We are now getting some frost. The persimmons trees are bare or have lost their leaves exposing the remaining fruit. Some, the birds will feast on. Others will be dropped to feed the Canada geese and other critters we hesitate to mention. Many that are left on the trees are of the pollination dependent type that will remain inedible for a long time.
The season is moving on to citrus. We started to harvest our Satsuma mandarins. They are sweet and easy to peel. The blood orange tree is letting go of so many fruit to the ground that we decided to start harvest with a gentle tug. Navel oranges and Eureka lemons are hanging on for more days yet.
Amazingly, we still have a supply of Fuyu and Hachiya persimmons. The color is intesifying and the sweetness is increasing. There are still some Vodka persimmons ready for your holiday treat. Hope you don't miss out.
My stress is decreasing and my sleep is increasing as I can now see the end of hoshigaki processing. Many are still hanging on the racks to finish off their drying. In the photo, I have turned the hoshigaki stem side down to control over-drying of the stem end. We have bags of hoshigaki in the freezer waiting to be handled and sorted one last time for your eating pleasure. Hoshigaki is available at the farm stand and through mail order.
Here's what we have in the farm stand from Otow Orchard:
Apples: Fuji, Granny Smith, Reinette Simerenko
Brown Asian Pears: Okusankichi
Pomegranates: White (sweet and pink seeded)
Red Pomegranates: Wonderful
Persimmons:
Brown Fleshed Persimmons: Maru, Hyakume
Vodka Treated Persimmons: aka Hyakume
Apple Type Persimmons: Fuyu
American Persimmon: Gyombo, Hachiya (must be soft to be sweet)
Winter Squash: Butternut
Citrus: Satsuma Mandarins, Blood Oranges
Rosemary
Calendula salve and lip balm
Honey from our orchard
Nuts: Walnuts and Pecans
This is what we have from other producers:
Sunnyslope Farm: Granny Smith apples
Quince from Steve
Jams from The Good Stuff
Bee pollen from Top O' The Hill Apiary
Honey from Top O' The Hill Apiary
Comb Honey from Top O' The Hill Apiary
Eggs from Two Feather Farm
2020 Garden Planning Calendars from Placer County Master Gardeners