HAIL STORM

Winter Hours:

Closed Sundays and Mondays.

Open Tues,Wed and Thurs only two hours 11:30 to 1:30

Open Fri and Sat:   10 am to 6 pm

    Please note, we will be closed on Sundays and Mondays till mid May.  We are open Friday and Saturday and have abbreviated hours on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.   Sorry for the inconvenience.  You are welcome to call me for special hours at (916) 300-0720, or (916) 791-1656.

 

March 17, 2025.  Little pea sized kernals of ice.  A blast of rain drops and with it came the hail.  I doubt many fruit or leaves that were exposed  got away undamaged.  Fortunately it is still early in the season and many trees have not yet put out leaves or tiny fruit.  The ume crop however was on its way to being big enough to thin off the less desirable fruitlets. The plums that had already set were so small that the hail probably just knocked them off the tree.  The peaches are just at the beginning stages of bloom so only a few fruits were formed.  We will see how much is left to harvest.  So this is farming.  Not much we can do about the weather.  I'm hoping that we can avoid more hail events going forward.  But, we are not in charge.

On the brighter side lets talk about eggs.   Our chicken farmer, La Bella Vito Farm in Loomis, is feeling the effects of longer days. The older hens are producing more regularly.  The young ones are starting to lay small eggs.  With the shortage of eggs, we are happy to get even these smaller eggs to sell.  Supply is still limited, please call during open hours if you want to reserve eggs (916) 791-1656.

Stoney Point Orchard in Loomis has delivered its last picking of certified organic Tango mandarins.  Now the trees are empty till next season.  The supply is very limited and will be sold out quickly.  Stoney Point also delivered Rio Red grapefruit and Navel oranges. These are juicy, sweet and tasty.

Our orchard is waking up.  We see blossoms and green leaves pushing out of their winter shell. The weeds are flourishing and will soon add different colors to our green carpet.  Yellow, purple and white mustard as well as golden poppies.  A week ago I spotted some beneficial insects: lady beetles (ladybugs) and lacewing. I'm happy to see them since we use them to keep pest populations low. This is important since we do not use sprays. Under ground the gophers are waking up. Tree roots and vegetable roots are at risk from these hungry rodents.  Many homeowners despise coyotes but I am happy to see a few patrolling the farm.

 

 

 

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

 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.  Hoshigaki are now available in the farm stand.  Contact us for large on-farm pick-up orders. (916) 791-1656 or email at otowochard@yahoo.com.  For mail orders please use our 2024 mail order form. 

 Hoshigaki strips:  These are pieces of hoshigaki sliced for easy snacking.

 Hachiya Pulp:  Frozen Hachiya persimmon pulp is available. Often used to make cookies, puddings and breads.  Many customers put it on yogurt and oatmeal  or add it to their smoothie.

Eureka Lemons:  These are very tart lemons. Great for contrast in sweet and sour recipes like:  lemonade, lemon meringue pie, sweet and sour pork, and lemon bars.

Yellow grapefruit:  Sweet tart grapefruit with yellow flesh.  This variety has great flavor.

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

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

Peach trees:  These are bare root peach trees.  They should be planted in the next few weeks.

Here is what we have from other producers:

Pleasant Hill Farm in Lincoln, no spray.

    Navel Oranges:  Sweet and juicy, orange fleshed oranges.

    

Stoney Point Orchard,  Loomis, CA organic certified:

    

    Meyer Lemons:  These lemons have dark yellow skin and are less acidic than regular lemons.  Known for their flavor and fragrance.

  Skin is thin and is often used for its fragrant zest.

    Rio Red Grapefruit:   Juicy and sweet with a bit of tartness. Flesh is pink.

    Navel Oranges:  An orange is an orange.  Sweet juicy oranges.

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

 

The California Persimmon Recipe Book:  Introduction to basic persimmon knowledge followed by recipes for the different types of persimmons.

This Lady Beetle has only a few spots because it just emerged from its pupal state.

FRUIT TREES FOR SALE

     Now is the time to plant bare root peach trees.  We have selected old time, flavorful varieties that are sweet, and juicy. Our summertime customers keep asking for them after the trees are empty. 

      Springcrest:  Yellow freestone peach. Early June harvest. Good flavor for an early season peach.  Sweet.  Self- fruitful. 

      Summerset:  Yellow freestone peach. Mid-August, late season peach. Sweet, juicy, melting flesh. Self- fruitful. 

     Gene Elberta:  Yellow freestone peach.   Mid to late July. Great flavor, sweet and juicy. Self- fruitful. 

     O'Henry:  Yellow freestone peach.  Early August. Great flavor. Sweet,  juicy, firm flesh.  Self- fruitful. 

      Fay Elberta:  Yellow freestone peach. Late July.  Melting, sweet, juicy flesh. Great flavor.  Self- fruitful. 

      Suncerest:  Yellow freestone peach.   Late July.  Red and yellow flesh.  Great flavor, sweet and juicy. Self- fruitful. 

      Regina:  Yellow freestone peach. Late June. Sweet and juicy. Self- fruitful. 

      We are happy to give planting directions if needed. 

         Although our winter hours are limited,  we have a good supply of seasonal fruit.  It is still citrus season. We have mandarins,  oranges, lemons, and grapefruit. 

    We are just about finished putting hoshigaki away in storage.  There are a few more boxes to knead and sort.  We are finding that many of these last of the season hoshigaki had a hard time drying.  Some got hard too fast, others never seemed to dry. Some have less sugar than we expected.  Many of these pieces will be cut into strips of hoshigaki for snack bags.  They make a nice sweet treat.  Gradually, we will be taking Hoshigaki out of storage to sell at the farm stand or through mail orders.  Hoshigaki is available in the farm stand and through mail order. Please contact us for large on-farm pick up orders.  For mail orders, please use our  2024   mail order form. 

    We are starting to prepare for our summer vegetable garden. We are excited that our tomato seeds successfully germinated.  Now we must watch and water them carefully for the next month.  Meanwhile we will be deciding where to plant them and start forming beds for the plants.  When the soil warms up we will directly seed summer squash and cucumbers.

 

     The orchard is starting to blossom. The workers are pruning peaches and plum trees between the rain storms.  They will also be cleaning up the brush, cutting suckers,  planting trees,  and cleaning the weeds around the base of the young trees. Ume have finished blooming and we can see tiny fruit on some of the trees.

   Please note, we will be closed on Sundays and Mondays till mid May.  We are open Friday and Saturday and have abbreviated hours on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.   Sorry for the inconvenience.  You are welcome to call me for special hours at (916) 300-0720, or (916) 791-1656. 

 

Closed Sundays and Mondays.

Open Tues,Wed and Thurs only two hours 11:30 to 1:30

Open Fri and Sat:   10am to 6pm

 

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

 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.  Hoshigaki are now available in the farm stand.  Contact us for large on-farm pick-up orders. (916) 791-1656 or email at otowochard@yahoo.com.  For mail orders please use our mail order form. 

 Hoshigaki strips:  These are pieces of hoshigaki sliced for easy snacking.

 Hachiya Pulp:  Frozen Hachiya persimmon pulp is available. Often used to make cookies, puddings and breads.  Many customers put it on yogurt and oatmeal  or add it to their smoothie.

Navel Oranges:  fresh, sweet and juicy oranges.

Eureka Lemons:  These are very tart lemons. Great for contrast in sweet and sour recipes like:  lemonade, lemon meringue pie, sweet and sour pork, and lemon bars.

 Kiwi:   Brown fuzzy skin.  Sweet, tart fruit. Green flesh with tiny black seeds. (Limited supply).

Yellow grapefruit:  Sweet tart grapefruit with yellow flesh.  This variety has great flavor.

Blood oranges: Sweet tart oranges that have deep red flesh.

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

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

Peach trees:  These are bare root peach trees.  They should be planted in the next few weeks.  See list above.

Here is what we have from other producers:

Pleasant Hill Farm in Lincoln, no spray.

    Navel Oranges:  Sweet and juicy, orange fleshed oranges.

    

Stoney Point Orchard,  Loomis, CA organic certified:

    Tango mandarin:  Sweet, tender mandarins. Thin tight skin.

    Blood oranges:  Sweet oranges with red flesh. 

    Meyer Lemons:  These lemons have dark yellow skin and are less acidic than regular lemons.  Known for their flavor and fragrance.  Skin is thin and is often used for its fragrant zest.

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

 

The California Persimmon Recipe Book:  Introduction to basic persimmon knowledge followed by recipes for the different types of persimmons.

 

SLOW SEASON HOURS

    What does slow season look like on the farm at the beginning of February?   No fresh persimmons, apples, peaches, plums, tomatoes or squash.  We are dreaming of the next crop of these.  Branches are bare with no leaves or fruit.  Vegetable seeds are still hiding in their little seed packets waiting for soil and moisture. workers are pruning branches, cleaning up last year's summer gardens, and the tractor is tilling the soil and adding decomposed horse manure to the orchard and gardens. 

 

     Slow Season is citrus season.  We have mandarins. lemons, and oranges.  Satsuma mandarins from Otow Orchard have sold out but we have a supply from Mihara Farm in Lincoln.  Pleasant Hill Farm in Lincoln brought us Navel and Cara Cara Oranges.  Lupi Farm in Granite Bay is supplying us with beautiful fragrant Meyer Lemons. Our own orchard is supplying us with Clementine mandarins and  Navel oranges.  In a few weeks we will be getting pink grapefruit.

    The Kiwi vine is slowly giving us a small harvest.  We would like the kiwi to be vine ripened but frost may dictate the harvest. Wait and see.

    We received a shipment of  bare root fruit trees for planting.  We have selected our favorite varieties to replant bare spots in the orchard.  Since we had to order more than we need we are making trees available for sale here at the orchard. We have peaches, plums, apples, mulberries, apricots, and ume.

    It may be February but the hoshigaki we peeled in December is still being processed. They are finished drying but we are giving them another massage and sorting them by texture and quality. Hoshigaki is available in the farm stand and through mail order. Please contact us for large on-farm pick up orders.  For mail orders, please use our mail order form. 

   Please note, we will be closed on Sundays and Mondays till mid May.  We are open Friday and Saturday and have abbreviated hours on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.   Sorry for the inconvenience.  You are welcome to call me for special hours at (916) 300-0720, or (916) 791-1656. 

 

Closed Sundays and Mondays.

Open Tues,Wed and Thurs only two hours 11:30 to 1:30

Open Fri and Sat:   10am to 6pm

 

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

 Persimmn Pulp:  Frozen Hachiya persimmon pulp is available. Often used to make cookies, puddings and breads.  Many customers put it on yogurt and oatmeal  or add it to their smoothie.

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.

Clementine Mandarins:  Deep orange easy to peel skin, Sweet and juicy.

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.  Hoshigaki are now available in the farm stand.  Contact us for large on-farm pick-up orders. (916) 791-1656 or email at otowochard@yahoo.com.  For mail orders please use our mail order form.

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

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

Here is what we have from other producers:

Pleasant Hill Farm in Lincoln, no spray.

    Navel Oranges:  Sweet and juicy, orange fleshed oranges.

     Cara Cara Oranges:  These oranges are orange on the outside but pinkish orange on the inside. Plus the flesh is sweet and juicy. They are thin skinned and sweeter than navels. 

 

Mihara Farm in Lincoln, Conventional practices.

     Satsuma Mandarins:  Easy to peel, sweet mandarins from the foothills of Placer County. These are are citrus y sweet and full of juice.

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.

 

The California Persimmon Recipe Book:  Introduction to basic persimmon knowledge followed by recipes for the different types of persimmons.

 

MANDARINS AND HOSHIGAKI

    Winter is here and our citrus are starting.  Mandarins are the star of the season.  Sweet, juicy and easy to peel.  We have been selling mandarins from the foothills where they seem to mature earlier than  for us in Granite Bay.  We have started to harvest our trees.  As in past years we wait to  harvest hoping the fruit will be sweeter and more flavorful. The disadvantage is that we run the risk of frost damage.  So far there have been no threats of damaging low temperatures.  😀

    Lupi Farm in Granite Bay is bringing us Meyer Lemons.  Meyer Lemons are a cross between a citron and a mandarin.  They are yellow with a tint of orange in the skin and are sweeter and less acidic than traditional lemons.  The skin is fragrant and the zest often used  to flavor special dishes. I use them in desserts and to brighten salad dressings.  I also add juice to soups and stews and of course in a cup of sweetened tea.

    Pleasant Hill Farm in Lincoln just delivered boxes of CaraCara oranges. These oranges are orange on the outside but pinkish orange on the inside. Plus the flesh is sweet and juicy. They are thin skinned and sweeter than navals.

    I hesitate to announce this too early but modified hours are coming. These hours will apply for the months of February, March, April and most of May.  

            Closed Sundays and Mondays.

            Open Tues, Wed and Thurs only two hours 11:30 to  1:30

            Open Fri and Sat:   10am to 6pm

During these slow months we normally sell oranges, grapefruit, lemons, honey, hoshigaki and kiwi.

    Persimmon harvest is over.  We continue to have persimmons to sell at the farm stand.  The Fuyu are getting sweeter but admittedly  more tender. We have more sweet, soft Hachiyas than hard ones. Some customers are freezing the pulp in zip top bags for winter smoothies and for baking.  The brown flesh persimmons and the Vodka persimmons have sold out for now.

    Hoshigaki processing is still keeping us busy.  Although we have no fresh Hachiya to peel, there is still a lot of massaging and handling going on in the finishing stage of making hoshigaki.  We seem to have gotten a late start so the season has dragged on into January and maybe February.  We are caught up on the hoshigaki pre orders and are accepting new orders. For mail orders use our  mail order form.  For large on farm pick up orders call (916) 791-1656 or email at :  otoworchard@yahoo.com

    Just when I thought  I could see the end of hoshigaki work I spied this pile of strings. Loops of strings with a a stem attached to each end.  I'll be using my spare time for the next few months removing each stem before washing the strings to get them ready for the next season of Hoshigaki processing.  Thanks to my sister-in-law, I only have to clean half of them.

    

 

 

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.

    Mandarins:  Satsuma.  Small mandarins that are sweet, juicy, and easy to peel. Great for snacking and getting your vitamin C. 

 

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. However, it is late in the season so they are sweet, soft and juicy with peach like texture.

 

 

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.

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.  Hoshigaki are now available in the farm stand.  Contact us for large on-farm pick-up orders. (916) 791-1656 or email at otowochard@yahoo.com.  For mail orders please use our mail order form.

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

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

Here is what we have from other producers:

Pleasant Hill Farm in Lincoln, no spray.

     Cara Cara Oranges:  These oranges are orange on the outside but pinkish orange on the inside. Plus the flesh is sweet and juicy. They are thin skinned and sweeter than navels.

Mihara Farm in Lincoln, Conventional practices.

     Satsuma Mandarins:  Easy to peel, sweet mandarins from the foothills of Placer County. These are are citrus y sweet/tart and full of juice.

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.

 

The California Persimmon Recipe Book:  Introduction to basic persimmon knowledge followed by recipes for the different types of persimmons.

 

 Most of our fruits trees are bare.The first to blossom for the spring are the ume trees.  When I walked to the ume trees I can smell the gentle fragrance of the blossoms and hear the humming of busy bees.