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THIS WEEK’S FRUIT
Tarocco Blood Orange
Frog Hollow Farm, Brentwood, CA
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.
Pink Lady Apple
Cuyama Farm, New Cuyama, CA
A cross between the Golden Delicious and Lady Williams, the Pink Lady is a crisp and juicy apple with a tart finish. Pink skins and a creamy white colored flesh that resists browning make this an excellent apple for salads and slicing.
Fuji Apples
Cuyama Farm, New Cuyama, CA
Fujis are a cross between Red Delicious and Ralls Janet, an heirloom apple dating back to Thomas Jefferson.
Navel Oranges
Twin Girl 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.
Hayward Kiwis
Chiechi 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.
Satsuma Mandarins
Twin Girl Farm, Yettem, CA
Satsumas are typically seedless with a thin skin that is loosely attached to 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.
Pomegranate
Home Grown Organics, Porterville, CA
Native to the regions of Persia and the Western Himalayan range, pomegranates have been cultivated for several millennia. When sliced open a beautiful array of jewel like seeds are displayed. The aril is the colorful casing that surrounds the edible seeds and has a sweet tart flavor. Enjoy the arils alone or use them in salads, desserts, or beverages.
A NOTE FROM FARMER AL
Dear CSA Members,
As always, weather is the big story here on the farm. It’s been good so far, with lots of rain in December, and now we’re getting the cold temperatures we need to achieve our chill hours. “Good”, but not “Great”. Not great because so far we’ve gotten only about 150 hours of below 45 degrees Fahrenheit temps, which is the lowest I’ve ever seen here in the 39 years I’ve been farming this ground.
What’s worse is that it’s looking very much like an established pattern or trend; warmer winters for several years in a row! Global warming is very likely the cause but so far that is only an anecdotal observation on my part, not a scientifically established fact yet.
Today, it’s extremely windy, which also makes for great beauty. The air is so clear one can see the entire Sierra Nevada Range, two hundred miles of snowclad mountain peaks, off to the east; and to the west, are the emerald green hills covered with grass growing tall for the first time in several years!
Our orchards are plenty dry now due to this wind, so we’re getting caught up on some much needed work. Today, I’m really happy to get the “pre-plant compost” application done. What’s this? It’s fifteen pounds of fungally dominant compost, which is also rich with protozoa and nematodes, placed on top of the exact spot where the new tree is to be planted. Later (a week or so depending on weather) we’ll add worms to this mound of compost. All of this “biology” right on top of the soil to be planted will enrich the soil with molecules of nutrients which are produced by the metabolic activity of microbes and worms! This is an experiment designed by our molecular biologist Christophe. I’m eagerly looking forward to the results!
A most prosperous and healthy New Year to All!
