Sunday, November 8, 2009

California Gold & Open House


The PBS television show California Gold featuring Otow Orchard drying persimmons will air again this Fall. Here are the times we know of so far:
  • Thurs., Nov. 12th, 7:30 PM on KCET Los Angeles
  • Thurs., Nov. 19th, 9:00 PM on KVIE Sacramento

Huell Howser of California Gold came to interview people at the orchard and show the process of making hoshigaki (dried persimmons) in the Fall of 2007. The episode has aired quite a few times since then, in California and also in Huell Howser's home state of Tennessee. Click here for more about the show.

Also, we hope lots of people come out to this coming Saturday's open house at the orchard.  The orchard is very pretty right now, with the foliage of some of the trees turning turning red, orange and yellow. The open house is sponsored and organized by Placer Land Trust , and will take place at Otow Orchard  on Saturday, Nov. 14th from 1:00-3:00 PM.  There will be free food, tours of the orchard,  hoshigaki demonstrations and hay bales and tractors to play on.  The orchard and fruit stand will be open from 9-6 as usual that day.  Click here for a link to their site with information about the event.  The open house is free and open to the public.  


The photo above shows a maru persimmon tree at the edge of the old packing shed at the orchard


3 comments:

Unknown said...

Watched the show tonight. Really enjoyed it! I am in Santa Barbara and hope I can come up one day to visit. Was in Tokyo last year and got to try some for the first time. Here are some pictures I took of the hoshigaki being made:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sautot/3041008586/in/set-72157609338782042/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sautot/3040168047/in/set-72157609338782042/

Christy Kuratomi said...

Thanks, and thanks for the links to your photos. The persimmons hanging look like a different variety than the ones we dry, more the shape of fuyu. Did you get to speak to the people making them? I wondered if they just let them hang there until they were dry or if they also massage them periodically. It seems like it would be hard to take them down to do that.

Unknown said...

So I talked to them and she said they don't massage them. They just hang the persimmons (shibugaki type) for about 3 weeks, and then keep them in the fridge/freezer. She also said they use a lot of them for preparing osechi (Japanese New Year bento boxes). Hope your harvest is going well!

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