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FRUIT AND NEWS OF THE WEEK
Tarocco Blood Oranges
A beautiful orange to deep red flesh is revealed when you slice open a Tarocco. The flesh of the blood orange is firmer and more dense than an orange and its flavor is a little more tart. These beauties sweeten and darken in color as the season progresses. Store out of sunlight for 2-4 days on the counter or up to two weeks in the fridge.
Navel Oranges
Twin Girls Farm, Yettem, CA
California Navel Oranges are considered to be the best Navels for eating out of hand. They have a thick skin that is easy to peel, are seedless, and have a meaty and sweet flesh that makes them a perfect snack. Navels are also great for juicing and cooking. Store out of sunlight for 2-4 days on the counter or up to two weeks in the fridge.
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.
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 growersdue 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 Jefferson. Fujis are loved by many for their crisp, sweet, and juicy character. Store on your counter out of direct light for 4-5 days. Refrigerate after to maintain crispness.
A NOTE FROM FARMER AL
CSA Members,
January is marmalade month. Meyer Lemons, Navels, Blood Oranges and Kumquats. We grow them and Chef Becky makes awesome marmalades with them.
We picked our Meyer Lemons last Friday and the quality of the fruit is excellent, high brix (lots of sugar)! However, we did have a much lighter crop this year due to frost damage in December. The damaged fruit is softer and though still suitable for marmalade, must be used quickly or it will spoil. So our kitchen crew, recently recovered from our busy Holiday season, must now pick up the pace again to keep up with the citrus harvest.
We will be making new products, as well tweaking some older ones. Our lemon curd that we use in tarts made for the shop and for our farmers’ markets will be improved so that we can offer the tartlets on line and also create a jarred lemon curd to go with our scones and Meyer Lemon cake.
Due to an abundance of strawberries from Dirty Girl last summer and early Fall, we’ll have lots to experiment with a new Meyer Lemon and strawberry marmalade and still have enough for our strawberry cherry conserve when the cherries are ready this May. Hopefully with all this chill, we will have a better cherry crop than last year.
While we get the first Meyer Lemons in the jar, we will also get started on the Blood Orange Strawberry marmalade that we’re starting to get requests for. The Tarocco Blood Oranges are in and they are beautiful! Resistant to frost, they are sweet and juicy! Their unique, slightly tart flavor works really well with the sweet strawberries.
The Kumquat trees are loaded with little bright orange fruits and vigorous dark glossy leaves. Fortunately, Kumquats are frost resistant to 14° F and can hang on the tree, giving us some time to develop kumquat products. Eating one of these tart, perfumy little fruits is strange at first because the skin is sweeter than the juice but it is also very delicious and has many possibilities; candied kumquats, kumquat marmalade to name a few that we’ll be trying. So we have our work cut out for us this month and we’re looking forward to sharing with you our new creations as soon as they’re ready.
Kumquats!
