fruit notes
This week, we’re featuring farmer Michael’s favorite pomegranate variety: Parfianka pomegranates. At Spreadwing Farm in Rumsey, Cathy and Michael grow about a dozen pomegranate varieties on 15 acres, so it means something when they tell us something is their favorite! These poms are juicy and have great flavor with smaller seeds. They are sweet with some tartness, but the balance of the two is what makes it a star. If you’ve eaten a pomegranate in the United States, it was almost certainly a ‘Wonderful’ variety – and probably grown by the ill-named Wonderful Company, makers of POM juice! Despite their ubiquity – over 90% of US-grown pomegranates are Wonderfuls – there are arguably dozens of better-tasting varieties out there: less bitter and more balanced. This diversity must stem in part from the fact that pomegranates are one of the first fruits cultivated by humans, dating back five millenia. The pomegranate originated in Persia, becoming a culturally important fruit throughout the middle east, asia, and the mediterranean. And the pomegranate has served as a pregnant symbol of life, death, rebirth, fertility, and womanhood. To name just a few examples, the pomegranate figures prominently in the Greek myth of Persephone, appears in the biblical Garden of Eden story (it was the actual forbidden fruit), was interred in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs, and was strewn across the tables of many a moody Dutch still life. But in the present day, I don’t think there’s a better way to celebrate autumn than to slow down, seed a pomegranate, and appreciate all the fruit that’s been cultivated since! Store in the fridge or counter. Grown organically by Spreadwing Farm in Rumsey.
Sierra Beauty apples are one of the special few varieties considered a California native. They were discovered growing in the 1870s in the Sierra Nevada mountains. As the story goes, the first tree sprouted from a Gold Rush miner’s discarded apple core. It’s a rare apple these days, more common in backyards and on small farms. In fact, it was thought to be extinct until it was “re-discovered” in the early 1980s, happily growing in the Anderson Valley all along. The Sierra Beauty isn’t known for any singular trait but for the sum of its parts – making it spectacular overall! They are firm and crisp, with a fine-grained texture. They’re tart, not puckering but in a bright way, and balanced with a wonderful sweetness. They’re an all-around winner in my book. Sierra Beauty apples are special wherever you can find them in California but Stan Devoto grows some of the best! Once his young apple trees are settled in and mature enough to stand on their own, he cuts the irrigation. The trees then rely on deep roots and the coastal fog that drifts into the Gold Ridge. Dry-farming helps explain why his apples have maximum flavor! Store in the fridge. Grown organically by Devoto Orchards in Sebastopol.
Asian pears have grown in popularity in California but the most common ones we see are round like an apple with brown skin (Shinko, Hosui, Chojuro, etc.) One of my favorites that I grew up eating is the Ya Li, an heirloom cultivar from China with the elongated shape of the European varieties. Its skin is a faint yellow-green (like the Nikisseikis!) It has a fine, juicy texture and the most aromatic fragrance. Its flavor is sweet with a slight tartness and background notes of anise. Though Ya Li pears aren’t as sweet or crisp as some of the other asian pear varieties we’re familiar with, it’s smooth and fine texture is the novelty here. Growing up, I remember when Ya Li pears appeared at markets later in the season, my mom would always make sweet snow fungus dessert soup. It’s a gently sweet soup featuring asian pears, goji berries, bitter and sweet almonds, and a mild-tasting white mushroom called snow fungus. My friend Susanna has a recipe and video for this, check it out! Store in the fridge. Grown organically by EARTHseed Farm in Sebastopol.
Growing up, I was mostly exposed to the two persimmons that people are likely to be familiar with: the flatter, crunchy, fuyu and the oblong, pointed hachiya. Fuyu persimmons are sweet when crunchy and not astringent. They’re the most approachable persimmon because they can be eaten firm or left to soften up a bit. Hachiya persimmons, on the other hand, are wildly astringent when firm. With time on the counter, they become soft and gooey and incredibly sweet. But the world of persimmons is a bit wider than that! This week, we have a very special harvest of Chocolate persimmons from Spreadwing Farm. Farmer Michael said that the birds usually tell him when they’re ripe and ready – and they are! Though shaped more like the astringent Hachiya, Chocolate persimmons eat like a Fuyu: they are sweet when firm. (With this caveat: though most Chocolate persimmons should be sweet when ripe and firm, there’s a slight possibility that the fruit was not pollinated, making it astringent. There’s no way to tell externally. We apologize in advance if you lose this game of persimmon roulette!) When ripe, the interior is a deep brown like chocolate. The browner the flesh is on the inside, the sweeter they’ll be! For persimmon connoisseurs, Chocolates are highly sought-after. They are sweet, spicy, nutty, and the flavor is just unparalleled. Store on the counter. If you’re worried about running into an unpollinated, firm, and astringent persimmon, you can wait until it gets soft on the counter. Grown organically by Spreadwing Farm in Rumsey.
I can’t think of another time of year where we’re trying to welcome the next season (autumn) while trying so hard to hold onto the last (summer). At least for us, by the time spring rolls around with berries, we’re not looking back at winter citrus. And summer stone fruit is so exciting that we get swept up so quickly! Yet when fall fruit joins the line-up, we find ourselves holding onto the last stone fruit and berries until the first frost determines their end of season. It’s nearly the end of October, and Toby’s late-season Fall Fiesta pluots are gorgeous. The sunset hues of red and yellow across their skin encapsulates the last sweet and juicy bites of summer stone fruit. Store on the counter. Grown organically by Free Spirit Farm in Winters.
Last of the season figs! These mixed figs are from Leisen’s Bridgeway farm, a small family farm in Sonoma County. With just a few fig trees, their crop is the last to ripen with more mild weather compared to the farms inland. With the end of season, volume is less abundant so it’s harder to harvest. Farmers have to go “looking” for fruit instead of picking what’s right in front of them. Leisen’s Bridgeway is a small diversified farm that grew many mixed fruits and veggies before the Tubbs fire in 2017. Since then, they've been rebuilding and last year’s 2023 crop was their first substantial fig harvest since the fire. These mixed variety figs are ripe and ready to be eaten! For us, the tastiest figs are the ugliest ones. Store in the fridge. Grown sustainably by Lesisen’s Bridgeway Farm in Santa Rosa. Given the limitations of late-season fig harvests, some fruit fans may receive the classic Black Mission fig from Maywood Farms in Corning instead.
Jim of Swanton Berry Farm is always proud to remind us, “your berries are the only ones the crew is harvesting today!” As in, they aren’t sending strawberries to any other buyer–at least on that particular day. This is how October goes at Swanton Berry Farm, the Chandlers can stand to hang on the plants a tiny bit longer compared to the peak of summer (so long as weather is favorable), and the plants hum along with a steady but small crop of strawberries throughout the fall until the temps drop significantly. We think the Chandlers taste so good right now–same berry, but it hits a little differently in the fall. Store in the fridge. Grown organically by Swanton Berry Farm in Davenport.
It has been a tough year for blackberries. Some of the farmers that grow our favorite blackberries really struggled with the mid-summer heatwaves, which decimated yields and affected flavor. It made for a shorter (and smaller) season. And this week was a tough week for blackberries! Quality issues required some last minute swaps, so while some folks are getting blackberries from Yerena Farms, others may see Yerena’s raspberries, Swanton’s strawberries, or Maywood’s figs a substitution. It’s a good reminder that ripe, fresh berries are a small miracle (and a tribute to the modern cold chain). Store in the fridge. Grown organically by Yerena Farms in Watsonville.
