CHOCOLATE PERSIMMONS

    Suddenly persimmon season is starting. For the past month as we finished our peach and plum harvest I watched the persimmons gradually fill in their orange color.  Some of the varieties are ready for harvest while most are just starting to make their way to maturity.  First to mature are the brown fleshed or chocolate persimmons.  Sorry too disappoint, chocolate refers to the color, not  the flavor.  When these persimmons are pollinated in the spring, seeds form in the fruit.  The seeds influence the flesh to turn brown and sweet.  The more seeds the sweeter the fruit.  Occasionally you will get a brown fleshed persimmon that has only a few or no seeds and therefore only partially sweet or all astringent. We hesitantly predict that the Fuyu harvest may start by mid October.  We may begin to harvest firm Hachiya for drying at the beginning of October but the soft,  ripe ones are unpredictable.

     Peach and Plum season has ended at Otow Orchard.  We have a quickly depleting supply in our cool room.  Sadly it was an early and quick season.  Who knows what next year will bring.  Hopefully the trees can figure out how to produce under unpredictable weather patterns.

    Tomatoes are hanging on but are getting smaller and have more irregularities.  For now, they have retained good flavor and texture. Eggplant seem to be just getting started.  We have beautiful globes of black and striped purple eggplant.  The cucumbers are getting a second wind of production as the temperatures have moderated.  The summer squash are looking pretty sad but there is a field of happy winter squash that we will start harvesting in a week or two.

 

      Hours

Tues through Sat  10:00 to 6:00

Sunday            11:00 to 5:00  

Closed on Monday

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

VEGETABLES:

Tomatoes:  Red slicers and salad tomatoes.  Striped German and Cherokee Purple heirloom tomatoes.  These fresh, sweet tomatoes are great for salads, sandwiches, and pizza.  The smaller ones and blemished ones I use in stew and soup.  Sometimes I just bite and add salt. (Limited supply.)

 

Sakura Cherry Tomatoes:  Large, sweet, red cherry tomatoes.(Limited supply.)

Sungold Cherry Tomatoes:  Bright yellow orange cherry tomatoes known for their bright fruity flavor. A summertime favorite on our farm. (Limited supply.)

Basil:  Fragrant and flavorful.  Can be used in salads, sauces and pesto. 

Zucchini:  Green and yellow summer squash fresh out of the garden.  Tender green squash with white flesh. Great for sauteing, boiling, steaming, baking, roasting and adding to soup, stew and stir fry.(Limited supply.)

Asian Cucumbers:  Burpless, seedless and thin skinned cucumbers.  Refreshing, crisp, and tender.  Eaten as a summer snack, or added into salad or pickled.  Great flavor.

Can cucumbers have fun?

 

Slicing Cucumbers: Fresh, green cucumbers to add to your summer salads. 

Eggplant: The oval shaped eggplants are Italian varieties.  The long skinny ones are the Asian varieties. The shiny skin is deep purple, purple or purple striped. Flesh is creamy white and tender usually with tiny edible seeds. When cooked the flesh is rich, meaty and takes on cooking flavor. Eggplant are versatile and can be baked, sauteed, grilled or roasted. Popular dished are Eggplant Parmesan, Baba Ganoush or Ratatouille. 

Okra:  Small finger shaped green vegetable.  Mildly flavored with a slimy texture when cut.  Delicious when young ones are eaten raw. Cooked they can be fried or added to soups and stews.  I enjoy slicing them and mixing them with egg and cornmeal. Then I fry them as patties. 

 Chili:

Jalapenos:     Spicy green chiles for adding flavor.

           Shishito:  Spicy or not it is just a guess. Eat them fresh or saute them in olive oil with salt.    

FRUIT:

 

PEARS: 

D'anjou:  European green pear. This pear is usually enjoyed while on the green side  while crisp.  It is sweet and tasty.  Often eaten out of hand, added to salads or  baked.

 Asian Pears: 

20th Century (Nijisseki): Mildly sweet yellow Asian pear.    It has a smooth round shape with fine texture. Known for its thirst quenching quality providing juice when eaten.

Shinko:   Large brown skinned Asian pear.  Sweet flavor and crunchy texture make it our most popular pear.

Yali:  Beautiful pear-shaped yellow Asian pear. These pears are sweet, juicy and have tender flesh. 

 

APPLES: 

Red Delicious:  At Otow Orchard this variety is usually a striped red apple. Nonetheless, it is crisp, juicy, sweet, and refreshing.  Has a welcome fresh-off-the-tree taste. (Limited supply.)  

JUJUBE:  These little fruit are often called red dates or Chinese dates.  Some people prefer to eat them when they are crisp and yellower. Others wait for more brown or all brown skin to appear.  They start out crisp and begin to get sweeter and sweeter.  They are also enjoyed soft, chewy, and wrinkly. When very dry they are often added to soup for add sweetness and flavor. Fresh jujube have the texture of a sweet dry apple.  These are often eaten as an easy snack but watch out for the seed.  We are currently harvesting two varieties:  Li and GA 866.

 

 GRAPES:

Thompson Seedless:  Small yellow seedless grapes. Known for being tender with sweet mild flavor.                        

Kyoho:  Large dark skinned sweet grapes. These grapes have both seeds and flavor.
 

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.  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.  

Hoshigaki strips:  Thin slices of hoshigaki for snacking.

Persimmon Pulp: Frozen pulp is available for baking or adding to oatmeal, smoothies, desserts or cereal. Some of our customers look forward to eating it like a popsicle!

 

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: 

Eggs:  La Bella Vito Farm in Loomis. Fresh🥚 eggs from pastured 🐔🐔chickens. (Limited supply.)

Red cherry tomatoes:  Kijani Farm in Granite Bay.  Grown by organic practices. 

 Butternut squash:  Kijani Farm in Granite Bay.  Grown by organic practices. Sweet, nutty orange fleshed winter squash.    

Roast, bake or mash and add to soup or casseroles.