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THIS WEEK’S FRUIT:
Fuyu Persimmons
Chiechi Farm, Live Oak, CA
The Fuyu has a crisp texture with a rich honey sweet flavor. They have a beautiful orange to red hue when ripe, often with tiny brown speckles on the skin. They can be eaten out of hand with skin on or peeled.
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.
Pomegranates
Twin Girls Farm, Yettem, 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. To read more about the fine folks at Twin Girls Farm please see a previous blog post at http://bit.ly/2fnFf2m
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.
Clementine Mandarins
Olsen Organics, 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.
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. They are one of the sweetest variety apples around making them a household favorite.
…all varieties are subject to change…
A NOTE FROM FARMER AL:
Dear CSA Members,
It’s a cold, foggy morning here on the farm. The ground is muddy and everything is dripping wet. It’s weather just like we used to have years ago. Does this mean climate change is in remission? Has global warming been “Trumped”?
Mud leaves, grass and who know what critters cling to me boots as I trudge through the orchard to inspect my crews. The tree team guys are up to their ladders, chatting away as usual, totally oblivious to the penetrating wet cold. This week they’re doing the painstaking task of removing fruit buds from Warren Pear trees. These trees have become overwhelmed this last summer by the unusually large number of fruit buds on every branch. For every 12 inches of branch, there must be at least that many buds, which would result in more fruit than leaf surface could possibly support. By removing excess buds at this time of year, we’re hoping to bring the tree back into balance between uses of energy for reproduction (fruit) and growth (leaves on branches). Ultimately, I’m hoping that this meticulous pruning of fruit buds will help the trees recover from the rootstock incompatibility problem.
The ground below each tree is covered by little fruit buds a quarter inch to a half inch long, hundreds of them per tree. Just out of curiosity I should have someone count them…
The sequel of this soggy saga must wait until spring to be told by the awakening of the remaining buds into flowers, heralded by the buzzing of bees on a sunny March morning.
Hopefully,
Farmer Al
