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THIS WEEK’S FRUIT
Warren Pears
This pear has a classic European texture, very soft and juicy with a silky sweet- ness that avoids the typical grittiness found in most pears. Pears are ripe when wrinkled and yielding slightly near the stem. Pears will store well in the fridge once they have reached your optimal ripeness.
Golden Russet Bosc Pears
The Golden Russet is true to its name with a yellowish-white flesh and a uniformly russet skin. It has the classic Bosc shape of a long elegant neck. Excellent for cooking with, the Bosc’s texture holds up very well in pies, tarts, and for poaching.
Hayward Kiwi
Chieci Farm, Live Oak, CA
Originally known as the Chinese gooseberry due to its Chinese origins. Hawyward Wright, a New Zealand nurseryman propagated his plants by grafting and they eventually became the preferred cultivar of growers due to their sweet flavor and thin skin. Ready to eat when they yield to gentle pressure. Store these on the counter for 4-5 days. Refrigerate for up to two weeks.
Fuji Apples
Cayuma Orchards, New Cayuma, CA
Fujis are a cross between Red Delicious and Ralls Janet, an heirloom apple dating back to Thomas Jeffrson. Fujis are loved by many for their crisp, sweet and juicy character. Store on your countertop out of direct light for 4-5 days. friger- ate after to maintain crispness.
Clementine Mandarins
Olsen Organic Farm, Lindsay, CA
Clementines are very sweet, juicy, easy to peel, and usually seedless, making them very popular with children and adults alike. Store out of sunlight for 2-4 days on the counter or up to two weeks in the fridge.
Satsuma Mandarins
Side Hill Citrus, Lincoln CA
Satsumas are typically seedless with a thin skin that is loosely attached the flesh making them very easy to peel. The flesh of the mandarin is very sweet and delicate leaving them susceptible to bruising, so handle with care. Do not place other fruits on top of the mandarins. Store out of sunlight for 2-4 days on the counter or up to two weeks in the fridge.
A NOTE FROM FARMER AL
“Ask, and ye shall receive”
Dear CSA members,
Last week I asked for both rain and cold temperatures, weather conditions which do not usually go hand in hand. But in just this last week we got both. Friday night it rained a full 1⁄2 inch, a full irrigation for the trees. This morn- ing the ground is white with frost and the temperatures were in the 28° range. In fact, it has been cold all week and we’ve got more chill hours year-to-date than in any of the last seven years. So now I am in my winter weather comfort zone. In fact, this entire week ahead will be cold, setting us up for perhaps the coldest winter in a decade. This will be good for all the trees, but especially the cherries.
My children were certainly enjoying it! Our back deck was covered with frost; so Maddie (aged 10) and Millie (age 8 ) were skating on it, in tennis shoes, shorts and t-shirts! I looked out the window to see them slipping and sliding and having a ball and I couldn’t believe it! Their metabolisms must be working over time!
Meanwhile, work proceeds at a normal pace and we’re actually caught up on a lot of things. Pruning is ahead of schedule, weed control is au currant (not much growth, so easy to control), and our compost production looks really good. In fact, Christophe just completed his latest tonnage assessment and reports that this year we’ve produced over 3,200 tons of it. I am very pleased with that number and I’m planning to increase it by 25% in 2014 for a total of 4000 tons in a single year.
I hope you are all enjoying this holiday season as much as I am!
