Picking Favorites

You know how when you’re a kid, you pick a favorite color and tell everyone that’s your favorite color? No real clear reason why, but it just is and you run with it. I try not to make tooo many claims of favorites with fruit, but for some reason, around a decade ago, I decided Mutsus were my favorite apples. I had a Mutsu for the first time from Stan while working at the Ferry Plaza farmers market, and I decided—this was it! The skin is not too thick, not too thin, and not waxy. It’s crisp and juicy, but with some crunch, too. It’s sweet upon the first bite, with tartness that comes later and the slightest spicy notes for the aroma. (Early in the season, like right now, it leans a little more tart.) Stan will continue to harvest Mutsus for another couple of weeks, and they’ll continue to get a bit sweeter as they stay on the tree.

Stan Devoto, along with his longtime crew, grows over 100 apple varieties on about 27 acres in Sebastopol. Stan grows apples unlike anyone else I’ve met. Most of his trees are heirloom varieties that are nearly 50 years old, and his orchard is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. Every tree is carefully thinned and shaped by hand, and between the rows is a lush cover crop that Stan rushes to seed before the rains come in the fall. Some apple rows are interplanted with seasonal cut flowers. Apart from his young trees, his orchards have no irrigation lines, meaning his apples are dry-farmed, relying on their deep roots to find moisture stored in the earth.

Stan harvests all of his apples fresh and delivers them straight to us, never stored in cold storage. He doesn’t have to do it this way, but he has a deep commitment to delivering apples that are perfectly ripe and really fresh. Every week, he only harvests what’s ready. He grows many heirloom varieties we love, but he also grows the best versions of commodity varieties, too. We’re in the middle of apple season right now, which means Stan and his crew have been picking more than nine apple varieties every week!

Every week Stan and I will chat and he'll run through the varieties he's picking, giving a brief descriptor for each. Without fail, for one lucky apple, he'll add, “and this is one of my favorite varieties!” If Stan is doing it, I decided I’ll pick a favorite apple every week, too!

Stan is in his mid-70s and he is STILL planting new apple trees each off-season. He was excited to tell me this spring that he had grafted 974 new trees. An inspiration to us all! Store on the counter or in the fridge. Grown organically by Devoto Orchards in Sebastopol.

Also in this week's box

Organic Snow Leopard or Piel de Sapo melon from Sun Tracker Farms in Guinda. Store in the fridge.

Organic Albion strawberries and Freedom Blackberries from Yerena Farms in Watsonville. Store in the fridge.

Organic American Beauty Fortule or La Verne dragon fruit from Fortule Farms in Escondido. Store on the counter (but chill before eating). Slice in half and peel back the thick skin. The flesh and seeds are edible, the skin is not.

Organic Coffeecake persimmons and Fall Fiesta pluots from Free Spirit Farm in Winters. Store on the counter.