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Summerset Peaches
The Summerset matures into a very large peach, some weighing in at more than two pounds! Bright yellow with hardly no blush to speak of, the Summerset is a freestone that boasts a bold flesh that has a strong peach flavor. Sweet and juicy but with a tart, acidic bite, it makes for a nice contrast as a follow-up to the extremely sweet Cal Red. The Summerset has a nicely firm texture that freezes well and is a favorite of ours to bake with.
Flavor King Pluots
A dark-skinned pluot with red flesh, it has an intense rich flavor combined with sweet, spicy tones that are reminiscent of the Santa Rosa. A nice acid bite and firm texture that softens beautifully as the fruit continues to ripen, the Flavor King is amazing out of hand and equally good for baking.
Hosui Asian Pears
The Hosui is popular in both Japan and in California. They have a rough, thick skin with flesh that while still crunchy has a more melting mouthful, making the texture combination when eaten out of hand spectacular. Very juicy and sweet with a milder pear taste, their round shape and beautiful golden hue make them ideal for presentation with a distinctively Autumnal feel.
Flame Seedless Grapes
Firm, large, and sweet the Flame Seedless are one of the most popular varieties in North America. Enjoy these out of hand or try them in green salads, chicken salads, or fruit salads.
A Note From Farmer Al
Dear CSA Members,
Last Friday, in the tomato garden West of our house, my daughter Maddie found a giant tomato of the “Big Rainbow” variety, which weighed in at just over 2 lbs. These big beauties display a rainbow pattern of colors, and when sliced and are not only beautiful but really sweet and delicious. It is big, juicy and thin-skinned; it feels like an over-filled water-balloon when you hold it in your hand. An oddity of this variety and many other heirlooms is its rather deep crevice in the blossom end. The deep crevice makes this tomato impossible to ship any distance or to store for any length of time as that cavity can hold moisture and therefore increase the likelihood of spoilage. And that thin-skin? While a desirable quality for eating, is another trait that makes it too delicate for commercial use.
These tomatoes and all our tomato plants come from Moraga Gardens run by our friend, Deva Rajan. In his garden and greenhouse, Deva raises the plants from seeds. He buys all his seeds from Baker Creek Seeds in its seed bank in Petaluma. It literally is a bank, as it inhabits the historical Sonoma County National Bank building constructed in the 1920’s. It is appropriate that these seeds are in a bank vault; these varieties are valuable and need our protection.
Did you know that tomatoes were the first food experimented as GMO’s? Fortunately, the “FlavrSavr” tomato was anything but; it never ripened or developed flavor. Currently, no GMO tomatoes are available on the market…yet. But, crops such as soy and corn are predominately GMO. If you buy certified organic produce and certified organic processed food you are not buying GMO’s as they are not allowed in the NOP (National Organic Program). But what about your clothes? Most GMO cotton is grown in India and the US. Unless the label says that is it made with organic cotton, the fabric is most likely made from GMO cotton.
The jury is still out on GMO’s and their effect on our bodies and the environment, but in order to ake an informed decision you need to be just that, informed and you cannot vote with your dollar if you don’t what you’re buying. As CSA members, you have voted with your dollars to help support our efforts here at Frog Hollow Farm to create a more sustainable food system; one that is healthy for our children and our planet.
