MOVING INTO FALL

     For us it has been very warm and challenging summer.  The drought continues to impact our growing practices with daily decisions and conversations about water use.  We have been busy cleaning up trees that did not survive the drought.  It is sad for me to see these trees gone since my father planted many of  them 40 or more years ago. They were trees with old wood and tasty fruit but because of their age were weak and decaying for many years.
        As much as we want to hang on to the summer fruits, the season is pushing us into fall. We are still harvesting late season peaches.  These are firm sweet tasty peaches.  Asian Pears and apples are filling our display tables as are peppers and winter squash.  A definite sign of fall is the appearance of early varieties of chocolate persimmons.  Fuyu and hachiya persimmons are starting to show some color on the trees.  Harvest will be sometime in October.

Here's what's at the farm stand now:
Peaches:  Summer Set, Late Alamar
Plums:  Casselman, Elephant Heart
Asian Pears:   Shinko, Yoi, Olympic, Yali
Apples:  Red Delicious, Golden Delicious (Otow Orchard)
               Mutsu, Fuji (Sunnyslope Farm)
Persimmons:  Coffee Cake, Maru, and Nagamaru (also called Tsurunoko or chocolate)
Quince
Jujube:  Li
Pomegranates:  white
Vegetables:  Sweet and hot peppers,  limited supply of okra, eggplant and basil
Winter Squash:   Kabocha, Butternut, Delicata
Bee Products:  honey, beeswax candles
Campfire wood