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THIS WEEK’S FRUIT:
Tarocco Blood Oranges
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. These beauties sweeten and darken in color as the season progresses.
Meyer Lemons
Abounding Harvest Mountain, Los Gatos, CA
Meyers are sweeter in flavor, lower in acid, and have more juice than the standard lemon. A wonderful addition to hot water on a cold morning and super for adding flavor to savory or sweet dishes. To read more about the fine folks at Abounding Harvest, please see previous blog post at http://bit.ly/2dPH3uI.
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.
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. TTo read more about Ken Olson, please see previos blog post at http://bit.ly/2grsBOE.
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.
Pink Lady Apples
Cuyama Farm, New Cuyama, 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.
…all varieties are subject to change…
A NOTE FROM SARAH:
Dear CSA Members,
Rain, Rain, Rain. Then some more rain, and snow, and more rain and more snow! Is the drought over? Here is a quote from Reuters:
“ PHILLIPS STATION, Calif. — Clambering through a snowy meadow with drifts up to the tree branches, California’s water managers measured the state’s vital Sierra Nevada snowpack Thursday at a drought-busting and welcome 173 percent of average.
Runoff from the overall Sierra snowpack, which provides arid California with a third of its water in a good year, stood at the highest level since 1995, for this point in the year, California’s Department of Water Resources said.”
We’re thinking we have put the dent in the drought, how about you? That is FANTASTIC news. What is not so fantastic about all this rain is we are WAY behind in the orchard. The trees need to be pruned before they start pushing bloom and we’re getting really close to that. Typically, the apricots are the first to bloom and they start around late February – that’s three weeks from now! Yikes!
As much as we are loving this rain and the amazing snowpack in the mountains – we’d like it to stop pretty soon. Rain on the bloom is disastrous for the fruit. Bees stay in their hives out of the rain, mildew and rot kill the flower petals, thus destroying all hope for fruit. Remember how we had such a shortage of Warren Pears this year? Last year’s rain on the pear bloom is directly responsible for the lack of fruit. That was a big blow to our bottom line.
As a result of last year’s catastrophic blow financially, we’re looking at the rain and snow with a cautious eye at this point. We need to get back into the orchards and finish the pruning, do some additional ground work to prepare the trees for the upcoming fruit load, and need the bees to be able to get out and do their job of pollinating and we’re going to need it all in three weeks time!
Farming is not for the faint of heart. Have you tried Becky’s Chocolate Navel Orange Cake? It helps. A lot.
— Sarah
