HOSHIGAKI AND PERSIMMONS

Early season hoshigaki are getting their last kneading before being packaged for our customers. Some white sugar has formed on the surface and most have a tender texture and moist interior.  The rest of the crop is either hanging around or sitting in freezing temperatures.  If you are looking to buy hoshigaki, we should have them available at the end of November and hopefully through January. 

⛆⛆⛆ RAIN, RAIN.  It seemed like a long dry spell for fall. We are finally getting some rain. ⛈ With wet pavements and wet fields, we have to be careful.☔  Nonetheless grateful 🌈for the downpour of water from the sky. 🌦

Currently the persimmon trees are aflame with orange and yellow fall colored 🍂  leaves.  Many of our visitors are enjoying a walk down the orchard road to see these vibrant colors.  The fall scene may be brief especially with wind and rain playing on the leaves.

 

That's the intro that I wrote last week. Let me say that getting to this blog post has been difficult.  Long hours at the farm have forced me to want sleep rather than inform you of "What's New" at the orchard.   Up date on hoshigaki: We are now selling early  season hoshigaki at the farm stand.  These are the ones we peeled in October.  Soon we will be into the regular season.  Then we will start to notify customers on the reserve list and start the mail order process.  If you are interested in purchasing one or more pounds at the farm stand, please call (916) 791-1656 or email otoworchard@yahoo.com.  For mail orders please use our mail order form.

 

 

(Sorry about the blank space that follows.   Not  intentionally left.  Below is our current products available.) 

 

 

Please note, we will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Years Day.  January will have modified hours also.  Stay tuned.

 

 

 Hours

    Tues thru 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.

PERSIMMONS

FUYU:  These are low acid, firm, sweet and crisp.  People love them because they are always sweet and at this time very crisp.They can be eaten firm or softer depending on your preference.  

Back row: Nagamaru (Chocolate,Tsurunoko), Hyakume (cinnamon), Hachiya. Front row  Maru, Coffee Cake (Nishimura Wase), Fuyu.

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.

Gyombo:  These are tall, conical shaped persimmons.  Like Hachiya, they remain astringent till very soft. They are very sweet and juicy.  It is suggested that you bite a little hole in the skin and suck out the contents for a sweet treat.  Watch out for the seeds.

Maru, Nagamaru, and Chocolate: These persimmons  are brown fleshed when pollinated.  They are sweet and can be eaten hard  or softer.  For the novice, our recommendation is to cut the persimmon to see the sweet brown flesh before biting into the fruit.  Often less than half of the persimmon is edible.

 

   

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 usually begin processing the new season hoshigaki in October.  We may have a few to sell by Thanksgiving.  December and January are usually the best time to get hoshigaki.  For orders of more than 1 pound it is best to email or call us to make a preorder.  For mail orders please use our mail order form.

 APPLES          

Reinette Simirenko, Fuji, Granny Smith, Striped Red Delicious

Granny Smith:  Green skinned sweet tart apple. White flesh does not discolor with exposure to air.  Although often used for baking it also can be enjoyed eaten out of hand.  For pies it is recommended to add a squeeze of lemon juice.

Fuji:   Our Fuji apples are green with light red blush.  I blame this on our warm weather compared to cooler apple growing regions in the Northwest. Nonetheless our Fuji apples are sweet, crisp and full of juice. They are mostly used for fresh eating but also good for baking, cooking, drying and adding to salads. 

Pink Lady:  (Cripps Pink) Beautiful deep pink skin.  Sweet tart flavor. Great for eating fresh, slicing into salads, and baking.  Resists browning when sliced.

European Pears

Comice:  This is a European pear. These gems are yellow when mature.  If properly ripened (and I am still learning) the texture becomes delicate and creamy. They are sweet, juicy and aromatic with a background of honey and vanilla.  

ASIAN PEARS  

Shinko:  A popular sweet Asian pear. Shinko are crisp and juicy with a background of citrus and butterscotch.  It has brown skin with ivory colored flesh. A refreshing snack to be shared with others or added to salads.  They can be roasted or added to baked goods.  Unwashed Shinko pears can be stored in the produce bin of the refrigerator for one to three months.

POMEGRANATES

White Pomegranates:  The actual name of this variety is unknown. Kichitaro Kawano, founder of this orchard, planted it over 100 years ago.  The name has been lost.  Yellow skin over pink arils. The seeds are sweet with a smaller core than other pomegranates.  Pink juice does not stain.

Wonderful Pomegranates:  Very popular crimson seeded red pomegranates.   Sweet-tart and so flavorful. 

 

Quince:  Related to pears and apples, quince are firm, fragrant, and tart. They contain pectin which promotes gelling. Seldom eaten raw, it is usually cooked with sweetener for jam jelly, candy or added to stews. Quince sauce pairs nicely with pork. Thinly sliced raw quince can be added to tea or water.

Pecans:  Sweet and nutty and thin shelled.  Hand harvested before the crows got them!!!  I really have no idea but they look like Shawnee variety.

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:

Tudsbury Orchard in Loomis  Bags of mountain grown mandarins.  Sweet tart and flavorful.  

La Bella Vito Farm in Loomis is bringing us fresh🥚 eggs from pastured 🐔🐔chickens.  Chickens are currently molting so egg production is low.  Also, production is limited by short daylight hours. 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.

 

Kijani Farm in Granite Bay.  No spray practice:  

 Butternut Squash:  Sweet nutty winter squash. Orange flesh is concentrated in the neck of this squash.

 

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

 

 

PERSIMMONS

 We grow at least 10 varieties of persimmons.  Earliest to ripen are the brown fleshed varieties: Coffee Cake (Nishimura Wase),  Maru, Nagamaru (Tsurunoko, Chocolate)  and Hyakume (Cinnamon).  These varieties are pollination dependent.  That is, more seeds make sweeter fruit; less seeds make more astringent fruit. Our most popular persimmon is the Fuyu type of persimmon.  Fuyu are always sweet and usually eaten when hard. We grow several Fuyu type persimmons:  Jiro, Fuyu Fuyu, Imoto, and Izu.  The next two varieties of persimmons that we grow are Hachiya and Gyombo (Giombo).  Both of these cannot be eaten when hard.  You must wait for them to get soft and jelly-like to be sweet.  These are eaten out of hand, used in baking and for making hoshigaki.

Hoshigaki process is well on its way.  The wall racks are filling up. The hot house fans are blowing and the hoshigaki are gently swaying. We currently have no hoshigaki to sell.  The process takes 4 to 8 weeks.  We are waiting for the 2025 crop to be processed.  We may have a few to sell by Thanksgiving.  December and January are usually the best time to get hoshigaki.  For orders of more than 1 pound it is best to email or call us to make a preorder.  For mail orders please use our mail order form.

Persimmons are not the only stars in this season.  Pomegranates are showing their flavor, sweetness and beauty.  Wonderful, the red variety, has crimson skin and a tart, sweet, stand out flavor.  The pink varieties, White, Ambrosia, and Eversweet, are sweet and juicy.

Many of the trees in the orchard are empty.  I do see apples, Asian pears, quince and pomegranates still hanging on. 

 

The summer vegetable garden is barely hanging on.  We get a few cucumbers, beans and squash.  We will soon be pulling out the  vines and preparing the soil for next years crop. 

 

Please note, we will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Years Day.  January will have modified hours also.  Stay tuned.

 

 

 Hours

    Tues thru 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.

PERSIMMONS

FUYU:  These are low acid, firm, sweet and crisp.  People love them because they are always sweet and at this time very crisp.They can be eaten firm or softer depending on your preference.  

Back row: Nagamaru (Chocolate,Tsurunoko), Hyakume (cinnamon), Hachiya. Front row  Maru, Coffee Cake (Nishimura Wase), Fuyu.

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.

Maru, Nagamaru, and Chocolate: These persimmons  are brown fleshed when pollinated.  They are sweet and can be eaten hard  or softer.  For the novice, our recommendation is to cut the persimmon to see the sweet brown flesh before biting into the fruit.  Often less than half of the persimmon is edible.

 

   

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 usually begin processing the new season hoshigaki in October.  We currently have no hoshigaki to sell.  The process takes 4 to 8 weeks.  We are waiting for the 2025 crop to be processed.  We may have a few to sell by Thanksgiving.  December and January are usually the best time to get hoshigaki.  For orders of more than 1 pound it is best to email or call us to make a preorder.  For mail orders please use our mail order form.

 APPLES          

Reinette Simirenko, Fuji, Granny Smith, Striped Red Delicious

Reinette Simienko:  Ukrainian apples.  Sweet tart crunchy apple with unique flavor. Green skin.

Granny Smith:  Green skinned sweet tart apple. White flesh does not discolor with exposure to air.  Although often used for baking it also can be enjoyed eaten out of hand.  For pies it is recommended to add a squeeze of lemon juice.

Fuji:   Our Fuji apples are green with light red blush.  I blame this on our warm weather compared to cooler apple growing regions in the Northwest. Nonetheless our Fuji apples are sweet, crisp and full of juice. They are mostly used for fresh eating but also good for baking, cooking, drying and adding to salads. 

European Pears

Comice:  This is a European pear. These gems are yellow when mature.  If properly ripened (and I am still learning) the texture becomes delicate and creamy. They are sweet, juicy and aromatic with a background of honey and vanilla.  

ASIAN PEARS  

Yali:  This Asian pear has the shape of a European pear  It is yellow with smooth skin.  It is tender, sweet, crisp and juicy. Often eaten out of hand. Yali can be added to salads or cooked and paired with a meat dish.

Shinko:  A popular sweet Asian pear. Shinko are crisp and juicy with a background of citrus and butterscotch.  It has brown skin with ivory colored flesh. A refreshing snack to be shared with others or added to salads.  They can be roasted or added to baked goods.  Unwashed Shinko pears can be stored in the produce bin of the refrigerator for one to three months.

POMEGRANATES

White Pomegranates:  The actual name of this variety is unknown. Kichitaro Kawano, founder of this orchard, planted it over 100 years ago.  The name has been lost.  Yellow skin over pink arils. The seeds are sweet with a smaller core than other pomegranates.  Pink juice does not stain.

Wonderful Pomegranates:  Very popular crimson seeded red pomegranates.   Sweet-tart and so flavorful. 

 

Quince:  Related to pears and apples, quince are firm, fragrant, and tart. They contain pectin which promotes gelling. Seldom eaten raw, it is usually cooked with sweetener for jam jelly, candy or added to stews. Quince sauce pairs nicely with pork. Thinly sliced raw quince can be added to tea or water.

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:

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

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

 

Kijani Farm in Granite Bay.  No spray practice:  

 Butternut Squash:  Sweet nutty winter squash. Orange flesh is concentrated in the neck of this squash.

 

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

 

 

 

 

CHOCOLATE PERSIMMONS

It was nearly the end of the day.  The sun had just dipped below the horizon. The sky was a faded blue.  Realizing  daylight was limited, I was making a quick harvest through the tomato patch.  As I pulled tomatoes off the vines I realized that my peripheral vision was busy.  Turning my attention to the darting movement in the air just above my head I realized that dragonflies were busy.  As I harvested tomatoes they were harvesting insects that I disturbed as I picked tomatoes from the vines.  As I continued down the rows of tomatoes I gave each tomato cage a little extra shake to disturb a few extra critters into the air for the dragonflies on duty.  As I watched this event unfold I recalled an evening from my childhood.  My sister and I were in the farm yard at dusk.  There were occasional dragonflies darting about snatching a bug here and a bug there.  When we waved our arms, they would dart toward us but realize that we were not insects.  We then discovered that if we threw a small  object into the air we could attract the dragonflies.  We had a great time that evening tossing bits of sand into the air and watching as many dragonflies swooped down to investigate these small objects.  I think the dragonflies soon got wise to our antics or it was getting to be time for them to retire for the evening.

Sadly, the peach season is behind us till next June.   Fall crops are in full swing.  We have several varieties of apples, figs, grapes, Jujube,  European pears, Asian pears, and persimmons.  The White pomegranates and Quince are starting and the Casselman plums will be with us for a couple more weeks.

We are starting to harvest the brown fleshed persimmons: Coffeecake, Maru, Chocolate and Nagamaru. If these persimmon flowers were pollinated in the spring, seeds started to form. A persimmon has 8 seeds.  The seeds influence the flesh to turn brown and sweet.  When pollination is not successful the persimmon will remain astringent and the flesh will be orange.   There is a range of sweetness dependent on the number of seeds that formed in the fruit.  For the novice, our recommendation is to cut the persimmon to see the sweet brown flesh before biting into the fruit.

 Hachiya and Fuyu persimmons are not ready for harvest.  They are getting more color daily but not yet ready.  Fuyu are often ready in late October.  We may start to harvest Hachiya in a couple week but they will not be ready to eat for another month.  I must add that  every year is different.

 

 

 Hours

    Tues thru 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.

PLUMS

Casselman:  Yellow fleshed plum.  Very sweet and flavorful.  Becomes more sweet and juicy when stored.    

FIGS   (Limited supply.)

Brown Turkey:  Brown speckled skin with sweet, pink flesh. Mild sweetness with thoughts of honey.

Black Mission:  Black skin with tan, caramel flavored flesh. Sweet and chewy.

Panache (Tiger Stripe):  Greenish brown striped skin.  Very sweet, pink flesh .

JUJUBE                                              

Li jujube:   Large sweet and crisp or soft and chewy. 

Sugar Cane:  Small and very sweet and crisp. 

PERSIMMONS

Coffeecake:  Early ripening persimmon.  Don't let them fool you.  They look like Fuyu persimmons but are actually brown fleshed persimmons.   Can be eaten crisp or softer. Sweet flavor when pollinated and brown fleshed. For the novice, our recommendation is to cut the persimmon to see the sweet brown flesh before biting into the fruit.

Maru, Nagamaru, and Chocolate: These persimmons  are brown fleshed when pollinated.  They are sweet and can be eaten hard  or softer.  For the novice, our recommendation is to cut the persimmon to see the sweet brown flesh before biting into the fruit.

 

 

      

 

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.  A limited supply of 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. We usually begin processing the new season hoshigaki in October.  We plan to put a mail order form on this website in late October.

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

 APPLES

Striped Delicious:  Sweet, crisp apple.  Red blush over light yellow skin.   Great for snacking and sauce.

GRAPES 

Thompson Seedless:  Small, sweet, yellow grapes.

Kyoho:  Large, sweet, purple grapes with seeds. Flavorful and juicy. 

ASIAN PEARS  

20th Century:  Yellow skin. White, crisp flesh.  Sweet and very juicy.

Yoi:  Brown skinned Asian pear.  Sweet, crisp and juicy.  Butterscotch and spice undertones.

 

EUROPEAN PEARS

Bartlett Pear:  Sweet and juicy European pear. Flesh is white with soft texture and mild fragrance. Used for fresh eating, canning poaching and baking.  I love mine with a scoop of cottage cheese.

 

D'anjou Pear:   Sweet and juicy European pear. Enjoyed when it is a little firm.  Can be eaten out of hand or sliced into cereal or yogurt.  May be poached or used in baking.  Skin remains on the green side.  Ready to eat when neck area begins to soften.

POMEGRANATES

White Pomegranates:  The actual name of this variety is unknown. Kichitaro Kawano, founder of this orchard, planted it over 100 years ago.  The name has been lost.  Yellow skin over pink arils. The seeds are sweet with a smaller core than other pomegranates.  Pink juice does not stain.

Quince:  Related to pears and apples, quince are firm, fragrant, and tart. They contain pectin which promotes gelling. Seldom eaten raw, it is usually cooked with sweetener for jam jelly, candy or added to stews. Quince sauce pairs nicely with pork.

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.   

Summer Squash:

Green and Yellow Zucchini.

Cucumbers:

Armenian:  Light and dark green in color.  Young cucumbers have few seeds.  Background flavor of melon. 

Asian cucumbers:  Bumpy or spiny. Long green seedless cucumbers. Sweet, flavorful and often burpless. Melon rind-like flavor.

Lemon cucumber:  Small, round, green, tender cucumber unless I wait too long to pick it and it becomes yellow and seedy.

Tomatoes:  Red tomatoes for slicing and adding to salad. (Limited supply.)

Other Vegetables: (Limited supply.)

Green beans

Bell peppers 

Okra

Here is what we have from other producers:

Sunnyslope Farm in Granite Bay, Conventional practices.

    Fuji apples:  Sweet arnd crisp with red blush over green skin.  Very juicy. 

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

Fresh Bouquets: of colorful in-season flowers from La Bella Vito Farm in Loomis. (Limited supply.)

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

 

Kijani Farm in Granite Bay.  No spray practice:

    Butternut Squash:  Sweet nutty winter squash. Orange flesh is concentrated in the neck of this squash. 

 

PERSIMMON TIME

    Fuyu persimmons and Hachiya  persimmons are the stars of the season.  Fuyu are the always sweet persimmon variety.  When eaten firm they have a crunch like an apple.  The fruit is now getting larger and sweeter and the color is deepening to orange. Mostly they are eaten out of hand or sliced.  Sometimes they are added to salads. The other popular variety is Hachiya.  This one remains astringent until very soft, like pudding.  It can be sliced or eaten out of hand. People enjoy the moist, soft texture of this sweet juicy fruit. Perhaps this is why it is sometimes referred to as the "Fruit of the Gods".

    We are currently harvesting several varieties of brown fleshed persimmons. These persimmons are pollination dependent.  That means that when the flowers were blooming in April, bees did or did not successfully pollinate them.  If pollinated, seeds formed.  Those seeds influence the flesh to turn brown and sweet.  If there are three or fewer seeds, the flesh will only be partially brown.  It is advised to cut the fruit before eating, then eat the brown portion to avoid eating the astringent, orange flesh. There are Maru, Nagamaru, Chocolate, Tsurunoko, and Hyakume varieties in the farm stand at this time.

    Some of the Hyakume persimmons will be treated with Vodka to make them sweet.  Those should be available soon.  We call them Vodka persimmons.

    We have begun to peel and dry the hoshigaki (Japanese dried persimmons).  We use mainly the Hachiya persimmon for drying.  The warm weather makes them dry a little too fast.  We can put them indoors to slow the process and hope to get a more tender product.

    There is a good supply of yellow quince available.  Quince is an ancient fruit valued for its flavor, fragrance and high pectin content.  It is very seldom consumed raw because it is hard, sour and astringent.  When cooked, a sweetener is added along with spices.  Due to its high pectin content it is great for making jelly, jam, paste, sauce, and dulce de membrillo candy.

    Slowly pomegranates are making their way to the farm stand.  The early ones are white.  The arils are sweet and pink with a small core. These will be followed by pink pomegranates and the tart red pomegranates.

    Summer gardens are very tired.  We get very little harvest at this time.  However, WoodRose Country Garden is bring us sweet peppers and fragrant, spicy arugula.

    It's been a few years since we have had a harvest-able crop of olives with minimal olive fruit fly damage.  This year might be the year. Almost every year the olive fruit fly visits the developing olive and deposits an egg in the olive.  About the time the olive is getting ready for harvest the egg hatches and the olive fruit fly larvae begins to eat the flesh of the olive.  This ruins the olive for many people.  But I know one customer who says he just turns off the lights when he eats the olives.  It's a wait and see situation.  If the olives remain clean we will sell raw Manzanillo and Mission olives.  To learn how to cure olives it is best to visit several web sites to get advice.

 

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.

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.  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.

     Maru:  Sweet, round, brown fleshed persimmon. Can be eaten hard and crunchy or when it is softer and sweeter. Only when pollinated do they become brown and sweet.  We try to display only the sweet ones 😋but may occasionally miss.  😝. 

    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. 

    Hyakume:  This persimmon is often referred to  as cinnamon due to its light coloration and speckles  in the flesh.  Tasty with nice sweet flavor.   Only when pollinated do they become brown and sweet.  We try to display only the sweet ones 😋but may occasionally miss.  😝.  The Hyakume that we suspect are more astringent are treated with vodka to make them sweet. 😋

Pomegranates:

    White Pomegranates:  Light skinned with pink arils.  Sweet with small core.

    Ambrosia Pomegranates: Pink skinned with pink arils.  Sweet tart arils. (Limited supply.)

Apples:

    Granny Smith:  Light green skin over white flesh.  Sweet, tart, and crisp.  Great for cooking and baking.  It retains its shape.  Also enjoyed eaten out of hand. 

    Fuji: Popular apple known for being sweet and crisp. Our Fuji apples range from green and yellow to red and yellow.

    Reinette Simerenko:  Crisp green apple. Pleasing sweet tart flavor and fragrance.  

Asian Pears:  Asian pears should be enjoyed while firm and crisp like an apple.

        Shinko:  Firm, sweet and crisp pear.  Brown skin with outstanding flavor and floral fragrance. Eat out of hand or slice and add to salads.  Good for storage.

         Yali:  Pear-shaped, firm Asian pear.  Smooth-skinned with fine sweet-tart flavor similar to anise and spice. Very juicy and fragrant. Attractive delicate appearance. 

        Olympic:  Large, sweet, brown pear. Flesh is dense and has a crunch.

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.

Pears:  Comice pears are full of sweet, juicy flesh.

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. The hoshigaki is currently not available.  Contact us for large on-farm pick-up orders. (916) 791-1656 or email at otowochard@yahoo.com.  For mail orders, click on the Hoshigaki/Persimmons tab at the top of this blog post to get the mail order form.

Winter Squash: 

     Kaboch:   This winter squash is a popular Japanese pumpkin. It has a hard dark green skin with a thick deep yellow or orange flesh.  Sweet and nutty flavor.  Great for steaming, roasting, baking, stuffing and adding to soup and stews. 

     

         Butternut:   One of the most popular winter squashes because of its generous flesh.  The seeds are contained in the bulbous end and the neck is all flesh.   It has a sweet nutty flavor.  It can be roasted, steamed, baked  and chopped into soups, stews, casseroles and curries.  Flavor a can be savory or sweetened with syrup and butter.  

    Acorn: Green or orange skin with longitudinal ridges.  It has sweet yellow orange flesh inside.

Chili peppers: Aji Amarillos, Jalapeno, Buena Mulata. 

    Tomatillos: Look like a green tomato in a papery husk.  Often used in salsa, sauces and soups. Can be sliced into salads.

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

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

Here is what we have from other producers:

Sunnyslope Farm  in Granite Bay, conventional farming:

    Mutsu apples:  Green skinned, sweet tart apples. Used for fresh eating and cooking.

    Fuji apples:  Sweet, crisp and juicy.

WoodRose Country Garden
 in Granite Bay, organic practices:

        Arugula: spicy aromatic greens (Limited supply.)

        Sweet peppers:  Green, orange and purple skinned.

        Basil:  (Limited supply.)

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