THIS WEEK’S FRUIT

Warren Pears The Warren is to our pears as the Cal Red is to our peaches and the Flavor King to our pluots. This is Frog Hollow Farm’s signature pear and for good reason. Too difficult to grow for most farmers to consider it’s never caught on commercially but Farmer Al has never shied away from putting the time and effort into a fruit that tastes so good. It has a classic European texture, very soft and juicy with a silky sweetness that avoids the typical grittiness found in most pears. Pears are great sources of Vitamin C which, fights free radicals. They are also an excellent source of fiber. Eat the skins! Research shows that the skins contain three to four times as many antioxidants and anti-inflammatory flavonoids as the flesh. Doctors also recommend pears for introducing babies to solid foods because they are low in acid and will be easier on babies tummies. Golden Russet Bosc Pears The Bosc is a strikingly decorative pear that’s reputed to have first sprung to life as a wild seedling in the mid-18th century. It was introduced to the US in 1836 and has also been known as the Kaiser Alexander. The Golden Russet is true to its name with a yellowish-white flesh and a uniformly russet skin. It has the classic Bosc shape of a long elegant neck. Excellent for cooking, the Bosc’s texture holds up very well in pies, tarts, and for poaching. Pink Lady Apples A cross between the Golden Delicious and Lady Williams, the Pink Lady is a crisp and juicy apple with a tart finish. A creamy white colored flesh that resists browning makes this an excellent apple for salads and slicing. Also a modern day favorite for eating out of hand. The apple a day adage may be spot on. Recent research has shown that apples are associated with lower risk of heart diseases and strokes. They are also an excellent source of fiber and a good source of vitamin C. Kiwi Chiechi Farms, Live Oak, CA Originally known as the Chinese gooseberry due to its Chinese orgins. 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. Clementines Olsen Organic Farms, Lindsay, CA Clementines are the smallest variety of mandarin oranges. They are a cross between a sweet orange and a Chinese mandarine. Clementines are very sweet, juicy, easy to peel, and usually seedless, making them very popular with children and adult alike. Clementines are rich in potassium, vitamin C and vitamin B-complex minerals like niacin and thiamine.

A Note from Farmer Al

Dear CSA Members, Wow! We haven’t seen rain like this in a long time, but we’re very glad for it. While it definitely shuts down human activity in the orchards for at least a week, the microbes are keeping busy. The recent rains and mild temperatures will definitely please all of the fungi, bacteria, protozoa, amoeba, nematodes, et al that has recently been added to the orchard environment with compost applications. To me, it is a thing of wonder to imagine that amazing process of life and growth taking place in the soil unseen by the human eye. Time to get out those microscopes! The kitchen folks are busy as well as this is probably it’s busiest time of the year with all hands baking pastries and fruitcakes, making preserves and marmalade, bottling our newly pressed oil and creating beautiful gift baskets of colorful, delicious gifts of good fruit. Mounds of fruit are everywhere, deep rusty red quince being preserved in syrup for pastries, creamy pears being poached and navel oranges made into marmalade. The smells of all the cookies, granola and pastries hot out of the oven is intoxicating and the bustle of the cutting, peeling, cooking and packing is exciting and rewarding. All these goodies from our farm will be happily received as gifts by loved ones whose friends and family have chosen our farm, this land, this place to express their love and holiday wishes. This is an honor and it fills us with purpose and good cheer. Happy Holidays!