SUMMERTIME FADING

         Nature is transitioning to the next season.  Not quite persimmon season.  Many have been asking about persimmons.  Looks like we will  have a better crop than last year.  The fruit are beginning to change from green to a hint of orange.  Normally the brown fleshed persimmons are the first to mature.  A few may show up at the farm stand by the end of September.     

    Fig trees are happily producing brown, black and green skinned figs.  We have many coming from our trees as well as from Lupi Farm in Granite Bay.  All are grown without sprays.

 

    While many wineries are preparing to crush grapes, we are harvesting table grapes.  We have sweet yellow Thompson seedless grapes, sweet seedless Red Perlett, and the ever popular dark seeded Kyoho grapes. WoodRose Country Garden brings us the sweet traditional Red Flame grapes.

    There seems to be olives this year.  We are currently selling green Manzanella olives.  These are raw and need to be processed by your traditional method.  We harvest a bit early to avoid the olive fruit fly hatch.  So don't delay if you want to process some olives.

    Apple season is officially here with Gala apples.  These are yellow apples with a red blush. They are sweet, juicy and crisp.  The Red delicious are starting to come off the trees.  Ours are fresh, sweet, crisp, and juicy.

    In the area of pears, we are harvesting both European and Asian varieties.  The Bartlett pears are loosing their green color and turning a delicious yellow with smooth texture and sweetness.  The Asian pears we have are 20th Century, New Century, and Yoi.

    People are asking about Jujube.  They are getting some color now.  They should be available by the last week of September.

    Summer gardens are slowing down. I definitely see a decrease in the size and quality of tomatoes.  This happens near the end of the growing season.  Tomatoes may be smaller and uglier but they still possess that standout flavor that we crave.  The summer squash plants are tired.  Now and then we still get a few zucchini or yellow squash. Beans, cucumbers, and eggplant are still giving us a good production.

    The winter squashes are showing their colors.  They are ready for your roasting, steaming  and stewing along with seasoning of your choice.  We currently have Butternut, Kabocha,  Delicata and Spaghetti squashes.  WooddRose Garden has added  a new variety called Shark Fin.  It is a green Asian Spaghetti squash.  The noodles inside are clear and resemble the Shark Fin used in Asian soups.

HOURS:

Tues through Sat  10:00 am to 6 pm 

Sunday  11:00 am to 5:00 pm

CLOSED ON MONDAYS 

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

Hoshigaki:  Currently sold out. These are whole dried persimmons.  They were hand massaged while they dried over a period of four to eight weeks.  Some are firm, others are soft and moist.  All are coated with naturally formed white persimmon sugar.  No sugar added and no preservatives used.  Hoshigaki processed in 2022 have sold out.  We normally begin peeling persimmons in October.  The early hoshigaki may be available in November. You may contact us for on-farm pick-up orders.  Look for the mail order form online in October. Mail order shipments do not usually begin until December.

Plums:  Empress :  A freestone, yellow-fleshed European plum with blue/purple skin.   They are sweet and meaty. Used for cooking, baking preserving and eating fresh.

Apples:  

        Gala: Sweet, crisp and juicy with a floral aroma.

        Red Delicious:  mild sweet, firm-crisp with a pleasant flavor and texture.

Grapes:  

    Kyoho:  Very sweet large purple grapes with concord-like flavor. Seeded.  

     Red Purlett :  seedless, sweet, red grapes. 

    Thompson Seedless:  yellow green grapes that are tart or intensely sweet.

Asian Pears:  

    20th Century:  Yellow, round pear known for being sweet, tender, crisp, and juicy. Great for snacking or adding to salads.

    New Century:  Large, round, sweet pear with sturdy texture. Great for snacking or adding to salads.  It has yellow skin and white flesh.

    Yoi:   This is a brown-skinned, fine-textured, crisp, sweet and juicy pear. The flavor has a hint of butterscotch.

Figs:  

    Black Misson:  Very popular variety with mild sweetness. When ripe it is moist yet chewy with rich flavor.

    Panache:  Green striped fig often referred to as Tiger Stripe.  Sweet, fragrant fig with a hint of raspberry.

    Brown Turkey:  Brown fig with shades of green and yellow.  When ripe, this fig is soft, sweet and jammy.

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

⚘ Calendula  Salve and Lip Balm:   Supply is low for the moment.

Tomatoes:   Slicing, salad and colorful tomatoes.  All vine ripened and full of flavor.  This late in the season, sizes and quality are declining but the flavor is still there.

Cherry Tomatoes:

    Sungold, Sweet 100,  Black Cherry, Napa Rose, Rosalita, Yellow Pear.  Limited supply.

Chili Peppers:   Aji Amareto, Buena Mulata, Jalapenos, and Shishito---All limited supply.

Cucumbers:  

    Japanese cucumbers are thin skinned, crisp, seedless and sweet.

    Armenian cucumbers are firm, and crisp.

Japanese Eggplant:  These have a long shape with thin skin.  It has tender flesh with delicate flavor and few seeds.

Sweet Peppers: Green, yellow and purple varieties.

Okra: When we pay attention, we harvest tender pods.

Long Beans:  Similar in taste to green beans.   Texture is more tender.

Winter Squash:   Delicata:  This is a cylindrical green or orange striped squash.  It  has sweet, creamy flesh and edible skin.  It can be roasted, steamed, baked, microwaved, sauteed or stuffed.  The seeds are edible when toasted.

Olives: Manzanilla olives are meaty with a slight nutty flavor when processed. These are raw green olives and must be processed by your traditional method.  We harvest a bit early to avoid the olive fruit fly hatch.  So don't delay if you want to process these olives.

Here is what we have from other producers:

WoodRose Country Garden  in Granite Bay, organic practices:

    Summer squash, eggplant, okra, carrots, beans, colorful bell peppers, potatoes, and colorful Bell peppers.

    Seasoning:  basil, rosemary, oregano, thyme, fresh garlic

    Tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, and cherry tomatoes. Sun-dried San Marzano tomatoes.

    Winter squash:  Butternut, Spaghetti, and Shark Fin (Asian spaghetti squash)

    Grapes:  Red Flame grapes are a crisp, grape with skin color from deep red to dark purple.  It is sweet and seedless.

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

Sunnyslope Farm in Granite Bay, Conventional practices:  Tra Zee peaches.  These are large, tree ripened, juicy, sweet peaches. They are a yellow freestone peach with dark red skin and a firm texture. They are the last variety of the season. We have a limited supply.

La Bella Vito Farm in Loomis is bringing us fresh🥚 eggs from pastured 🐔🐔chickens. Production is low.  As days get shorter the chickens go through molting. This is the process of loosing old feathers and regrowing new feathers.  During this period, egg laying decreases and chickens concentrate on storing nutrients for the next season.

Kijani Farm in Granite Bay, organic practices:

    Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes

     Red Russian Kale, Dino Kale, Curly Kale, and Swiss Chard.

     Kaboch, Japanese winter squash (pumpkin).  Butternut winter squash

Lupi Farm in Granite Bay, no spray:    Black Mission Figs :  Black skinned, sweet, chewy flesh.

Mihara Farm  conventional farming in Newcastle, CA:  Kiwi from Mihara Farm.