fruit notes
These Nijisseiki pears, also known as 20th Century Asian pears, are super crisp, juicy, and refreshing right now. Believe it or not, we’re half-way through the local pear season – and summer doesn’t quite feel like it’s ended yet! Nijisseiki pears are nearly perfect spheres, with a cute button of a stem, wrapped in a thin chartreuse skin. Bite into one and you’ll wonder how that skin just holds back the burst of juice. Its flavor is milder and less deeply sweet than the brown-skinned asian pears, but what makes this variety special is TEXTURE! It’s a marvel that a piece of fruit can be so juicy and so crisp at once. I grew up eating Asian pears peeled, but leaving the skin on and thinly slicing the Nijisseiki is the way to go. Oh and store them in the fridge for maxx chilled refreshment! Grown organically by Earthseed Farm in Sebastopol.
The first flush of passion fruit is starting up, though a bit more slowly this year due to the random blips of intense heat. Passion fruit likes goldilocks temps, not too hot or too cold. Condor Ridge Ranch, situated on the coastal slopes above Goleta, makes an ideal spot for these vines. Jay grows the Frederick passion fruit variety. It’s the most commonly-grown variety in California for good reason: it reliably produces big, full fruit. The giant, showy flowers are a bonus. The first passion fruit begins to arrive as summer wanes. It’s a gentle way to ease the loss of peaches and mangoes and nectarines. We’re reminded of the tropical, tangy, fragrant fruit ahead! Store on the counter. They’re ripe now, though they’ll get sweeter and less juicy as they wrinkle. Grown organically by Condor Ridge Ranch in Goleta.
We just got word from Hayley that Warren pears won’t be around for much longer! Though it's been a great crop of Warrens this year in terms of yield, a lot of the pears are considered “seconds”, blemished and smaller fruit. There are just a couple weeks left to enjoy these buttery, dripping-down-your-arm juicy, sweet pears. Warrens are unique because they’re almost free of stone cells, the part of the fruit that makes for a gritty texture in most varieties of pears (and guava!). This is part of what makes the Warren pear so special: there’s nothing standing in the way of you and its buttery soft texture! In a world of hardy pears stored for months and shipped long distances, Warrens don’t make the cut, so they’re rarely grown commercially. We’re so lucky to find these beautiful pears locally in Northern California. If they’re showing golden color – maybe even a blush of red, they are ripe and ready to be eaten. Store on the counter. Grown organically by Double Wild Farm in Oroville.
Husk cherries, or ground cherries, are plentiful this time of year as a late-summer fruit. Kenny from Lonely Mountain Farm grows a few different varieties. This one was found last year and selected-for by Ilya, who works on the farm. He decided to grow out the seeds of that particular fruit because it had a sparkling flavor and good size. Giving credit where it’s due, Kenny calls this variety “Ilya’s choice” husk cherries. Behind the dry, papery husk is a golden fruit that sweetens with storage. The notes of vanilla and pineapple defy expectations, making them great to share. And every one tastes a little different, which makes eating them all the more fun. Store these on the counter. Grown organically by Lonely Mountain Farm in Watsonville.
The farms we typically look to for local raspberries are few and far in between these days. Le Reve Berry Farm in Sonoma County, which had some of the tastiest raspberries in super limited quantities, closed at the end of 2022. Javier from JSM Organics in Royal Oaks is usually flush with gold, double gold, and red raspberries, but the floods of winter 2023 put most of his cane berries underwater and the plants haven’t recovered. Luckily, Poli of Yerena Farms in Watsonville has been steady with Kwanza red raspberries. This week, they’re fantastic: sweet and tart little jewels. He’s optimistic about some new raspberry varieties he’s trying to grow out from seed, too – but we’ll have to wait at least two to three years before seeing any of that fruit. We’re grateful for these sweet, delicate little morsels especially after hanging on post-heatwave. Store in the fridge. Grown organically by Yerena Farms in Watsonville.
We’ve had an incredible season of melons thanks to our friends Carine and Robert of Sun Tracker Farm. There are so many mediocre melons out there (I know, I grew up eating them!) so to know your melon farmer who grows the tastiest varieties, harvested at PEAK ripeness, is truly the best. All of their melon varieties have been winding down quickly, but last week’s heat wave had us begging Carine for one more week of watermelon. Lucky for us, there were just enough Orchid watermelons left in the field and sacrificed from their only farmer’s market (thank you Carine!) for a final melon hurrah! These Orchid yellow watermelons have been so reliably delicious all season long, with juicy/crisp texture and a sort of sherbet-like flavor. Store in the fridge. Grown organically by Sun Tracker Farm in Guinda.
It’s been a great stone fruit season at Blossom Bluff Orchards, farmer Bryce shared. (The SF Chronicle agreed!) This year, yield has been favorable and the quality of the fruit has been great. We’re seeing late-season pluots hanging onto the trees even though it’s already October! These Flavor Jewel pluots have a blushed ruby red skin with a light golden flesh. They are ripe and sweet while firm. This late into the season, they are all sugars with the slightest tinge of acidity to round out the flavors. We’re holding onto the last bit of stone fruit season with the tastiest pluots we can find! Store in the fridge or a cool counter. Grown organically by Blossom Bluff Orchards in Parlier.
