fruit notes
Cripps Red, also known as Sundowner, is a late-season apple that’s crisp, tangy, and beautifully balanced between sugar and acid. It hangs on the tree for a long time, and Stan says they’re finally at their best—he loves that they’re a true December apple. A sibling of the Pink Lady (same parents: Golden Delicious x Lady Williams), Cripps Red has a festive red skin and a fresh tartness right after harvest. We find the slightly denser flesh and more dynamic flavor a delightful contrast to the Pink Lady. Store in the fridge. Grown organically by Devoto Orchards in Sebastopol.
Fuyu persimmons are at their prime right now. Early December is peak season for deeply orange, sweet, and still-firm fruit. In a few weeks they may still be on the trees, but they’ll soften significantly, losing that quintessential Fuyu crunch. Toby’s Fuyus are gorgeous, and these are the last of the season. They’re ripe and ready to enjoy now; for a softer texture, leave them on the counter. Grown organically by Free Spirit Farm in Winters.
There aren’t many small kiwi growers left, which is why we love supporting Ruthanne at Shared Abundance Organic Farm. She measures sugars and waits to harvest until her fruit reaches nearly double the typical Brix of commercial kiwis. She just started picking her Hayward kiwis. This year the fruit is larger thanks to heavy pruning, though that also means a much smaller crop. We’re savoring them while they last. Eat now or let them soften a bit more on the counter. Grown organically by Shared Abundance Organic Farm in Auburn.
Melogold grapefruit are close cousins to Oro Blanco and share that classic white-grapefruit floral sweetness with a mellow, balancing bitterness. Oro Blancos are better-known, slightly sweeter, and usually ripen from January to March. Melogolds, though, are the perfect opening act: similar in flavor but ready earlier. For anyone craving white grapefruit in December (me, me, me!), Melogold is the answer. Early fruit leans more tart than sweet, but they’ll continue to sweeten as the season progresses. Store on the counter. Grown organically by Murray Family Farm in Bakersfield.
Some may have received a pomelo in lieu of a grapefruit this week.
It may look like a grapefruit, but crack open a pomelo and the similarities begin to fade. Chandler pomelos are low-acid and hardly bitter at all. Inside these giant fruits are individually packaged nuggets of juicy, aromatic flesh. Getting to them is a bit more interactive: with a paring knife, score and peel back the thick rind. Separate the segments and peel the thick membrane that encases each segment, revealing the sweet pomelo gems. Arrange on a plate and share with a loved one – or treat yourself! Now that’s love. Grown organically by Murray Family Farms in Bakersfield.
We returned just in time to catch Terra Firma’s second-to-last harvest of Owari Satsuma mandarins. Owaris are alternate-bearing, meaning a heavy crop one year, light the next – and this year happens to be a light year. Even so, their mature orchard produces some of the most flavorful, high-acid, high-sugar Satsumas around. Many farms are just beginning harvest, and we have plenty of delicious mandarins to look forward to in the coming months. Satsumas are the perfect kickoff to citrus season. Store on the counter. Grown organically by Terra Firma Farm in Winters.
Jay’s subtropical fruit forest sits high in the Goleta foothills overlooking the Pacific. On a visit, it’s hard not to be drawn straight to the bursts of magenta dragon fruit cacti draped over avocado branches, with passion fruit vines weaving through the canopy. Peel back the neon-pink skin to reveal polka-dotted white flesh—juicy, dense, and gently sweet. This variety has a touch more acidity, which we love. If you’ve never had dragon fruit before, these are ripe and ready to eat! Think the texture of kiwi with flavors of pear and pineapple. Store on the counter. Grown organically by Condor Ridge Ranch in Goleta.
Feijoas (Pineapple Guavas) are native to South America but are now commonly grown in California. At Murray Family Farms in Bakersfield, they thrive (though they do beautifully on the coast as well). Feijoas are aromatic with bright flavors of pineapple, lemon, and quince. Their soft, jelly-like centers are far more pleasant than the seeds of many other guavas, wrapped in a thin green skin that’s slightly bitter. I like to halve them and scoop the flesh with a spoon or peel the skin off entirely. Store on the counter until they soften slightly, about two days. Grown organically by Murray Family Farm in Bakersfield.
If you’re new to tamarillo (tomate de árbol), it’s a fruit native to the Andes with the umami of a tomato and the flavor of tropical fruits. We like to halve them and scoop out the seeds and inner flesh, as the skin can be bitter. This past spring, farmer Kristen Ruskey taught us a fun trick: bite the tip off and suck out the juicy center – like a natural fruit gusher! The flavor is wildly complex, like guava and melon crossed with savory tomato. Enjoy them fresh or use them the way you would a tomato. Store on the counter. Grown organically by Condor Ridge Ranch in Goleta.
