HAPPY THANKSGIVING

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

Shortened hours for just one day.

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

 

🍑🍎🍏🍅🥒🍐

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

💖 👫 👪 🙏 👷🚜

WE ARE THANKFUL FOR YOU.  HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY. 

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

 

REGULAR HOURS

Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm

            Sunday: 11:00 to 5:00

Closed on Mondays

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

Persimmon: 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pomegranates:

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

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

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

 

Apples:

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

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

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

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

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

 

Hoshigaki :  These are whole dried persimmons.  They were hand massaged while they dried over a period of four to eight weeks.  Some are firm, others are soft and moist.  All are coated with naturally formed white persimmon sugar.  No sugar added and no preservatives used. We strive to make the best hoshigaki without any shortcuts.  This takes time and attention during the drying season. Early season hoshigaki is currently available in the farm stand.  Contact us for large on-farm pick-up orders. (916) 791-1656 or email at otowochard@yahoo.com.  For mail orders, click on the Hoshigaki/Persimmons tab at the top of this blog post to get the mail order form.

Winter Squash:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here is what we have from other producers:

Pleasant Hill Farm:  in Lincoln.

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

Sunnyslope Farm  in Granite Bay, conventional farming:

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

WoodRose Country Garden
 in Granite Bay, organic practices:

        Arugula: spicy aromatic greens (Limited supply.)

        Sweet peppers:  Green, orange and purple skinned.

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

Mihara Farm in Lincoln, conventional farming:

    Chestnuts 

 

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

COOL WEATHER

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

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

REGULAR HOURS

Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm

            Sunday: 11:00 to 5:00

Closed on Mondays

 

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

Persimmon: 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pomegranates:

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

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

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

 

Apples:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Hoshigaki :  These are whole dried persimmons.  They were hand massaged while they dried over a period of four to eight weeks.  Some are firm, others are soft and moist.  All are coated with naturally formed white persimmon sugar.  No sugar added and no preservatives used. We strive to make the best hoshigaki without any shortcuts.  This takes time and attention during the drying season. The hoshigaki is currently not available.  Contact us for large on-farm pick-up orders. (916) 791-1656 or email at otowochard@yahoo.com.  For mail orders, click on the Hoshigaki/Persimmons tab at the top of this blog post to get the mail order form.

Winter Squash: 

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

     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here is what we have from other producers:

Sunnyslope Farm  in Granite Bay, conventional farming:

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

WoodRose Country Garden
 in Granite Bay, organic practices:

        Arugula: spicy aromatic greens (Limited supply.)

        Sweet peppers:  Green, orange and purple skinned.

        Basil:  (Limited supply.)

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

Mihara Farm in Lincoln, conventional farming:

    Chestnuts 

 

PERSIMMON TIME

    Fuyu persimmons and Hachiya  persimmons are the stars of the season.  Fuyu are the always sweet persimmon variety.  When eaten firm they have a crunch like an apple.  The fruit is now getting larger and sweeter and the color is deepening to orange. Mostly they are eaten out of hand or sliced.  Sometimes they are added to salads. The other popular variety is Hachiya.  This one remains astringent until very soft, like pudding.  It can be sliced or eaten out of hand. People enjoy the moist, soft texture of this sweet juicy fruit. Perhaps this is why it is sometimes referred to as the "Fruit of the Gods".

    We are currently harvesting several varieties of brown fleshed persimmons. These persimmons are pollination dependent.  That means that when the flowers were blooming in April, bees did or did not successfully pollinate them.  If pollinated, seeds formed.  Those seeds influence the flesh to turn brown and sweet.  If there are three or fewer seeds, the flesh will only be partially brown.  It is advised to cut the fruit before eating, then eat the brown portion to avoid eating the astringent, orange flesh. There are Maru, Nagamaru, Chocolate, Tsurunoko, and Hyakume varieties in the farm stand at this time.

    Some of the Hyakume persimmons will be treated with Vodka to make them sweet.  Those should be available soon.  We call them Vodka persimmons.

    We have begun to peel and dry the hoshigaki (Japanese dried persimmons).  We use mainly the Hachiya persimmon for drying.  The warm weather makes them dry a little too fast.  We can put them indoors to slow the process and hope to get a more tender product.

    There is a good supply of yellow quince available.  Quince is an ancient fruit valued for its flavor, fragrance and high pectin content.  It is very seldom consumed raw because it is hard, sour and astringent.  When cooked, a sweetener is added along with spices.  Due to its high pectin content it is great for making jelly, jam, paste, sauce, and dulce de membrillo candy.

    Slowly pomegranates are making their way to the farm stand.  The early ones are white.  The arils are sweet and pink with a small core. These will be followed by pink pomegranates and the tart red pomegranates.

    Summer gardens are very tired.  We get very little harvest at this time.  However, WoodRose Country Garden is bring us sweet peppers and fragrant, spicy arugula.

    It's been a few years since we have 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.

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

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

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

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

Pomegranates:

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

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

Apples:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Pears:  Comice pears are full of sweet, juicy flesh.

Hoshigaki :  These are whole dried persimmons.  They were hand massaged while they dried over a period of four to eight weeks.  Some are firm, others are soft and moist.  All are coated with naturally formed white persimmon sugar.  No sugar added and no preservatives used. We strive to make the best hoshigaki without any shortcuts.  This takes time and attention during the drying season. The hoshigaki is currently not available.  Contact us for large on-farm pick-up orders. (916) 791-1656 or email at otowochard@yahoo.com.  For mail orders, click on the Hoshigaki/Persimmons tab at the top of this blog post to get the mail order form.

Winter Squash: 

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

     

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

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

Chili peppers: Aji Amarillos, Jalapeno, Buena Mulata. 

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

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.)

        Sweet peppers:  Green, orange and purple skinned.

        Basil:  (Limited supply.)

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

 

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.