First Frosts

These Pippin apples from Devoto Orchards are a late-season apple grown in the beautiful rolling hills of Sebastopol. Stan Devoto grows both the Newtown Pippin and Ft. Ross Pippin apple, but he packs them without differentiating – sorry to all the Pippin heads out there – so you’ll be getting a mix of the two! These Pippins are so tasty and refreshing with citrusy aromas, green-yellow skin, and a pop of tart acid. Newtown Pippins are a more commonly available heirloom apple but the Ft. Ross Pippin – well, Stan acquired that by clipping scions from an abandoned orchard along the Sonoma coast many years ago and grafting them himself. How neat! The local apple season is more than halfway over and it’s getting hard to pick which variety to feature but we’re eating lots of these and wanted to share! Store these in the fridge. Grown organically in Sebastopol.

Every time we bite into a buttery, juicy Peach Jamboree Warren pear, we’re reminded how lucky we are to experience such deliciousness. Sometimes we wonder if the extended availability of Pacific Northwest and imported pears at the grocery store have tarnished the humble pear’s good name, making it easier to ignore a stunner like the Warren. It has the best traits of a Comice and the rich, complex flavors of a Seckel. But the Warren requires a specific climate to grow well and even then, blight and disease are no stranger. These special pears have ushered us into fall with grace so savor the last week of these! Poach them, make pear butter, or eat them fresh out of hand. Store on the counter. Grown organically in Oroville.

When fully ripe, White sapote is sweet, custardy, and rich. Native to eastern Mexico and Central America, it’s pretty special to get these fresh White sapotes grown closer to home, by Murray Family Farm in Bakersfield. They’re firm and green but with one or two days on the counter they will soften. Then a quick chill in the fridge and it’ll be like you’re eating creamy tropical custard! All parts of the fruit are edible (including the thin skin and flesh), but we like to cut them in half, remove the big seeds and scoop the flesh out with a spoon. Enjoy this delicate and unique fruit! Grown organically in Bakersfield.

These Chocolate persimmons from Toby at Free Spirit Farm are named for their distinct brown flesh (and not for any chocolate flavors). These persimmons may give pause because they’re shaped like an astringent hachiya persimmon, but they are sweet when eaten firm or soft. Like the more familiar varieties Hachiya and Fuyu, Chocolate persimmons were brought over from Japan in the late 1800s. We love featuring brown-fleshed persimmons (like the Coffeecake persimmons from Toby) because most people in America associate brown fruit with spoilage but this is not the case! For these persimmons, brown flesh means they were properly pollinated and they’ll be sweet because of it. Store these on the counter. Grown organically in Winters.

Every week, the Sharp Velvet pomegranates get deeper red, and the arils a little bit riper. Equal balance of high sugar and high acid, this variety is notable for its softer seeds which makes it better eating. We know pomegranates can be a lot of work, but nothing screams fall like eating pomegranate arils by the spoonful. Toby knows how to pick them ripe and we love that. Store on your counter or in the fridge after de-seeded. Grown organically in Winters. 

Fuyu persimmons are starting up in many regions right now and these are grown by our friends at Terra Firma Farms in Winters. In the world of persimmons, Fuyus are more loved and more familiar to eaters compared to the astringent Hachiya. Fuyus are flat and sweet persimmons that can be eaten firm and crisp. Most of the time, they are non-pollinated and won’t have seeds. Store these on the counter and they’ll color up even more. Grown organically in Winters.

Raspberries are seemingly the last berry standing. Lots of farms experienced their first frost last week, signaling the official change of seasons. Poli Yerena of Yerena Farms said their raspberries plants are hanging in there, unlike his blackberries, which are struggling with the turn of the season (plants get S.A.D. too). We’re amazed that such a delicate berry like a raspberry has held on. Really they’ve done more than that – they taste and look amazing right now! We welcome them into our fall fruit bowl, adding softer texture and delicate berry tartness to the mix! Store in the fridge. Grown organically in Watsonville.