THIS WEEK’S FRUIT
Torocco Blood Oranges
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. Store out of sunlight for 2-4 days on the counter or up to two weeks in the fridge.
Meyer Lemons
Native to China, Meyers are a cross between a lemon and either a mandarin or a true orange. Their round shape and smooth rind encases an often orange hued flesh that is sweeter and more subtle than your common lemon. Meyer lemons are wonderful for cooking, baking and an assortment of beverages.
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. Navels are also great for juicing and cooking.
Store out of sunlight for 2-4 days on the counter or up to two weeks in the fridge.
Hayward Kiwi
Chieci Farm, 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.
Ready to eat when they yield to gentle pressure. Store these on the counter for 4-5 days. Refrigerate for up to two weeks.
Fuji Apples
Cayuma Orchards, New Cayuma, CA
Fujis are a cross between Red Delicious and Ralls Janet, an heirloom apple dating back to Thomas Jefferson. Fujis are loved by many for their crisp, sweet, and juicy character.
Store on your counter out of direct light for 4-5 days. Refrigerate after to maintain crispness.
Pink Lady Apples
Cayuma Orchards, New Cayuma, CA
A cross between the Golden Delicious and Lady Williams, the Pink Lady is a crisp and juicy apple with a tart finish. Pink skins and a creamy white colored flesh that resists browning makes, this an excellent apple for salads and slicing
Store on your counter out of direct light for 4-5 days. Refrigerate after to maintain crispness.
A NOTE FROM FARMER AL
CSA Members,
It’s unprecedented! We’re discing ground in January. To be able to disc, the ground must be on the dry side, with just enough moisture to be crumbly and friable, so that the soil breaks up nicely into smaller and finer particles. It will feel soft and pliable in the hand. Historically here at Frog Hollow Farm that is never in January, when the ground is muddy and sticky.
Now, in January 2014, during probably the driest winter in recorded history, the ground is in perfect condition to be “worked,”or disced in preparation for creating seed beds to plant seeds or seedlings.
Of course we’ll plant more of our amazing heirloom tomatoes. We’re becom- ing tomato “pros”….and the quality keeps getting better each year. Many of our customers rave about them and swear that they’re the best tomatoes they’ve ever eaten. Actually, tomatoes were almost the very first crop I tried growing over 40 years ago as a beginning young farmer on the island of Oahu, in Hawaii. Back then I planted a new variety which had just been developed by the University of Hawaii for their own type of soil and climate. It was so new that it didn’t even have a proper varietal name, and was simply designated “N-69.” When I first brought them to the farmers market in Honolulu (called “The Peoples Open Market”) they created a sensation amongst the shoppers. From then on, as long as I was harvesting them, lines would form at my stall before the opening bell of the market.
Now, over forty years later, I still love growing tomatoes and am still as thrilled by the taste and deliciousness of a good vine-ripened tomato.
This year we’re going to expand our ground crops for your enjoyment. Be- cause our new young farmer Matt Strom has experience in this “field”, we’ll be planting melons, squashes, winter melons, pumpkins, and a wide array of veggies.
These great soil conditions are just too good of an opportunity to pass up!
