Blood Oranges

We can expect a steady supply of blood oranges through the end of February. Try making a blood orange shrub with champagne vinegar. My batch will be ready to drink in about a week.

Winter Citrus

Bell shaped minneolas, Page Mandarin, Clementine and Fremont Mandarin are just a few of the winter citrus varieties.

The Minneola tangelo is a cross between a Duncan grapefruit and a Dancy tangerine.  They have thin reddish orange skin that is easy to peel and the shape is like a bell.  The fruit combines the sweetness of the mandarin with the tart flavors of the grapefruit, and it is highly prized for its juiciness and combination of sweet/sour flavors.

 

Page Mandarins

Page mandarins have a deep bright orange skin. They have incredible flavor and are usually seedless. Pages are a cross between a Minneola tangelo and Clementine mandarin. Pages are the next best thing now that Satsuma season is almost done.

Asian Pears

Asian pears are firm to the touch with the crisp texture of an apple and the juiciness of a pear. They can grow quite large and are round like an apple and have a yellowish green or brown russet skin like a pear. It is no surprise that they are also known as an apple pear.
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Cranberries

Bright round cranberries bring up visions of Fall, baked goods and meals with friends and family. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and is not complete without a side dish of sweet and tart cranberry sauce. Read our full blog here.

Pomegranates

Look for pomegranates with a full bright red to dark red color. You also want fruit that feels heavy for their size, which means they are super juicy. The outside of a pomegranate is very hard and only the inside arils which cover the seeds in a red translucent material are edible.  It may seem like a lot of work to get to the arils, but it is well worth it. Cut off the top and bottom of the fruit, score the fruit and then open it into two halves. Place the halves in a bowl of water and use your fingers to gently separate the seeds from the white, spongy membrane. The inedible white membranes will float to the top of the water and leave you all the delicious arils at the bottom. Be careful not to get the juice on your hands and clothes because it will stain.

 

 

Peony Grapes

The Peony® large size makes them very impressive with the average grape measuring over an inch long. They are also one of the sweetest grapes commercially grown. Their incredible grape flavor, similar to a Concord grape, is outstanding!

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Champagne Grapes

Organic mini Champagne California grown grapes are fun to pull off with your teeth. Pop, pop, pop!

Fun Fact: It is estimated that consumption of fresh table grapes in California is about 7 to 8 pounds per person.

 

Artisan Cherry Tomatoes

Summer brings a bounty of beautiful cherry tomatoes. Try these new Artisan Cherry Tomatoes from Riverbend Farm in Kerman, California about 150 southeast of San Francisco.

 

California Cherry Season Is Short

Cherries are a small and delicate fruit and need to be handled with extreme care.  The fruit starting to size up on the tree can still be damaged if there is heavy rain or wind.  Extreme weather can cause the cherries to split or crack and that part of the crop is lost.  The cherries dangle together in groups of 2 to 6 pieces of fruit and the wind can cause them to bang up against each other, causing bruising on the shoulders of the fruit, the area near the stem.

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