FALL IS HERE

Blessings received.  Thank you for the comfortable weather. We are enjoying it. The plants are also reacting to this change in weather.  The summer garden is slowing down.  The cucumber plants look half dead with their aphid infestation drying the leaves.  The job of aphids is to suck juices  out of leaves.  Close inspection of the leaves reveals little black and orange insects. These are the larvae of lady beetles feasting on aphids. This is why lady bugs are a beneficial insect. As their population increases, we are increasing the population of lady beetles that will be around in the spring when the next season begins. Like beneficial pest insurance. 

Trees are also reacting to the cooler weather and shorter days.   Soon leaves will be changing colors and fall fruit will start to ripen.  We are watching persimmons, apples, quince, and pomegranates.   

As I write this, peaches are disappearing from the farm stand.  The peach trees are empty.  It will be May or June 2025 before those trees can produce ripened peaches again. Sad for many who have enjoyed the peach production this year.  Let's hope the next will be as generous.

A walk in the orchard last week found puncture vines. These plants have been a thorn in our side for all time.  We have only been able to keep them under control by kneeling down on the ground and hand digging and pulling each plant out of the ground. Then carefully and lightly placing a palm down on the earth where the plant was removed. I feel the stings of thorns piercing my palm.  When I lift my hand I remove the seeds that are clinging to my palm.  The seeds and all the vine material I have removed go into a plastic bag and are disposed of in the trash.  We have to keep on top of puncture vine growth.  It is an aggressive weed pest.

We are getting a selection of winter squashes.  Mostly Kabocha the Japanese pumpkin, and also butternut and acorn squash. These can be roasted, steamed, baked or added to soup, stew or baked goods. I often season with a sweetener, they can also be seasoned with herbs, garlic and butter or olive oil. A very versatile vegetable.

 

As a reminder, We will have shortened hours Thursday Sept 26 through Tuesday Oct. 1.                     

                                          Thurs Sept 26:  10 am to 2 pm

                                           Friday Sept 27:  10 am to 2 pm

                                           Sat Sept 28:  10 am to 2 pm

                                           Sun Sept 29:   11am to 4 pm

                                           Mon Sept 30:  Closed

                                           Tues Oct 1:    10 am to 2 pm

                                            Wed Oct 2:  Resume regular hours

Puncture vine

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: 

 Casselman:  Last plum of the year for our orchard. Yellow flesh, sweet crisp plum variety with great flavor and texture.

 

Grapes: 

        Thompson Seedless :  Small, yellow, seedless grapes.  Crisp and very sweet.

Jujube:  Also called Chinese dates and natsume.  They are a small, oval shaped drupe with a date like seed. Enjoyed when crisp green to brown and even wrinkled and chewy. They are sweet with apple-like texture but not as juicy as apples.

Apples: 

Red Delicious:  Sweet mild flavor. Popular for its red color.  Unfortunately, due to the high heat, most of our Red Delicious apples are striped red this year.  Nonetheless they are sweet, tender and crisp.  Usually eaten out of hand or cooked.

Golden Delicious:  Sweet mild flavor with yellowish skin. Great for cooking, adding to salads and fresh eating. 

Granny Smith:  Light green skin over white flesh.  Sweet, tart, and crisp.  Great for cooking and baking.  It retains its shape.  Also enjoyed eaten out of hand. 

Asian Pears:  Asian pears should be enjoyed while firm and crisp like an apple.

        Shinko:  Firm, sweet and crisp pear.  Brown skin with outstanding flavor and floral fragrance. Eat out of hand or slice and add to salads.  Good for storage.

         Yoi:  Firm, sweet, light brown-skinned Asian pear with a background of butterscotch.  Enjoy when crisp. Not recommended for storage.

        20th Century:  Firm, thin skinned yellow Asian pear. Very popular for its refreshing juice and light crisp texture. It has a mild flavor and keeps well. Eat out of hand or add to salad.

         Yali:  Pear-shaped, firm Asian pear.  Smooth-skinned with fine sweet-tart flavor similar to anise and spice. Very juicy and fragrant. Attractive delicate appearance. 

        Olympic:  Large, sweet, brown pear. Heavy and dense.

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.

Persimmon: 

  Frozen Hachiya persimmon pulp.

      Coffee Cake, Nishimura Wase:  These look like Fuyu persimmons but are astringent unless pollinated. Only when pollinated do they become brown and sweet.  We try to display only the sweet ones 😋but may occasionally miss.  😝. 

Winter Squash: 

     Kaboch:   This winter squash is a popular Japanese pumpkin. It has a hard dark green skin with a thick deep yellow or orange flesh.  Sweet and nutty flavor.  Great for steaming, roasting, baking, stuffing and adding to soup and stews. 

          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.

Lady Beetle larvae.

         Butternut:   One of the most popular winter squashes because of its generous flesh.  The seeds are contained in the bulbous end and the neck is all flesh.   It has a sweet nutty flavor.  It can be roasted, steamed, baked  and chopped into soups, stews, casseroles and curries.  Flavor a can be savory or sweetened with syrup and butter.  

Acorn: Green or orange skin with longitudinal ridges.  It has sweet yellow orange flesh inside.   

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.  (Limited supply.)

Chili peppers: Aji Amarillos, Jalapeno, Buena Mulata. 

Sweet peppers: Green, orange, and purple sweet peppers. (Limited supply.)

Japanese eggplant:  Limited Supply

Basil:  Fresh from our garden.

Blue Lake green beans: Crisp, stringless green beans with mild flavor.  Great for fresh eating, freezing and cooking

Long beans: Tender green beans that happen to be 6" to 15" long. Cut to your desired length.  Uses as any other green bean.  Great seasoned with sesame oil.

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:

WoodRose Country Garden in Granite Bay, organic practices:

        White Onions and Garlic (Limited supply.)

        Sweet Bell peppers (Limited supply.) 

       

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

TIME FOR JUJUBE

 Somehow summer is slipping away.  The trees know this and they are getting ready to switch gears from summer to fall.  Our stone fruit harvest is dwindling with fewer and fewer peaches and plums to display.  Coming in are a few  pears, Asian pears, jujube and grapes.

The jujube trees are loaded.  We will be harvesting all of them in the next 2 to 3 weeks.  Sugar Cane, the small, shiny, round variety, is about finished.  We are beginning to harvest the Li variety.  Li is a large (about 1 inch diameter) oblong jujube .  Like other jujube it has the texture of an apple but not as juicy.  It is sweet and crisp when  firm and as  it wrinkles and gets older it becomes sweeter and more chewy.  The internet suggests that jujube are good for many health conditions.  Often thought of as helpful for anxiety and insomnia as well as improving digestion and general health.

The O'Henry peaches and Rio Oso Gem peaches came and went so fast.  The last 3 varieties are not be as promising as earlier ones.  We are starting Summerset peaches and soon there will be a few Fairtime and Late Alamar peaches.  Sunnyslope Farm is bringing us  Trazee freestone peaches.  Large, sweet and juicy. 

We have offered our customers a large array of plum choices this year.  Still on our table are Laroda, Elephant Heart, Late Santa Rosa, Eldordo, and Casselman.  Elephant Heart plums are sweet with red flesh.  The others are sweet with yellow flesh.

The Asian pear harvest is starting.  There are a few brown skinned pears:  Hosui, Shinko, and Yoi.  The 20th Century yellow pear is also available.  All are crisp, juicy, and sweet. Great for snacks and lunches. 

We have stored away the bartlett pears in the cool room to encourage even  ripening.  We will soon bring them out for the display.

 Fig production is slowing.  We are harvesting Panache figs. These figs are so sweet and moist. They usually sell out within a day.  The other figs, Brown Turkey and Black Mission are trickling in, not many of these varieties left.

The first persimmons are getting ready.  A walk through the orchard reveals green persimmons taking on a muted orange color.  We have a few Coffee Cake (Nishimura Wase) persimmons in the farm stand.  These look like Fuyu persimmons but are astringent unless pollinated. Only when pollinated do they become brown and sweet.  We try to display only the sweet ones 😋but may occasionally miss.  😝.  

Winter squash is making its debut.  There are delicata, kabocha and butternut squashes.  Time for roasting, baking, steaming, microwaving and making soups and stews.

*Please note:  The farm stand will have shortened hours at the end of September.                        

                                          Thurs Sept 26:  10 am to 2 pm

                                           Friday Sept 27:  10 am to 2 pm

                                           Sat Sept 28:  10 am to 2 pm

                                           Sun Sept 29:   11am to 4 pm

                                           Mon Sept 30:  Closed

                                           Tues Oct 1:    10 am to 2 pm

                                            Wed Oct 2:  Resume regular hours

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: 

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

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

Late Santa Rosa:  LSR. Yellow flesh, sweet/tart, crisp plum variety. Santa Rosa in name only so I call it LSR. Enjoyable. 

Casselman:  Yellow flesh, sweet/tart, crisp plum variety with great flavor and texture.

Eldorado:  Small and sweet.  These small plums are sweet when hard or soft.  Dark skin over golden flesh. Freestone.

 Peaches:

      Summerset:  Sweet/tart yellow freestone peach.  Small in size and firm in texture.  One of the last varieties of the season.

       Soon to be harvested: Fairtime and Late Alamar yellow freestones.

Figs:  Black Mission: Sweet, with firm, dark skin.  (Limited supply.)

          Brown Turkey:  Juicy and sweet with green and brown skin. Flavor has melon undertones. (Limited supply.)

          Panache: Also called Tiger Stripe.  Skin is dull green with some striping.  Reddish flesh is juicy and sweet with a berry background. (Limited supply.)

Grapes: 

        Kyoho grapes are dark skinned, seeded grapes with intense flavor.

        Thompson Seedless :  Small, yellow, seedless grapes.  Crisp and very sweet.

Jujube:  Also called Chinese dates and natsume.  They are a small, oval shaped drupe with a date like seed. Enjoyed when crisp green to brown and even wrinkled and chewy. They are sweet with apple-like texture but not as juicy as apples.

Apples:  There are a few Gala apples appearing on our table. Sweet apples with a crunch. Attractive yellow red skin.

Asian Pears:  Asian pears should be enjoyed while firm and crisp like an apple.

        Shinko:  Firm, sweet and crisp pear.  Brown skin with outstanding flavor and floral fragrance. Eat out of hand or slice and add to salads.  Good for storage.

         Yoi:  Firm, sweet, light brown-skinned Asian pear with a background of butterscotch.  Enjoy when crisp. Not recommended for storage.

        20th Century:  Firm, thin skinned yellow Asian pear. Very popular for its refreshing juice and light crisp texture. It has a mild flavor and keeps well. Eat out of hand or add to salad.

         Yali:  Pear-shaped, firm Asian pear.  Smooth-skinned with fine sweet-tart flavor similar to anise and spice. Very juicy and fragrant. Attractive delicate appearance.

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.

Persimmon: 

  Frozen Hachiya persimmon pulp.

      Coffee Cake, Nishimura Wase:  These look like Fuyu persimmons but are astringent unless pollinated. Only when pollinated do they become brown and sweet.  We try to display only the sweet ones 😋but may occasionally miss.  😝. 

Summer Squash:  Limited supply.

Winter Squash: 

     Kaboch:   This winter squash is a popular Japanese pumpkin. It has a hard dark green skin with a thick deep yellow or orange flesh.  Sweet and nutty flavor.  Great for steaming, roasting, baking, stuffing and adding to soup and stews. 

          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.

         Butternut:   One of the most popular winter squashes because of its generous flesh.  The seeds are contained in the bulbous end and the neck is all flesh.   It has a sweet nutty flavor.  It can be roasted, steamed, baked  and chopped into soups, stews, casseroles and curries.  Flavor a can be savory or sweetened with syrup and butter.        

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. (limited supply)

Chili peppers: Aji Amarillos, Jalapeno, Buena Mulata. 

Sweet peppers: Green, orange, and purple sweet peppers. (Limited supply.)

Japanese eggplant:  Limited Supply

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

Basil:  Fresh from our garden.

Blue Lake green beans: Crisp, stringless green beans with mild flavor.  Great for fresh eating, freezing and cooking

Long beans: Tender green beans that happen to be 6" to 15" long. Cut to your desired length.  Uses as any other green bean.  Great seasoned with sesame oil.

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. (Currently not available. Please call for update.))

Here is what we have from other producers:

Sunnyslope Farm in Granite Bay, conventional practices:

      Trazee peaches:  Yellow freestone peaches.  Sweet and juicy.

WoodRose Country Garden in Granite Bay, organic practices:

        White Onions and Garlic

        Sweet Bell peppers

        Arugula:  Fresh greens with distinctive peppery flavor.  Add to your salad, sandwich, pesto and pizza or cook in stir fry or soups.

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.