fruit notes
This was Toby’s first year with a substantial harvest from his newly planted grape vines. At Free Spirit Farm in Winters, Toby has around 7 acres of fruit growing on fertile land. For the last decade, we’ve known Toby to grow some of the best tasting tree fruit and blackberries around. In the last few years, it’s been exciting to see Toby swap out some older trees in need of replacement with grape and kiwi vines. You don’t often see either grown on a small scale in Winters, and in Toby’s hands we’re expecting tasty results. He started Free Spirit Farm over 15 years ago and his drive to grow more varieties of delicious fruit never ceases to amaze me. These Autumn Royal grapes are more proof of that. They’re a late-season variety, peaking when the rest have passed – crisp and subtly sweet, like fall. As ripening slows, flavor and texture is still top-notch. Store in your fridge. Grown organically in Winters by Free Spirit Farm.
Toby’s Sharp Velvet pomegranates ripened up a bit later than usual this year but they are certainly worth the wait. We’re at peak pomegranate season right now where all red pomegranates are abundant and ripe. These Sharp Velvet poms have big, red, juicy arils, softer seeds, and a flavor that’s super sweet with just the right amount of acid to balance it out. We love how Toby pushes ripeness in his poms. He waits to harvest until they are big and nearly bursting, and the proof is in the seams of cracking skin. I call these dry cracks. A pomegranate with dry cracks looks like it picked just moments before it burst open and exposed the arils, severed from the tree at the perfect moment. It’s an art, like filling a water ballon to max capacity at the garden spigot and shutting it off before it bursts. These poms are a representation of our ideal harvest stage – we’re obsessed. Store in the fridge. Grown organically in Winters by Free Spirit Farm.
Cinnamon persimmons are neither a fuyu-type or a hachiya-type. They’re in that third category in the grand world of persimmon varieties: pollination-types. Farmer Michael from Spreadwing Farm summarizes his thoughts here in a well-written, gentle “persimmon rant.” This season was our first trying Cinnamon persimmons, and I think it’s one of my new favorites! It’s the sweetest variety I’ve had, the skin isn’t too thick, it can be eaten firm, and the flesh is speckled brown like cinnamon! And it’s got such a rich flavor. It does have pesky seeds to dodge but just like other brown-fleshed persimmon varieties we’ve had like Coffeecake (from Free Spirit) and Chocolate (from Spreadwing), seeds present means it was properly pollinated and won’t be astringent! Store on the counter. Grown organically in Rumsey by Spreadwing Farm.
Shinko pears are one of the last asian pear varieties to ripen late into fall. We’re so lucky to have caught Bucktown Roots last Asian pear harvest of the season – the last of the last! Shinkos have a beautiful bronze skin and are super crispy and juicy with notes of spice, citrus, and butterscotch. Grown locally in Vacaville, the Valerian family at Bucktown Roots took over as new stewards of an old walnut and pear orchard in 2020. For the past few years, they’ve been humbled by all they can learn from these old trees that bear such tasty fruit. Shinko pears are the result of a cross between Nijisseiki and Amanogawa pears. It’s a Japanese variety that’s one of our favorites– a close tie with Nijisseikis but lucky for us, we don’t have to choose! Store in the fridge to maintain crispness. Grown organically in Vacaville by Bucktown Roots.
Winter Nelis pears may not win a beauty contest, but there’s something about these squat, lumpy, and deeply russeted pears that is just so charming. They also happen to ripen into an extremely aromatic and juicy piece of fruit! The Winter Nelis is a late-season European pear variety. By this point in the year, most of the Euro pear market has moved up to the Pacific Northwest crop, with pears coming out of bigger packing sheds in Washington. Filigreen Farm is located in the Anderson Valley, where the climate is ideal for niche shoulder-season fruit availability. These fragrant little pears are finally now ready to enjoy! With a little time on the counter, they will be sweet, juicy, and fine-grained. They continue to taste better the longer they are in cold storage (or refrigerator). Store in the fridge to keep or on the counter to ripen. Grown organically and biodynamically in Boonville by Filigreen Farms.
Growing up, fall meant jujubes were everywhere. Big platters covered in wrinkly red & brown fruit in different stages of driedness were on every surface of the back yard. This was probably the only time of year you could sun-dry anything in San Francisco! Jujubes were harvested from backyard trees, gifted by friends and relatives, and sun-dried to preserve them for use in sweet and savory soups throughout the rest of the year. I was told they were super good for you. (I didn’t ask too many questions when it came to traditional Chinese medicine.) But the real prize was the little bowl of fresh jujubes on the kitchen table. The firmest ones were selected to be enjoyed fresh and the window of opportunity was small. Fresh they are firm, crisp, and sweet, kind of like a tiny apple. Fresh jujubes can be eaten at all stages in their transition from green to fully dark red or brown. When they are almost fully dark but still maintain a crisp bite, that’s peak fresh jujube in my opinion. They have this rich caramelly flavor paired with a mild sweetness and refreshing crispness. Gisele grows three varieties: Li, Lang, and Sugarcane, and she’s packed them in a field blend for us to enjoy. Store them on the counter or the fridge. Grown organically by Vitis and Ovis Farm in Capay.
Super late-season pluots still hanging onto the trees are impressive, like these Flavor Fall pluots from Toby. They differ from the summer pluot varieties that are juicy and crunchy, or even an early fall season pluots that have a bit more acid, but they are still characteristically sweet, firm, and crisp in flavor. Their juices are seemingly absorbed into the flesh the longer it hangs on the tree, resulting in a denser and still-sweet bite this time of year. Because of this year’s dry-ish fall, these Flavor Fall pluots are still hanging out, but not for long. Even though it’s November, a bite of a Flavor Fall pluot is refreshingly sweet and welcomed. Store on the counter. Grown organically by Free Spirit Farm in Winters.
