fruit notes
Growing up, fall meant jujubes were everywhere. My grandma would cover big platters with the wrinkly red & brown fruit and spread them across the backyard to dry. Late September is probably the only time of year you could sun-dry anything in San Francisco. The jujubes were often harvested from backyard trees, gifted by friends and relatives, and dried to preserve for sweet and savory soups throughout the year. Jujubes are very important in traditional Chinese medicine and I really didn’t ask too many questions – I just knew that they’re super good for you. But the real prize was the little bowl of fresh jujubes on the kitchen table. Firm, crisp, and sweet – like a tiny apple – the best ones were eaten in that short window before they softened. When they’re just turning dark red but still have a crisp bite, that’s peak fresh jujube in my opinion: rich caramelly flavor with a nice crunch!
It feels especially fitting that these are peaking just in time for Mid-Autumn Festival, the Chinese harvest festival which lands on Monday, October 6. This holiday has always been about gathering with family, sharing fruit and mooncakes, and appreciating the round, full moon. Jujubes were always part of that spread in my family – quiet but essential – sitting alongside pomelos and other round fruits that echo the shape of the moon and symbolize wholeness and togetherness.
This week’s box carries on a bit of that tradition, with plenty of round things to celebrate the season. Gisele grows three varieties of jujubes – Li, Lang, and Sugarcane – and she’s packed them in a field blend for us to enjoy. Store them on the counter or in the fridge, and snack on them under the glow of the full moon. 🌕 Grown organically by Vitis and Ovis Farm in Capay.
Sun Tracker Farm has never had enough Piel de Sapo melons for us to put in the boxes but this year, Carine thinks they’ve figured it out! Between trying out different varieties and seeds to timing when to seed and plant, this year has proven they can grow it and actually get a good crop! This is the last melon of the season (bittersweet!) but it’s definitely one of my absolute top favorite melon varieties so it leaves me with excitement for next year's season! Piel de Spo is a Spanish melon, translating to “toad skin” for its mottled green and yellow skin. Its flesh is crisp, juicy, and sweet like honeydew. Store in the fridge. Grown organically by Sun Tracker Farm in Guinda.
You can eat Toby’s Coffeecake persimmons like a Fuyu persimmon: skin on, firm and crunchy, with no astringency left in your mouth. This variety is also known as Nishimura Wase Fuyu. Its flavor is rich and sweet with layers of beautiful speckly-brown flesh (like a coffee cake!) Without proper pollination, this variety *could* become astringent like the acorn-shaped Hachiya. Luckily, the birds and bees did their thang and we have ~sweet~ Coffee Cake persimmons! (One sad season, Toby had a fuyu variety that wasn’t pollinated properly, leaving the entire crop astringent!) Store these on your counter. Grown organically in Winters.
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 finally 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. The flavor reminds us of those tasty Honey Punch pluots we had during the peak of summer. Store on the counter. Grown organically by Free Spirit Farm in Winters.
Jay’s subtropical fruit forest sits high in the foothills of Goleta overlooking the Pacific. On a visit, it’s hard not to be drawn straight to the bursts of magenta dragon fruit cacti draped over avocado branches, with passion fruit vines weaving through the canopy. Peel back the neon-pink skin to reveal polka-dotted white flesh, juicy and dense with a gentle sweetness. This variety of dragon fruit has a touch more acidity than most (something I love!) giving it a flavor that lands somewhere between kiwi and pear. Like oranges, the acidity mellows as the fruit rests on the counter. Grown organically by Condor Ridge Ranch in Goleta.
Shinko pears have a beautiful burnt orange skin and a super crisp and juicy bite with notes of spice, citrus, and butterscotch sweetness. These are grown locally in Vacaville, where the Valerian family became the new stewards of an old walnut and pear orchard in 2020. For the past few years, they’ve been humbled by these old trees that bear such tasty fruit, in awe of what they can learn from them. Shinko pears are a Japanese variety that’s one of my favorites, with close ties to Nijisseikis. Store in the fridge to maintain crispiness. Grown organically in Vacaville by Bucktown Roots.
We’re so grateful to celebrate the end of grape season with the most beautiful and deliciously delicate table grapes from Filigreen Farm. These white seedless Lakemont grapes are small and sweet with a fresh flavor. They remind me of a (better) version of a Thompson seedless grape. While the early-season varieties were remarkable for their bold, dynamic flavors, these are a bit more subtle and nuanced. The thin skins, small size, and firm pop of texture are a true joy! Store these in the fridge. Grown organically and biodynamically in Boonville.
In California, passion fruit has two seasons: one in spring and another in fall. And right now at Condor Ridge Ranch, it’s abundant! It can be tricky to predict how much purple passion fruit will be ready, since the vines are scattered throughout the farm’s subtropical fruit forest. These tenacious vines climb over avocado trees, wind through dragon fruit plants, weave around tamarillos, and lean on cherimoya trees. Finding ripe passion fruit is a bit of a hunt, but it’s so worth it! We like to cut them in half, scoop out the pulp, and enjoy the tangy, tropical goodness on its own, with yogurt, in pastries, or paired with just about any other fruit – passion fruit makes everything better. Store on the counter. Grown organically by Condor Ridge Ranch in Goleta.
