PERSIMMONS ARE ARRIVING

 We were gone for just a week to NY and PA.  When we returned the season had changed.  Not one peach, plum or Plout in sight.  

Persimmons are starting to come into the farm stand.  The earliest ones ones are the brown fleshed ones: Coffee Cake, Nagamaru, Chocolate, and Maru.  As you may recall these brown fleshed persimmons need to be pollinated in order to be sweet.  When pollinated, seeds will form and influence the flesh to turn brown and become sweet.  Sometimes the fruit is not fully pollinated and a portion of the fruit will remain astringent.  The shape sometimes offers clues but often we are just guessing.  There are also a few small light colored Fuyu persimmons on the display table.  These are very crisp and will get sweeter and more orange with time. We are also getting a few early Hachiya persimmons.  These are the ones that cannot be enjoyed until soft and gooey.  Hachiya are also the ones used to make hoshigaki.  Although the Hachiya are not sweet and soft yet, customers are encouraged to buy now and ripen at home.  It may take a couple of weeks.

Hoshigaki is on our minds but it is too early to start the process.  I am busy cleaning out the rooms and dusting off the racks we use to process hoshigaki.  Hopefully the 2024 order form will be on the web site in a couple of weeks.  

The Fall issue of California Bountiful magazine featured a story on hoshigaki at Otow Orchard.  Check it out.  https://www.californiabountiful.com/magazine-features/magazine-issues/fall-2024/the-art-of-hoshigaki/

 

It's been a few years since we had a harvest-able crop of olives with minimal olive fruit fly damage.  This year might be the year. Almost every year the olive fruit fly visits the developing olive and deposits an egg in the olive.  About the time the olive is getting ready for harvest the egg hatches and the olive fruit fly larvae begins to eat the flesh of the olive.  This ruins the olive for many people.  But I know one customer who says he just turns off the lights when he eats the olives.  It's a wait and see situation.  If the olives remain clean we will sell raw Manzanillo and Mission olives.  To learn how to cure olives it is best to visit several web sites to get advice.

 

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.

The line up: Hachiya, Coffee Cake, Hyakume, Nagamaru, sliced Maru and Maru, Fuyu.

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.  

    Fuyu:  It's early in the season for these popular persimmons.  They have not yet developed their dark orange skin.  The yellowish ones are sweet and crisp. They are always sweet and usually eaten hard like an apple.  As the season develops Fuyu will get more orange, sweeter and juicier.

      Coffee Cake, Nishimura Wase:  These look like Fuyu persimmons but are astringent unless pollinated. Only when pollinated do they become brown and sweet.  We try to display only the sweet ones 😋but may occasionally miss.  😝. 

    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.

Grapes: 

        Thompson Seedless :  Small, yellow, seedless grapes.  Crisp and very sweet.

Jujube:  Also called Chinese dates and natsume.  They are a small, oval shaped drupe with a date like seed. Enjoyed when crisp green to brown and even wrinkled and chewy. They are sweet with apple-like texture but not as juicy as apples.

Pomegranates:

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

Ambrosia Pomegranates: Pink skinned with pink arils.  Sweet tart arils.

Apples: 

    Red Delicious:  Sweet mild flavor. Popular for its red color.  Unfortunately, due to the high heat, most of our Red Delicious apples are striped red this year.  Nonetheless they are sweet, tender and crisp.  Usually eaten out of hand or cooked. (Limited supply.)

    Golden Delicious:  Sweet mild flavor with yellowish skin. Great for cooking, adding to salads and fresh eating. (Limited supply.)

    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.

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.

       

        20th Century:  Firm, thin skinned yellow Asian pear. Very popular for its refreshing juice and light crisp texture. It has a mild flavor and keeps well. Eat out of hand or add to salad. (Limited supply.)

         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. 

        Olympic:  Large, sweet, brown pear. Heavy and dense.

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.

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.

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.   

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.  (Limited supply.)

Chili peppers: Aji Amarillos, Jalapeno, Buena Mulata. 

Sweet peppers: Green, orange, and purple sweet peppers. (Limited supply.)

Japanese eggplant:  Limited Supply

Basil:  Fresh from our garden.

Blue Lake green beans: Crisp, stringless green beans with mild flavor.  Great for fresh eating, freezing and cooking. (Limited supply.)

Long beans: Tender green beans that happen to be 6" to 15" long. Cut to your desired length.  Uses as any other green bean.  Great seasoned with sesame oil. (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:

Sunnyslope Farm  in Granite Bay, conventional farming:

    Mutsu apples:  Green skinned, sweet tart apples. Used for fresh eating and cooking.

    Fuji apples:  Sweet, crisp and juicy.

WoodRose Country Garden
 in Granite Bay, organic practices:

        Arugula: spicy aromatic greens (Limited supply.)

        Basil:  (Limited supply.) 

       

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

 

FALL IS HERE

Blessings received.  Thank you for the comfortable weather. We are enjoying it. The plants are also reacting to this change in weather.  The summer garden is slowing down.  The cucumber plants look half dead with their aphid infestation drying the leaves.  The job of aphids is to suck juices  out of leaves.  Close inspection of the leaves reveals little black and orange insects. These are the larvae of lady beetles feasting on aphids. This is why lady bugs are a beneficial insect. As their population increases, we are increasing the population of lady beetles that will be around in the spring when the next season begins. Like beneficial pest insurance. 

Trees are also reacting to the cooler weather and shorter days.   Soon leaves will be changing colors and fall fruit will start to ripen.  We are watching persimmons, apples, quince, and pomegranates.   

As I write this, peaches are disappearing from the farm stand.  The peach trees are empty.  It will be May or June 2025 before those trees can produce ripened peaches again. Sad for many who have enjoyed the peach production this year.  Let's hope the next will be as generous.

A walk in the orchard last week found puncture vines. These plants have been a thorn in our side for all time.  We have only been able to keep them under control by kneeling down on the ground and hand digging and pulling each plant out of the ground. Then carefully and lightly placing a palm down on the earth where the plant was removed. I feel the stings of thorns piercing my palm.  When I lift my hand I remove the seeds that are clinging to my palm.  The seeds and all the vine material I have removed go into a plastic bag and are disposed of in the trash.  We have to keep on top of puncture vine growth.  It is an aggressive weed pest.

We are getting a selection of winter squashes.  Mostly Kabocha the Japanese pumpkin, and also butternut and acorn squash. These can be roasted, steamed, baked or added to soup, stew or baked goods. I often season with a sweetener, they can also be seasoned with herbs, garlic and butter or olive oil. A very versatile vegetable.

 

As a reminder, We will have shortened hours Thursday Sept 26 through Tuesday Oct. 1.                     

                                          Thurs Sept 26:  10 am to 2 pm

                                           Friday Sept 27:  10 am to 2 pm

                                           Sat Sept 28:  10 am to 2 pm

                                           Sun Sept 29:   11am to 4 pm

                                           Mon Sept 30:  Closed

                                           Tues Oct 1:    10 am to 2 pm

                                            Wed Oct 2:  Resume regular hours

Puncture vine

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: 

 Casselman:  Last plum of the year for our orchard. Yellow flesh, sweet crisp plum variety with great flavor and texture.

 

Grapes: 

        Thompson Seedless :  Small, yellow, seedless grapes.  Crisp and very sweet.

Jujube:  Also called Chinese dates and natsume.  They are a small, oval shaped drupe with a date like seed. Enjoyed when crisp green to brown and even wrinkled and chewy. They are sweet with apple-like texture but not as juicy as apples.

Apples: 

Red Delicious:  Sweet mild flavor. Popular for its red color.  Unfortunately, due to the high heat, most of our Red Delicious apples are striped red this year.  Nonetheless they are sweet, tender and crisp.  Usually eaten out of hand or cooked.

Golden Delicious:  Sweet mild flavor with yellowish skin. Great for cooking, adding to salads and fresh eating. 

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. 

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.

         Yoi:  Firm, sweet, light brown-skinned Asian pear with a background of butterscotch.  Enjoy when crisp. Not recommended for storage.

        20th Century:  Firm, thin skinned yellow Asian pear. Very popular for its refreshing juice and light crisp texture. It has a mild flavor and keeps well. Eat out of hand or add to salad.

         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. 

        Olympic:  Large, sweet, brown pear. Heavy and dense.

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.

Persimmon: 

  Frozen Hachiya persimmon pulp.

      Coffee Cake, Nishimura Wase:  These look like Fuyu persimmons but are astringent unless pollinated. Only when pollinated do they become brown and sweet.  We try to display only the sweet ones 😋but may occasionally miss.  😝. 

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. 

          Delicata: This is a cylindrical green or orange striped squash.  It  has sweet, creamy flesh and edible skin.  It can be roasted, steamed, baked, microwaved, sauteed or stuffed.  The seeds are edible when toasted.

Lady Beetle larvae.

         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.   

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.  (Limited supply.)

Chili peppers: Aji Amarillos, Jalapeno, Buena Mulata. 

Sweet peppers: Green, orange, and purple sweet peppers. (Limited supply.)

Japanese eggplant:  Limited Supply

Basil:  Fresh from our garden.

Blue Lake green beans: Crisp, stringless green beans with mild flavor.  Great for fresh eating, freezing and cooking

Long beans: Tender green beans that happen to be 6" to 15" long. Cut to your desired length.  Uses as any other green bean.  Great seasoned with sesame oil.

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:

WoodRose Country Garden in Granite Bay, organic practices:

        White Onions and Garlic (Limited supply.)

        Sweet Bell peppers (Limited supply.) 

       

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

TIME FOR JUJUBE

 Somehow summer is slipping away.  The trees know this and they are getting ready to switch gears from summer to fall.  Our stone fruit harvest is dwindling with fewer and fewer peaches and plums to display.  Coming in are a few  pears, Asian pears, jujube and grapes.

The jujube trees are loaded.  We will be harvesting all of them in the next 2 to 3 weeks.  Sugar Cane, the small, shiny, round variety, is about finished.  We are beginning to harvest the Li variety.  Li is a large (about 1 inch diameter) oblong jujube .  Like other jujube it has the texture of an apple but not as juicy.  It is sweet and crisp when  firm and as  it wrinkles and gets older it becomes sweeter and more chewy.  The internet suggests that jujube are good for many health conditions.  Often thought of as helpful for anxiety and insomnia as well as improving digestion and general health.

The O'Henry peaches and Rio Oso Gem peaches came and went so fast.  The last 3 varieties are not be as promising as earlier ones.  We are starting Summerset peaches and soon there will be a few Fairtime and Late Alamar peaches.  Sunnyslope Farm is bringing us  Trazee freestone peaches.  Large, sweet and juicy. 

We have offered our customers a large array of plum choices this year.  Still on our table are Laroda, Elephant Heart, Late Santa Rosa, Eldordo, and Casselman.  Elephant Heart plums are sweet with red flesh.  The others are sweet with yellow flesh.

The Asian pear harvest is starting.  There are a few brown skinned pears:  Hosui, Shinko, and Yoi.  The 20th Century yellow pear is also available.  All are crisp, juicy, and sweet. Great for snacks and lunches. 

We have stored away the bartlett pears in the cool room to encourage even  ripening.  We will soon bring them out for the display.

 Fig production is slowing.  We are harvesting Panache figs. These figs are so sweet and moist. They usually sell out within a day.  The other figs, Brown Turkey and Black Mission are trickling in, not many of these varieties left.

The first persimmons are getting ready.  A walk through the orchard reveals green persimmons taking on a muted orange color.  We have a few Coffee Cake (Nishimura Wase) persimmons in the farm stand.  These look like Fuyu persimmons but are astringent unless pollinated. Only when pollinated do they become brown and sweet.  We try to display only the sweet ones 😋but may occasionally miss.  😝.  

Winter squash is making its debut.  There are delicata, kabocha and butternut squashes.  Time for roasting, baking, steaming, microwaving and making soups and stews.

*Please note:  The farm stand will have shortened hours at the end of September.                        

                                          Thurs Sept 26:  10 am to 2 pm

                                           Friday Sept 27:  10 am to 2 pm

                                           Sat Sept 28:  10 am to 2 pm

                                           Sun Sept 29:   11am to 4 pm

                                           Mon Sept 30:  Closed

                                           Tues Oct 1:    10 am to 2 pm

                                            Wed Oct 2:  Resume regular hours

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: 

Laroda:  Dark skin with yellow flesh.  Sweet and juicy with mild tartness.  Good flavor.

Elephant Heart:  Mottled skin with red flesh. Juicy and sweet.

Late Santa Rosa:  LSR. Yellow flesh, sweet/tart, crisp plum variety. Santa Rosa in name only so I call it LSR. Enjoyable. 

Casselman:  Yellow flesh, sweet/tart, crisp plum variety with great flavor and texture.

Eldorado:  Small and sweet.  These small plums are sweet when hard or soft.  Dark skin over golden flesh. Freestone.

 Peaches:

      Summerset:  Sweet/tart yellow freestone peach.  Small in size and firm in texture.  One of the last varieties of the season.

       Soon to be harvested: Fairtime and Late Alamar yellow freestones.

Figs:  Black Mission: Sweet, with firm, dark skin.  (Limited supply.)

          Brown Turkey:  Juicy and sweet with green and brown skin. Flavor has melon undertones. (Limited supply.)

          Panache: Also called Tiger Stripe.  Skin is dull green with some striping.  Reddish flesh is juicy and sweet with a berry background. (Limited supply.)

Grapes: 

        Kyoho grapes are dark skinned, seeded grapes with intense flavor.

        Thompson Seedless :  Small, yellow, seedless grapes.  Crisp and very sweet.

Jujube:  Also called Chinese dates and natsume.  They are a small, oval shaped drupe with a date like seed. Enjoyed when crisp green to brown and even wrinkled and chewy. They are sweet with apple-like texture but not as juicy as apples.

Apples:  There are a few Gala apples appearing on our table. Sweet apples with a crunch. Attractive yellow red skin.

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.

         Yoi:  Firm, sweet, light brown-skinned Asian pear with a background of butterscotch.  Enjoy when crisp. Not recommended for storage.

        20th Century:  Firm, thin skinned yellow Asian pear. Very popular for its refreshing juice and light crisp texture. It has a mild flavor and keeps well. Eat out of hand or add to salad.

         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.

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.

Persimmon: 

  Frozen Hachiya persimmon pulp.

      Coffee Cake, Nishimura Wase:  These look like Fuyu persimmons but are astringent unless pollinated. Only when pollinated do they become brown and sweet.  We try to display only the sweet ones 😋but may occasionally miss.  😝. 

Summer Squash:  Limited supply.

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. 

          Delicata: This is a cylindrical green or orange striped squash.  It  has sweet, creamy flesh and edible skin.  It can be roasted, steamed, baked, microwaved, sauteed or stuffed.  The seeds are edible when toasted.

         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.        

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.  

Tomatoes:  Red, yellow, golden and striped. (limited supply)

Chili peppers: Aji Amarillos, Jalapeno, Buena Mulata. 

Sweet peppers: Green, orange, and purple sweet peppers. (Limited supply.)

Japanese eggplant:  Limited Supply

Okra:  Okra loves the heat of the summer. Green tender pods.

Basil:  Fresh from our garden.

Blue Lake green beans: Crisp, stringless green beans with mild flavor.  Great for fresh eating, freezing and cooking

Long beans: Tender green beans that happen to be 6" to 15" long. Cut to your desired length.  Uses as any other green bean.  Great seasoned with sesame oil.

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. (Currently not available. Please call for update.))

Here is what we have from other producers:

Sunnyslope Farm in Granite Bay, conventional practices:

      Trazee peaches:  Yellow freestone peaches.  Sweet and juicy.

WoodRose Country Garden in Granite Bay, organic practices:

        White Onions and Garlic

        Sweet Bell peppers

        Arugula:  Fresh greens with distinctive peppery flavor.  Add to your salad, sandwich, pesto and pizza or cook in stir fry or soups.

Kijani Farm in Granite Bay, organic practices: 

       Red cherry tomatoes. (Limited Supply).

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

 

FAY ELBERTA PEACHES

 Fay Elberta peaches are ready.  These peaches are the favorite of many peach lovers because they are sweet and juicy with a smooth texture. Often used for jams, canning, freezing, baking and fresh eating.  Some say this peach was discovered around 1915 in Placer County.

We continue to have other white and yellow peaches (see list below).  For those looking for cling peaches we now have Bowen Cling peaches.   The two basic types of peaches are freestones and clings. Most familiar is the freestone peach so called because the flesh does not cling to the pit or the stone of the peach.  We love how the peach easily comes apart when cut along its seam.  Freestones are generally sweet, soft and juicy. The other type of peach is called cling because the flesh sticks to the pit.  Clings are usually more firm and not as juicy while still sweet.  Because the flesh clings to the pit it is necessary to carve the flesh off the pit or just eat it out of hand.  Clings remain more firm when cooked or added to salads.

So many plum and pluot varieties to choose from.  People are discovering Mariposa plums.  Beautiful, sweet and juicy.  Flesh is red, white and pink. We also have Friar, Kelsey, Elephant Heart, and Laroda.  In the pluot department we have Dapple Dandy and Flavorqueen.

The jujube are just starting. We get a few each day.

Also coming into the farm stand is the second crop of figs.  We have Black Mission, Panache, and Brown Turkey figs.

Please note:  The farm stand will have modified hours so Tosh and I can get away for a week.  Thurs Sept 26:  10 am to 2 pm

                                           Friday Sept 27:  10 am to 2 pm

                                           Sat Sept 28:  10 am to 2 pm

                                           Sun Sept 29:   11am to 4 pm

                                           Mon Sept 30:  Closed

                                           Tues Oct 1:    10 am to 2 pm

                                            Wed Oct 2:  Resume regular hours

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: 

Laroda:  Dark skin with yellow flesh.  Sweet and juicy with mild tartness.  Good flavor.

Elephant Heart:  Mottled skin with red flesh. Juicy and sweet.

Mariposa:  Mottled skin with red and white flesh.  Juicy and sweet. Tip tends to get very juicy before rest of the plum gets soft.  Great flavor and texture.

Kelsey:  Some like it hard and some like it with a little give.  This is a green skinned plum with yellow flesh.  It is surprisingly sweet.

Friar:  This is a dark skinned, yellow fleshed, freestone plum. Sweet with mild tartness. 

Late Santa Rosa:  LSR. Yellow flesh, sweet/tart, crisp plum variety. Santa Rosa in name only so I call it LSR. Enjoyable.

Pluots:

        Dapple Dandy: Cross between a plum and an apricot. This red and white fleshed freestone pluot is sweet with a background flavor of plum and apricot.

          Flavorqueen:  Cross between a plum and an apricot.  This pluot starts out greenish yellow.  As it ripens to all yellow this pluot reminds me of nectar.  It is so sweet.

 Peaches:

     Fay Elberta:  Yellow freestone peach.  Known for its smooth texture, juiciness and sweet flavor.  Very popular with many long time peach fans.  Origins are from Placer County.  Great for fresh eating and slicing. Often used for jam, baking, canning or freezing.

     Rio Oso Gem: This peach is also local.  It has its origins in Rio Oso, California.  It is a sweet, yellow, freestone peach with rich flavor when ripe. It is a challenge for us to grow since the pit often breaks apart and distorts the peach appearance. Firm or soft it is a good tasting peach.

     Bowen:   Not a freestone.  This is a cling peach.  The flesh is firm and sticks to the pit.  Eat out of hand or carve the flesh off the pit.  When cooked or added to salads it will retain its firmness. Sweet and less juicy than freestone peaches.

      O'Henry:  Great dark orange freestone peach. Sweet and juicy with intense flavor.  Very popular peach and a sure sign that the late peach season has arrived.

     Opale:  Sweet, juicy, white, freestone peach.  Wonderful flavor and fragrance.

Figs:  Black Mission: Sweet, with firm, dark skin.

          Brown Turkey:  Juicy and sweet with green and brown skin. Flavor has melon undertones.

          Panache: Also called Tiger Stripe.  Skin is dull green with some striping.  Reddish flesh is juicy and sweet with a berry background.

Grapes: 

        Kyoho grapes are dark skinned, seeded grapes with intense flavor.

        Thompson Seedless :  Small, yellow, seedless grapes.  Crisp and very sweet.

Jujube:  Also called Chinese dates and natsume.  They are a small, oval shaped drupe with a date like seed. Enjoyed when crisp green to brown and even wrinkled and chewy. They are sweet with apple-like texture but not as juicy as apples.

Apples:  There are a few Gala apples appearing on our table. Sweet apples with a crunch. Attractive yellow red skin.

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.

Persimmon:  Frozen Hachiya persimmon pulp.

Summer Squash:  Green and yellow zucchini. Very fresh and easy to cook. (limited supply)

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.  

Tomatoes:  Red, yellow, golden and striped. (limited supply)

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

Chili peppers: Aji Amarillos, Jalapeno, Buena Mulata

Japanese eggplant:  Limited Supply

Okra:  Okra loves the heat of the summer. Green tender pods.

Basil:  Fresh from our garden.

Long beans: Tender green beans that happen to be 6" to 15" long. Cut to your desired length.  Uses as any other green bean.

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. (limited supply)

Here is what we have from other producers:

Mihara Farm in Newcastle, conventional practices:

     Kiwi:  Fuzzy green and sweet/tart.

Sunnyslope Farm in Granite Bay, conventional practices:

      Elberta peaches:  Yellow freestone peaches.  Sweet and juicy.

Lupi Farm in Granite Bay. No spray practices.

         Black Mission Figs: Sweet and flavorful.

WoodRose Country Garden in Granite Bay, organic practices:

        White Onions and Garlic

        Arugula:  Fresh greens with distinctive peppery flavor.  Add to your salad, sandwich, pesto and pizza or cook in stir fry or soups.

Kijani Farm in Granite Bay, organic practices: 

       Red cherry tomatoes, and Roma tomatoes. (Limited Supply).

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