Fuyu persimmons and Hachiya persimmons are the stars of the season. Fuyu are the always sweet persimmon variety. When eaten firm they have a crunch like an apple. The fruit is now getting larger and sweeter and the color is deepening to orange. Mostly they are eaten out of hand or sliced. Sometimes they are added to salads. The other popular variety is Hachiya. This one remains astringent until very soft, like pudding. It can be sliced or eaten out of hand. People enjoy the moist, soft texture of this sweet juicy fruit. Perhaps this is why it is sometimes referred to as the "Fruit of the Gods".
We are currently harvesting several varieties of brown fleshed persimmons. These persimmons are pollination dependent. That means that when the flowers were blooming in April, bees did or did not successfully pollinate them. If pollinated, seeds formed. Those seeds influence the flesh to turn brown and sweet. If there are three or fewer seeds, the flesh will only be partially brown. It is advised to cut the fruit before eating, then eat the brown portion to avoid eating the astringent, orange flesh. There are Maru, Nagamaru, Chocolate, Tsurunoko, and Hyakume varieties in the farm stand at this time.
Some of the Hyakume persimmons will be treated with Vodka to make them sweet. Those should be available soon. We call them Vodka persimmons.
We have begun to peel and dry the hoshigaki (Japanese dried persimmons). We use mainly the Hachiya persimmon for drying. The warm weather makes them dry a little too fast. We can put them indoors to slow the process and hope to get a more tender product.
There is a good supply of yellow quince available. Quince is an ancient fruit valued for its flavor, fragrance and high pectin content. It is very seldom consumed raw because it is hard, sour and astringent. When cooked, a sweetener is added along with spices. Due to its high pectin content it is great for making jelly, jam, paste, sauce, and dulce de membrillo candy.
Slowly pomegranates are making their way to the farm stand. The early ones are white. The arils are sweet and pink with a small core. These will be followed by pink pomegranates and the tart red pomegranates.
Summer gardens are very tired. We get very little harvest at this time. However, WoodRose Country Garden is bring us sweet peppers and fragrant, spicy arugula.
It's been a few years since we have had a harvest-able crop of olives with minimal olive fruit fly damage. This year might be the year. Almost every year the olive fruit fly visits the developing olive and deposits an egg in the olive. About the time the olive is getting ready for harvest the egg hatches and the olive fruit fly larvae begins to eat the flesh of the olive. This ruins the olive for many people. But I know one customer who says he just turns off the lights when he eats the olives. It's a wait and see situation. If the olives remain clean we will sell raw Manzanillo and Mission olives. To learn how to cure olives it is best to visit several web sites to get advice.
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.
Persimmon:
Hachiya: Popular persimmon. Until soft it is very astringent. Hachiya are tall and pointed like an acorn. These are often used in cookies, breads, and puddings. Many people enjoy just eating them out of hand or pairing them with ice cream, smoothies, or oatmeal. This is also the variety most commonly used to make hoshigaki (Japanese hand dried persimmons). Frozen Hachiya persimmon pulp is also available.
Fuyu: Very popular persimmon. They are always sweet and usually eaten hard like an
apple. Fuyu can also be sliced or added to salads. As we go through the season they get bigger and sweeter and the skin goes from yellow to orange.
Maru: Sweet, round, brown fleshed persimmon. Can be eaten hard and crunchy or when it is softer and sweeter. Only when pollinated do they become brown and sweet. We try to display only the sweet ones 😋but may occasionally miss. 😝.
Nagamaru, Tsurunoko, Chocolate: Three names. Sweet, dark brown fleshed persimmon. It is orange skinned and a tall oblong shape. Can be enjoyed hard or more soft. Only when pollinated do they become brown and sweet. We try to display only the sweet ones 😋but may occasionally miss. 😝. Whether pollinated or not, Nagamaru will be sweet when soft.
Hyakume: This persimmon is often referred to as cinnamon due to its light coloration and speckles in the flesh. Tasty with nice sweet flavor. Only when pollinated do they become brown and sweet. We try to display only the sweet ones 😋but may occasionally miss. 😝. The Hyakume that we suspect are more astringent are treated with vodka to make them sweet. 😋
Pomegranates:
White Pomegranates: Light skinned with pink arils. Sweet with small core.
Apples:
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.
Fuji: Popular apple known for being sweet and crisp. Our Fuji apples range from green and yellow to red and yellow.
Reinette Simerenko: Crisp green apple. Pleasing sweet tart flavor and fragrance.
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.
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. Flesh is dense and has a crunch.
Quince: Firm yellow fruit, always tart, wonderfully aromatic. Used for jam, jelly, candy, and sauce due to its high pectin content. Often added to stews.
Pears: Comice pears are full of sweet, juicy flesh.
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.
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.
Chili peppers: Aji Amarillos, Jalapeno, Buena Mulata.
Tomatillos: Look like a green tomato in a papery husk. Often used in salsa, sauces and soups. Can be sliced into salads.
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:
Sunnyslope Farm in Granite Bay, conventional farming:
Mutsu apples: Green skinned, sweet tart apples. Used for fresh eating and cooking.
Fuji apples: Sweet, crisp and juicy.
WoodRose Country Garden
in Granite Bay, organic practices:
Arugula: spicy aromatic greens (Limited supply.)
Sweet peppers: Green, orange and purple skinned.
Basil: (Limited supply.)
La Bella Vito Farm in Loomis is bringing us fresh🥚 eggs from pastured 🐔🐔chickens. Limited supply.
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