Mid-July Stories, Successes and Specials
Mid-summer peak
Mid-July is hectic at the orchard. Tomatoes and melons are coming in strong, stone fruits are a mix of sweet depth of flavor with brightness and acidity for the perfect balance. With these characteristics, they are so versatile that they can be used in any dish on your menu. I'm snacking on peaches, prosciutto and Marcona almonds as I'm composing this! There may or may not be a crisp glass of wine accompanying the perfect pairing....
This is the time of season for abundance; you won't find a more diverse or delicious time of the summer. The long, hot days also bring an abundance of work for farmers. Keeping up with the harvest while the sun is blazing, packing up the market truck before the sun rises, maintaining healthy soil, finding buyers for crops that are coming in all at the same time. We work with creativity and faith in the soil to face the ever changing, unpredictable weather conditions, in this case, throwing crops into harvests that are several weeks ahead. That being said, every time I bite into the perfect peach or a slice of the sweet and floral musk melon, I'm always in awe of what this soil can produce. It's like we are rewarded with incredible fruit for "weathering" the challenges.
Honoring the Harvest
Our farmstand has seen record-breaking visits this summer. We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to every neighbor and traveler who has stopped by to get some fresh, local, organic produce. Weekly we are finding new farmers to support by offering their harvest to you all. The shelves are filling up with local pantry items, the pickle selection from Sun and Cellar is vast, stone ground flour from Early Bird Farms offers a selection of specialty and hard to find organic flours. New fruit spreads are being made every week. And what fruit the kitchen can't use, it's sent to the farmstand at an amazing price for your recipes in your home kitchen. Scratch made desserts and tempting baked goods are always available and changing weekly. Bread by North Fork Chai is available for a short window Friday and Saturday mornings. There is a beautiful selection of bouquets to take home. Seeing your baskets filled with so many good things, your smiles and recipe ideas, your support of local small business, makes every long, unpredictable day so worth it.
What's special this weekend?
"Plum Full"
That may be an "old fashioned" expression, but so is the art of preserving plums. I remember plum jelly on freshly baked bread as a favorite when I was a farm kid growing up. Now there are so many creative recipes using this often over-looked fruit. If you are ready to try some out, we have a "plum full" deal at the farmstand. $2.00/lb or 10 lbs for $15.00!
"O'Henry watch"
We have had many hopeful calls and messages about whether or not the famed O'Henry peach is ready. It's not easy to nail down a specific day for when the peach is perfect to pick, but soon! A week, maybe? Our weekly customers know that delicious peaches grow all season! From mid-May till the end of summer. I would love to hear how the O'Henry compare to their favorite? Does it live up to the fame? They are delicious with a classis taste and texture, the epitome of the perfect peach. In the meantime, while we are all patiently waiting, we have this outstanding variety called Kaweah, same texture as the O'Henry with an excellent flavor. Darrell Corti, of the celebrated Corti Bros Grocery store in Sacramento called the Kaweah "the perfect peach". For those who are familiar, that title carries some weight!
Peak July Picking
For as long as we have the extra "recipe ready" fruit, we will have it available for you at the farmstand, until we run out. We also offer "field run" grade, delicious fruit with some little imperfections. For the fruit you want to impress your friends and family with, we have sized and tray packed option as well.
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