fruit notes
This week marks the beginning of Santa Barbara avocado season! Condor Ridge Ranch has around 5 acres of avocado trees, mostly Hass with a few other varieties. They have a small crew (of two!) so they harvest smaller amounts of fresh avocados weekly. Lucky for us, that means we get to taste the weekly transformation of a creamy avocado from March until the season wraps up in – if we’re lucky – August or September. Join us and you’ll taste the rich fruit that a coastal avocado orchard produces. (This week we're launching our avocado subscription, too!) Store on the counter until avo yields to gentle pressure. Go by feel, not color. Grown organically by Condor Ridge Ranch in Goleta.
The origin of kiwis dates back to the 12th century, growing wild upstream of the Yangtze River in Northern China, and called yang tao. Seeds eventually made their way to New Zealand by way of the UK, where it was dubbed the Chinese gooseberry. The enterprising NZ fruit merchandisers responsible for commercializing kiwis tried out a few other names along the way, such as melonette, before finally landing on kiwifruit. To my mind, whizzing past a gem like melonetteseems like a mistake! (Though admittedly a kiwi has little in common with a melon, save its shape.) Horticulturist Hayward Wright developed this variety, the Hayward kiwi, in the 1920s. It’s since become the most commonly-grown variety around the world. Ruthanne of Shared Abundance farm grows one of our favorite versions of these: sweet and well-balanced! Keep on the counter. Grown organically by Shared Abundance Organic Farm in Auburn.
Cathy and Michael of Spreadwing Farm grow an impressive assortment of fruit trees on their diversified farm in the Capay Valley. They farm in partnership with Liz and Brent, and along with the fruit they raise goats, cows, chickens, and veggies. Cathy and Michael handle the fruit orchard. Honestly, I’ve never been a huge fan of Tango mandarins in the past. But in their hands, these are something else entirely. The flavor is incomparable to any other Tango I’ve had, making it way too easy to eat three or four in one go. It’s one of Cathy’s favorites as well–so they planted 36 trees! Easy to peel with high acid and high sugars, this late-season mandarin is a winner. Store on the counter. Grown organically by Spreadwing Farm in Rumsey.
Most of the Minneola tangelos we’ve tasted this season have tasted more “pomelo-like” than in previous years. The name “tangelo” suggests there’s some pomelo somewhere in the family tree but it’s actually a cross between a Duncan grapefruit and a Dancy mandarin. The Duncan grapefruit is considered the grandfather of grapefruits. It’s deeply flavorful and unfortunately it's impossible to find anyone growing it anymore. Similarly the Dancy mandarin has mostly disappeared, now only seen by way of lending its shared genetics – and traits like its shiny, zipper-skin peel – to hybrid citrus varieties such as this tangelo. We love Minneolas and paying homage to two old varieties. And it’s a juice bomb at this point in the season! Store on the counter. Grown organically by Murray Family Farm in Bakersfield.
Nagami kumquats are one of the most commonly grown varieties. Their sturdiness has something to do with it, considering they can hang on the tree late into the spring months. The skin is a deep, bright orange, matching the flavor. If you’ve never had a kumquat, the skin is sweet and the flesh is super tart and juicy. Eaten whole, the flavors balance out! Store on the counter. Grown organically by Beck Grove in Fallbrook.
We’ve crossed the threshold of peak blood orange season with just a few varieties remaining. These sweet Tarocco blood oranges are grown on the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley. The warm winter this season means they are sugary sweet with lower acid, but big flavor! Taroccos are especially fun because their demure skin gives no hint of the fireworks beneath. But slice one open and the red streaks across the interior are a marvel, showcasing a gradient of blood colors. Juicy with a firmer texture, these Tarocco bloods are one of the sweetest varieties right now! Store on the counter. Grown organically by Murray Family Farms in Bakersfield.
Orange harvest in Northern California is pretty much wrapped up this season but The Cloverleaf Farm still has a few Washington Navel orange trees with fruit hanging on. Thanks to Andrew and Eric Walker of Farmboy Organics for helping with the harvest, we’re able to enjoy some of the last Washington Navels of the season up here before they’re totally done. Andrew and Eric have helped tremendously with Cloverleaf’s citrus harvests this season, while farmer Tree focuses on healing and recovery. We’re grateful for sweet community, and we’re grateful for delicious WA Navels. Store on the counter. Grown organically by Cloverleaf Farm in Winters.
