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THIS WEEK’S FRUIT
Zee Lady Peach
Frog Hollow Farm, Brentwood
Renowned horticulturist Floyd Zaiger is responsible for many of our favorite varieties, and the Zee Lady is another Zaiger gem. The Zee Lady is a good sized peach that’s a real beauty, with a vibrant red blush dusted over a warm golden skin. This freestone peach is as great for baking as it is eating out of hand.
Fantasia Nectarine
Frog Hollow Farm, Brentwood
Quickly becoming one of our best-known and most popular varieties, the Fantasia is a large, tapered heirloom variety. It’s deep golden flesh is amazingly sweet and smooth, and its marbled bright red skin makes for exceptionally beautiful presentation. Like many of our more unique and heirloom variet- ies, the Fantasia is a far more fragile fruit than most farms will even consider growing. Like the Suncrest peach that often ripens at the same time, the Fan- tasia is easily bruised when allowed to ripen properly on the branch, but we’re sure you’ll agree that the taste is well worth the risk.
Dapple Dandy Pluot
Frog Hollow Farm, Brentwood
Playfully called the “dinosaur egg” pluot, the Dapple Dandy has marbled pink and green skin over delicate white flesh threaded with rose. Kids especially love this pluot for its distinctive coloration and the lack of tartness in the skin.
Flavor King Pluots
Frog Hollow Farm, Brentwood
The best pluot variety we grow! 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. They come off the tree right at the peak of our August harvest harvested along with some of our other best varieties like the O’Henry and the Cal Red.
A NOTE FROM CHEF ANNA
Dear CSA Members,
It’s mid July and we are up to our ears in produce. There is an as- sortment of stone fruit varieties ripening off the trees, the tomatoes are in full swing, the cucumbers are popping, and the basil is flourishing. With this glorious bounty of produce we are taking care to capture as much of our crop as humanly possible by selling it fresh and preserving it through various platforms.
These long and hot summer days in Brentwood are ideal for drying the fruit including the tomatoes. As the fruit dries the sugars condense makingfor a nutrient rich, delicious treat. I have sampled most varieties of the dried fruit and the Summer Flare nectarines knock it out of the park with flavor notes reminiscent of mango and a texture that is soft and chewy. Having such success with the dried fruit has encouraged us to dry other products such as tomatoes. Today Kristin and Marlene harvested over 200 lbs of tomatoes, much of which they sent straight to the drying racks. Similarly to the stone fruits, the sugars ofthe tomatoes condense as they dry, however the tomatoes also have a savory component known as “umami” that is exaggerated as their water content decreases. My favorite part about the drying process is that it prolongs the use of the produce, and creates different textures and flavors that make the produce versatile in cooking.
In addition to preserving our products through drying, I have been pick- ling cucumbers and processing basil for pesto. Both the Persian and Market- more cucumbers have a slight bitterness in their peel but when added to a brine make for a crisp and tasty pickle. Our seasonal pesto is made from Genovese basil, inchelium red garlic, and our very own extra virgin olive oil. This pesto
is a beautiful forest green with bright herbaceous flavors and a smooth texture. It’s drizzled on top of our seasonal soups and pizzas at the café. These products bring local and seasonal flavor to our café lunch and evening menu items and reflect the true meaning of a farm to table café.
Whether it’s a perfectly ripe peach, packaged sundried tomatoes, pickles on the side of your sandwich, or a pesto garnishing your pizza, there are many people that play a role in bringing food from seed to plate. I hope you enjoy our labor of love.
Thanks,
– Anna
