OCTOBER PRODUCE

       Tosh and I have returned from our two week vacation.
As we begin October, the farm stand is gradually leaving
 summer fruits and vegetables behind. Sad to say, but gone are the peaches till May 2019.  We have a few figs, grapes, cucumbers, and squash.  We still have some plums, Bartlett pears, tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers, okra, and eggplant.  This time of year offers several  varieties of Asian pears, D'anjou pears, brown fleshed persimmons, quince, jujube, Casselman plums, and apples.  We have a wonderful collection of winter squashes:  Delicata, Butternut, Red Kuri and Kabocha.
      Our newest item is Chestnuts.  I know it is not the holidays yet but if you love fresh chestnuts, we have a few from Sunnyslope Farm.

ANNOUNCEMENT:
November 4, 2018, the first Sunday in November, we are doing a hands on hoshigaki workshop at the JCI in Gardena, CA.  If you are interested, please check out their web site:  jci-gardena.org

Official Statement: We have NO pick-your-own activities.

 May to February Hours:

Tu to Sat:   10 am to 6 pm

             Sun:       11 am to 5 pm

    Closed on Mondays

Here's what we have in the farm stand from Otow Orchard:
Plums:  Casselman,
Asian pears: 20th Century (Nijuseki), New Century (Shinseki), Shinko, and Yoi
Apple:  Reinette Simerenko (Russian green apple), Fuji
Figs:  Brown Turkey, Green, and Black Mission
Persimmons: Limited supply of brown fleshed persimmons:
                               Coffee Cake Persimmon (Nishimura Wase)
                               Maru
                               Chocolate (Tsurunoko) (Nagamaru)
Hoshigaki (dried persimmons) No longer available though Mail Order.
Herbs:  basil, rosemary, mint, lemon balm
Calendula Salve
Honey from Otow Orchard
Vegetables: Zucchini, Yellow squash, Asian cucumbers, Lemon cucumbers,
         okra,  Japanese eggplant, sweet peppers, hot peppers, Tomatoes,
         Tomatillos, and Long beans
Winter squash:  Delicata, Red Kuri, Butternut, Black Futsu, and Kabocha.

This is what we have from other producers:
Chestnuts from Sunnyslope Farm
Jams from The Good Stuff
Onions and Potatoes from BarleyOats Farm
Comb honey from Top O'The Hill Apiary
2019 Master Gardener Calendar

GOOD FOOD

        We put our hands together for our Saturday night dinner gathering.  Along with the main course we added 3 side dishes inspired by the orchard.
         The Burrata Caprese salad included tomato and basil from our gardens.  Tomatoes are slowing down in the garden and the sizes are getting smaller but the flavor and texture are still mouth-watering.
         We sliced zucchini with onions, Parmesan cheese, and butter to make a microwave casserole.
          Winter squash also made it to the table.  We cut the delicata squash in half to maintain the tube shape, microwaved 1 minute.  Then we sliced it into circles and
removed the seeds. We brushed both sides with olive oil and maple syrup, placed them on parchment paper and seasoned with salt and pepper.  We baked them at 375 degrees for 15 minutes on each side.
        Pushed to the back of the refrigerator was a fourth dish I forgot to serve:  Overnight Cucumber Pickles (recipe available in our farm stand).

Beginning September 1, we changed our Sunday hours to 11 AM to 5PM.  It has been challenging to get the farm stand set up after church in time for early customers.  Hours for Tuesday through Saturday will remain the same, 10 to 6.

REMINDER
      Since we will be on vacation in September there is no one to tend the farm stand on September 14th and 23rd. The farm stand will be CLOSED, Sunday, September 14 and Sunday, September 23.  Please avoid these days.




   
      A few peaches will be coming in during the next couple weeks but their season for 2018 is about over.  Casselman plums with their sweet-tart crisp texture are plentiful for the time being. They will "wow" your mouth.  Asian pears, European pears, and apples are coming into season. We might see jujube very soon.

          We seem to be getting more and more small tomatoes.  The big ones are few and far between. They are small in size but are still big on flavor. The Asian cucumbers are not as long or straight as in the middle of summer but they are still very enjoyable.
   

Official Statement: We have NO pick-your-own activities.

 May to February Hours:

Tu to Sat:   10 am to 6 pm

               Sun:       11 am to 5 pm

    Closed on Mondays

Here's what we have in the farm stand from Otow Orchard:
Plums:  Casselman, Eldorado, Laroda, Red Roy, Kelsey, Elephant Heart,
Pluots:  Dapple Dandy, Flavor Queen
Asian pears:  Kosui, Hosui, 20th Century (Nijuseki), New Century (Shinseki), Yoi
Apple:  Gala, Red Delicious
Figs:  Brown Turkey, Green, and Black Mission
Hoshigaki (dried persimmons) No longer available though Mail Order.
Herbs:  basil, rosemary, mint, lemon balm
Calendula Salve
Honey from Otow Orchard
Vegetables: Zucchini, Yellow squash, Asian cucumbers, Lemon cucumbers, Okra, Japanese eggplant, sweet peppers, hot peppers, Tomatoes, Tomatillos, Long beans, Winter squash:  Delicata, Red Kuri, Butternut & Kabocha.

This is what we have from other producers:
Yellow peaches from Sunnyslope Farm:   O'Henry, Tra Zee
Jams from The Good Stuff
Onions and Potatoes from BarleyOats Farm
Coming soon: Blackberry honey and Comb honey from Top O'The Hill Apiary