pick up.  Contact us for large on-farm pick-up orders. (916) 791-1656 or email at otowochard@yahoo.com.  For mail orders please use our mail order form  for the 2023 season.

Valencia Oranges:  These oranges have thin skin and high juice content. Used for  juicing or fresh eating.  Slice them in half and cut them into smiles.😋

Persimmon:  Frozen Hachiya persimmon pulp.

Plums:  Red Beaut plums:  These early season yellow fleshed plums are sweet and juicy.

Apricots:   Royal Rosa:  early apricot.  Sweet, mild apricot with good flavor. 

    Royal Blenheim:  Well known variety with balance of sweetness and tartness and great flavor. Best if enjoyed with a green blush. 

    Robada:  Large orange apricot with red blush. Apricot fragrance and flavor.

Loquat:  Small but sweet and juicy with a citrus background. (Limited Supply)

Summer Squash:  Green and yellow zucchini. Very fresh and easy to cook.

Local 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.

Here is what we have from other producers:

Stoney Point Orchard in Loomis, Certified Organic:

Ruby Red Grapefruit:  Sweet-tart and juicy with pink flesh. Great flavor.

Valencia Oranges:  very juicy and sweet. Great for juicing or slicing.

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

 

FALL HARVEST

How quickly November is progressing.  Soon it will be Thanksgiving.  Time to gather with family and friends.

Tosh and I are now putting in our long days and nights making hoshigaki and organizing mail order requests.  The farm stand is closed on Mondays but I still find myself there tending the dried persimmons.   You may contact us for on-farm pick-up orders by calling (916) 791-1656 or email at otoworchard@yahoo.com.  For mail orders please use our mail order form.  Mail order shipments usually begin in December. 

The trees have noticed the change in night time temperatures.  Many of the persimmon trees are displaying vibrant orange, yellow, purple and red leaves. Nice time for a walk in the orchard.

 

 

 

Please note:  We will be closed on Thanksgiving Day.  Regular hours will resume  on Friday Nov. 24, 2023.

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:  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 began peeling persimmons in October.  The early hoshigaki is available. 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.

        Granny Smith:  A green sweet tart apple.  Popular pie apple.  Special characteristic is that it stays white after being cut, it does not turn brown after being cut.

        Arkansas Black:  Amazingly deep red black apple. I call it the "Sleeping Beauty " apple.  Sweet and very firm.

European Pears:

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

    Okusankichi:  Large winter Asian pear.  It is a good keeper.  It is sweet with a hint of tartness.  Juicy and crisp. 

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.

    Gyombo:  Tall Acorn-shaped persimmon with grooves down the four sides of the fruit.  Like the Hachiya persimmon, it is astringent until soft and jelly-like.  It becomes very soft, juicy, and sweet.

    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. Currently being sold by the bag and the box.

    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.

    Hyakume:  This is another brown fleshed persimmon. Often referred to as cinnamon.  When pollinated, Hyakume will be naturally sweet.  When partially pollinated or when it has no pollination, Hyakume will be astringent.  We use the one we think are mostly astringent to make Vodka persimmons. Persimmons treated with vodka are always sweet. Their flesh may be brown or yellow.

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.  Currently out of stock.

 
Cherry Tomatoes:  We are still getting a few Sun Gold cherry tomatoes.  It won't be for long.   The days are getting too short and cold. 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.

Sweet Peppers: Green, yellow and purple varieties.

Winter Squash:

    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 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 cooked and cored. It is famously used to make Quince sauce or Doulce de Membrillo, and Quince candy.  For Thanksgiving it is a tradition in our family to add quince to the cranberry sauce. Wow.

Pomegranates:  Sweet White Pomegranates and tart red Wonderful Pomegranates.

English Walnuts:  In the shell.  You have to crack them.

Here is what we have from other producers:

WoodRose Country Garden  in Granite Bay, organic practices:

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

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

    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, 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.

Lupi Farm  in Granite Bay, no spray:  Quince.

WAITING FOR PEACHES

 Still waiting for peaches.  There are green peaches on the trees.  Just waiting for the right time to ripen.  We love the cooler weather we have been getting but it has not signaled the summer fruits to ripen.  Maturity is delayed about 2 weeks.  Production is about 10% of normal due to the wet blossom season we had.  Unfortunately we had to limit customers to 2 or 3 early peaches  😢.   In the next week we will be starting Flavorcrest, Regina and Red Haven varieties.  Again, not a big crop but hopefully enough to increase the limit.

Santa Rosa plums have started to show good color.  Their fragrance is beginning to fill the farm stand.  This is one of the all time favorite plums.  It is full of flavor and fragrance.  It  has just the right balance of sweet and tart to excite the palate.

The loquat harvest is in full swing.  Loquat are small yellow tropical fruit with a downy skin.  The flesh between the skin and large seed is sweet,  juicy and fleshy.  

A little surprise.  The worker brought in Brown Turkey figs!  I'm glad he found them before the birds did.  It's time for the fig breba crop, so these are large.  I'm hoping the Black Mission and Penache will soon follow.

There are still boxes of conventionally grown ume in storage.   I am trying my hand at ume syrup this year.  My brother is getting more confident pickling umeboshi.  This year he is making his first attempt at making umeshu.

Vegetables are happy. We are currently harvesting armloads of zucchini and yellow squash. They are so fresh, tender and easy to cook.  Japanese cucumbers are also coming into the farm stand.  As good as ever with their thin skin, crispness, sweet taste and seedless flesh.   Time to dig out the Soy sauce sesame dressing recipe.  Every other day I look forward to picking a few deep orange sungold cherry tomatoes.  Each time I get a little more than the last picking.  Standard tomatoes are on the vines but still green.  Their time will come. 

Helping us out are WoodRose Country Garden and Kijani Farm.  

WoodRose brings us lettuce, beans, peppers,  carrots,onions, snow peas, summer squash, cherry tomatoes, basil, and herbs.  Standard tomatoes are starting to color.  We have been enjoying cherries from WoodRose and also small ornamental plums. 

Kijani Farm is bringing us 2 varieties of kale and red chard.

Sadly we announce the last delivery of honey from Top O' The Hill Apiary.  Health issues are causing George to shut down his bee operation.  He has cared for bees for many years and is a wealth of knowledge on beekeeping and bee products. He  is a living treasure.

Many of you pursued us during the spring road construction project.  Thank you for your fortitude.  It has been quiet on Eureka for a week.  I think the construction is finished for now. 

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. 

Loquat:  Small orange tropical fruit. sweet and fleshy. Contains a large seed.

Lemons and Santa Rosa plums

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. 

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

Yellow Grapefruit:   Flavorful and juicy.  Sweet tart with a wonderfully bitter background.

 

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

Figs:  Brown Turkey, Black Mission.  Limited supply        

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

⚘ Calendula  Salve and Lip Balm 

 

Look what's blooming. Chestnuts.

Dehydrated grapefruit and lemons

Summer Squash: zucchini and yellow squash

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

Here is what we have from other producers:

WoodRose Country Garden  in Granite Bay, organic practices:  lettuce, spinach, summer squash, onions, basil, Italian parsley, rosemary, oregano, thyme, fresh garlic, bell peppers, beans. carrots, snow peas, and cherry tomatoes.

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

Sunnyslope Farm Eventually they will bring us some peaches.  

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

STARTING OUT SLOWLY

        Starting in June we will return to our regular hours. Please keep checking our hours as they may fluctuate depending on the availability of personnel.  By the way, we are still looking for someone to work in and around the farm stand.  If interested in this position, please contact us.

        The Ume, Japanese sour plum, harvest is starting to wind down.  Please let us know if you need any this year. The ume look cleaner and larger this year but the crop is not so big.  We also have smaller speckled ume from a no spray farm in Loomis and small conventional ume from a Granite Bay farm.

        It is just a tease. We have a few peaches.  They may be gone before you know it.  Spring Rose, an early white peach, had a very short harvest.  Sold out quickly.  We are harvesting Springcrest and Maycrest now  Both are yellow fleshed early peaches. We should have a limited supply for about a week.  I am hoping we have a small but decent crop of Junecrest. Then we will have to wait till the Flavorcrest, Regina and Red Haven start to mature about mid June.

        We are waiting patiently for  Loquat to ripen adequately.  Loquat are a subtopical fruit that ripens in late spring.  It is only about an inch in diameter  and orange in color.  Between the downy skin and the large seeds is juicy sweet sour flesh.  So refreshing after a winter absent of fleshy fruit.  Their season is starting and so far we have only picked a few.

        On the horizon are apricots, figs and summer squash.

        WoodRose Country Garden in Granite Bay is supplying us with vegetables. Lately it has been lettuce, spinach, beans, peas, onions, potatoes, and herbs. There is a rumor that their tomatoes will be early.

        Our own gardens are off to a slow start. Please be patient. They are just getting their roots established.  This summer we should be feeding you squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplant, okra and peppers.

REGULAR  SEASON HOURS:

TUESDAY THRU SATURDAY  10:00  TO6:00

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

Valencia oranges (limited supply) for juicing or just eating.

Yellow grapefruit :  sweet tart and very flavorful

Eureka lemons 🍋 these are sour

Peaches:  Junecrest, Springcrest and Maycrest:  yellow freestone

Loquat:  one inch orange, subtropical fruit. Sweet sour flesh between downy skin and large seed. (limited supply)

Red Beaut plums: yellow fleshed early plum. (limited supply)

Robada apricots: Large firm apricot with a red blush and aromatic (limited supply)

Hachiya:  frozen pulp 

Ume:  Japanese sour plums. These need to be processed with sugar, salt, honey or alcohol.       

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

⚘ Calendula Salve and Lip Balm 

 

Here is what we have from other producers:

Stoney Point Orchard in Loomis (organic certified): Pink grapefruit.

WoodRose Country Gardens in Granite Bay: (organic practices) Red, white and purple potatoes, beans, snow peas, 🥬lettuce, arugula, spinach, white bulb onions 🧅, green onions, Greek oregano, rosemary, thyme. 

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.

UME SEASON

         Mid April freeze defined the outcome for many crops this year.  We see damage in some of the apples, grapes, plums and  persimmons.  There are no mulberries and no early apricots. With cool early morning temperatures we are just now getting our summer vegetable crops in the ground.  It's a slow start but maybe the production will last longer  into the fall.

         However little, recent rains 🌧 have been welcome.  The moisture has allowed us to reduce hours of irrigation and the cooler  temperature has reduced moisture loss due to evaporation.   Some areas received hail damage.  We managed to dodge a severe hail storm so far.

        The workers are now thinning Asian pears.  They are also busy weed eating around the base of trees.  Weeds are happy with the rain we have been getting.  We would like to get out and mow the row middles but that will have to wait till the tractor gets repaired. If you come for a walk in the orchard you will notice that we  have a healthy crop of weeds. 🙁

        We are now watching the loquat slowly coloring.  They are a pale yellow, not quite ready for harvest.

         Ume (sour Japanese plum) is getting some size and a little less green.  The crop is lighter than last year.  Ume is used in Asian cultures to make pickles, jam, or flavorings for drinks. If you want ume, please let us know very soon so we can add you to our list.  Call us at (916) 300 0720 or send us an email at otoworchard@yahoo.com.  We may possibly get some ume from other producers.

        Vegetables have started to come in from WoodRose Country Gardens in Granite Bay.  This is a neighborhood farm that uses organic practices.   She is bringing us fresh potatoes, spinach, beans, peas, lettuce, arugula, and herbs.  Come check it out.

        Not too cold, not too hot, and just the right amount of sunlight.  This makes for happy hens that are glad to produce eggs.  If eggs have a season, it is now.  La Bella Vito Farm in Loomis has beautiful fresh brown eggs to show off.  Hope you will try a dozen.

        We are still looking for a part time worker.  If you know of a student, retired person, or someone who needs a little spending money we would love to interview him or her.  The job description is listed in the previous blog entry below. April 25. 2022.

SLOW SEASON HOURS:

TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY  11:30 TO 1:30

FRIDAY, SATURDAY                              10:00 TO 6:00

SUNDAY                           11:00 TO 5:00

CLOSED ON MONDAYS

Since we are often at the farm anyway, you may call us to arrange for other times. 

Farm Stand:      (916) 791-1656

Mobile phone:   (916) 300-0720

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

Valencia oranges (limited supply)

Yellow grapefruit

Eureka lemons 🍋

Hachiya:  frozen pulp 

Ume (pre orders only)        

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

⚘ Calendula Salve and Lip Balm 

 

Here is what we have from other producers:

Stoney Point Orchard in Loomis (organic certified): Pink grapefruit.

WoodRose Country Gardens in Granite Bay: (organic practices) Potatoes, beans, snow peas, 🥬lettuce, arugula, spinach, white bulb onions 🧅, green onions, cilantro, Greek oregano, rosemary, thyme.

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

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

GET READY FOR PEACHES

Our early peach varieties are finished.  There is a little break in our peach harvest.  By the end of June we will be harvesting middle season peaches: Flavorcrest, Red Haven, and Regina.  We hope to have white peaches after the fourth of July.

      Meanwhile Santa Rosa plums are starting to ripen.  With them come a delicious fragrance in our fruit stand on harvest days. Santa Rosas have tartness in their skin that is overwhelmed by its flavor, fragrance and sweetness. There is a reason this one of the most popular heirloom varieties.  These red plums start off with amber flesh, and as they mature the skin turns dark purple and the flesh becomes redder, all the while developing more juicy flavor and sweetness.

     Now and then we will have the breba crop of figs.  This is a small early crop of figs.  Both the black mission and brown turkey varieties are coming into the farm stand.  If you miss out on these early figs, they will be back at the end of July for their second crop of the summer.

      This is a good year for apricots on our orchard.  There is both Royal Blenheim and Patterson apricots. Both are good for eating, baking and making jam.

A future tractor driver.

       Hoshigaki, dried persimmons, are available in the farm stand.  On warm days you may need to ask for them.  We have to keep them in a cool place so they don't melt.  Hot weather makes shipping Hoshigaki through mail order a bit risky.  For mail order, it's best to call us for a discussion of the possibilities.

Peaches are great!

 

HOURS:

Tues. through Sat.      10:00  am to 6:00 pm           

 

          Sunday         11 am to 5 pm

Closed on Mondays

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

🍑 Peaches:  Flavorcrest, Red Haven, Regina. These are yellow freestone peaches.

Apricots:  Royal Blenheim apricots are an heirloom variety known for their great sweet tart flavor.  Patterson apricots have a delicate sweet flavor and hold their color and shape when cooking.  

Santa Rosa plums:  These plums are known for their amazing flavor and fragrance.  They are sweet tart and as the season goes on they become red fleshed, juicy and sweet

Hoshigaki:  Tender and moist dried persimmons with naturally formed dusting of fruit sugars on the surface.  These were hand massaged and  dried slowly for 4 to 8 weeks.

Loquat:  These small orange fruit are sweet with peach-like texture.

Eureka Lemons: deep yellow skin and tart juicy flesh.  🍋 Best  lemons to bring out the brightness desired in  lemonade and lemon meringue pie.

Valencia Oranges:  Juicing oranges, also good for just peeling and eating.

Vegetables:    Asian cucumbers, Summer squash.

Honey 🍯 from bees 🐝 at Otow Orchard.

Bee pollen from bees 🐝 at Otow Orchard

⚘ Calendula Salve and Lip Balm

Here is what we have from other producers:

WoodRose Country Garden in Granite Bay: 🥗 zucchini, crookneck squash, cabbage, Anaheim chiles, tomatoes 🍅, cucumbers, beans, eggplant, potatoes, white onions, basil, 🌿rosemary, Greek oregano, and thyme.  She will be adding more to her offerings this summer.

Sunnyslope Farm: Yellow freestone Flavorcrest peaches

Top O' the Hill Apiary in Granite Bay: Comb honey  can be used in tea, coffee, yogurt, oatmeal, ice cream, fruit salads and on toast or bagels.  Top of the Hill Apiary also has Bees wax 🐝, and Honey.

Nastase Honey Farm in Lincoln:  This Honey 🍯 is unfiltered and raw. 

Two Feather Farm in Granite Bay:  🐔🥚  Eggs.  Egg production is slowing down.  The hens think it is getting too warm.  🌞

Jams 🍑 from the Good Stuff. We currently have Peach Cardamon, Chili Apricot, Pepper Pomegranate, Fig Orange Brandy, and Chili Blackberry.