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Wildflowers are in bloom across the farm!
The beauty of a Community Supported Agriculture program is the connection forged between the farm and our community of supporters. We are in this together and, while we are all affected when a crop suffers, we also reap the rewards of nature’s bounty! This is a time of year at Frog Hollow Farm where we look forward to the warmer days and early summer fruit ahead.
New Crops
Tomatoes – This year’s tomato plants went in the ground this past week which will provide our farm kitchen and Ferry Market Building Café with fresh fruit (yes tomatoes are fruit too!) to make salsas, sauces and soup. Fresh tomatoes will also be available to our CSA members through the picking season. We usually harvest tomatoes from mid July to mid October, depending on weather so stay tuned to order some to make your favorite summer salad or to can suace for winter!
New Fruit Trees – We just wrapped up planting hundreds of new trees across the farm. We have replaced older trees in established orchards and also planted entire new orchards including new cherries, nectarines, Pakistani mulberries, nectarines and peaches.
Early Summer Stone Fruit
We are so thankful for the incredible amount of rain and cool weather we have gotten this year – more than we’ve ever seen here at Frog Hollow Farm. The good news: This winter and spring’s cool temperatures and bountiful rain has laid a great foundation for this year’s stone fruit season! Wildflowers are blooming all over the farm attracting honey bees and our beloved native bees to help make honey and pollinate our crops. Stone fruit have gotten their allotment of much needed “chill hours” (hours spent in temperatures between 32 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit) to set a good crop, as well. The bad news: Unfortunately, there can be too much of a good thing. A stormy winter means increased potential for crop damage from wind, rain and disease. Luckily, we have a great farm crew working hard to make sure we get the most out of the incredible season ahead!
Apricots –We protect our orchards from disease by using our own organic compost which overwhelms parasitic microbes with the amazing beneficial bacteria and fungi that we cultivate in our compost piles. The compost has been working overtime after such a wet winter and unfortunately the storms in late February hit right at peak of the apricot bloom and it was truly the perfect storm. While our other stone fruit bloomed during dry spells it looks like only some our apricots were able to set fruit so there wont be many in our boxes this year.
Cherries – And now for some good news! As temperatures rise, both locally and globally, fruits like cherries are harder to grow because many varieties require 1000+ chill hours every winter. Lucky for us folks like Floyd Zaiger, a world-renowned fruit tree breeder based in Modesto, have introduced a new generation of cherries trees like the Royal Tioga that tolerate heat and are early producers. Keep an eye out for these delicious sweet dark red cherries in your CSA box in early May!
Plums & Pluots – As we all know: flavor is king and the Flavor King Pluot live up to their name! Flavor Kings are one of Farmer Al’s favorites and another wonderful variety from Floyd Zaiger. They are the perfect mix between sweet and tart. Look for these and other delectable plum varieties in your box this summer!
