Today's fruit
The Sierra Snow, from Balakian Farms in Reedley, has those classic white peach qualities. It's aromatic, with a hint of almond flavor, and gently sweet. Its flesh nearly glows with a white-green luminescence. Remove from the tray (they enjoy having a little breathing room) and give these a couple days on the counter.
The Honey Light is pretty low-acid for a yellow nectarine, so it can be eaten crunchy without a pucker. Our rec, however, is to give these a few days to let the sugars & aroma come to the fore. Store as above.
These Kwanza raspberries from Yerena Farms in Watsonville are just about too precious for this world. Plan to eat these within a day or two – a happy obligation. Store in the fridge.
We still marvel at the ultra-creamy Hass avocados from the Ruskey boys at Condor Ridge Ranch in Goleta. (We used to think an avocado was an avocado was avocado. Wrong! :) Store on the counter until they yield to a gentle squeeze, then eat or refrigerate to extend their shelf life for 3-4 days.
Cot n Candy apriums from Free Spirit Farm in Winters. Eaten firm, they have a little more tang. Left to soften, they become honey-sweet. Hot tip: seek out the slightly-bruised aprium in the bunch. It's a sign of ripeness and its usually the best-tasting piece at that exact moment. Store these on the counter.
We wait all year for their arrival, then hold our breath for their two-week season. Just kidding – we're scarfing them down by the handful, keenly aware they'll be gone in a flash. These particular Royal Blenheim apricots were so lovingly picked and packed by Cathy and Michael of Spreadwing Farm in the Capay Valley. Store on the counter, with the same note about aprium ripeness applying to these, too.
In contrast to most commercial varieties that produce evenly through the growing season, Chandlers are a June-bearing strawberry. This means they produce the bulk of their crop over about a month between May and June. We had early fruit, and we'll have late fruit, but the wave of berry abundance has officially crested. Grown organically in Davenport by the pioneer of organic strawberry cultivation Jim Cochrane and the UFW-repped crew at Swanton Berry Farm. Store in the fridge.
These Freedom blackberries from Yerena Farms mark the beginnings of cane-berry season. Store in the fridge.
