Archive for 2012

Warm Weather Crop Transition

November 6, 2012 | Susan

In our last blog we talked about summer crops moving south to Mexico, but there still remains some California crop production in Buellton in Santa Barbara County, Coachella and the Imperial Valley. Coachella is located just north of the Salton Sea and south of Palm Springs. The Imperial Valley extends from the southern area of Coachella, past the Salton Sea and all the way down the border of Mexico.

It is important to know that there will be some overlap with California and Mexico crops. If you are trying to buy California as long as possible, make sure to ask from where your produce is coming. Check the stickers on your produce or ask your local produce person. All organic PLU numbers start with 9 and stickers and stem tags must state country of origin.

Here is a quick update on some warm weather crops you can still find in California from Earl’s.

Even though zucchini production in California is winding down, our grower Tutti Frutti will still have hoop house production in Buellton, CA continuing strong for 3-4 weeks. Zucchini out of Mexico will follow in late November. Tutti Frutti will also continue hoop house heirloom tomato production into early December which means more delicious tomatoes through the holidays!

Red and green bell peppers, eggplants and green beans have mostly moved to Coachella and the Imperial Valley, for a short fall season of usually 4 weeks before moving to Mexico. By late November or early December almost all warm weather crops will be coming from Mexican field production, greenhouse and shade houses. Greenhouses will protect the crops from the cold and rain and keep the heat in. Shade houses are used to protect the crops from being burnt by the sun. Increasingly warm weather crops in Mexico are grown in closed structures to protect against virus infections from insects.

On the bunched greens front there is year round product from San Miguel out of Oxnard, in Southern California. Cal Organic and Lakeside will move their bunched green production to Coachella and the Imperial Valley in late November. If you love your packaged salad mixes you can look for them to be coming from the California deserts and Yuma, Arizona at the end of November.

Always check back with us for more updates on our website, Facebook and Twitter.

Persimmons

November 2, 2012 | Susan

Fuyu’s are short, squat and non-astrigent and when ripe they have a sweet flavor with a hint of cinnamon and apricot. You can eat them raw when they are firm or soft and they do not need to be peeled. Fuyu’s can be eaten like an apple, cut up and eaten on their own or great in a salad. You may sometimes find a few seeds inside but they are easy to eat around.

For the full blog and Fuyu and Hachiya persimmon recipes click here.

Beautiful Orange Persimmons

| Susan

Persimmons are originally from China but they are often referred to as Japanese or Oriental persimmons or D. kaki species. In Japan they are the national fruit and called Kaki. The seeds were brought to the United States in 1854 and first planted around Washington D.C. but the early frost killed them. Now California and Florida are the main states that grow persimmons commercially. In fact California grows almost 100% of the persimmon crop in the United States. They are also grown in Texas, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Missouri.

Fuyu Persimmons

The Fuyu and the Hachiya are the leading commercial varieties of persimmons you will find in the United States. The harvest usually starts around the beginning of October and goes through December. It can extend into January if there is no winter freeze. In California over half of the persimmons are grown in Tulare and Fresno counties. The other main areas are Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties and a very small amount are grown in Sutter and Placer counties north of Sacramento.

Earl’s has Fuyu persimmons from Kaki Farm located in Gridley, California about an hour north of Sacramento. The farm is appropriately named after the Asian word for persimmon since the main crop grown is 8.5 acres of Fuyu persimmons. All of the crops on the farm are organically grown, and have been certified by CCOF since 1991. They pack and store the fruit on the farm, and are helped by a number of members of their extended family, as well as other neighbors in the community.

Fuyu’s are short, squat and non-astrigent and when ripe they have a sweet flavor with a hint of cinnamon and apricot. You can eat them raw when they are firm or soft and they do not need to be peeled. Fuyu’s can be eaten like an apple, cut up and eaten on their own or great in a Persimmon Pomegranate Fruit Salad. You may sometimes find a few seeds inside but they are easy to eat around.

Hachiyas are tapered and shaped like an acorn. They are highly astringent and bitter and need to be jelly soft before they are edible. Hachiyas are most commonly used for baking in cakes, cookies and muffins and are rarely eaten raw.

Hachiya Persimmons www.marketforays.com

Persimmons unlike many fruits will keep longer if left at room temperature. Once they are in the refrigerator they will go soft faster and will need to be eaten quickly. Look for persimmons with smooth skin and no bruising.

Persimmons are an excellent source of Vitamin A, C and fiber and full of antioxidants.

Cool fact: The light colored, fine-grained wood from a persimmon tree is used to make billiard cues, drum sticks, golf clubs and furniture.

If you have never tried a persimmon this is the year to be adventurous and pick one up at the store. We would love to hear your comments and recipes on Earl’s Facebook page.

Persimmon Pomegrante Fruit Salad

| Susan

www.simplyrecipes.com

3 fuyu persimmons, peeled, chopped (1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces), seeds (if any) discarded
3/4 cup pomegranate seeds
1 Granny Smith or Fuji apple, peeled, cored, chopped (1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces)
7-10 leaves fresh mint, thinly sliced crosswise (stack then, then roll them up like a cigar and take slices from the end)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey

Method

Gently toss all of the ingredients together.

Keeps for at least a couple of days in the refrigerator, but best eaten same day it is made.

Yield: Serves 4.

Summer Crops Moving South

October 31, 2012 | Susan

Cooler weather and the first rains of the year start to bring about the seasonal transition from summer to winter crops and the location of where they are grown. Cucumbers have already moved from California to Mexico. Zucchini, green beans and eggplants are ending in California and beginning the move to Mexico. Green beans are one of the highlights of the Thanksgiving dinner but year to year their availability is weather dependent. If we are lucky to have California green beans the demand is so high that there is never enough to go around.

For those of you who have been following our avocado blogs you know how much we love California Avocados. The season is almost over so take advantage while you can of the high oil content avocados before they are gone. The rich and creamy California avocados beat out the first of the Mexican Avocado crop which is low in flavor and oil content until later in the season. So check the stickers on your avocados or ask your produce person before you quickly pick one up at the grocery store and make sure it is California grown!

Strawberries are one item that can go until December in California depending on the weather. Then the Mexican Baja strawberry deal will kick in until mid-January or beginning of February. California strawberry production is a volatile affair in the winter. If we have a “hard” winter, weather below 45 degrees with heavy rain, you won’t find any California strawberries in the store. If our winter is mild we will have California strawberries just in time for Valentine’s Day when chocolate dipped strawberries are one of the most popular gifts.

Remember seasonality and weather are the two main things affecting the produce you will find when you shop. Follow us in future blogs as we track how produce changes with the seasons.