TIME FOR CITRUS

 HOURS

Month of January: 

Tues through Sat     10 am to 4 pm

Sundays                   11 am to 4 pm

Mondays                  CLOSED

February to mid May:

Tues, Wed, and Thurs:  11:30 am to 1:30 pm

 Fri and Sat:  10 am to 6 pm

 Sunday                   CLOSED

 Monday                 CLOSED

 

 

The days are short and the temperature is low.  Somehow the farm stand  display is still full.  Now, finally, we have an abundance of soft Hachiya persimmons.  Customers have been waiting since October! These are now sweet, succulent, tasty Hachiya. They are deep orange with tender skin and so juicy. Great for eating out of their skins or time to bring out a persimmon cookie or pudding recipe.

Fuyu persimmons are still hanging out.  Of course they are not as crisp  as before but sweeter.  While many enjoy the hard crisp Fuyu, there are those of you who like them just as well when they are getting soft.

'Tis the season for citrus.   We have sweet Satsuma mandarins from our orchard. Unfortunately  some were rain damaged.  Our Navel Orange, Blood Orange and yellow grapefruit trees are now producing.  We are getting Meyer lemons from Lupi Farm.   Pleasant Hill Farm in Lincoln is supplying Navel oranges and Cara Cara Oranges.

The orchard is soggy.  We would like to get in there and prepare sites for our new trees.  We have to limit tractor rides in the orchard to prevent soil compaction or getting a tractor stuck in the mud!  Tosh is is surveying the trees and removing those that are not productive. When Tosh and I began farming in earnest we proudly planned and planted an acre of peaches that were supposed to ripen successively from June 15 to Aug 15.  Mother Nature had other plans. We began to  learned that every year is different.  There are trends but not certainty.  That acre of trees we planted 27 years ago are mostly gone. Peach trees don't seem to have much longevity when grown without chemical inputs.  We will be planting some new trees in that area this year.

Persimmon tree pruning has begun.  We are avoiding pruning peaches, plums and pears till we have a promise of a few dry days.  We try to avoid exposing  freshly cut limbs to diseases when the weather is moist.

We are still processing hoshigaki, dried persimmons. Many are in a holding stage in the freezer.  As we take then out we knead them and sort them one last time.  Then we will package them for sale or storage.  We are taking orders for hoshigaki mail order.  Please click here to use our order form. You can also pick up hoshigaki at the farm.

 

 PLEASE NOTE THAT OUR HOURS ARE IN TRANSITION. See hours listing at the top.

You may request an appointment if you need a different time We will try to accommodate. Call my mobile phone and leave a message.  (916) 300-0720 

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

PERSIMMONS

FUYU:  These are low acid, firm, sweet and crisp.  People love them because they are always sweet. They can be eaten firm or softer depending on your preference.  It is late in the season for crisp Fuyu.  Many people are still enjoying the softer sweeter fruit.

Hachiya:  Hachiya are tall, orange, acorn shaped persimmons that cannot be eaten till soft as pudding in a bag.  They become soft, sweet and juicy. It was suggested that you bite a little hole in the skin and suck out the contents for a sweet treat.  Watch out for the seeds.

Hoshigaki :  These are whole dried persimmons.  They are hand massaged while they dry 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 last hoshigaki for this season were peeled  at the end of November.  These will dry slowly for the next four to six weeks.  December and January are usually the best time to get hoshigaki. We are currently selling hoshigaki at the farm stand. For on farm orders of more than 1 pound it is best to email or call us to make a pre order.  For mail orders please use our mail order form.

CITRUS

Satsuma Mandarins:  Easy to peel, sweet, juicy and few seeds.  Great for fresh eating or adding to salad. High in vitamin C.

Navel Oranges:   Sweet and juicy with traditional orange flavor.  

Blood Oranges:  This year most of our Blood Oranges are small and yellow on the outside.  But the inside is a vibrant red to orange color
characteristic of this variety. They are flavorful, sweet and juicy.

Kiwi:  Green fleshed Kiwi from our vines.  The fuzzy fruit. Now getting soft and sweet with a tangy background.

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:

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.

 Pleasant Hill Farm in Lincoln. No spray.

Navel Oranges:  Juicy and sweet. Orange flesh. Refreshing,and flavorful orange.

Cara Cara Oranges:  Juicy and sweet pink flesh orange.  Great flavor, low acid.

La Bella Vito Farm in Loomis might bring us fresh🥚 eggs from pastured 🐔🐔chickens.  Chickens are currently molting so egg production is low.  Also, production is limited by short daylight hours. Currently no supply. Production should increase in February.  Limited supply.

     Vanilla Exract:  Homemade in Loomis, CA at La Bella Vito Farm. Fragrant vanilla flavoring from Madagascar vanilla beans.

 

 

The California Persimmon:  A book published by the ANR covering history and background of persimmons. Contains many new and traditional persimmon recipes.

 

Bees are visiting the Mokel ume blossoms.