2020, HERE WE GO!

 


It has been a long persimmon season.  The warm weather sustained firmness into December and January.  Back in October and November we would have said persimmons start to get soft after Thanksgiving. Amazingly, we are still selling Hachiya, Fuyu and Maru persimmons. Rather than crisp, the Fuyu are sweet, juicy and a ripe "peach-like" texture.
        The hoshigaki, dry persimmons, are now finished drying. We will gradually take them from the freezer and do the final grading and shaping.  If they sell now, fine. If not we can extend the season by returning them to the freezer in zip top bags or vacuum sealed. Hoshigaki is available both at the farm stand and by mail order. For mail order please use our order form.
        Citrus season is upon us.  Unlike persimmons their crop is normal to light.   Mandarins have been sweet and easy to peel.
          Other produce available are apples, kiwi, Pomegranates,and Blood Oranges.
          With the beginning of 2020 we think of the start of a new year, a new fruit season.
          Out in the orchard you will see that persimmon pruning has begun. You will also hear a lot of happy birds. They are cleaning up the persimmons that were not harvested due to astringency or just excess bumper crop. It is amazing how fast they will take care of the fruit.  We are also starting to spread decomposed horse manure between the rows of trees.  It is a slow process and we never seem to get through the whole orchard.
       Christy and I are cleaning up last year's gardens and planning the next.  I will do a seed inventory this week before ordering seeds.

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

  HOURS

Tuesday to Saturday: 10 am to 6 pm 

Sun: 11 am to 5 pm

 Closed on Mondays 

Announcement:  At some point in the next few weeks when our products become limited to a few items we will be shifting to our slow season hours. I will post the new hours on this page.

Here's what we have in the farm stand from Otow Orchard:
Apples:   Fuji, Granny Smith
Kiwi
Brown Asian Pears: Okusankichi
Pomegranates:  White (sweet and pink seeded) 
Red Pomegranates:  Wonderful
Persimmons:
       Apple Type Persimmons:  Fuyu
       American Persimmon:  Gyombo, Hachiya (must be soft to be sweet)
       Hoshigaki: dried persimmons
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
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 (limited supply)
2020 Garden Planning Calendars from Placer County Master Gardeners