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THIS WEEK’S FRUIT:
Pixie Tangerines
Churchill-Brennies Orchard, Ojai, CA
Pixie tangerines are a late season variety that begin ripening in March and April. Their tough skin gives way to fruit with a very robust flavor.
To learn about Daniel from Abounding Harvest, please see previous blog post at http://bit.ly/2dPH3uI
Golden Nugget Mandarins
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.
Navel Oranges
Olson Organics, Lindsay, 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. To read more about Ken Olson, please see previos blog post at http://bit.ly/2grsBOE.
Fuji Apples
Smit Farm, Linden, 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.
Pink Lady Apples
Smit Farm, Linden, CA
Pink Lady’s are a cross between the Golden Delicious and Lady Williams. They are 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.
Hass Avocados
Bravocado, San Diego, 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.
…all varieties are subject to change…
A NOTE FROM FARMER KRISTIN:
Dear CSA Members,
Recently, we have started offering walking tours of the farm. Just yesterday, I took a group of graduate students through the orchard- we got to see the recently leafed out trees, and examine the fruit set on all different varieties. I have found that talking to visitors about the farm, makes me realize how unique our operation really is. With my tour yesterday, we talked a lot about the farm’s personalized tree care strategy. We have thousands and thousands of trees, but we still manage to care for each one individually. A tree that leaning is pruned to reduce weight on one side so it will grow straight, while a tree with too much fruit is thinned so that the branches won’t break. Each tree at Frog Hollow is visited at least 6 times per year. In the winter for a thorough hand prune, in the spring to thin the fruit and spread compost around the base, and then in the summer for three different rounds of harvesting. Not to mention countless examinations by Al and his team, checking pollination, pest damage and tree health.
As I walk with my guests from the orchard into the packing shed, our focus turns to our distribution of the fruit. I mention to them that we pick our fruit to be eaten within 48 hours. That means the ripe fruit has to be delicately handled as it’s taken from the harvest bin and put into a box.
We leave the packing shed and head past a row of olive trees. As we’re walking, a jack rabbit darts in front of us, and before long a red tailed hawk is flying just over head. Minutes later, we see a tiny lizard crawling up a tree trunk, and I am taken back by the amount of life this farm hosts. As we are caring for our trees and native grasses below, we are creating a permanent a habitat for so many animals. No tilling, no spraying and no heavy machinery makes for a lovely place to live. I look across the canal at our neighboring farm, soon they will be growing corn or peppers, but for now it is just a mile of barren soil, such a contrast to our thriving habitat.
