A LITTLE EARLY THIS YEAR

 

          We have been connected to farming all of our lives.  We didn't earn the title of farm operator till 22 years ago.  Still, every year is like no other we can remember.  Each year there are surprises and differences.  When people ask about crops I am learning to add that every year is different and I can't reliably predict.  I thought things were going to mature later than usual this year but as it turns out, early fruit was a bit earlier. We have already finished 4 varieties of early peaches and about ready to start the mid season peaches.  Suddenly there is the fragrance of Santa Rosa plums filling the air in the farm stand. Santa Rosas don't usually come on till mid June. 

       Check out our Facebook page:  Chris Otoworchard

       Mid season peaches:  Flavorcrest, Red Haven and Regina are getting some color.  We are now selling Flavorcrest peaches in the farm stand.  These are firm crisp yellow freestone peaches. They  have red skin and good flavor. As you wait they get sweeter and juicier.

        Also a little early are the apricots.  The large round Robada apricots came and are now gone.  We seem to have a decent crop of Royal Blenheim apricots.  Although small in size, they are big in flavor, juicy and sweet.  A popular heirloom variety.

        Citrus fruit are still available in the farm stand.  We have both white and pink grapefruit, Eureka lemons, and Valencia oranges,  all are great for juicing.

        Our tomatoes will not be ready till July. The vines are growing but the fruit is still green.  Sungold cherry tomatoes are starting to color. Hope to have a basket of them by mid June. 

       WoodRose Country Garden is a step ahead of us in the tomato department.  Start looking for her tomatoes in a week. She is currently bringing us summer squash, potatoes, onions, herbs, basil,  peas and beans.

       

          

REGULAR  SEASON HOURS:

TUESDAY THRU SATURDAY  10:00  TO  6:00

SUNDAY                           11:00 TO 5:00

CLOSED ON MONDAYS

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

Plums:  Santa Rosa: Dark red purple skin over yellow flesh.  These are an all time favorite for their sweet tart burst of flavor and fragrance.

Apricots:  Royal: small and flavorful

Valencia oranges:  These are great for juicing or just eating.

Yellow grapefruit :  sweet tart and very flavorful

Eureka lemons 🍋 these are sour

Peaches:  Flavorcrest a sweet, firm yellow freestone peach.

Hachiya:  frozen pulp

Honey 🍯 from bees 🐝 at Otow Orchard. Bee pollen from bees 🐝 at Otow Orchard 

⚘ Calendula Salve and Lip Balm 

 

Here is what we have from other producers:

Stoney Point Orchard in Loomis (organic certified): Pink grapefruit.

WoodRose Country Gardens in Granite Bay: (organic practices) Red, white and purple potatoes, beans, snow peas, 🥬lettuce, white bulb onions 🧅, Greek oregano, rosemary, thyme, and basil.  If you are lucky, there may be a tomato or two.

Top O' the Hill Apiary in Granite Bay: Honey🍯. Top of the Hill Apiary also has bees wax 🐝.

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

 

"X" MARKS THE SPOT

"X" marks the spot, one customer at a time, frequent hand sanitizing, stay home if you are sick, wear a mask.   We all know the routine by now.  For those of us who have not been personally touched by the virus, I am  thankful that others are keeping us safe.  THANK YOU  for following these guidelines:

          1.     Stay home if you are sick.
          2.     Observe 6 feet physical distancing
          3.     Frequent hand sanitizing.
          4.     Wear a face covering.
          5.     Always wash your fruits and veggies.
          6.     Stand behind the plexiglass, we  will serve you.
      At this point  produce is sparse, If you are interested, please text me ahead to see if I have a supply.  916-300-0720  Due to telemarketers I do not answer unrecognized phone calls. So please  TEXT.
         The mulberries are starting to mature.  We are picking a few and they are available occasionally in the farm stand.  Call to make sure.
          Spring Rose is our first peach of the year.  As a white peach, it is low acid.  As a white peach it can be eaten firm or a little soft. As a white peach it is delicate.  As a early white peach it is just an early peach.  Later peaches will get more of everything we desire in a peach.  Call if you want us to reserve any for you.
         All around the neighborhood we see little orange loquat ripening on landscape trees.  Our loquat, on the other hand, are taking their time.  They are just hinting at some color.
        In the citrus department we have large lemons, yellow grapefruit and Valencia oranges.
        Hoshigaki is available at the farm stand and through mail order while the weather is cool.  For mail order please go to the  order form
       We have honey from Nastase Honey farm in Lincoln, Otow Calendula salve and lip balm, and jams from The Good Stuff.
        

 

I went out (May 19) to take pictures of ripening fruit but got distracted by a dramatic gallery of cloud pictures.  Happily, we did not get hail this time around.

  
These green plums and peaches will be mature and ready to eat in 6 weeks.

       Thank you to the many people who inquired about ume.  I wish we had enough for everyone, but it was not to be this year.  If you would like to be notified next year when the crop comes in, please let us know.  email:  otoworchard@yahoo.com

        Thank you to the many customers old and new who have called asking when we will open.  At this time, we are asking people to text me to make an order or appointment.  916-300-0720  Due to telemarketers I do not answer unrecognized phone calls. So please  TEXT.  When we hear the land line ringing we will answer, (even if it is a telemarketer).  Land line number is 916-791-1656.

Official Statement: We have NO pick-your-own activities.

  HOURS

Tuesday to Saturday: 10 am to 6 pm 

Sun: 11 am to 5 pm

 Closed on Mondays

  

UME AND HOSHIGAKI

          The 20 ume (Japanese sour plum) trees that we planted 5 years ago have decided to put on a nice crop this year.  If you are interested in purchasing any this year please email us at:  otoworchard@yahoo.com.   
       Looks like the farm stand will be closed for at least another 4 weeks.  Although the farm stand is closed we are busy working every day.
            In the past 2 weeks we have been removing vetch (aggressive vining legume) under trees, cutting and stacking firewood, spreading decomposed horse manure, chopping brush and mowing grass, transplanting tomato plant starts to 4" pots, grafting trees, pruning kiwi, repairing the manure spreader, repairing the manure spreader, and repairing the manure spreader.  Removing frost damaged ume from trees, installing plywood flooring 
          in the cool room, inventorying trees removed, planted and grafted, checking irrigation, making beds in the vegetable gardens, re-pruning the grapes and putting down weed block cloth.  Now we are starting to thin our summer crops.
       As long as the weather stays cool you can order mail order hoshigaki using this link to the order form. 
       Stay safe and be well.

FIGS ARE BACK

Figs are making their second appearance for the year.  Figs have two crops a year.  The first crop occurs in July.  After a rest, the next crop matures in late August and September.  The second crop usually has smaller fruit sizes.  This year our Brown Turkey and Penache Tiger Stripe figs are looking pretty good in the size category.  The Black Mission however are true to tradition and are on the small side so far this year.
       We are now harvesting Asian Pears, apples and Jujube.  A sign that fall is arriving.  We will still have grapes, peaches, plums, and pluots.  Peach season is coming to a slow close. We still have green Kelsey plums, soft Laroda plums, crisp Casselman and Cassie plums and a limited supply of Dapple Dandy pluots.
      The gardens are still producing tomatoes, cucumbers, okra, long beans, basil, peppers, and eggplants. We are starting to have some  winter squash.  Now is the time for Delicata winter squash.

Official Statement: We have NO pick-your-own activities.

  HOURS

Tuesday to Saturday: 10 am to 6 pm 

Sun: 11 am to 5 pm

 Closed on Mondays

Here's what we have in the farm stand from Otow Orchard:
Yellow Freestone Peaches: Rio Oso Gem, O'Henry
Cling Peaches: Bowen
Plums:  Laroda, Kelsey, Cassie, Casselman
Pluots:  Dapple Dandy
Grapes:  Kyoho, Red Purlett, Thompson Seedless.
Apples:   Gala
European pears:  Bartlett
Yellow Asian Pears: 20th Century, New Century
Brown Asian Pears:  Hosui, Yoi
Figs: Brown Turkey, Green Penache Tiger Stripe and Black Mission 
Jujube: Sugar Cane, Li
Cucumbers: Asian cucumber, Lemon cucumber and Armenian cucumbers 
Tomatoes:  Red, Heirloom, Yellow, Pink, Roma,
Cherry tomatoes:  Sungold, Rosalita, Black cherry
Tomatillos
Okra
Summer Squash:  Zucchini, Crookneck, Tromboncino (limited supply)
Winter Squash:  Delicata, Red Kuri, Black Futsu
Sweet peppers (Limited supply)
Chili peppers: Shishito,  
Eggplant: Japanese (Limited supply)
Beans: Chinese long beans
Basil, Rosemary, Red and Green shiso
Honey from our orchard

This is what we have from other producers:
Peaches from Sunnyslope Farm:  Fay Elberta, O'Henry
Gala Apples from Sunnyslope Farm
Jams from The Good Stuff
Bee pollen from Top O' The Hill Apiary
Honey from Top O' The Hill Apiary 
Comb Honey from Top O' The Hill Apiary
Eggs from Two Feather Farm

NEW HOURS

       Beginning September 1, we will be changing our Sunday hours to 11 AM to 5PM.  It has been challenging to get the farm stand set up after church in time for early customers.  Hours for Tuesday through Saturday will remain the same, 10 to 6.

ANNOUNCEMENT
      Since we will be on vacation in September there is no one to tend the farm stand on September 14th and 23rd. The farm stand will be CLOSED, Sunday, September 14 and Sunday, September 23.  Please avoid these days.

      Although not plentiful, peaches have had quite a long run this year.  We are currently harvesting a small crop of Rio Oso Gem and O'Henry.  On the horizon are Late Alamar, Fairtime and Summerset. And "That's all folks " till the 2019 season. Sunnyslope Farm will continue to bring us peaches as they have available.

        We seem to be getting more and more small tomatoes.  The big ones are few and far between. They are small in size but are still big on flavor. The Asian cucumbers are not as long or straight as in the middle of summer but they are still very enjoyable.
       We have had a good run of grapes this year. But that too
is coming to a end. Probably just another week or two before the vines are empty.

Official Statement: We have NO pick-your-own activities.

 May to February Hours:

Tu to Sat:   10 am to 6 pm

               Sun:            11 am to 5 pm

    Closed on Mondays

Here's what we have in the farm stand from Otow Orchard:
Yellow Freestone Peaches:  Fay Elberta, Rio Oso Gem, O'Henry
Cling Peaches:  Bowen, Philip
Plums:  Eldorado, Laroda, Red Roy, Kelsey, Empress, Elephant Heart,
Grapes:  Kyoho, Thompson Seedless, Red Purlett
Asian pears:  Kosui, Hosui, 20th Century (Nijuseki), New Century (Shinseki)
Apple:  Gala
Figs:  Brown Turkey, Green, and Black Mission
Hoshigaki (dried persimmons) No longer available though Mail Order.
Herbs:  basil, rosemary, mint
Calendula Salve
Honey from Otow Orchard
Vegetables: Zucchini, Yellow squash, Asian cucumbers, Lemon cucumbers, Okra, Japanese eggplant, sweet peppers, hot peppers, Tomatoes, Tomatillos, Long beans, Winter squash:  Delicata, Red Kuri, & Kabocha.

This is what we have from other producers:
Yellow peaches from Sunnyslope Farm:   Elberta, O'Henry
Apples from Sunnyslope Farm:  Gala
Jams from The Good Stuff
Onions and Potatoes from BarleyOats Farm

WE HAVE LEMONS

They say, when you have lemons, make lemonade.  Why stop there.  You could also make lemon meringue pie or lemon bars.  We have fresh lemons covered with fresh zest to add flavor to your lemon meringue pie.  Here is my mother's favorite recipe.

Perfect Lemon Meringue Pie

5  Tblsp cornstarch                 2 Tblsp butter

2   Tblsp flour                          1  Tblsp  lemon zest

1  cup sugar                              6 Tblsp fresh lemon juice

¼ to ½  tsp salt                For Meringue

2  cups warm water             3 egg whites

3 egg yolks beaten                6  Tblsp sugar

1 nine inch pie crust             1 Tsp lemon juice
                                                  ½ tsp lemon zest

Mix cornstarch, flour, sugar and salt.  Gradually add water, stirring constantly.  Stir slowly into beaten yolk and mix until smooth. Pour into top of double boiler. Cook over boiling water, stirring constantly until mixture thickens.  Cook 5 minutes more until it just begins to boil, stirring occasionally. Do not let it burn or get lumpy.  Remove from boiling water, stir in butter, lemon zest and juice.  Cover and cool.  Pour into pastry shell. Cool.

Meringue:  Beat room temperature egg whites until soft peaks form.  Gradually add sugar, juice and zest while continuing to beat.  Continue to whip until stiff and glossy.  Spread on cooled pie.  Spread to edge of crust. Bake in moderate oven 350 degrees for 12 minutes.  Cool gradually away from drafts.

PLEASE NOTE: We are taking advantage of this slow season to take a vacation day.  We will be closed Thurs. March 1, 2018,  Otherwise these are our Feb., Mar., and Apr. hours:  

TU, WED, THUR:  11:30 am to 1:30 pm

Fri, Sat:    10 am to 6 pm

Sun:          10 am to 5 pm

Mon: Closed

If you need to come at a different time, please call us at

(916) 300-0720 for an appointment.

Here's what we have in the farm stand now from Otow Orchard:

Navel oranges

Blood oranges

Yellow grapefruit

Kiwi

Hoshigaki  (Also available though Mail Order.  See home page)

Pecans

This is what we have from other producers:

Navel oranges from Pleasant Hill Farm

Eureka Lemons from Mihara Farm
Kiwi from Mihara Farm

Winter vegetables from Barley Oats Farm

Raw honey from Nastase  Honey Farm in Lincoln

Jams from The Good Stuff
Eggs from Two Feather Farm

Fall Fruits and Vegetables

We now have more fuyu persimmons at the fruit stand.  Fuyu are the type of persimmon that are edible and sweet when they're firm.  We also have more of the maru and nagamaru (or chocolate) varieties of persimmons.  A limited amount of soft and ripe hachiya persimmons is available. Other fruit for sale includes  Asian pear, comice pear, pomegranates, apples (Fuji and Reinette Simerenko) and jujube.

New vegetables at the fruit stand are fresh and tender bok choy, lettuce, kale, kohlrabi, scallions and cilantro from Barley Oats Farms.  Barley Oats has started using a space at our orchard to grow fall and winter vegetables with organic practices. You can also order vegetables from Barley Oats Farms online and arrange to pick up at the fruit stand. Other available vegetables grown at our orchard gardens are sweet peppers (feher ozon, sweet chocolate, crest, banana, shishito), chile peppers (jalapenos, aji limon, cayenne, fish), cucumbers, tomatillos, okra and winter squash (kabocha, butternut and delicata).   

Just outside the fruit stand you can see the hoshigaki (Japanese hand-dried persimmon) drying process.  We've been busy peeling new persimmons, stringing them together and hanging them on outside racks to dry. In the photo Chris is peeling persimmons and her mother, Helen, is in the background stringing them.  Visitors are welcome to stop by and see the process, although hoshigaki is not yet for sale at the fruit stand. We just started peeling persimmons for hoshigaki a few weeks ago and the process takes at least 4 weeks.  If you'd like to order hoshigaki we always recommend that people make orders as early as possible.  This is because each season's supply is limited to what we can produce while the weather works in our favor.

To order hoshigaki for pick up at the fruit stand, please stop by or call us.  To order hoshigaki through mail order, please fill out our mail order form and send it in with a check.  We don't take credit cards for mail orders or at the fruit stand.     

2017 Hoshigaki Mail Orders

This season's hoshigaki mail order form is now up on our website.  You can find the link to it here or look for it under the website's hoshigaki/persimmon tab.  To order hoshigaki (Japanese massaged hand-dried persimmons) by mail order, please print out the form, fill it out and then mail it to us with a check for payment.  We are unable to take credit cards.

We started peeling persimmons this week to begin the hoshigaki drying process.  The drying process takes an average time of six weeks. Each persimmon fruit is hand-peeled, then strung together in a pair on a stick.  The sticks of strung persimmons are first placed on a rack in the sun to dry.  After the persimmons dry for a week or so, the sticks are moved inside to a more protected area.  Regular massaging happens throughout the weeks to help the hoshigaki dry evenly and remain a soft texture.  Towards the end of the drying process the hoshigaki naturally develop a light dusting of powdery sugar on their surface.

If you'd like to order hoshigaki by mail, we recommend that you send in your order as soon as possible.  Earliest orders ship out first and the drying season is weather-dependent.  Each season's supply is limited to what we can produce while persimmons are hard enough to peel and the weather is conducive to drying.  If you live close enough to pick up hoshigaki at our fruit stand, you can stop by or call us to place an order. 

Visitors to the fruit stand are welcome to look around and see the drying process.  Visitors are also welcome to walk out in the orchard and take a self-guided tour, but we're not a pick-your-own operation.  The fruit stand is open from 10-6 Tuesdays through Saturdays and from 10-5 Sundays.  Mondays we are closed. 

March and April at the Fruit Stand

During March and April we are shortening the Fruit Stand's Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday hours.  Friday, Saturday and Sunday hours will remain the same.  Mondays we are closed.

March and April Fruit Stand Hours:
Tues., Wed., and Thurs.--11:30 AM-1:30 PM
Fri. and Sat.--10:00 AM-6:00 PM
Sun.--10:00 AM-5:00 PM
Mon.--Closed

If you'd like to stop by the fruit stand at another time on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays, please call us to arrange this.  We'll be at the orchard doing other orchard tasks and may be able to meet you.  We plan to be occupied planting trees, thinning fruit, fixing irrigation or working in the vegetable gardens during this time of year.

For sale at the fruit stand we now have Okusankichi Asian pears, navel oranges, yellow grapefruit, Eureka lemons, kiwi, hoshigaki strips, shelled walnuts, dehydrated peaches, jam from the Good Stuff and local free range chicken eggs. 

Closing 2016 Hoshigaki Mail Orders

We are now closing hoshigaki mail orders for the 2016 season because our supply of hoshigaki is almost all sold out.  However, if you are able to visit our fruit stand, we still have limited amounts of hoshigaki for sale.

Look for the 2017 order form on our website this coming September. It's always best to get orders in as soon as possible, since the amount we are able to make each year fluctuates.  Making hoshigaki is very weather dependent.  The amount of fruit the trees produce varies as well as the weather conditions that help or hinder the drying process.

For sale now at our fruit stand we have ripe hachiya persimmons, softening maru (chocolate) persimmons, Satusuma mandarins, okusankichi Asian pears, kiwi, pecans, walnuts, The Good Stuff Jam and persimmon cookbooks.  

Hoshigaki Orders Open Again

We are again accepting new orders for hoshigaki (Japanese hand-dried persimmons).  If you would like to order hoshigaki through mail order, please send it in to us as soon as possible, since we know we have a very limited supply.

We will fill orders as soon as possible, but mail orders received after December 15th may not arrive in time for Christmas. If you're ordering hoshigaki as a Christmas gift, we recommend notifying the recipient of the order and letting them know that their gift should arrive soon.

Hoshigaki is also still for sale at our fruit stand in limited amounts. If you'd like to pick up more than a few pounds of hoshigaki at our fruit stand, please call us to reserve some.

Hoshigaki Orders and Waiting List

Obaachan Massaging Persimmons

We are sorry to say that we can no longer take any new mail orders for this season's hoshigaki (Japanese hand-dried persimmon).  Our supply was smaller this season and we need to be sure we can fill the orders we have already received. The last few years of drought made it difficult for our trees to produce as much fruit as they used to. We hope that this year's rain will improve the health of our trees so they can produce more persimmons next fall.  If you'd like to be on the waiting list to mail order hoshigaki (in the event that we do have any left after filling all our orders), please email us to let us know. 

At our fruit stand, we are still selling limited amounts of grade A hoshigaki.  Grade A is soft hoshigaki, but not quite as soft as the premium grade that we send through mail order.   If you'd like to order more than a few pounds of grade A hoshigaki to pick up at our fruit stand, please call us to reserve some. You can also call and ask to be on the waiting list for picking up premium grade hoshigaki at the fruit stand (if we do have a supply left after filling orders). 

Mandarins and Hoshigaki Orders

We now have Satsuma mandarins for sale at our fruit stand.  Satsuma Mandarins are sweet, juicy, easy to peel and usually seedless.  Last week we stopped peeling persimmons for drying to make hoshigaki (Japanese hand-dried persimmon).  We picked all of the hachiyas suitable for peeling, so what we have in the drying process now will constitute the rest of this year's supply.

If you'd like to order hoshigaki, please order as soon as you can because it looks like this year the supply will be limited.  You can order hoshigaki either through our mail order form or by calling to reserve hoshigaki to pick up at the fruit stand.

Here's what's at the Fruit Stand now:

• Persimmons--Fuyu, Hachiya (soft), Maru (chocolate), Vodka-treated Hyakume, Hoshigaki (Japanese hand-dried persimmons)
• Mandarins--Owari Satsuma variety
• Asian pears--Okusankichi
• Apples--Fuji, Granny Smith
• Pomegranate-- White variety with sweet pink arils
• Walnuts and Pecans
• Winter squash--Butternut
• Herbs--Basil, Oregano, Rosemary, Thyme, Lemon Balm
• Bee products from bees at our orchard--raw honey, 100% beeswax candles
• Jam--The Good Stuff jams made with fruit from our orchard
• Eggs--Free-range local chicken eggs
• Placer County Master Gardeners Calendars 
• Perfectly Persimmon Cookbook by Jean Brine

Rainy Weather

The recent rains are good for the orchard, but difficult for drying hoshigaki (Japanese hand-dried persimmons).  We've still been trying to dry as many persimmons as possible lately though, despite the rainy weather. The dampness has slowed the drying process and all the inside rooms are full of racks of peeled persimmons.  We hope to get more of the hoshigaki out in the sun during this week. 

We're still peeling persimmons to start new hoshigaki because the persimmons are still hard enough to peel.  Sometime in the next few weeks  we'll need to stop peeling because the persimmons will either be mostly too ripe to dry well or the weather will be too cool or damp for them to dry well. Right now we're still taking orders for pick up at the fruit stand or mail order. 

Some of the first of this season's hoshigaki has finished so we have limited quantities for sale at our fruit stand. If you'd like to pick up more than a pound of hoshigaki at our fruit stand (when we have more available) it's a good idea to call ahead.  If you live within driving distance picking up an order at the fruit stand may be worthwhile economically.

There are lots of crisp fuyu persimmons at the fruit stand still.  We have fuyus for sale by the pound or by the bag.  Fuyus are sweet and ready to eat when they're hard.  We also have hachiya and gyombo persimmons,  which must be very soft to be sweet.  Other persimmons we have are maru (or chocolate persimmon) and hyakume (or cinnamon persimmon).  Maru and hyakume are pollination variant type persimmons, which means they're sweet and ready to eat hard if they're pollinated.  We also have vodka-treated hyakume, which is always sweet and ready to eat when hard, because of the vodka treatment.

Also at the fruit stand we have Granny Smith, Fuji, Reinette Simerenko and Pippen apples, white and red varieties of pomegranate, Shinko and Olympic Asian pears, walnuts, eggs, Good Stuff Jam, and two different persimmon cookbooks for sale. 

More Fuyu

Fuyu Persimmons

We harvested a lot more fuyu persimmons from the orchard this week.  Now we have bags of fuyus available at the fruit stand.  Fuyu are the variety of persimmons that are sweet when hard like an apple, you don't need to wait for them to become soft to eat them.

The fruit stand also has hachiya persimmons that are soft and ripe.  Hachiyas are a variety  of persimmon that must be the texture of jello to eat fresh, then they are one of the sweetest varieties.  A hard, unripe hachiya has tannic acid will dry out your mouth. You can also still make orders to pick up hoshigaki (Japanese hand-dried persimmons) at our fruit stand, or order hoshigaki through mail order.

Recently, the website Cropmobster (Sacramento County Region) posted a resource alert about our orchard.  This website works as an online community exchange platform and social alert service for broadcasting food and agricultural needs and offers.  Cropmobster also posted an alert about reducing persimmon waste called, "Honor the Persimmon!  Let's Save & Share Them This Season".  There are useful resources about persimmons at the end of the post, too. 

2016 Mail Order Form--Hoshigaki Season Begins

This season's mail order form is now up on our website.  You can find the link to it here or look for it under the website's hoshigaki/persimmon tab.  To order hoshigaki (Japanese massaged hand-dried persimmons) through mail, please print out the form, fill it out and then mail it to us with a check for payment.  We are unable to take credit cards.

We started peeling persimmons this week to begin the hoshigaki drying process.  The drying process takes an average time of six weeks. Each persimmon fruit is hand-peeled, then strung together in a pair on a stick.  The sticks of strung persimmons are first placed on a rack in the sun to dry.  After the persimmons dry for a week or so, the sticks are moved inside to a more protected area.  Regular massaging happens throughout the weeks to help the hoshigaki dry evenly and remain a soft texture.  Towards the end of the drying process the hoshigaki naturally develop a light dusting of powdery sugar on their surface.

If you'd like to order hoshigaki by mail, we recommend that you send in your order as soon as possible.  Earliest orders ship out first and the drying season is weather-dependent.  Each season's supply is limited to what we can produce while persimmons are hard enough to peel and the weather is conducive to drying.  If you live close enough to pick up hoshigaki at our fruit stand, you can stop by or call us to place an order. 

Visitors to the fruit stand are welcome to look around and see the drying process.  You're also welcome to walk out in the orchard and take a tour on your own, but we're not a pick-your-own operation.  The fruit stand is open from 10-6 Tuesdays through Saturdays and from 10-5 Sundays.  Mondays we are closed. 

Persimmons, Asian Pears and Apples

Okusankichi Asian Pear and the Old Tractor

We have a  lot of different fall fruits in season now.  We have harvested multiple varieties of Asian pear and apples as well as persimmons. Some fuyu persimmons have been picked, but not a major quantity yet.  Many of the hachiya persimmons on the trees are close to getting enough color to be peeled, so we expect to start drying persimmons for hoshigaki (Japanese hand-dried persimmons) within the next week. 


We are accepting mail orders for this season's hoshigaki, but the 2016 mail order form is not yet up on our website.  We expect to have it posted here soon. 

Here's a list of what's available at the fruit stand:

• Asian pears--Shinko, Yoi
• Persimmons--Fuyu, Hachiya (soft), Maru (chocolate), Nagamaru (chocolate)
• European pears--D'Anjou, Comice
• Apples--Granny Smith, Reinette Simirenko, Fuji, Pippin
• Plums--Casselman
• Pomegranate-- White variety with sweet pink arils
• Quince
• Jujube
• Chestnuts
• Vegetables--Tomatillos, Shishito peppers, Sweet Peppers, Jalapeños, Fish Peppers, eggplant
• Winter squash--Kabocha, Black Futsu
• Herbs--Basil, Oregano, Rosemary, Thyme, Lemon Balm
• Bee products from bees at our orchard--raw honey, 100% beeswax candles
• Jam--The Good Stuff jams made with fruit from our orchard
• Eggs--Free-range local chicken eggs
• Placer County Master Gardeners Calendars

SANTA ROSA PLUMS

Santa Rosa plums and Flavorcrest peach

 SANTA ROSA PLUMS are the star of the show this week.  Sweet, juicy, tangy and high in flavor and fragrance.  Step into our farm stand to experience the natural aroma of an amazing plum.  Take a bite and you will know why it is the favorite of so many people.  While the supply lasts, whole trays (7 pounds or more) of Santa Rosa plums can be purchased at a discount.  Whole trays (7 pounds or more) of small Santa Rosas are further discounted for jam makers or people who don't mind the small size.
Meanwhile, the peaches are starting to show up. On the small side at this time but improving in the sweet, juicy and flavor areas.

Breakfast of Flavorcrest peach and Flavor Supreme pluot

IN THE FARM STAND:
FROM OTOW ORCHARD
Santa Rosa plums          Yellow freestone peaches       Flavor Supreme pluots    Hoshigaki strips     Red Beaut plums       Beauty plums       Blenheim apricots       Patterson apricots       Eureka lemons       Loquat       Figs
Vegetables:  Summer squash, beans, Japanese eggplant, cucumbers

FROM LOCAL CONVENTIONAL FARMS:
Donut peaches          Yellow and white freestone peaches      Santa Rosa plums        Blenheim apricots              Grapefruit

Regular Hours & Tomato Plant Sale

We're now back to our regular hours at the Fruit Stand.  We  will now be open from 10 o'clock to 6 o'clock, Tuesday through  Saturday, and on Sunday will be open from 10 to 5.  Mondays the Fruit Stand is closed. 

At the fruit stand now, we have navel oranges, lemons, grapefruit, hoshigaki (Japanese hand-dried persimmons), Good Stuff jam, local free-range eggs and tomato plants for sale.  The tomato plants are plants that started by seed ourselves. 

First Day Of Spring

 The Farm Stand will be closed for one day to recognize a significant day in the life of the owner.

CLOSED:  SUNDAY MARCH 20, 2016.

Regular March April hours will resume on Tues, Mar. 22.

March and April Hours:

Tu, Wed, Th     11:30 to 1:30

Fri, Sat    10:00 to 6:00

Sun   10:00 to 5:00