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

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

RETURN TO REGULAR HOURS

 It has not happened for a few years.  The timing was just right.  We actually have a few cherries to offer some lucky customers.  Although we are delighted to have cherries from our orchard we recognize this as a bright beginning of a new summer season that will be less productive than usual.  Seems that all that rain we are so thankful for, did not allow the peaches, plums, apricots, or nectarines get a chance to pollinate.  Their production will be very limited this year. 😢

The gardens are mostly planted.  Tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, beans, eggplant, peppers and okra are starting to grow.  I am battling bugs in my cucumber, long bean, and okra rows.  I've had to reseed and try to get past the tender stage.  Meanwhile the weeds don't seem to have any trouble with bugs.  Weeding keeps me busy in addition to trying to trap a hungry gopher.  The tomato vines are quickly filling their cages and I am starting to harvest squash.

WoodRose Country Garden made their first delivery this week.  They offer lettuce, spinach, spring onions, fresh garlic, and several herbs.

We are about finished harvesting ume, Japanese sour plums.  There is one old tree with small fruit left to pick.  We are also getting ume from the neighbor.   Red shiso, often used in ume processing, is available as plants at the farm stand. 

WEEKDAY ROAD CONSTRUCTION:  The water line is being replaced on Eureka Road in front of the orchard.  Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 3:30 pm, you may have to enter Eureka Road past the barricade at either Barton Road or Auburn Folsom Road depending on where the crew is working on that day.   Please drive carefully.

Please note that we have now returned to regular season 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 or order them using our mail order form.

Cherries: Very limited supply. 

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.

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

 Plants:  We have a few plants available.  Red tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, yellow tomatoes, paste tomatoes, shiso, flowering quince and California Fuchsia.

Here is what we have from other producers:

WoodRose Country Garden  in Granite Bay, organic practices:  lettuce, spinach, spring onions, basil, Italian parsley, cilantro, rosemary, oregano, thyme and fresh garlic.

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.

Stoney Point Orchard  in Loomis, certified organic: pink grapefruit.

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 beets, Red Russian Kale.

LIMITED PRODUCE OFERINGS

    Since there is not much variety to offer at this time, we are continuing slow season hours.

    Slowly, the plants in the hot house are leaving to get used to being outside day and night (hardening off).   We need to do this before planting them in the ground.  Most of the tomatoes are in the garden.  We have a few extra tomato plants that we are selling at the farm stand.  Peppers and eggplants may be available later.  With the warm weather we are now starting to direct seed cucumber, squash and beans in the ground.  While I patiently wait for the seeds to germinate, the weeds make sure I have enough to do.

     Apple and pears are about finished blooming.  Now citrus are blooming.  Visitors to the farm stand notice their fragrance fills the air.

    The grass in the orchard grew very quickly once we got a warm sunny week.  Tosh is busy going up and down the rows mowing the grass with the tractor.  This is a job he enjoys.

The Farm Stand is now on modified winter hours.  Short hours on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  Regular hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.    Please call to arrange for other options (916) 300-0720.  We hope to go back to our regular hours by the end of May.  At that time, there may be some loquat and ume.  The vegetable farmer may even surprise us.

HEADS UP:  There is a sign at Eureka and Barton Road.  "CLOSED FOR ROAD CONSTRUCTION. 2/13 TO 4/28".  I believe it is a water project.  At the present time you are allowed to get to our driveway from Barton Road onto Eureka.  Just tell the person directing traffic that you are going to the farm.

 

 SLOW SEASON HOURS

TUES, WED, TH:   11:30 TO 1:30

        FRI, SAT:        10:0 TO 6:00

               SUN:        11:00 TO 5:00

CLOSED ON MONDAYS

 

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

Hoshigaki:  These are whole dried persimmons.  They were hand massages while they dried over a period of four to 8 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.  You may purchase these at our farm stand or order them using our mail order form..

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.

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

⚘ Calendula  Salve and Lip Balm 

Dehydrated grapefruit and lemons

APPLES IN BLOOM

 

ORANGE TREE IN BLOOM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is what we have from other producers:

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.

Lupi Farm in Granite Bay (no spray): Meyer Lemons: These are fragrant and tasty lemons.  They are a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange.   They are favored because they are lower in acidity and  sweeter than the regular lemon.

Stoney Point Orchard  in Loomis, certified organic: pink graprfruit and navel oranges.

 

 Blossom season is about over and we are seeing little leaves starting to open up.  We had a lot of rain for an extended amount of time.  Fruit set may have been affected.  Leaf curl on peaches will definitely be bad as will fire blight on pears. Between rains we are now starting to graft trees.  With all the rain, hail, wind and cold mornings we are not likely to have many good looking ume.  All said, we are still thankful for the rain.  The trees are alive and they will not survive this summer without water. 

The hot house is full of young tomato plants. They are growing but they have missed the sun.  And when  we took them out to enjoy a day of sun they we too tender.  Looks like we burned a few.  I'm hoping they are resilient.

 Hoshigaki is still available at the farm stand and through mail order.  For mail orders  please click on  mail order form here.mail order form

  For months we had no eggs.  Now the chickens are producing.  Their production is ramping up. Our eggs are coming from a farm in Loomis, CA, 5 miles away.  They are fed no soy, no GMO and spend the day in a pasture eating bugs and grass.  If you are interested in farm eggs now is the time to get them since we have so few produce customers.  In the summertime the demand for them is often much higher than the supply.

The Farm Stand is now on modified winter hours.  Short hours on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  Regular hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.    Please call to arrange for other options (916) 300-0720.

HEADS UP:  There is a sign at Eureka and Barton Road.  "CLOSED FOR ROAD CONSTRUCTION. 2/13 TO 4/28".  I believe it is a water project.  At the present time you are allowed to get to our driveway from Barton Road onto Eureka.  Just tell the person directing traffic that you are going to the farm.

 

 SLOW SEASON HOURS

TUES, WED, TH:   11:30 TO 1:30

        FRI, SAT:        10:0 TO 6:00

               SUN:        11:00 TO 5:00

CLOSED ON MONDAYS

 

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

Hoshigaki:  These are whole dried persimmons.  They were hand massages while they dried over a period of four to 8 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.  You may purchase these at our farm stand or order them using our mail order form..

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.

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

⚘ Calendula  Salve and Lip Balm 

Walnuts:  English (limited supply)

Dehydrated mandarins, oranges and lemons

 

Here is what we have from other producers:

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.

Lupi Farm in Granite Bay (no spray): Meyer Lemons: These are fragrant and tasty lemons.  They are a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange.   They are favored because they are lower in acidity and  sweeter than the regular lemon.

Bees collecting nectar from Rosemary bush.

 

WINTER TO SPRING

At this time of year most of our trees are empty. No fruit and no leaves.  The trees are being pruned and we are busy cleaning up the orchard branches as well as cleaning up trees damaged in the recent storms.  Days are getting longer.  If you go for a walk in the orchard you will see Japanese apricots have finished their bloom and we see some very small fruit on the branches. Apricots are starting to bloom. Next will be the white pluot and plum blossoms.  In March we expect pink peach and nectarine blossoms.

We have started to plant vegetable seeds in trays in the hot house.  Little tomato and eggplants will soon be germinating.  These will go into our summer gardens. Outside we are cleaning up last year's gardens and adding mulch to our vegetable beds. We usually wait till March and April to actually put plants and seeds into the ground.  There is always the possibility of more freezing temperatures.

Hoshigaki is still available at the farm stand and through mail order.  For mail orders  please click on mail order form here. 

A bit of proud grandparent news.  February 13 we welcomed into the world a little boy named Zachary.   He doesn't know it yet but he may grow up to be a farmer.

The Farm Stand is now on modified winter hours.  Short hours on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  Regular hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.    Please call to arrange for other options (916) 300-0720.

HEADS UP:  There is a sign at Eureka and Barton Road.  "CLOSED FOR ROAD CONSTRUCTION. 2/13 TO 4/28".  I believe it is a water project.  At the present time you are allowed to get to our driveway from Auburn Folsom Road onto Eureka.  Just tell the person directing traffic that you are going to the farm.

 

 SLOW SEASON HOURS

TUES, WED, TH:   11:30 TO 1:30

        FRI, SAT:        10:0 TO 6:00

               SUN:        11:00 TO 5:00

CLOSED ON MONDAYS

 

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

Hoshigaki: 

These are whole dried persimmons.  They were hand massages while they dried over a period of four to 8 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.  You may purchase these at our farm stand or order them using our  mail order form .

Satsuma Mandarins:  Easy to peel, sweet and juicy.  Very few seeds this year. 

Kiwi:  Fuzzy brown fruit with green interior and strawberry like flavor.  At this time they are firm and tart.

Navel Oranges:  Popular sweet, juicy and flavorful oranges.

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

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

⚘ Calendula  Salve and Lip Balm 

Most bee boxes  are helping to pollinate almond orchards in the valley.

Walnuts:  English (limited supply)

Dehydrated mandarins.

 

 

Here is what we have from other producers:

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

La Bella Vito Farm in Loomis will bring us fresh🥚 eggs from pastured 🐔🐔chickens when the chickens start to produce again. (Please call ahead.)

Pleasant Hill Farm in Newcastle (no spray):  Cara Cara oranges and Navel oranges

Mihara Farm in Newcastle:  Satsuma mandarins are sweet and easy to peel.

Lupi Farm in Granite Bay (no spray): Meyer Lemons: These are fragrant and tasty lemons.  They are a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange.   They are favored because they are lower in acidity and  sweeter than the regular lemon.

Kijani Farm in Granite Bay  (organic practices):  Butternut squash.

Pruned pear tree.

Swollen buds ready to blossom.