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As members of our CSA, we know you value superior flavor. In order to ensure we are enjoying the sweetest and most delicious fruit around, Farmer Al is extremely
careful about every aspect of fruit production. You have to start
with a good variety to have a good tasting fruit and he makes sure the varieties
that are planted in the orchard show real promise for being outstanding.
As you have probably noticed, each variety has its own flavor, texture, and, to
a trained eye, appearance. This season we have been treated to two delicious
heirloom varieties – the Suncrest Peaches and the Ruby Grand Nectarines.
Heirloom varieties are prized for their flavor and melting texture. A benefit of
being a CSA member is that we are able to experience these varieties.
Heirloom stone fruit is largely inaccessible to the public, since they are not able to
withstand the commercial post harvest handling conditions associated with
retail markets.
The resurgence of farmers markets and the increasing popularity of CSA’s is
in large part due to the consumers desire to taste food that tastes delicious.
Farmers who didn’t want any part of growing varieties that were devoid of the
nuances and delights of a really good piece of fruit said no to growing for large
wholesale markets, and to the fruits that were bred for them. The varieties
grown for commercial markets were bred to be very productive, firm, large,
uniform in color, and of course, able to be stored and shipped. Instead, some
farmers opted to try to make a living outside of the industry standard and
connect directly to consumers by offering them something different – superior
flavor and an opportunity to interface on a personal level. Twenty years ago
these farmers were the outliers, and Farmer Al was one of them.
Robert Woolley from Dave Wilson Nursery, our main provider of new trees,
tells me that today the industry has come full circle. Large commercial
growers are concerned about flavor and are seeking varieties that not only can be
stored and shipped, but that actually taste good too. This newfound concern
for flavor is largely due to the consumers demand for it. I found this piece of
information heartening as confirmation that as consumers, we do have power
to change the food system.
Both Robert Woolley and Farmer Al (and fruit lovers around the world)
give great thanks to Floyd Zaiger and his family for their work in developing new varieties
that taste as good as some of our favorite heirlooms. Zaiger
developed both the Zee Lady peaches and the Dapple Dandy pluots that are
coming soon, so look out for them and see what you think.
The work that Robert Woolley and his crew at Dave Wilson Nursery are doing to test new varieties for commercial, direct market, and home gardening
channels is both fascinating and influential to the fruit industry. His work will
be the topic of next weeks Farm Focus, so stay tuned.
