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THIS WEEK’S FRUIT
Hass Avocado
Del Ray Farm, Riverside, CA
Creamy in texture, nutty in flavor, with a small to medium seed. The Hass skin is easy to peel and darkens from green to purplish-black as it ripens.
Fuerte Avocado
Churchill -Brenneis Orchard, Ojai, CA
A California variety prized by specialty growers for it’s ability to withstand freezing and was aptly named “Fuerte” or strong in Spanish. It has a smooth, thin, grass green skin with pale green flesh. Fuerte are less oily than a Hass, but have a rich and nutty flavor.
Fuji Apple
Cuyama, New Cuyama, CA
Fujis are a cross between Red Delicious and Ralls Janet, an heirloom apple dating back to Thomas Jefferson. They are one of the sweetest variety apples around making them a household favorite.
Navel Oranges
Rainbow Valley Orchard, Rainbow, 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.
Golden Nugget Mandarin
Abounding Harvest Mountain Farm, Los Gatos, CA
Appearances aren’t everything. The bumpy peel of the Golden Nugget gives way to a richly flavored and sweet tart flesh.
Ruby Grapefruit
CCH Citrus, Riverside, CA
The Grapefruit is said to be a cross between the Jamaican sweet orange and the Indonesian pomelo, first documented in 1750. Under its thick skin you’ll find an aromatic juicy flesh with a perfect sweet tart flavor. Brighten up your savory salads or include the juice in your vinaigrettes.
A NOTE FROM FARMER AL
Hello CSA Members,
Everyone is amazed and thrilled by the orchard bloom this year-certainly the best in recent memory, and the bees love it! First, bloomed the Apache apricots, which I’ve already mentioned. Right now it’s the peaches and nectarines taking center stage with pinks, purples and violets stealing the show. These colors actually come alive, shimmering and vibrating with energy.
Then there are the Goldensweet blossoms. I’ve actually been very concerned about this variety because on each tree the bloom has been spotty, uneven and scarce. Then all of a sudden this morning I went out to look at them and wow! Full Bloom! Literally, overnight! Today we’ve been spraying them with compost tea to protect them from any rain which might fall tonight.
I’ll never forget this same moment in the 2010 season. Goldensweets in full bloom, dense, snowy white and fragrant…they were breathtakingly beautiful. Then, a warm “pineapple express” storm swept in creating the warm wet conditions preferred by the feared brown rot fungus. Within a matter of three days the orchard had turned black…virtually every blossom killed by the deadly fungus, and we had no crop that year.
But now, after changing the soil ecology with compost, we don’t worry much about brown rot. With each application of compost, on each spraying of compost tea, we make the whole orchard healthier. Not only do our microbes out compete and displace the brown rot fungus, but they actually play a role in the delivery of soil minerals to the tree roots, making the trees immune system stronger and the fruit taste better.
So, it’s shaping up to be a very good year for fruit. And, it will be an early harvest. We’ll be sending you apricots and cherries within just two months, by the beginning of May!
May the fruit be with you,
Farmer Al
