SLOW SEASON HOURS

 The orchard is sleeping, it is preparing for the 2022 season. What it will produce depends on how much sleep it gets in the winter months.  We are reducing our farm stand hours till around mid May. That is when the early peaches, and loquat start to color.

 

SLOW SEASON HOURS:

TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY  11:30 TO 1:30

FRIDAY, SATURDAY                              10:00 TO 6:00

SUNDAY                                                 11:00 TO 5:00

CLOSED ON MONDAYS

Since we are often at the farm anyway, you may call us to arrange for other times. 

Farm Stand:      (916) 791-1656

Mobile phone:   (916) 300-0720

 

 Here is what we have at the Farm Stand from Otow Orchard:

Brown Asian Pears: Okusankichi. These pears are mildly sweet, juicy, and crisp. They are good keepers. 

Navel Oranges: limited supply

Blood Oranges:  limited supply

Clementine Mandarins:  limited supply

Apples:  🍎 Fuji  (limited supply)

Quince: Yellow fruit in the pear/apple family. Seldom eaten raw. It can be baked like apples or sauced like apples. High in pectin, they are often used for jelly and Dulce de Membrillo (Quince candy). Naturally sour but full of aroma and flavor, can be added to stews.

Hachiya:  frozen pulp          

Hoshigaki: Tender and moist dried persimmons with naturally formed dusting of fruit sugars on the surface. These were hand massaged and dried slowly for 4 to 8 weeks. (limited supply)

Winter squash:  Black Futsu and Kabocha. (Limited supply.)

Honey 🍯 from bees 🐝 at Otow Orchard. Bee pollen from bees 🐝 at Otow Orchard

⚘ Calendula Salve and Lip Balm 

 

Here is what we have from other producers:

Lupi Farm in Granite Bay: No spray Meyer Lemons, 🍋 known for flavor and fragrance. These lemons are less tart than regular lemons, with floral fragrance and bright taste.   Great for adding to your water or tea. Can also be used in salad dressings and sauces.

Mihara Farm in Newcastle:  Kiwi

Top O' the Hill Apiary in Granite Bay: Honey🍯. Top of the Hill Apiary also has bees wax 🐝. 

Jams 🍑 from the Good Stuff. We currently have Plum, Peach Cardamon, Chili Apricot, Fig Orange Brandy, Pepper Pomegranate, Chili Blackberry and Quince Marmalade.

COOLER WEATHER

           We are transitioning into the needs of another year:  pruning, cleaning up the orchard, cleaning up the hoshigaki rooms, ordering seeds, sorting old boxes, cleaning buckets, repairing equipment, etc.  Most of the orchard is dormant.  Leaves have fallen, branches are bare. Garden debris is waiting to be removed or has been incorporated.  Yet, here and there in the orchard we see a citrus tree preparing for harvest or a Japanese apricot tree pushing pink or white blossoms.  So the cycle continues.

       In the citrus department we have a few Satsuma and Clementine Mandarins, and some Navel and Blood Oranges.  We are waiting for Eureka lemons and yellow grapefruit.  Lupi farm in Granite Bay is bringing us bright yellow Meyer Lemons.

HOURS:

 Tues. through Sat. 10:00 am to 6:00 pm

 Sunday 11 am to 5 pm 

 Closed on Mondays

 

 

 Here is what we have at the Farm Stand from Otow Orchard:

Brown Asian Pears: Okusankichi. These pears are mildly sweet, juicy, and crisp. They are good keepers. 

Apples:  🍎 Fuji  (limited supply)

Quince: Yellow fruit in the pear/apple family. Seldom eaten raw. It can be baked like apples or sauced like apples. High in pectin, they are often used for jelly and Dulce de Membrillo (Quince candy). Naturally sour but full of aroma and flavor, can be added to stews.

Red Pomegranates: These pomegranates have dark red arils that are sweet and tangy. A brilliant taste. (limited supply)

Persimmons:

Hachiya:  frozen pulp          

 

Hoshigaki: Tender and moist dried persimmons with naturally formed dusting of fruit sugars on the surface. These were hand massaged and dried slowly for 4 to 8 weeks. 

Winter squash:  Black Futsu and Kabocha. (Limited supply.)

Pecans

Honey 🍯 from bees 🐝 at Otow Orchard. Bee pollen from bees 🐝 at Otow Orchard

⚘ Calendula Salve and Lip Balm 

 

Here is what we have from other producers:

Lupi Farm in Granite Bay: No spray Meyer Lemons, 🍋 known for flavor and fragrance. These lemons are less tart than regular lemons, with floral fragrance and bright taste.   Great for adding to your water or tea. Can also be used in salad dressings and sauces.

Mihara Farm in Newcastle:  Kiwi

Top O' the Hill Apiary in Granite Bay: Honey🍯. Top of the Hill Apiary also has bees wax 🐝. 

Two Feather Farm: 🐔🥚 Eggs. (Extremely limited supply. As the days lengthen, we will begin to see egg production go up. The height of production is usually March, April and May.)

Jams 🍑 from the Good Stuff. We currently have Plum, Peach Cardamon, Chili Apricot, Fig Brandy, Pepper Pomegranate, Chili Blackberry and Quince Marmalade.

JANUARY 17, 2022 HOSHIGAKI UPDATE

 

      The drying of hoshigaki for the 2021 season has finished.  We are still processing a few late season hoshigaki.  At this time we are no longer accepting new mail orders since the quantity and quality is in limbo.  We predict that we will begin the process again in October 2022 and will start accepting orders at that time.  The persimmon trees are dormant at this time and it is hard to predict the condition of the next harvest before there are even blossoms on the trees.

      Thank you for your  support and interest in hoshigaki.  We plan to downsize if we don't come up with additional help during November.