fruit notes
My 96-year-old grandma is still the most discerning fruit eater in my life, and we can all only wish to be so fortunate. When I think of kumquats, I think of my grandma. Growing up, she preserved them in salt, dried them, ate them fresh, and still, somehow, could pull a few out of her pocket. I brought her some Meiwa kumquats this week and she remarked: “the skin is so sweet, these are tasty!” After a lifetime of eating kumquats, those are pretty high marks I have to say! She mentioned how soothing they felt on her throat. Kumquats are a balm for a sore throat – I heard that so many times growing up, and I can actually feel it now as an adult. And they are pretty delicious medicine at that. If you’re not familiar with kumquats, eat the whole thing – skin and all! Store on the counter. Grown organically by Garcia Organic Farm in Fallbrook.
If you’ve heard me talk about kiwis, you probably know how excited I am to find a small kiwi grower. Even more so, to find a small kiwi farm that is female-led! To top it off, a farm that’s growing uncommon varieties? Omw!
This season, I’ve become obsessed with the Bruno kiwis from Ruthanne Jahoda of Shared Abundance Organic Farm. These Foothill-grown kiwis are amazing. Ruthanne grows both Hayward and Bruno varieties and pushes the limits on sweetness. She measures the sugars and waits to harvest until they are nearly double the standard of big, commercial growers. For the Bruno kiwis, she knows they have a fan club of their own. They look a little silly, like a Hayward kiwi that's been stretched into an elongated form. But slice into a ripe one and you reveal this gorgeous translucence. They are so sweet and tasty; Ruthanne tells me they fly off her table at markets, and I can see why. They are perfect to eat now or you can let them soften slightly. Store on the counter. Grown organically by Shared Abundance Organic Farm in Auburn.
Pomelos are symbolic of so many things during the Lunar New Year celebration: good fortune, good health, and happiness. As a very auspicious fruit, pomelos are important for multiple holidays. During the Mid-Autumn festival (China’s second biggest holiday, in September or October), the pomelo also symbolizes family unity and reunion. In my family, most of the Chandler pomelos sitting around the house for LNY weren’t eaten until after the New Year. My grandma, mother, and I would gather around the table, meticulously peeling away the pith and membrane to carefully extract the juicy segments of pink flesh. That it's a family affair seems fitting for Citrus maxima, the biggest fruit in the citrus family. John Lagier has grown some pretty majestic pomelos this year, bringing all sorts of goodness our way for the New Year. Display on any counter. Grown organically by Lagier Ranches in Escalon.
We’re now three weeks into Rainwater Ranch’s Washington Navel orange season and they just keep getting sweeter and sweeter. We know they won’t last for much longer, given this year is a smaller crop with a much lower yield, so we’re savoring them while they’re here. Rainwater Ranch is tucked into the westernmost edge of Yolo County, where the valley floor begins to fold into itself, forming the foothills that eventually rise to a ridge separating Napa County west and the Central Valley east. Lauren and Lee took over the management of the land nearly a decade ago from the Rainwater family, who had planted orange trees more than 40 years prior. Lauren and Lee transitioned to organic practices and they continue to be thoughtful stewards of the land. They grow an acre or two of cutting flowers on a flat parcel of the farm, alongside a stand of the native Blue Oak trees. They might have expanded the orchard, but the wild land sustains wildlife, including the predatory birds for which it’s a habitat. Store on the counter. Grown organically by Rainwater Ranch in Winters.
Farmer Ruthanne grows just a few trees of Algerian clementines so we’re feeling pretty lucky to get some of her farm’s limited harvest. Even with just a few trees, Ruthanne and her crew at Shared Abundance Organic Farm carefully harvest only what’s really ripe in several pickings over the course of a few weeks. It makes for a smaller harvest each time, and more passes through the orchard, but the flavor shows. Algerian clementines are special in that they are all sweet with almost no acid to be found. The flesh is juicy, and the skin is easy to peel. They are mostly seedless but you may run into a seed here or there. They are the quintessential clementine for me – maybe the quintessential clementine, period. The word I most associate with its flavor is “classic”, and that might have something to do with its history. The variety has its roots in the garden of an orphanage in Algeria, where it was discovered growing as a spontaneous mutation in 1902. In fact, the word clementine comes from the monk-gardener who first noted this variety, Father Marie-Clement Rodier. Store on the counter. Grown organically by Shared Abundance Organic Farm in Auburn.
While clementines are on our minds (haha)... Fremont mandarins are a cross between a Ponkan mandarin and a clementine. We brought them in last year towards the end of their season, in March, from Garcia Organic Farm down in Fallbrook. In the spring, the Fremont mandarins are practically all sugar. Now we get to try these at the beginning of their season. We are loving the rich mandarin flavor with a perfect balance of sugars and acid. Their deep orange color makes them hard to distinguish from the clementines in the box, but the Fremonts have a slightly flattened top, whereas the Algerian clem is slightly taller and rounder. Store these on the counter. Grown organically by Garcia Organic Farm in Fallbrook.
Blood orange season has commenced and we’re starting with these sweet Tarocco blood oranges grown on the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley. The warm winter this season means they are sugary sweet with little acid. The red streaks throughout the flesh are a gift only at the beginning of the season, showcasing the full range of blood-orange colors. So juicy, these Tarocco bloods are one of the sweetest varieties out there! Store on the counter. Grown organically by Murray Family Farms in Bakersfield.
