DIRT TOMATOES

"Do you have dirt tomatoes?" the customer asked.
"What do you mean?" I responded.
"Dirt, you know, are the tomatoes grown in the ground as opposed to hydroponically."
"Now a days, that's a very good question" I said.  "Yes, all our tomatoes are grown in the ground, under the sun, in actual dirt." We have no hothouse, greenhouse or hoop house.  We use no chemical fertilizers or pesticides on our tomatoes.  You might say we have "Old fashion" tomatoes. They seem to be enjoying this hot weather more than we are.  They have just the right texture and mouth watering taste. They are firm and juicy.  Now is the time for tomato sandwiches, BLT, and gazpacho. You can find my mother's gazpacho recipe on last years post of 7/28/2017.
       Finally, if not for a short time, there are peaches in the farm stand. We are harvesting yellow peaches including Fay Elberta. However, the bounty of years past seems to be lacking. To add to our supply of peaches, Sunnyslope Farm is bringing us big beautiful and juicy yellow peaches.
      We continue to have several plum varieties and Asian pears are starting to show up. We still have wild blackberries which normally disappear by the beginning of August.

Official Statement: We have NO pick-your-own activities.
 May to January Hours:
Tu to Sat:   10 am to 6 pm
Sun:            10 am to 5 pm
Closed on Mondays

Here's what we have in the farm stand from Otow Orchard:
Yellow Freestone Peaches:  Suncrest, 49er, Gene Elberta, Fay Elberta
Cling Peaches:  Bowen
Plums:  Santa Rosa, Frontier, Satsuma, Burgundy, Eldorado, Laroda, Red Ace,
             Red Roy, Kelsey, Late Santa Rosa
Wild Blackberries
Hoshigaki (dried persimmons) No longer available though Mail Order.
Herbs:  basil, rosemary, mint
Calendula Salve
Honey from Otow Orchard
Vegetables: Zucchini, Yellow squash, Asian cucumbers, Lemon cucumbers, Okra, Japanese eggplant, sweet peppers, hot peppers, Tomatoes, Sungold cherry tomatoes, Tomatillos

This is what we have from other producers:
Yellow peaches from Sunnyslope Farm:  Suncrest, Elegant Lady, Zee Lady
Jams from The Good Stuff
Onions and Potatoes from BarleyOats Farm
Eggs from Two Feather Farm

SMALLER PEACH HARVEST

Summer is in full swing.. At least weatherwise.
Our harvest has been extremely small.  Some days we have peaches and on others we ration them and still run out.  PLEASE CALL AHEAD if you are traveling a distance for peaches.  The plums have been very good. Can't get them like this at the store.  All the fruit set on the trees have been lacking this year.  Must be the climate change that some say we are not experiencing.  The blossoms didn't all come on at once as they usually do. Rather blooming came in stages over time.  Naturally it seemed to rain every time new blossoms opened up.  We attribute that to the lack of chill hours during the dormant season. Farming is certainly "faith-based".  There are too many factors that all the man-made chemicals in the world can't control or remedy.  Tomatoes are just coming on.  Many home gardeners beat us to the table with their own home grown.  Zucchini and Asian cucumbers are doing great.  Who could imagine that cucumbers could be so good.  Thankfully Veronica battles the wild blackberry vines and I don't have to.  Lisa still brings us her eggs though the hot weather is not good for the chickens. Fred finished up his leafy greens and now has potatoes and onions.  His garden plot behind the shed looks abandoned, but by the end of the month he'll be getting it ready for his next winter garden.  Anatoliy has been bringing his honey.  I can't imagine his bees being very happy in our orchard as dry as it is.
With drip irrigation the beauty and serenity of the orchard is gone but we all need to do our part so there's water for everybody.
Posted by Tosh
Official Statement: We have NO pick-your-own activities.
 May to January Hours:
Tu to Sat:   10 am to 6 pm
Sun:            10 am to 5 pm
Closed on Mondays

Here's what we have in the farm stand from Otow Orchard:
Yellow Freestone Peaches:  Delight, Suncrest, Frost, Gene Elberta
White Peaches:  Sugar Lady, Babcock, Nectar, Silver Logan
Plums:  Santa Rosa, Frontier, Satsuma, Burgundy, Eldorado, Black Amber, Laroda, Red Ace, 
             Red Roy,
Pluot:  Dapple Dandy
Wild Blackberries
Hoshigaki (dried persimmons) No longer available though Mail Order.
Herbs:  basil, dill, rosemary, mint
Calendula Salve
Honey from Otow Orchard
Vegetables: Zucchini, Yellow squash, Asian cucumbers, Lemon cucumbers, Okra, Japanese eggplant, sweet peppers, hot peppers, Tomatoes, Sungold cherry tomatoes, Long beans

This is what we have from other producers:

Yellow peaches from Sunnyslope Farm   
White peaches from Sunnyslope Farm
Jams from The Good Stuff
Onions and Potatoes from BarleyOats Farm
Eggs from Two Feather Farm

PEACHES AND WILD BLACKBERRIES

        For the time being, the orchard is giving us peaches.  We are getting Red Haven and Flavorcrest. These are both yellow freestone peaches.  We anticipate a few white peaches will be coming in soon. 
        It is also plum season.  The famous Santa Rosa plum is now available.  These plum have real flavor!  They are sweet, tart and fragrant.   Just full of flavor and juice.  The sweetness and flavor overwhelm the tartness.  Kids and adults can't stop eating them once they have tried them.  We are starting to harvest Satsuma plums.  These are sweet and red fleshed.   A few Frontier plums and Burgandy plums are also available.
       Wild Blackberries happen only once a year.  Wild blackberries are a challenge to  harvest.  They are carefully selected from among thorny vines on what seems to be the hottest days of the year (even when you start at 6 AM).  And only the dark ones ready to lose their shine will be sweet.  Hope you can appreciate the time and skill needed to pick even one
basket of blackberries. The reward is great.

      Otow Orchard vegetables are arriving. We are getting zucchini, cucumbers, beans, okra, peppers, cherry tomatoes, and eggplant.  In the herb department you can request basil, dill, mint, and rosemary.

 May to January Hours:
Tu to Sat:   10 am to 6 pm
Sun:            10 am to 5 pm
Closed on Mondays

Here's what we have in the farm stand from Otow Orchard:
Yellow Freestone Peaches:  Red Haven, Flavorcrest, Regina, Frost
Plums:  Santa Rosa, Frontier, Satsuma, Burgandy
Figs:  Black Mission
Apricots:  Royal Blenheim, Patterson
Wild Blackberries
Hoshigaki (dried persimmons) No longer available though Mail Order.
Herbs:  basil, dill, rosemary, mint
Calendula Salve
Honey from Otow Orchard
Vegetables: Zucchini, Yellow squash, Asian cucumbers, Lemon cucumbers, Yellow wax beans, Kentucky wonder green beans, Okra, Japanese eggplant, sweet peppers, and Sungold cherry tomatoes

This is what we have from other producers:

Yellow peaches from Sunnyslope Farm
White peaches from Sunnyslope Farm
Santa Rosa plums from Pleasant Hill Farm
Red onions from Lovejoy Farm
Jams from The Good Stuff
Eggs from Two Feather Farm
Honey (wildflower) from Top O' The Hill Apiary