PEACHES, PLUMS, AND TOMATOES

 We are experiencing the heat and heart  of summer.  We are busy on the farm trying to keep up with the harvest and preparing it for sale.  A great deal  of produce this year is going to the food bank and other programs.  The fruit is on the smaller side due to the heavy crop.  The larger pieces are generally sold at the farm stand and the smaller  but still tasty  ones go for donations.  The really ugly and very small ones usually end up feeding animals.  

There are so many varieties of plums to offer.  Red fleshed plums are:  Burgundy, Frontier, Elephant Heart, and Mariposa.  Yellow fleshed plums are:  Santa Rosa, Laroda, Kelsey, and Red Roy.  Each one has it's own flavor, texture and aroma.  Hope you will find one that pleases your pallet.

Pluots are also coming on.  There are Dapple Dandy, Flavor Queen, and FlavorGrenade.  These are crosses between a plum and an apricot. 

More varieties of peaches are maturing.  Currently harvesting Gene Elberta, Silver Logan, Bowen, Sugar Lady, Fay Elberta, Loring and 49er. 

The gardens are producing tomatoes, okra, peppers, eggplant, tomatillos, long beans, squash, and cucumbers. Some of the plants are suffering from the high heat which decreases its production and vitality.

REGULAR HOURS

Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm

            Sunday: 11:00 to 5:00

Closed on Mondays

 

 

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

Plums:  

     Santa Rosa: Sweet, and juicy. One of the all time  most   popular  varieties.  They are very flavorful and fragrant.   Don't miss out.

    Burgundy:  Soft or firm sweet plums with pleasing mild red flesh and non tart skin.

Frontier:  Dark skin with reddish flesh.  Sweet and juicy when ripe and non tart skin.

Laroda:  Dark skin with yellow flesh.  Sweet and juicy with mild tartness.  Good flavor.

Elephant Heart:  Mottled skin with reddish flesh. Juicy and sweet.

Mariposa:  Mottled skin with red and white flesh.  Juicy and sweet. Tip tends to get very juicy before rest of the plum gets soft.  Great flavor and texture.

Kelsey:  Some like it hard and some like it with a little give.  This is a green skinned plum with yellow flesh.  It is surprisingly sweet.

 Peaches:

    Gene Elberta:  Yellow freestone peach.  Juicy and sweet with great flavor and texture.

    Silver Logan:  White freestone peach.  Sweet, juicy, with mild tang.

     Sugar Lady:   White fleshed peach with dark skin.  Mild flavor but sweet.

     Babcock:  White freestone peach.  Can be enjoyed hard or soft.  Sweet with distinct pleasing flavor. 

     Bowen:   Not a freestone.  This is a cling peach.  The flesh is firm and sticks to the pit.  Eat out of hand or carve the flesh off the pit.  When cooked or added to salads it will retain its firmness. Sweet and less juicy than freestone peaches.

Blackberries: These are wild blackberries hand picked by our experienced harvester.  They are sweet and tasty.   Due to the heat this summer their season may be shorter than usual.

Figs:  Black Mission, Brown Turkey and Panache.

Grapes: 

        Kyoho grapes are dark skinned seeded grapes with intense flavor.

        Thompson Seedless :  Small yellow seedless sweet grapes.

Hoshigaki:  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. We strive to make the best hoshigaki without any shortcuts.  This takes time and attention during the drying season. The hoshigaki is available in the farm stand. You may drop in for on farm pick up.  Contact us for large on-farm pick-up orders. (916) 791-1656 or email at otowochard@yahoo.com.  Mail orders may restart when the weather cools.

Valencia Oranges:  These oranges have thin skin and high juice content. Used for  juicing or fresh eating.  Slice them in half and cut them into smiles.😋

Persimmon:  Frozen Hachiya persimmon pulp.

Summer Squash:  Green and yellow zucchini. Very fresh and easy to cook. (limited supply)

Japanese cucumbers:  Seedless and tender. So crisp and refreshing as  a snack on a warm summer day.We love the flavor of these cucumbers and are always sad when they are gone.  

Tomatoes:  Red, yellow, golden and striped.

Sungold cherry tomatoes:  Sweet orange cherry tomatoes.  Fruity flavor. The most popular cherry tomato at our farm for years. 

Sweet peppers:  Limited Supply

Chili peppers: Limited Supply

Japanese eggplant:  Limited Supply

Okra:  Okra loves the heat of the summer. Green tender pods.

Basil:  Fresh from our garden.

Red or Green Shiso leaves:  Beefsteak herb. Japaneses aromatic herb used in salads, soups and on noodles. Can be paired with sashimi. Red shiso is used in preparing umeboshi.

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

⚘ Calendula  Salve and Lip Balm:  Wonderfully thick salve for healing dry skin, bug bites and scrapes.

Here is what we have from other producers:

Mihara Farm in Newcastle, conventional practices:

    Ruby Red Garapefruit: Pink fleshed grapefruit 

     Kiwi

Sunnyslope Farm in Granite Bay, conventional practices:

      Suncrest peaches:  Yellow freestone peaches with streaks of red flesh. Sweet and juicy.

Lupi Farm in Granite Bay. No spray practices.

         Black Mission Figs: Sweet and flavorful.

         Black and yellow seedless grapes:  sweet and juicy.

WoodRose Country Garden in Granite Bay, organic practices:

    White Onions and Garlic

Kijani Farm in Granite Bay, organic practices:  red cherry tomatoes (Limited Supply).

La Bella Vito Farm in Loomis is bringing us fresh🥚 eggs from pastured 🐔🐔chickens.  Limited supply.