SUMMER IS SETTING

The display is full.  It is the time of year when summer meets fall.  There are still peaches, plums, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and peppers.  And now we are adding apples, Asian pears, grapes, Jujube, and figs.  Soon enough there will be European pears, pomegranates, persimmons and quince.

 We have had a gentle summer but this week we will be seeing triple digit temperatures.  I'm having trouble keeping up with the cherry tomatoes.  For one, I  don't much like being out in the hot weather, and two, the heat is encouraging them to ripen quickly. By the time I get out there, many are split or just fall off the vine as I pick adjacent cherry tomatoes.  The squash and cucumbers are slowing down.  Now they produce smaller fruit that take longer to grow to maturity.  I think the vines have worked hard this summer and are getting tired.  I hope you were able to get some tomatoes this summer. It seems that the best are gone.  The production is slowing down and the tomatoes are getting smaller and not so pretty.

Most of the summer fruit trees are empty.  It may appear that this is a non-productive time for them.  In fact, they are preparing next year's crop.  The twigs are developing buds that will produce flowers in the spring and fruit in the summer.  Even though there is no fruit currently on the trees, we continue to water the trees in hopes that the next season will be a good one.

Along with the start of some fall crops, we are starting to prune trees that have finished their production for the year.  Some trees need to be lightly pruned before the wet weather sets in. Trees get less disease when pruned during dry weather.

 

 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.

PEACHES  

Summerset:  Yellow, freestone peach. Juicy and sweet for eating out of hand, baking or freezing.  Fine texture.   (Limited supply.)   

Fairtime:  Yellow freestone peach. Red blush over yellow skin. Sweet and juicy. (Limited supply.)

PLUMS

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

Empress:  Yellow flesh European plum. Often used for baking. (Limited supply.)

FIGS

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. 

      

 

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.

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

 

Gala Apples:  Sweet, crisp apple.  Red blush on skin over light yellow skin.   Great for snacking.

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.

New Century:  Yellow skin. White, sweet, crisp flesh. 

Kosui:  Yellow skin. White, crunchy flesh. Sweetand juicy  

Hosui:  Brown rough skin. Very Sweet with crunchy flesh. 

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.

 

Quince:  Related to pears and apples, quince are firm, fragrant, and tart. They contain pectin which promotes jelling. 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.

Yellow crookneck  

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.)

Cherry tomatoes:                            

Sungold (orange) 

Sweetie (red)

Other Vegetables: (Limited supply.)

Japanese eggplant

Bell peppers 

Shishito peppers 

Aoshiso leaves 

Here is what we have from other producers:

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.)

 

Lupi Farms in Granite Bay. No spray practice:  

Black Mission Figs:  Dark skin over rich, sweet, jammy flesh.  

Thompson Seedless:  Small, yellow, sweet seedless grapes.

Dark grapes:  Unknown name.  Small, purple, sweet, seedless grapes. 

Kijani Farm in Granite Bay.  No spray practice:

 

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

PEACHES AND TOMATOES

 Tomato season has arrived.  It always amazes me.  We provide a tiny seed with soil, water, and heat in the middle of February and now we have 6 foot tall bushy vines supporting green and suddenly red tomatoes.  It has been happening every year but it is still a wonder to witness.  We have a few big red slicers and many junior slicers.  Then there are those for slicing into salads.  Also red and yellow cherry tomatoes are available. Last week while harvesting tomatoes I became aware of high pitched tweets.  There was a gray bird with light red breast feathers flittering among tree branches near by.  I recalled this happening last year. I began searching the tomato vine canopies. And there it was. A bird nest with three tiny light blue eggs.  I will try not to disturb the nest and hope to watch skinny looking baby birds  as they develop feathers and eventually take flight.

The peaches are a little slow right now.  We are harvesting a few Gene Elberta and Suncrest yellow peaches. The Gene Elberta are about done and the Suncrest are starting.  We are also getting conventionally grown big beautiful Suncrest peaches from Sunnyslope Farm. The white peach season is slowing down.  Just a few Silver Logan and Babcock peaches remain to be harvested.  On the horizon are Fay Elberta  and 49er peaches.

Plums are showing their diversity.  We are still offering Santa Rosa Plums.  The yellow flesh plums are: Eldorado, Red Roy and Laroda.   Red fleshed plums are: Frontier and Mariposa.  European plums: Tulare Giant. 

 In addition to tomatoes, the garden is producing several varieties of cucumbers and squash.  There is a good supply of Asian and Armenian cucumbers. Both are so crisp and tender.  Zucchini squash are very happy but the yellow squash and patty pan squashes are giving it some competition.  Green beans and bell peppers show up occasionally.

 A little later than usual is the Gravenstein Apple harvest.  Not much this year. This red striped green apple is tart and flavorful.  Famously used for applesauce.

 

 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.

Blackberries:  These are wild blackberies that grow on our property.  They are painstakingly picked from thorny vines for your eating enjoyment.  Sweet/tart and soo flavorful.  Usually only in-season during July.

 

PEACHES  

Gene Elberta:  Yellow, freestone peach. Juicy and sweet for eating out of hand or baking and canning.     

49er:  Yellow freestone peach.  Juicy and sweet with a smooth texture. Good for fresh eating and baking or canning.

Sugar Lady: White freestone peach.  This pink to red skinned white peach is sweet and fragrant.  Can be enjoyed on the firm side or left to become soft, juicy and sweet.

Silver Logan:  White freestone peach.  Beautiful pink skin color over white.  Flesh has pink streaks in white flesh.  Intense sweet flavor with some tang to it.

Babcock:  White freestone peach. Sweet, delicate flavor. Red to pink skin  over white flesh (limited supply).

PLUMS

Santa Rosa:  Old sought after variety for their rich aromatic flavor.  Early season Santa Rosa have yellow flesh that is sweet tart. Late season Santa Rosa have red flesh and are all sweet.  Their fragrance will fills our farm stand. They are great for fresh eating and have been known to win jam contest for their flavor and sweet tart contrast.

Frontier:  Red fleshed  plum.  Sweet and juicy with mild flavor. 

Eldorado:  Yellow fleshed plum.  Often eaten hard and crisp.  Very sweet. 

Laroda:  Yellow fleshed plum.  Sweet/tart and juicy.  Pleasant flavor.

Mariposa:  Juicy, red fleshed plum.  Very sweet.  (Limited supply.)

Red Roy:  Red skin over yellow flesh. Sweet firm plum.

Kelsey:  Green skin over yellow flesh.  Firm to soft. Always sweet and juicy. 

Tulare Giant: Elongated purple European plum.  Yellow fleshed, freestone plum. Often used in baking. (Limited supply.)

  

      

 

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. 

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

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.

Valencia Oranges:  Sweet juicing oranges. 

Gravenstein Apples: Tart and flavorful apple. Often used for sauce or in cider. (limited supply.)

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.

Yellow crookneck  

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 and a few heirloom varieties. 

Cherry tomatoes:                            

Sungold (orange)

Sweetie (red)

Suncherry (red) 

Other Vegetables: (Limited supply.)

Japanese eggplant

Bell peppers 

Green beans 

Shishito peppers 

Aoshiso leaves 

Here is what we have from other producers:

Sunnyslope Farm: conventionally grown peaches from Granite Bay.

Suncrest Peaches:  Very popular variety. Big and beautiful, yellow freestone peaches.  Sweet and Juicy with wonderful flavor.  

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. 

 

 

 

 

 

BLACKBERRIES, PLUMS AND WHITE PEACHES

    We are finishing up  a fantastic harvest of Red Haven peaches.  Many have commented that they were the best peaches.  In a week, those customers will be coming back for more and I will have to inform them that the Red Haven trees are empty. No more till next June.  Not to worry, this is just the beginning of mid-season peaches.  We are waiting for Gene Elberta, Suncrest, and Fay Elberta peaches to mature.  We can't pick till they are ready.  Meanwhile, white peaches will have our attention. These peaches are so delicate that my daughter says "They bruise by just looking at them."  Please respect our "Do Not Handle " signs to preserve quality for yourself and the next customer.

     An array of plums are starting to fill our display table.  Santa Rosa, Black Amber, Burgundy, Satsuma, and Frontier.  When I was growing up, over half a century ago, plums were the focus of this farm in the summer.  We picked the plums when they were not quite ripe into 40 pound field lugs.  From the orchard, the tractor pulled the the trailer filled with these lugs to the unloading dock at our packing shed. The lugs were unloaded and stacked five high. Each lug was then tipped onto an elevated grading table and blemished plums were removed before the plums were pushed onto a sizing belt.  The sizing conveyor belt allowed the smallest plums to fall onto the packing table at the near end.  The larger plums would drop onto the table as the conveyor belt widened at the far end. It was then the job of the packer to line up the plums in a predetermined pattern of 3 layers in each of 4 baskets that made up a crate of plums.  The plums did not always cooperate with the pattern and we struggled to find plums of just the right size to meet the requirement.  When the plums were packed just so, the crate was placed on a lidding table where a crate lid was manually nailed onto it. The crate was then loaded onto my father's, now ancient, 1950 Ford truck.  My father would use rope and trucker's hitch to tie down the load of 40 to 80 crates.  The load was taken to the fruit shed in Loomis where the inspector would open one of the crates and accept or reject our load. Our load was then placed into a gigantic refrigerator along with hundreds of crates from other growers in the area.  When the fruit shed got an order, the crates were placed in an ice cooled box car.  These trains took our plums to places such as Denver, Chicago, Boston, and New York.

     After a full day of packing plums, my mother would send us out to pick blackberries.  Kind of a love hate task.  Wearing a long sleeved shirt and tall barn boots we respectfully picked berries between twisted thorny vines with our bare hands. We always ended up getting poked and scratched but the fruits of our labor were worth while.  In a couple days we would be back to do it all again.  It is blackberry season.  We have  baskets of these wild berries in the farm stand. These blackberries are sweet, juicy and so tasty.

    The Berba crop of figs quickly came and went.  Now we await the second crop. Predicted to show up at the end of July to mid August.

 

 

 

 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.

Blackberries:  These are wild blackberies that grow on our property.  They are painstakingly picked from thorny vines for your eating enjoyment.  Sweet/tart and soo flavorful.  Usually only in-season during July.

 

PEACHES  

Red Haven:  Yellow freestone peach.  Great flavor, sweet and juicy. 

Sugar Lady: White freestone peach.  This pink to red skinned white peach is sweet and fragrant.  Can be enjoyed on the firm side or left to become soft, juicy and sweet.

Silver Logan:  White freestone peach.  Beautiful pink skin color over white.  Flesh has pink streaks in white flesh.  Intense sweet flavor with some tang to it.  Very tasty. 

Nectar:  White freestone peach.  Delicate and subject to bruising.  White skin over white flesh. Very sweet and juicy (limited supply). 

Babcock:  White freestone peach. Sweet, delicate flavor. Red to pink skin  over white flesh (limited supply).

PLUMS

Santa Rosa:  Old sought after variety for their rich aromatic flavor.  Early season Santa Rosa have yellow flesh that is sweet tart. Late season Santa Rosa have red flesh and are all sweet.  Their fragrance will fills our farm stand. They are great for fresh eating and have been known to win jam contest for their flavor and sweet tart contrast.

Burgundy:  Dark skin over red flesh.  Sweet, mild tasting plum with firm flesh.

Black Amber:  Black skin over Yellow flesh.  Floral fragrance, juicy and sweet. Mostly eaten fresh.  This plum is a freestone and often used in baking.  Black Amber Plum pie is one of our favorite:

4 1/2 cups Black Amber plums. Unpeeled and seed removed.  Slice into a medium size mixing bowl.  Add 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup tapioca, 1/4 teaspoon Almond extract.  Mix all ingredients together and let set for 15 minutes.  Line 9 inch pie plate with pie crust topped with 1 tablespoon diced butter.  Pour plum mixture into crust. Put on top pie crust and seal edges well. Poke holes in top crust to allow steam and juice to vent.  Sprinkle  with a bit of sugar and cinnamon. Place cookie sheet or foil under pie to catch drips. Bake 400 degrees until bubbly.  45 to 50 minutes.

Satsuma:  Old time red flesh plum.  The flesh becomes more and more jelly-like as it softens.   These are small and sweet. (Limited supply.) 

Frontier:  Sweet, mild-flavored plum. Red flesh as it ripens. (Limited supply.) 

  

  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. 

 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.

Valencia Oranges:  Sweet juicing oranges. 

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.

Yellow crookneck  

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.

Tomatoes:  Red tomatoes and a few heirloom varieties. 

Cherry tomatoes:                            

Sungold (orange)

Sweetie (red)

Suncherry (red) 

Other Vegetables: (Limited supply.)

Japanese eggplant

Green beans 

Shishito peppers 

Aoshiso leaves 

Here is what we have from other producers:

Sunnyslope Farm: conventionally grown peaches from Granite Bay.

Flavorcrest: Yellow freestone. Juicy, sweet with some tang.

June Pride:  Yellow freestone peach. Sweet and juicy with firm flesh.

 

Stoney Point Orchard,  Loomis, CA organic certified:

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

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

Onions:  La Bella Vito Farm is bringing us red, yellow, and white onions sustainably grown in Loomis, CA. (Limited supply.)

Fresh Bouquets of colorful in-season flowers from La Bella Vito Farm in Loomis. 

 

 

 

FINALLY A TASTE OF SUMMER

     This week we started harvesting some peaches and plums.  Slowly we are beginning to see peaches, plums, pluots, and nectarines ripening on the trees.  Not enough to make all our customers happy.  Hopefully they can be patient.  And when we let a small tray go out the door we try to caution people to let the fruit set on the counter a couple days to bring out the flavor and sweetness and juice.

       In the peach department, we are harvesting Flavorcrest, a yellow freestone peach.  I never think these early freestone  peaches like to come apart as easily as the later peaches.  Red Haven and Regina peaches are coming off the trees.  Two favorite varieties of many of our customers.  They will be at their peak for a week.  So don't miss out.

      In the plum department, the Santa Rosas are quickly coming to maturity.   I'll be sorting a hundred boxes this week.  These all time  favorite plum will be available for about a month.  Occasionally we get a few red flesh plums: Burgundy, Black Splendor, and Frontier.

     Apricot season was unusually productive.  We are winding  down the apricot season with Royal Blenheim. 

     We have cleaned up the citrus trees. Next year's crop is already hanging on the trees.  They are still very small and very green. This year's Eureka lemons and Valencia oranges that we harvested will keep nicely in the cool room for a few weeks.  

     The time we put into our gardens is starting to pay off.  Slowly we are getting zucchini and yellow summer squash. Armenian and Japanese cucumber are also starting their harvest.  The tomatoes are still green although I am beginning to pick some cherry tomatoes.

 

 

 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.

Apricots:

Blenheim (Royal): Old and very popular variety. Although small, this variety is aromatic and full of flavor.  Don't be fooled by the greenish shoulders, the Blenheim is juicy and sweet with tangy background. Customers keep coming back for them. Blenheims are used for canning baking, drying and fresh eating.

 

PEACHES

Flavorcrest: Yellow freestone peach. Tasty early season firm fleshed peach. Juicier and sweeter when left to ripen on the counter.

Regina: Yellow freestone peach.  Sweet and juicy as it ripens.  

Red Haven:  Yellow freestone peach.  Great flavor, sweet and juicy. 

June Pride:  Yellow freestone peach with dark red skin and intense flavor. Enjoyed on the firm side but will ripen to be soft and juicy. 

Sugar Lady: White freestone peach.  This pink to red skinned white peach is sweet and fragrant.  Can be enjoyed on the firm side or left to become soft, juicy and sweet.

PLUMS

Santa Rosa:  Old sought after variety for their rich aromatic flavor.  Early season Santa Rosa have yellow flesh that is sweet tart. Late season Santa Rosa have red flesh and are all sweet.  Soon their fragrance will fill our farm stand. They are great for fresh eating and have been known to win jam contest for their flavor and sweet tart contrast.

Burgundy:  Dark skin over red flesh.  Sweet, mild tasting plum with firm flesh.

 

Jade Nectarines:  Sweet and tasty white nectarine.  Limited Supply. 

 Figs:  Black Mission and Panache figs.  Breba crop. Limited Supply.

 

  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. 

 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.

Valencia Oranges:  Sweet juicing oranges. 

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.

Yellow crookneck  

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.

Here is what we have from other producers:

Stoney Point Orchard,  Loomis, CA organic certified:

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

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

Onions:  La Bella Vito Farm is bringing us red, yellow, and white onions sustainably grown in Loomis, CA. 

Fresh Bouquets of colorful in-season flowers from La Bella Vito Farm in Loomis. 

 

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

Krumel Family no spray:  Black mission figs.

TIME FOR JUJUBE

 Somehow summer is slipping away.  The trees know this and they are getting ready to switch gears from summer to fall.  Our stone fruit harvest is dwindling with fewer and fewer peaches and plums to display.  Coming in are a few  pears, Asian pears, jujube and grapes.

The jujube trees are loaded.  We will be harvesting all of them in the next 2 to 3 weeks.  Sugar Cane, the small, shiny, round variety, is about finished.  We are beginning to harvest the Li variety.  Li is a large (about 1 inch diameter) oblong jujube .  Like other jujube it has the texture of an apple but not as juicy.  It is sweet and crisp when  firm and as  it wrinkles and gets older it becomes sweeter and more chewy.  The internet suggests that jujube are good for many health conditions.  Often thought of as helpful for anxiety and insomnia as well as improving digestion and general health.

The O'Henry peaches and Rio Oso Gem peaches came and went so fast.  The last 3 varieties are not be as promising as earlier ones.  We are starting Summerset peaches and soon there will be a few Fairtime and Late Alamar peaches.  Sunnyslope Farm is bringing us  Trazee freestone peaches.  Large, sweet and juicy. 

We have offered our customers a large array of plum choices this year.  Still on our table are Laroda, Elephant Heart, Late Santa Rosa, Eldordo, and Casselman.  Elephant Heart plums are sweet with red flesh.  The others are sweet with yellow flesh.

The Asian pear harvest is starting.  There are a few brown skinned pears:  Hosui, Shinko, and Yoi.  The 20th Century yellow pear is also available.  All are crisp, juicy, and sweet. Great for snacks and lunches. 

We have stored away the bartlett pears in the cool room to encourage even  ripening.  We will soon bring them out for the display.

 Fig production is slowing.  We are harvesting Panache figs. These figs are so sweet and moist. They usually sell out within a day.  The other figs, Brown Turkey and Black Mission are trickling in, not many of these varieties left.

The first persimmons are getting ready.  A walk through the orchard reveals green persimmons taking on a muted orange color.  We have a few Coffee Cake (Nishimura Wase) persimmons in the farm stand.  These look like Fuyu persimmons but are astringent unless pollinated. Only when pollinated do they become brown and sweet.  We try to display only the sweet ones 😋but may occasionally miss.  😝.  

Winter squash is making its debut.  There are delicata, kabocha and butternut squashes.  Time for roasting, baking, steaming, microwaving and making soups and stews.

*Please note:  The farm stand will have shortened hours at the end of September.                        

                                          Thurs Sept 26:  10 am to 2 pm

                                           Friday Sept 27:  10 am to 2 pm

                                           Sat Sept 28:  10 am to 2 pm

                                           Sun Sept 29:   11am to 4 pm

                                           Mon Sept 30:  Closed

                                           Tues Oct 1:    10 am to 2 pm

                                            Wed Oct 2:  Resume regular hours

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

Plums: 

Laroda:  Dark skin with yellow flesh.  Sweet and juicy with mild tartness.  Good flavor.

Elephant Heart:  Mottled skin with red flesh. Juicy and sweet.

Late Santa Rosa:  LSR. Yellow flesh, sweet/tart, crisp plum variety. Santa Rosa in name only so I call it LSR. Enjoyable. 

Casselman:  Yellow flesh, sweet/tart, crisp plum variety with great flavor and texture.

Eldorado:  Small and sweet.  These small plums are sweet when hard or soft.  Dark skin over golden flesh. Freestone.

 Peaches:

      Summerset:  Sweet/tart yellow freestone peach.  Small in size and firm in texture.  One of the last varieties of the season.

       Soon to be harvested: Fairtime and Late Alamar yellow freestones.

Figs:  Black Mission: Sweet, with firm, dark skin.  (Limited supply.)

          Brown Turkey:  Juicy and sweet with green and brown skin. Flavor has melon undertones. (Limited supply.)

          Panache: Also called Tiger Stripe.  Skin is dull green with some striping.  Reddish flesh is juicy and sweet with a berry background. (Limited supply.)

Grapes: 

        Kyoho grapes are dark skinned, seeded grapes with intense flavor.

        Thompson Seedless :  Small, yellow, seedless grapes.  Crisp and very sweet.

Jujube:  Also called Chinese dates and natsume.  They are a small, oval shaped drupe with a date like seed. Enjoyed when crisp green to brown and even wrinkled and chewy. They are sweet with apple-like texture but not as juicy as apples.

Apples:  There are a few Gala apples appearing on our table. Sweet apples with a crunch. Attractive yellow red skin.

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.

         Yoi:  Firm, sweet, light brown-skinned Asian pear with a background of butterscotch.  Enjoy when crisp. Not recommended for storage.

        20th Century:  Firm, thin skinned yellow Asian pear. Very popular for its refreshing juice and light crisp texture. It has a mild flavor and keeps well. Eat out of hand or add to salad.

         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.

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 available in the farm stand. You may drop in for on farm pick up.  Contact us for large on-farm pick-up orders. (916) 791-1656 or email at otowochard@yahoo.com.  Mail orders may restart when the weather cools.

Persimmon: 

  Frozen Hachiya persimmon pulp.

      Coffee Cake, Nishimura Wase:  These look like Fuyu persimmons but are astringent unless pollinated. Only when pollinated do they become brown and sweet.  We try to display only the sweet ones 😋but may occasionally miss.  😝. 

Summer Squash:  Limited supply.

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. 

          Delicata: This is a cylindrical green or orange striped squash.  It  has sweet, creamy flesh and edible skin.  It can be roasted, steamed, baked, microwaved, sauteed or stuffed.  The seeds are edible when toasted.

         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.        

Japanese cucumbers:  Seedless and tender. So crisp and refreshing as  a snack on a warm summer day.We love the flavor of these cucumbers and are always sad when they are gone.  

Tomatoes:  Red, yellow, golden and striped. (limited supply)

Chili peppers: Aji Amarillos, Jalapeno, Buena Mulata. 

Sweet peppers: Green, orange, and purple sweet peppers. (Limited supply.)

Japanese eggplant:  Limited Supply

Okra:  Okra loves the heat of the summer. Green tender pods.

Basil:  Fresh from our garden.

Blue Lake green beans: Crisp, stringless green beans with mild flavor.  Great for fresh eating, freezing and cooking

Long beans: Tender green beans that happen to be 6" to 15" long. Cut to your desired length.  Uses as any other green bean.  Great seasoned with sesame oil.

Red or Green Shiso leaves:  Beefsteak herb. Japaneses aromatic herb used in salads, soups and on noodles. Can be paired with sashimi. Red shiso is used in preparing umeboshi.

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. (Currently not available. Please call for update.))

Here is what we have from other producers:

Sunnyslope Farm in Granite Bay, conventional practices:

      Trazee peaches:  Yellow freestone peaches.  Sweet and juicy.

WoodRose Country Garden in Granite Bay, organic practices:

        White Onions and Garlic

        Sweet Bell peppers

        Arugula:  Fresh greens with distinctive peppery flavor.  Add to your salad, sandwich, pesto and pizza or cook in stir fry or soups.

Kijani Farm in Granite Bay, organic practices: 

       Red cherry tomatoes. (Limited Supply).

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