fruit notes
Fresh this week
There’s so many delicious stone fruit varieties out there, but a Spice Zee nectaplum is truly unparalleled. Spice Zees are amazingly complex: rich, sugary nectarine flavors loaded up with nice plum acid – and its aroma is intoxicating. If you’re lucky, you’ll find one whose slight scarring makes the skin look like a celestial lightning storm. Spice Zees are the first NectaPlum – that’s ½ nectarine, ¼ peach, and ¼ asian plum – developed by breeders at Floyd Zaiger, the same folks who brought the pluot into the world. When farmer Tree Kilpatrick of Cloverleaf Farm called to say they had a Spice Zee harvest this year, we were so excited. Last year, most of their stone fruit crop was devastated by the early spring rains and peach leaf curl. This year, they’ve had challenges with powdery mildew which has limited many of their earlier varieties. But Tree said they were able to get in and thin the Spice Zees right in time to yield some decent sized fruit. Lucky us! These are delicate and easy to leave fingerprint bruises, so handle with care. Store them on the counter. Grown organically by Cloverleaf Farm in Dixon.
After a couple weeks of intense heat waves which slowed down the ripening process, Masumoto Family Farm’s Sun Crest peaches are finally ready. Beneath the extra fuzzy golden skin streaked with red blush is an insanely flavorful and juicy peach. This is the last peach to ripen at Masumoto, and when it comes in we’re filled with a deep sense of gratitude. Nikiko reminds us, “Every day, when I hold a ripe peach or lovely nectarine in my hand, I am struck by the feeling of awe. The trees gift us such flavor!” The Sun Crest peaches are bursting with flavor and juices. The soft golden skin on this peach is so delicate, making it easy to leave imprints. The peaches we receive are the result of the Masumoto crew’s hard work and diligence. They’ve delicately handled each peach so it arrives to us perfectly. Store on the counter. Grown organically by Masumoto Family Farm in Del Rey.
Last week, we had Carine and Robert of Sun Tracker Farm’s Dark Belle watermelon. This week, we’re enjoying their Orchid watermelons. The watermelons have responded incredibly well to the Capay Valley heat. The watermelon plants are lovin’ it! These yellow-orange flesh watermelons are sweet and crisp with a sherbet-like flavor. It has a fine-grain texture with a refreshing sweetness. Eating an Orchid watermelon really screams summer. Store in the fridge. Grown organically by Sun Tracker Farm in Guinda.
Murray Family Farms works closely with a fruit breeder to grow new specialty grape varieties. The Julep is just one of a dozen or so that they grow, but it’s become the most memorable in recent years. This year in particular, the flavor is explosive and incredible. The spicy-sweet Lambrusca notes followed by the faint minty finish – hence the name – make for just an incredible sensory experience! On the phone with Steven Murray for a grape check-in, we marveled at the Julep’s flavor this season. Early-season grapes are limited, so this may be the only shot of Juleps! Store in the fridge. Grown organically by Murray Family Farms in Bakersfield.
As farmers Cathy and Michael wait for their many pluot varieties to ripen up, these Catalina plums at Spreadwing Farm are just taking off. Catalina plums have a deep dark blue-black skin over an amber flesh with fantastic flavor. Similar to pluots, they stay firm when ripe and sweet. Unlike other classic plum varieties, they have less tartness near the skin and pit. Their fine-grain flesh is sweet and juicy, making for a delicious bite! Farmer Cathy likes to wait until they soften just a tad (1-2 days) to enjoy–if you have the will-power to wait. Store on the counter. Grown organically by Spreadwing Farm in Rumsey.
Encore appearances
Poli Yerena at Yerena Farms is our go-to guy for beautiful, plump, sweet raspberries. For the last few weeks, the heat challenged Poli’s raspberries, melting them before his crew could pick them. As the weather has cooled a bit, the plants are happier and the raspberries are harvestable again. And they are delicious! As we near the end of July, strawberry plants are fatigued by producing for months and blueberry season is nearing a close. Now it’s time for blackberries and raspberries to shine. Raspberries trail behind blackberries but linger into the fall months before a cold snap hits and ends their season. Luckily, we’re just getting started. Store in the fridge. Grown organically by Yerena Farms in Watsonville.
We’re onto the third variety of blackberries from Toby at Free Spirit Farm, and one of our favorites: the Triple Crown. His style of trellising (detailed here) allows him to adjust the angle of the entire trellis, protecting the blackberries from extreme sun exposure. Despite the recent heat wave, Toby’s blackberries have totally been popping off. The beloved Triple Crown variety is just getting started and the heat has challenged the sugar levels a bit. Store in the fridge. Grown organically by Free Spirit Farm in Winters.
