fruit notes
Tomorrow is the spring equinox, which officially marks the first day of spring! We continue to appreciate and celebrate the hard work of our farmers, the fruit they grow, and the land they nurture. As the seasons change, we say goodbye to some fruit varieties – well, not goodbye, just see you later! – and greet some new ones with much excitement. This week, the state has experienced a shockingly-hot not-normal March heat wave. But with each passing year and every new season, it becomes clear that there is no “normal” in regards to climate anymore. Every year seems to bring a newness, making farming even riskier than it already was. With some temperatures 20-30 degrees above the average, the early spring heat means the premature end of one season. On the bright side, it’s speeding the early arrival of spring berries.
At JSM Organics in Royal Oaks, farmer Javier grows over seven kinds of strawberries! Because he’s worked with his nursery grower for many years, they offered him an unnamed and unreleased strawberry variety to trial. This strawberryis called “089” and it’s become one of his favorites. It’s got such a cute shape, tastes kind of like bubblegum, and is a rosy red.
The heat this week caused the sort of fire drill that's uncommon on the coast and unheard-of in March. Soaring temps mean that strawberries go from under- to over-ripe in an extremely narrow harvest window, setting off a scramble to pick the fruit before it's lost to the heat. Compounding the issue is that the picking crews are not yet fully staffed up, given how early in the season it is. This means these berries are RIPE. It offers the opportunity to taste them fully fully developed (and inevitably, some overdeveloped – just reach out if you see any issues).
And just like that, the spring berry season is on. Javier is looking for a good name for this new strawberry! What do you think it should be called? Store in the fridge. Grown organically by JSM Organic Farms in Royal Oaks.
It’s peak grapefruit season and the Star Ruby grapefruit is a standout jewel in the world of red grapefruits. We wanted to balance the box out with some more acidity since things are getting a little sweet as we get closer to spring. This Star Ruby has a beautiful pink flesh and that classic grapefruit tartness to keep us in check. Store on the counter. Grown organically by Limelight Groves in De Luz.
The Emerald blueberries at Forbidden Fruit Orchards have really hit their stride now with more sugars. Though their microclimate allows them to offer winter blueberries – the most flavorful around during the off-season! – something really changes in flavor with the longer days and warmer temperatures. Store in the fridge. Grown organically by Forbidden Fruit Orchards in Lompoc.
Loquats, high on the top of the canopy, continue to ripen at Condor Ridge Ranch with this heat. We continue to enjoy the sweet nectar-y honeysuckle flavor they have to offer, even as the skin is a little extra sun-kissed. Read more about loquats from last week’s fruit notes. Store in the fridge. Grown organically by Condor Ridge Ranch in Goleta.
It *feels* like it’s been a challenging year for kumquats. By this time they should be fully-colored and bright orange. Their sporadic and delayed ripening has made me wonder if we’ll get the full kumquat season we’d expect, or if the heat will cut the season short. Meiwa kumquats are our favorite variety, with a softer skin and a creamy flesh. It's a delicate and delicious variety that ripens later than the more popular variety, Nagami. Store on the counter. Grown organically by Garcia Organic Farm in Fallbrook.
We’re winding down with the Cara Cara orange season. We don’t want it to end so we’re enjoying the late crop from our friends at Limelight Groves. The further south we go for Navels and Cara Caras, the more we see “twin” oranges at the bottom of the fruit. It’s an undeveloped orange that is perfectly fine to eat, though not a super desirable characteristic. It’s typically caused by heat and water stress during the flower development. The more you know! Store on the counter. Grown organically by Limelight Groves.
These are actually the last Tango mandarins of Spreadwing Farm’s season, marking the end of Northern California citrus. We’ll have small amounts of grapefruit and oranges to wrap up next week from Cathy and Michael, but that’s it! We love these easy-to-peel Tangos and the really delicious sweet-tart balance. Store on the counter. Grown organically by Spreadwing Farm in Rumsey.
