Friday, July 12, 2024

SUMMER RECIPES

Time to share some of our favorite summertime recipes.

CRACKED JAPANESE CUCUMBER SALAD

Use about 1/2 pound thin-skinned Asian cucumbers. Partially peel if desired.  Cut off the tips. Make a little cut lengthwise in the end.  Twist to crack the cucumber into 1 to 2-inch bite size pieces.  Be careful not to crush the flesh. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp salt over the cucumber. Mix and place in refrigerator for half an hour while liquid comes out of the cucumber.  Remove cucumber from the refrigerator and gently drain off the liquid and lightly squeeze to extract more liquid.  Pour 1 Tbsp soy sauce over cucumber and mix to coat pieces.  Next pour 1/2 tsp sesame oil over cucumber and mix.  Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds.  Best if served cold.

Variation:  Use the dressing on steamed green beans.  The flavor gets better if marinated for four hours or overnight.

 

 

OVERNIGHT CUCUMBER PICKLES

Combine 3/4 cup sugar, 4 tsp salt, and 1 cup water in a microwavable  bowl or canning jar.  Heat in microwave and stir. Repeat till sugar is dissolved. When cool, add 1/3 cup vinegar. If desired, you may add garlic or chili pepper. Partially peel Japanese cucumbers lengthwise if desired. Slice into rounds 1/4 inch thick. Place pieces in the liquid till full. Enjoy the next day and for the next week. 

 

PEACH CRISP

Topping: Combine 3/4 cup packed brown sugar,  1/2 cup flour,   1/2 cup quick oats,  1/3 cup softened butter or margarine,         1 tsp cinnamon,   1/2 cup chopped nuts.  Mix well.

Filling:                5 cups sliced peaches                         1 tsp lemon juice                        .                          1//4 cup sugar                                     3 Tblsp flour                                                          dash of salt                                                                                       Peel peaches if desired.   Combine  peaches with lemon juice, sugar, flour and dash of salt.  Mix gently.  Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease 8x8x2 inch pan.  Arrange peaches in the pan.  Sprinkle topping over peaches.  Bake about 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and liquid is bubbling. Serve warm with ice cream if desired.

Orchard peaches often have more juice than store peaches. May need to increase thickener.  May use other fresh fruit such as apples or apricots.

 



PEACH COBBLER

Crust

1 egg             1/3 cup milk                 3Tbsp melted butter or   margarine  

1 /4 cup sugar               2 tsp baking powder           1 cup flour     1/4 tsp salt  

Beat egg lightly.   Add sugar, margarine or butter, and milk.  Sift together:  flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add to egg mixture.  Beat thoroughly. Set aside.

Filling

8 peaches peeled and sliced         5 Tbsp. flour         

 1//3 cup sugar            1/4 tsp cinnamon  

 Grease 8 x 8-inch baking pan. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.    Combine peaches, cinnamon, sugar, and flour.  Add peach mixture.  Sprinkle with more flour if there is a lot of juice.  Cover with batter and bake for 30 to 40 min or until lightly browned.  Serve warm with whip cream or ice cream if desired.

May use other fresh fruit such as blackberries or apricots

 



BLACK AMBER or FRIAR PLUM PIE

4 1/2 cups Black Amber Plums. (About 3.5 pounds) unpeeled and sliced

1 cup sugar             1/4 cup Tapioca

1/4 tsp Almond extract

Pie crust

Mix all ingredients and let stand 15 minutes.  Line pie plate with bottom crust.  Pour plum mixture into prepared pie crust. Top with 1 tbsp diced butter.  Put on the top crust, seal and pierce holes in the crust.  Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.  Bake at 400 degrees till bubbly, about 45 to 50 minutes.

 





Friday, July 5, 2024

PEACHES AT LAST


     The long awaited summer peach has arrived.   It seems a bit late but with the hot weather the peaches are now ripening quickly.We are currently harvesting Flavorcrest, Regina, Red Haven, and June Pride. These are all yellow freestone peaches.  One white peach was in the harvest box.  White peaches will be starting soon.

    We are now finishing the Santa Rosa harvest.  There are many stacks of these prized plums in our cool room.  You can enjoy them for another 3 weeks.  Hope you will try some of the other plum varieties we have.  Currently there are two red fleshed plums: Burgundy and Satsuma.  Soon there will be Black Amber plums.  These are fragrant with distinct flavor.  Often Black Amber is used to make pie.

    The blackberry season has started.  These wild berries are sweet with  true blackberry flavor.  As a little  girl, my mother often took my sister and me to the berry bushes to pick.  We had to wear long sleeve shirts and barn boots that came up to our knees.  Then we were ready to attacked those prickly bushes but usually they attacked us with their multiple thorns.  It was always a challenge to get those yummy black juicy berries.  So tasty and sweet.

    The vegetable garden is producing Japanese cucumbers and yellow and green zucchini.  Soon we will also have beans, eggplant, peppers, okra, cherry tomatoes and tomatoes.  To add to our vegetable offerings we are getting onions and garlic from WoodRose Garden and cherry tomatoes from Kajani Farm. 

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.  Mail order may restart when the weather cools.



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


Plums:  

     Santa Rosa: Sweet, and juicy. One of the all time  most   popular  varieties.  They are very flavorful and fragrant.   Don't miss out.

    Satsuma:  Small soft plums with red flesh.  When ripe it glistens like jelly inside.

    Burgundy:  Small soft or firm sweet plums with red flesh.

 Peaches:

    Flavorcrest:  Small yellow flesh peaches. Sweet tart and juicy when ripe.  Freestone.

    Regina:  Small yellow freestone peach.  Very sweet and juicy when mature. 

    Red Haven:  Yellow freestone peach, sweet juicy with some tang and distinct flavor. A very popular variety.

    PF-11:  Good tasting yellow freestone peach.  Yellow flesh with red streaks. 

Blackberries: These are wild blackberries hand picked by our experienced harvester.  They are sweet and tasty.   Due to the heat this summer their season may be shorter than usual.

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. 
Mail orders may restart when the weather cools.

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.😋

Eureka Lemons:  These are the sour lemons. Great for intense sweet and sour flavoring.


Persimmon:  Frozen Hachiya persimmon pulp.

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

Japanese cucumbers:  Seedless and tender. So crisp and refreshing as  a snack on a warm summer day.We love the flavor of these cucumbers and are always sad when they are gone. 

Sungold cherry tomatoes:  Sweet orange cherry tomatoes.  Fruity flavor. The most popular cherry tomato at our farm for years. (Limited Supply).

Red or Green Shiso leaves:  Beefsteak herb. Japaneses aromatic herb used in salads, soups and on noodles. Can be paired with sashimi. Red shiso is used in preparing umeboshi.

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:

Mihara Farm in Newcastle, conventional practices:

    Black Beaut Plums:  Sweet tart plums with dark skin and yellow-red flesh. Very juicy when soft.

    Ruby Red Garapefruit: Pink fleshed grapefruit

Sunnyslope Farm in Granite Bay, conventional practices:

    Flavorcrest Peaches:  Yellow freestone peaches.  Juicy and firm sweet tart flesh.  (Limited Supply.)

    June Pride Peaches:  Deep red skin with bright yellow flesh. Aromatic with great flavor and sweetness.

WoodRose Country Garden in Granite Bay, organic practices:

    White Nectarines:  Dark skin with beautiful white flesh .  Very juicy and sweet.

    White Onions and Garlic

Kijani Farm in Granite Bay, organic practices:  red cherry tomatoes (Limited Supply).

Arrow Place in Auburn, no spray:  Meyer Lemons.

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

Tuesday, June 25, 2024


  I don't recall a year with so many apricots. I searched the internet for what to do with apricots.   I found a tempting photo of Apricot Clafoutis by Oventales.  The recipe was easy enough and the results were delicious.  I will make this again with apricots or other fruit, like European plums.

Santa Rosa plums are starting their season. They are already sweet, juicy, fragrant and flavorful.   These plums are an all time favorite for so many folks.  Many recall the tree planted in their childhood backyard and in many cases, continue the tradition. 

We finished the early peaches and are now waiting for the next varieties to mature. Regina, Red Haven and Flavorcrest should begin harvest by the end of June.  These three varieties are yellow freestone peaches. We are hoping for a bigger harvest than last year. 

I have tasted the first cherry tomatoes. They are slow to start but this warm weather should give them a boost.  Hope I can sell my first basket full this week. There are many green standard tomatoes on the vine. I'm hoping to have some to sell by mid July.   The Japanese cucumbers are getting a jump start.  We are harvesting a box of them a day.  These cucumbers are seedless and thin skinned.  They have wonderful fresh cucumber flavor.  Many people enjoy them for a healthy cold crunchy snack.  Of course they are great in salads, sandwiches and just sliced.  We will be getting peppers, eggplant and beans from the garden in a few weeks.

The first of the figs for the year have suddenly arrived.  It will be a short season.  In August, we are expecting the second fig crop.

We were able to get some persimmon trees to sell.  Let us know if you want a Fuyu or Hachiya persimmon tree to plant.

 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.  Mail order may restart when the weather cools down.



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

Plums:  Santa Rosa: Sweet, and juicy, One of the all time  most   popular  varieties.  They are very flavorful and fragrant.   Don't miss out.

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. 
Mail orders may restart when the weather cools.



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.







Apricots:    

   Royal: Sweet tart apricot with a background of honey when soft (limited supply).

   Patterson: Large firm apricot with good flavor (limited supply).

Figs:   The first crop, Breba, is now available for a short time.  

    Black Mission figs are dark, with sweet fig flavor.  Popular variety.

    Panache or Tiger Stripe figs have red strawberry pulp. Very popular for it's sweet berry-like flavor.

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

Japanese cucumbers:  Seedless and tender. So crisp and refreshing as  a snack on a warm summer day.We love the flavor of these cucumbers and are always sad when they are gone. 

Sungold cherry tomatoes:  Sweet orange cherry tomatoes.  Fruity flavor. The most popular cherry tomato at our farm for years. (Limited Supply).

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:

Mihara Farm in Newcastle, conventional practices:

    Black Beaut Plums:  Sweet tart plums with dark skin and yellow-red flesh. Very juicy when soft.

Sunnyslope Farm in Granite Bay, conventional practices:

    Flavorcrest Peaches:  Yellow freestone peaches.  Juicy and firm sweet tart flesh.  (Limited Supply.)

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

Search This Blog

Followers