FALL HARVEST

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

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

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

 

 

 

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

HOURS:

Tues through Sat  10:00 am to 6 pm 

Sunday  11:00 am to 5:00 pm

CLOSED ON MONDAYS 

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

Hoshigaki:  These are whole dried persimmons.  They were hand massaged while they dried over a period of four to eight weeks.  Some are firm, others are soft and moist.  All are coated with naturally formed white persimmon sugar.  No sugar added and no preservatives used. We began peeling persimmons in October.  The early hoshigaki is available. You may contact us for on-farm pick-up orders. (916) 791-1656 or email at otowochard@yahoo.com.  For mail orders please use our mail order form . Mail order shipments do not usually begin until December.

Apples: 

        Fuji: Known for being sweet juicy and always crisp.

        Reinete Simerenko:  a green sweet-tart apple with great flavor. I call it a cider apple.

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

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

European Pears:

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

Asian Pears:  

    Shinko:  Large round pear with brown skin.  Very sweet, crisp, and juicy, a good keeper.

    Olympic: Large, dark brown, round Asian pear.  It has a good crunch and the flavor is intense. It is juicy and very sweet.  Can be used for pies and cobblers.

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

Persimmons:

    Hachiya:  Tall acorn-shaped persimmon.  It is astringent until soft and jelly-like. It becomes very sweet soft and delicate. Fresh eating right out of its skin or often used for baking cookies and pudding. Used for making hoshigaki.

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

    Fuyu:  Apple type persimmon. Can be eaten hard and crisp.  These are always sweet and a favorite among our customers and future customers. At this time of year they are hard and crisp.  Later in the season or if held for a period of time they will become more orange-red and the flesh will become tender and sweeter. Used for fresh eating and in salads. Currently being sold by the bag and the box.

    Maru, Chocolate, and Nagamaru:  These are the brown fleshed persimmons.  Back in April when the trees were in bloom, the bees were  buzzing.  If the flower was fully pollinated, seeds would form and give off ethylene gas  to make the flesh brown and sweet.  The problem arises when a flower is only partially pollinated and less than half of the seeds form.  This fruit will be only partially sweet.  It's always a risk.  We recommend cutting the fruit and eating only the brown, sweet flesh. Some varieties will sweeten as they soften.

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

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

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

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

Chili Peppers:   Aji Amareto, Buena Mulata, Jalapenos, ---All limited supply.

Tomatillos:   These look like small green tomatoes in a paper shell.  They can be cooked or eaten raw. You can add them to salads or make them into green salsa.

Sweet Peppers: Green, yellow and purple varieties.

Winter Squash:

    Red Kuri, Black Futsu:  Known as a Japanese pumpkins.  These varieties have sweet, thick dry flesh. They can be steamed, baked, roasted, sauteed or added to soups and stews.

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

Quince:  This fruit is firm and seldom eaten raw.  It has a pleasing fragrance which can be preserved by making sauce, jams, jelly, adding it to  apple dishes, and pairing it with pork.  It is a great source for pectin.  Quince must be cooked and cored. It is famously used to make Quince sauce or Doulce de Membrillo, and Quince candy.  For Thanksgiving it is a tradition in our family to add quince to the cranberry sauce. Wow.

Pomegranates:  Sweet White Pomegranates and tart red Wonderful Pomegranates.

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

Here is what we have from other producers:

WoodRose Country Garden  in Granite Bay, organic practices:

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

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

    Cherry tomatoes.

    Winter squash:  Pink Banana Squash,

Top O' the Hill Apiary in Granite Bay:   Bees wax 🐝. 

Sunnyslope Farm Conventional practices, Garanite Bay, CA:  Fuji Apples.

La Bella Vito Farm in Loomis is bringing us fresh🥚 eggs from pastured 🐔🐔chickens. Production is low.  As days get shorter the chickens go through molting. This is the process of loosing old feathers and regrowing new feathers.  During this period, egg laying decreases and chickens concentrate on storing nutrients for the next season.

Kijani Farm in Granite Bay, organic practices:

    Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes

     Kabocha, Japanese winter squash (pumpkin).  Butternut winter squash

Mihara Farm  conventional farming in Newcastle, CA:  Kiwi, Hachiya persimmons.

Stoney Point Farm, Organic certified, Loomis, CA:  Hachiya persimmons.

Placer County Master Gardeners:   2024 Gardening Guide and Calendar.  Provides helpful hints throughout your gardening year.

Lupi Farm  in Granite Bay, no spray:  Quince.

CLOSED ON THANKSGIVING DAY

This year we will close for Thanksgiving Day. 

Normal hours will resume on Friday Nov 24, 2023.

APPLES, PEARS, AND PERSIMONS

     The persimmon crop seems a bit late this year.  Hachiya, the type that must be soft to be enjoyed, is being harvested now.  Most of them are used for making hoshigaki.  If they are too small or too large we sell them  fresh to our customers.  Most customers want the already soft ones.  I usually tell them that if they don't buy them today, when they come back these will be sold and there will be new hard ones on our table. We recommend leaving the hard hachiya on the counter at room temperature till it is soft and gelatinous.  This may take a week or two.  The internet recommends putting the unripe hachiya into a closed container with an apple or banana which will produce the ethylene gas to hasten ripening.

     Hoshigaki production is in full swing.  We are peeling at least 15 boxes a day, 5 days a week.  We peel, hang them in pairs on string, balance the pairs of persimmons on sticks, put the sticks on racks in the sun.  Then wait for the fruit to begin to ripen on the inside.  When the skin is leather-like and the inside is getting soft, we begin to massage each one.  Every few days we massage the fruit to break up any masses inside.  After massaging we like to bring the hoshigaki indoors.  The fruit is getting sweet and is a tempting treat for the critters.  After 2 to 4 weeks much of the liquid has evaporated and the hoshigaki is becoming a concentrated bag of sweet  persimmon pulp.  Then the magic begins to happen.  Somehow the sugars from the fruit begin to form a dusting of white sugar on the surface.  With a little more drying the sugars coat the surface of the persimmon.  Now we have Hoshigaki.

    Fuyu persimmons are starting to come into the farm stand.  They are more yellow and starting to get that orange glow.  Fuyu are round and usually flattish.  They can be eaten like an apple:  hard, crisp, and sweet.  Great for snacking and adding to salads.  I hope to have a bountiful supply beginning in November.

    The brown fleshed persimmons have been slowly ripening.  A few come in and a few get sold.  Brown fleshed persimmons are astringent unless pollinated.  Back in April when the trees were in bloom, the bees were  buzzing.  If the flower was fully pollinated , seeds would form and give off ethylene gas  to make the flesh brown and sweet.  The problem arises when a flower is only partially pollinated and less than half of the seeds form.  This fruit will be only partially sweet.  It's always a risk.  We recommend cutting the fruit and eating only the brown, sweet flesh.

    Apples and pears are still an important part of our production. We are currently harvesting Reinette Simerenko and Fuji apples.  Later will come Pink Lady and Granny Smith.   Our last European pear is Comice.  When the skin turns yellow it is ready to eat.  It is sweet, soft, and very juicy.  We have several Asian pears:  Shinko, Olympic, and Yali.  They are all crisp, juicy and sweet.  I would say Shinko is the sweetest, Olympic the hardest, and Yali the juiciest.

HOURS:

Tues through Sat  10:00 am to 6 pm 

Sunday  11:00 am to 5:00 pm

CLOSED ON MONDAYS 

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

Hoshigaki:  Currently sold out. 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.  Hoshigaki processed in 2022 have sold out.  We normally begin peeling persimmons in October.  The early hoshigaki may be available in November. You may contact us for on-farm pick-up orders. (916) 791-1656 or email at otowochard@yahoo.com.  For mail orders please use our mail order form . Mail order shipments do not usually begin until December.

Apples: 

        Fuji: Known for being sweet juicy and always crisp.

        Reinete Simerenko:  a green sweet-tart apple with great flavor. I call it a cider apple.

European Pears:

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

Asian Pears:  

    Shinko:  Large round pear with brown skin.  Very sweet, crisp, and juicy, a good keeper.

    Olympic: Large, dark brown, round Asian pear.  It has a good crunch and the flavor is intense. It is juicy and very sweet.  Can be used for pies and cobblers.

Persimmons:

    Hachiya:  Tall acorn-shaped persimmon.  It is astringent until soft and jelly-like. It becomes very sweet soft and delicate. Fresh eating right out of its skin or often used for baking cookies and pudding. Used for making hoshigaki.

    Fuyu:  Apple type persimmon. Can be eaten hard and crisp.  These are always sweet and a favorite among our customers and future customers. At this time of year they are hard and crisp.  Later in the season or if held for a period of time they will become more orange-red and the flesh will become tender and sweeter. Used for fresh eating and  in salads.

    Maru, Chocolate, and Nagamaru:  These are the brown fleshed persimmons.  Back in April when the trees were in bloom, the bees were  buzzing.  If the flower was fully pollinated , seeds would form and give off ethylene gas  to make the flesh brown and sweet.  The problem arises when a flower is only partially pollinated and less than half of the seeds form.  This fruit will be only partially sweet.  It's always a risk.  We recommend cutting the fruit and eating only the brown, sweet flesh. Some varieties will sweeten as they soften.

    Jujube:    Jujube are often called Chinese dates, ber, or  when dried  they are called red dates. We harvest when they are yellow and brown.  Gradually they become all brown and eventually shriveled.  They are enjoyed at all these stages. They are sweet and crisp like an apple but not as juicy.  An easy snack but watch out for the seed.  This little round fruit has long been recognized by Chinese medicine as having many health benefits. It contains minerals and antioxidants.  Avoid if on anti-seizure or anti-depressant medications. Limited supply.

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.

Tomatoes:  Just about finished. The tomatoes are small and not as flavorful as when we had intense heat and long days. This late in the season, sizes and quality are challenged. Limited supply. 

 

Chili Peppers:   Aji Amareto, Buena Mulata, Jalapenos, ---All limited supply.

Tomatillos:   These look like small green tomatoes in a paper shell.  They can be cooked or eaten raw. You can add them to salads or make them into green salsa.

Japanese Eggplant:  These have a long shape with thin skin.  It has tender flesh with delicate flavor and few seeds.

Sweet Peppers: Green, yellow and purple varieties.

Okra: When we pay attention, we harvest tender pods.

Winter Squash:

    Kabocha, Red Kuri, Black Futsu:  Known as a Japanese pumpkins.  These varieties have sweet, thick dry flesh. They can be steamed, baked, roasted, sauteed or added to soups and stews.

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

Quince:  This fruit is firm and seldom eaten raw.  It has a pleasing fragrance which can be preserved by making sauce, jams, jelly, adding it to  apple dishes, and pairing it with pork.  It is a great source for pectin.  Quince must be peeled, cored and cooked to make it softer.  It is famously used to make Quince sauce or Doulce de Membrillo, Quince candy.

Pomegranates:  Sweet White Pomegranates

Here is what we have from other producers:

WoodRose Country Garden  in Granite Bay, organic practices:

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

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

    Tomatoes: Tomatoes, and cherry tomatoes.

    Winter squash:  Pink Banana Squash,

Top O' the Hill Apiary in Granite Bay:   Bees wax 🐝. 

Sunnyslope Farm Conventional practices, Garanite Bay, CA:  Fuji Apples.

La Bella Vito Farm in Loomis is bringing us fresh🥚 eggs from pastured 🐔🐔chickens. Production is low.  As days get shorter the chickens go through molting. This is the process of loosing old feathers and regrowing new feathers.  During this period, egg laying decreases and chickens concentrate on storing nutrients for the next season.

Kijani Farm in Granite Bay, organic practices:

    Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes

     Kabocha, Japanese winter squash (pumpkin).  Butternut winter squash

Mihara Farm  conventional farming in Newcastle, CA:  Kiwi, Chestnuts, Hachiya persimmons.

Stoney Point Farm, Organic certified, Loomis, CA:  Hachiya persimmons.

Placer County Master Gardeners:   2024 Gardening Guide and Calendar.  Provides helpful hints throughout your gardening year.

LOTS TO OFFER

    The weather has cooled down. We're feeling highs in the 80's and lows in the 50's.  Such a comfortable time of year. The display tables are full of a large variety of produce.

     The Jujube harvest is ramping up. First there was a handful. Now a box every other day.  Soon we hope for a couple boxes a day.  Jujube are often called Chinese dates, ber, or  when dried  they are called red dates. They are sweet like an apple but not as juicy.  An easy snack but watch out for the seed.  This little round fruit has long been recognized by Chinese medicine as having many health benefits. It contains minerals and antioxidants.  

 

    Persimmons are on the horizon.  The first to be harvested are the brown fleshed varieties.  We now have a few Coffee Cake and Nagamaru persimmons.  These brown fleshed persimmons are sweet if pollinated. Some may be partially sweet. Cut the fruit first or eat carefully.  The brown flesh will be sweet and the yellow flesh will be astringent.  We are also getting a few hard Hachiya.  These persimmons are astringent until very soft.  Leave them on the counter till ripe or put them in and then out of the refrigerator.  It may take 1 to 3 weeks to ripen.  

     We are also waiting for the Hachiya persimmons to get full color so we can begin peeling them as the first step to making  hoshigaki.   It is still too early to start if we want to make good hoshigaki.  The crop looks decent but Tosh warns me that we may still need to source hachiya from other farms.

    It's fall and that means pears and apples.  We are currently selling Bartlett and D'anjou European pears.  Soft, sweet, and juicy with yellow skin.  We also have several Asian pear types:  Shinko, 20th Century, New Century, and Yoi.  These are firm and crisp, juicy and sweet. In the apple department we have crisp and sweet Red Delicious. We have also started harvesting Reinette Simerenko apples.  These are crisp, sweet-tart, green apples with stand out flavor. Soon we will have Fuji apples, and Granny Smith.

    Our vegetable garden is still producing.  We are getting tomatoes, cucumbers, okra, chili peppers, sweet peppers, beans, eggplants, tomatillos, and very few squash.  Winter squash season has started. We have Delicata, Red Kuri, Kabocha,Black Futsu, and Butternut.

    We are getting help in the vegetable department from WoodRose Country Garden.  Lani brings us tomatoes, beans, peppers, eggplants, garlic, potatoes, arugula, basil, and Pink Banana Squash.  Kijani farm brings us Kabocha, butternut squash, and cherry tomatoes.

 

HOURS:

Tues through Sat  10:00 am to 6 pm 

Sunday  11:00 am to 5:00 pm

CLOSED ON MONDAYS 

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

Hoshigaki:  Currently sold out. 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.  Hoshigaki processed in 2022 have sold out.  We normally begin peeling persimmons in October.  The early hoshigaki may be available in November. You may contact us for on-farm pick-up orders.  Look for the mail order form online in October. Mail order shipments do not usually begin until December.

Apples: 

        Red Delicious:  mild sweet, firm-crisp with a pleasant flavor and texture.

        Reinete Simerenko:  a green sweet-tart apple with great flavor. I call it a cider apple.

European Pears:

    Bartlett:  Classic pear flavor and juicy.  Ready to eat when yellow and is eaten fresh or used in cooking or preserving.

    D'anjou:  Mature when light green to light yellow.  Smooth sweet-tart pear used for fresh eating, salads, baking, poaching, and grilling. 

Grapes:  

     Red Purlett : A crisp, seedless, sweet, red grapes. 

    Thompson Seedless:  yellow green grapes that are tart or intensely sweet.

    

Asian Pears:  

    20th Century:  Yellow, round pear known for being sweet, tender, crisp, and juicy. Great for snacking or adding to salads.

    New Century:  Large, round, sweet pear with sturdy texture. Great for snacking or adding to salads.  It has yellow skin and white flesh.

    Yoi:   This is a brown-skinned, fine-textured, crisp, sweet and juicy pear. The flavor has a hint of butterscotch.

    Shinko:  Large round pear with brown thicker skin.  Very sweet and juicy, a good keeper.

Persimmons:

    Hachiya:  Tall acorn-shaped persimmon.  It is astringent until soft and jelly-like. It becomes very sweet soft and delicate. Fresh eating right out of its skin or often used for baking cookies and pudding.

    Coffeecake:  It looks like a Fuyu with its flat round shape but the flesh is brown.  It is recommended that you cut the fruit so you can eat the sweet brown parts.

Enlarge the photo to see the fruit.

    Jujube:    Jujube are often called Chinese dates, ber, or  when dried  they are called red dates. We harvest when they are yellow and brown.  Gradually they become all brown and eventually shriveled.  They are enjoyed at all these stages. They are sweet and crisp like an apple but not as juicy.  An easy snack but watch out for the seed.  This little round fruit has long been recognized by Chinese medicine as having many health benefits. It contains minerals and antioxidants.  Avoid if on anti-seizure or anti-depressant medications.

Figs:  

    Black Misson:  Very popular variety with mild sweetness. When ripe it is moist yet chewy with rich flavor.

    Panache:  Green striped fig often referred to as Tiger Stripe.  Sweet, fragrant fig with a hint of raspberry.

    Brown Turkey:  Brown fig with shades of green and yellow.  When ripe, this fig is soft, sweet and jammy.

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.

Tomatoes:   Slicing, salad and colorful tomatoes.  All vine ripened and full of flavor.  This late in the season, sizes and quality are declining but the flavor is still there.

Cherry Tomatoes:

    Sungold, Sweet 100,  Black Cherry, and Yellow Pear.  Limited supply.

Chili Peppers:   Aji Amareto, Buena Mulata, Fish, Jalapenos, and Shishito---All limited supply.

Tomatillos:   These look like small green tomatoes in a paper shell.  They can be cooked or eaten raw. You can add them to salads or make them into green salsa.

Cucumbers:  

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

    Armenian cucumbers are firm, and crisp.

Japanese Eggplant:  These have a long shape with thin skin.  It has tender flesh with delicate flavor and few seeds.

Sweet Peppers: Green, yellow and purple varieties.

Okra: When we pay attention, we harvest tender pods.

Long Beans:  Similar in taste to green beans.   Texture is more tender.

Winter Squash:   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.

    Kabocha, Red Kuri, Black Futsu:  Known as a Japanese pumpkins.  These varieties have sweet, thick dry flesh. They can be steamed, baked, roasted, sauted or added to soups and stews.

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

Quince:  This fruit is firm and seldom eaten raw.  It has a pleasing fragrance which can be preserved by making sauce, jams, jelly, adding it to  apple dishes, and pairing it with pork.  It is a great source for pectin.  Quince must be peeled, cored and cooked to make it softer.  It is famously used to make Quince sauce or Doulce de Membrillo, Quince candy.

Here is what we have from other producers:

WoodRose Country Garden  in Granite Bay, organic practices:

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

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

    Tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, and cherry tomatoes. Sun-dried San Marzano tomatoes.

    Winter squash:  Butternut, Pink Banana Squash, Spaghetti, and Shark Fin Squash.

    Grapes:  Red Flame grapes are a crisp, grape with skin color from deep red to dark purple.  It is sweet and seedless.

Top O' the Hill Apiary in Granite Bay:   Bees wax 🐝.

La Bella Vito Farm in Loomis is bringing us fresh🥚 eggs from pastured 🐔🐔chickens. Production is low.  As days get shorter the chickens go through molting. This is the process of loosing old feathers and regrowing new feathers.  During this period, egg laying decreases and chickens concentrate on storing nutrients for the next season.

Kijani Farm in Granite Bay, organic practices:

    Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes

     Kabocha, Japanese winter squash (pumpkin).  Butternut winter squash

Mihara Farm  conventional farming in Newcastle, CA:  Kiwi from Mihara Farm.

Placer County Master Gardeners:   2024 Gardening Guide and Calendar.  Provides helpful hints throughout your gardening year.

SUMMERTIME FADING

         Nature is transitioning to the next season.  Not quite persimmon season.  Many have been asking about persimmons.  Looks like we will  have a better crop than last year.  The fruit are beginning to change from green to a hint of orange.  Normally the brown fleshed persimmons are the first to mature.  A few may show up at the farm stand by the end of September.     

    Fig trees are happily producing brown, black and green skinned figs.  We have many coming from our trees as well as from Lupi Farm in Granite Bay.  All are grown without sprays.

 

    While many wineries are preparing to crush grapes, we are harvesting table grapes.  We have sweet yellow Thompson seedless grapes, sweet seedless Red Perlett, and the ever popular dark seeded Kyoho grapes. WoodRose Country Garden brings us the sweet traditional Red Flame grapes.

    There seems to be olives this year.  We are currently selling green Manzanella olives.  These are raw and need to be processed by your traditional method.  We harvest a bit early to avoid the olive fruit fly hatch.  So don't delay if you want to process some olives.

    Apple season is officially here with Gala apples.  These are yellow apples with a red blush. They are sweet, juicy and crisp.  The Red delicious are starting to come off the trees.  Ours are fresh, sweet, crisp, and juicy.

    In the area of pears, we are harvesting both European and Asian varieties.  The Bartlett pears are loosing their green color and turning a delicious yellow with smooth texture and sweetness.  The Asian pears we have are 20th Century, New Century, and Yoi.

    People are asking about Jujube.  They are getting some color now.  They should be available by the last week of September.

    Summer gardens are slowing down. I definitely see a decrease in the size and quality of tomatoes.  This happens near the end of the growing season.  Tomatoes may be smaller and uglier but they still possess that standout flavor that we crave.  The summer squash plants are tired.  Now and then we still get a few zucchini or yellow squash. Beans, cucumbers, and eggplant are still giving us a good production.

    The winter squashes are showing their colors.  They are ready for your roasting, steaming  and stewing along with seasoning of your choice.  We currently have Butternut, Kabocha,  Delicata and Spaghetti squashes.  WooddRose Garden has added  a new variety called Shark Fin.  It is a green Asian Spaghetti squash.  The noodles inside are clear and resemble the Shark Fin used in Asian soups.

HOURS:

Tues through Sat  10:00 am to 6 pm 

Sunday  11:00 am to 5:00 pm

CLOSED ON MONDAYS 

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

Hoshigaki:  Currently sold out. 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.  Hoshigaki processed in 2022 have sold out.  We normally begin peeling persimmons in October.  The early hoshigaki may be available in November. You may contact us for on-farm pick-up orders.  Look for the mail order form online in October. Mail order shipments do not usually begin until December.

Plums:  Empress :  A freestone, yellow-fleshed European plum with blue/purple skin.   They are sweet and meaty. Used for cooking, baking preserving and eating fresh.

Apples:  

        Gala: Sweet, crisp and juicy with a floral aroma.

        Red Delicious:  mild sweet, firm-crisp with a pleasant flavor and texture.

Grapes:  

    Kyoho:  Very sweet large purple grapes with concord-like flavor. Seeded.  

     Red Purlett :  seedless, sweet, red grapes. 

    Thompson Seedless:  yellow green grapes that are tart or intensely sweet.

Asian Pears:  

    20th Century:  Yellow, round pear known for being sweet, tender, crisp, and juicy. Great for snacking or adding to salads.

    New Century:  Large, round, sweet pear with sturdy texture. Great for snacking or adding to salads.  It has yellow skin and white flesh.

    Yoi:   This is a brown-skinned, fine-textured, crisp, sweet and juicy pear. The flavor has a hint of butterscotch.

Figs:  

    Black Misson:  Very popular variety with mild sweetness. When ripe it is moist yet chewy with rich flavor.

    Panache:  Green striped fig often referred to as Tiger Stripe.  Sweet, fragrant fig with a hint of raspberry.

    Brown Turkey:  Brown fig with shades of green and yellow.  When ripe, this fig is soft, sweet and jammy.

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

⚘ Calendula  Salve and Lip Balm:   Supply is low for the moment.

Tomatoes:   Slicing, salad and colorful tomatoes.  All vine ripened and full of flavor.  This late in the season, sizes and quality are declining but the flavor is still there.

Cherry Tomatoes:

    Sungold, Sweet 100,  Black Cherry, Napa Rose, Rosalita, Yellow Pear.  Limited supply.

Chili Peppers:   Aji Amareto, Buena Mulata, Jalapenos, and Shishito---All limited supply.

Cucumbers:  

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

    Armenian cucumbers are firm, and crisp.

Japanese Eggplant:  These have a long shape with thin skin.  It has tender flesh with delicate flavor and few seeds.

Sweet Peppers: Green, yellow and purple varieties.

Okra: When we pay attention, we harvest tender pods.

Long Beans:  Similar in taste to green beans.   Texture is more tender.

Winter Squash:   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.

Olives: Manzanilla olives are meaty with a slight nutty flavor when processed. These are raw green olives and must be processed by your traditional method.  We harvest a bit early to avoid the olive fruit fly hatch.  So don't delay if you want to process these olives.

Here is what we have from other producers:

WoodRose Country Garden  in Granite Bay, organic practices:

    Summer squash, eggplant, okra, carrots, beans, colorful bell peppers, potatoes, and colorful Bell peppers.

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

    Tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, and cherry tomatoes. Sun-dried San Marzano tomatoes.

    Winter squash:  Butternut, Spaghetti, and Shark Fin (Asian spaghetti squash)

    Grapes:  Red Flame grapes are a crisp, grape with skin color from deep red to dark purple.  It is sweet and seedless.

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

Sunnyslope Farm in Granite Bay, Conventional practices:  Tra Zee peaches.  These are large, tree ripened, juicy, sweet peaches. They are a yellow freestone peach with dark red skin and a firm texture. They are the last variety of the season. We have a limited supply.

La Bella Vito Farm in Loomis is bringing us fresh🥚 eggs from pastured 🐔🐔chickens. Production is low.  As days get shorter the chickens go through molting. This is the process of loosing old feathers and regrowing new feathers.  During this period, egg laying decreases and chickens concentrate on storing nutrients for the next season.

Kijani Farm in Granite Bay, organic practices:

    Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes

     Red Russian Kale, Dino Kale, Curly Kale, and Swiss Chard.

     Kaboch, Japanese winter squash (pumpkin).  Butternut winter squash

Lupi Farm in Granite Bay, no spray:    Black Mission Figs :  Black skinned, sweet, chewy flesh.

Mihara Farm  conventional farming in Newcastle, CA:  Kiwi from Mihara Farm.

GREEN OLIVES

 Short Post:  We have started to harvest green olives.  Please call or email to make an order.  (916) 791-1656 or otoworchard@yahoo.com

A FULL FARM STAND

For months our farm stand has been lean, few peaches, few plums, almost no apricots or nectarines.  Then tomatoes arrived and filled most of the tables.  Now fall fruits are arriving and varieties are expanding.  While we still have summer fruits and vegetables there are some newer arrivals.

 

    Figs are back on the scene. Our orchard is producing Black Mission, Brown Turkey, and Panache figs.  Lupi Farm is bringing us Black Mission.  This second crop produces smaller fruit, but the flavor and texture are very good.

 

    We are beginning to harvest pears.  A few early season Asian  pears are now ready. We are now starting to harvest 20th Century, Kikusui, New Century, Shinko and Yoi.  The Bartlett pears have been in cold storage for a couple weeks.  We are now starting to bring them out as they take on a more yellow glow.

    Currently we can offer Gala apples. Beautiful red and yellow skin covers sweet crisp flesh.  Recently harvested, they do not taste like stored apples. Still hanging on the tree and taking their time to mature are Red Delicious and Fuji apples. Later.

Grapes, grapes, grapes.  Now is the season.  There are seeded and seedless grapes. We have  green, black, red, and purple grapes.  Some are small and some are big. There are mild to intense flavored grapes as well as tart and sweet grapes. 

 

    Stone fruit should not be entirely left out yet.  There are still peaches from Sunnyslope Farm.   Our orchard is producing a few plums.  Stoney Point Orchard in Loomis brought us Kelsey plums a very popular sweet green plum.

    Garden vegetables are still producing tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, okra, beans, peppers, chillies, and eggplants. Winter squash are starting to arrive.  We have Delicata squash and Kijani Farm brought us some Kabocha squash.

HOURS:

Tues through Sat  10:00 am to 6 pm 

Sunday  11:00 am to 5:00 pm

CLOSED ON MONDAYS 

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

Hoshigaki:  Currently sold out. 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.  Hoshigaki processed in 2022 have sold out.  We normally begin peeling persimmons in October.  The early hoshigaki may be available in November. You may contact us for on-farm pick-up orders.  Look for the mail order form online in October. Mail order shipments do not usually begin until December.

Plums:  Limited supply of Kelsey, Casselman and Empress.  You may have to ask.

Peaches: Very limited supply. 

Apples:  Gala: Sweet, crisp with a floral aroma.

Grapes:  

    Kyoho:  Very sweet purple grapes with concord-like flavor. Seeded.  

     Red Purlett :  seedless, sweet red grapes. 

    Thompson Seedless:  yellow green grapes that are tart or intensely sweet.

Asian Pears:   

    Kikusui: early yellow skinned, sweet, crisp pear. (In past years I referred to this pear as         Kosui. The internet tells me Kosui is a brown skinned pear.  So for now, I will refer to it as Kikusui. Only my Dad could tell me but he has been gone for a long time.)

    20th Century:  Yellow, round pear known for being sweet, tender, crisp, and juicy. Great for snacking or adding to salads.

    New Century:  Large round pear with a sturdy, sweet texture. Great for snacking or adding to salads.  It has yellow skin and white flesh.

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

Figs:  

    Black Misson:  Very popular variety. Mild  sweetness. When ripe it is moist yet chewy with rich flavor.

    Panache:  Green striped fig often referred to as Tiger Stripe.  Sweet fragrant fig with a hint of raspberry.

    Brown Turkey:  Brown fig with shades of green and yellow.  When ripe, this fig is soft, sweet and jammy.

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

⚘ Calendula  Salve and Lip Balm:   Supply is low for the moment.

Dehydrated grapefruit and lemon slices

Tomatoes:   Slicing, salad and colorful tomatoes.  All vine ripened and full of flavor.

Cherry Tomatoes:    Sungold, Sweet 100,  Black Cherry, Napa Rose, Rosalita, Yellow Pear.

Chili Peppers:   Aji Amareto, Buena Mulata, Jalapenos, and Shishito---All limited supply.

Summer Squash: Patty Pan Scalloped squash, Crook neck,  yellow, green and striped zucchini.  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.

Sweet Peppers:

Okra: When we pay attention, we 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:  Summer squash, eggplant, okra, carrots, beans, onions, basil, rosemary, oregano, thyme, fresh garlic, colorful bell peppers, potatoes, slicing tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, San Marzano paste tomatoes, and cherry tomatoes. Sun-dried San Marzano tomatoes.

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

Sunnyslope Farm in Granite Bay, Conventional practices:  Elberta peaches. These are prized for their sweet juicy flavor. They are luscious and smooth to eat.

La Bella Vito Farm in Loomis is bringing us fresh🥚 eggs from pastured 🐔🐔chickens. Production is a little slow during the high heat.

Kijani Farm in Granite Bay, organic practices:  Red Russian Kale, Dino Kale, Swiss Chard. Kijani Farm brought us our first offering of Kaboch, Japanese winter squash (pumpkin).

Lupi Farm in Granite Bay, no spray: 

     D'Anjou Pears:  These pears need to ripen at room temperature for about 2 weeks. They become sweet with mild flavor and a firm texture.  Eat out of hand or add to salad.

    Black Mission Figs :  Black skinned, sweet, chewy flesh.

Mihara Farm  conventional farming in Newcastle, CA:  Elephant Heart 💖 Plums:  Sweet red fleshed plums.  We also have Kiwi from Mihara Farm.

Stoney Point Orchard a Certified Organic farm in Loomis, CA:  Kelsey Plums: A sweet green plum enjoyed firm and crisp or with a little give and sweeter.