The farm stand will be closed on Christmas Day. Hope all of you will have time to enjoy the season. 🎅🤶 I am looking forward to it.
Leaves have dropped from most of the trees. We can see bare limbs and persimmon trees with left over fruit. That fruit will soften and hungry birds and animals will come for a winter feast. My grandfather, Kichitaro Kawano, said, "Always leave some for the birds." On the trees are badly sun damaged, and small Hachiya persimmons. Also there are many brown fleshed persimmons that might remain astringent till very soft.
In the farm stand we still have a full palate of persimmons to offer. The Fuyu are finishing their extra long harvest season this year. The remaining ones are more sweet and juicy than earlier in the season. They are also getting more soft and peach-like in texture. Some people are waiting for these softer Fuyu, others are missing the crisp yellow Fuyu. We have Hachiya and Gyombo that need to soften to be enjoyed. Some are just starting to feel soft. They are taking their time. Maru, the brown fleshed persimmon, is available. For a special treat, many customers are buying the Vodka treated persimmons, which are very sweet and smooth.
It is unusual to be peeling persimmons for hoshigaki in December. This is an unusual year. On December 14th, we peeled our last ones (I think). That means the tending of hoshigaki will go on till mid to late January. The start of our season was slow and the finishing of product is delayed. We are starting to ship out mail order preorders and fill some orders to pick up at the farm. It is still too early to know if we will have extra to fill any orders on the waiting list, but I am hopeful. Please keep an eye on this blog to get updates on hoshigaki. Meanwhile I encourage people that want hoshigaki to ask to be placed on our waiting list. Email us at : otoworchard@yahoo.com
REGULAR HOURS
Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Sunday: 11:00 to 5:00
Closed on Mondays
Closed on Wed. Dec. 25 for Christmas.
🎄 🎄 🎅🤶 🎄 🎄
Here is what we have at the Farm Stand from Otow Orchard.
Persimmon: 
Hachiya persimmon with a mind of its own.
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.
Gyombo,
(Giombo) : Similar to Hachiya. These can not be eaten when hard. They
become soft and very sweet with time. More liquid y but sweeter than
Hachiya persimmons. More mild flavor.
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. This late in the season, they are getting soft and juicy with peach-like texture.
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. (Limited supply.)
Vodka persimmon: A special treated persimmon. These were astringent until treated with Vodka to make them sweet and smooth. Many are enjoying these specialty persimmons. They can be eaten hard or soft and can be brown or yellow fleshed.
Pomegranates:
White Pomegranates: Light skinned with pink arils. Sweet with small core.
Red Wonderful Pomegranates: Traditional pomegranates with sweet tart, deep red arils.
Ambrosia Pomegranates: Pink skinned with pink arils. Sweet tart arils. (Limited supply.)
Apples:
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.
Asian Pears: Asian pears should be enjoyed while firm and crisp like an apple.
Okusankichi: Large brown Asian pear. Crisp and juicy. This is a
winter keeper and is not as sweet as the earlier varieties. Very
refreshing. Thick skin with course white flesh. Flavor improves with
storage.
Winter Squash:
Acorn: Green or orange skin with longitudinal ridges. It has sweet yellow orange flesh inside.
Chili peppers: Aji Amarillos, Jalapeno, and Buena Mulata.
⚘ Calendula Salve and Lip Balm: Wonderfully thick salve for healing dry skin, bug bites and scrapes. Currently unavailable.
Here is what we have from other producers:
Pleasant Hill Farm in Lincoln, no spray.
Satsuma Mandarins:
Easy to peel, sweet mandarins from the foothills of Placer County. You
will find both the regular yellow orange skinned variety and the
reddish orange skinned mandarins. The yellow ones are citrus y
sweet/tart and full of juice. The red ones are more mild with less
tartness.
Tudsbury Orchard in Loomis.
Satsuma Mandarins: Easy to peel, sweet mandarins from the foothills of Placer County. These are the traditional mandarins that are so popular from Placer County. They are sweet/tart, juicy and refreshing.
Lupi Farm in Granite Bay, no spray: Meyer Lemons: These sought after lemons are less acidic than regular lemons. They have a thin peel often used for its fragrant zest. Meyer are rounder than regular lemons with a dark yellow skin.
La Bella Vito Farm in Loomis is bringing us fresh🥚 eggs from pastured 🐔🐔chickens. Limited supply.
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