HELLO FALL!
Late summer produce is starting to wind down and now is the time of year to start making room for the wonderful bounty of Fall. California Stone Fruit is all but done and the Pacific Northwest continues for another week or two with late season peaches, plums and pluots.
There is a chill in the morning air and new crop California Gala, Honeycrisp and Sweetie apples and fragrant Bartlett Pears are the stars of the show. Cuyama is now harvesting fresh crop Gala, Sweetie and Honeycrisp full sized and snackable Lady apples. The first land of Sweeties flew out the door and we will get more in on Monday. Lady Apples are the perfect lunch box size. The Jonagold was developed in the 1940s and is a cross between a Jonathan and a Golden Delicious. The coloring is yellow of Golden Delicious, with large flushes of red. This is a crisp apple to bite into, with gleaming white flesh. The flavor is sweet but with a lot of balancing acidity. Jonagolds are not around for long.
Cuyama Orchards is nestled in the uppermost reaches of the Cuyama Valley in a rugged mountainous corner of Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties in California. The orchards are surrounded by towering peaks and National Forest land. At 3300 feet in elevation, Cuyama Orchards enjoys the ideal microclimate for growing sweet, crunchy, juicy apples that are bursting with flavor. The warm days late into the fall along with cool crisp nights allow them to harvest their fruit with full flavor at the peak of ripeness. Gala apples are a “summer apple” that ripens ahead of, just about, all other varieties. Cuyama Gala are sweet, crisp, and fragrant. Great for a snack. Cuyama Honeycrisp are ridiculously sweet, tart, crunchy, and bursting with flavor. The Sweetie is Gala’s sweeter, crunchier, juicier progeny. Sweetie harvest in the summer, just after its parent - Gala, and yet has the exceptionally firm texture and keeping qualities of its other parent, Braeburn. Join us in celebrating California apples and pears!
Cuyama Orchards is nestled in the uppermost reaches of the Cuyama Valley in a rugged mountainous corner of Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties in California.
PNW Blueberries are done. Forbidden Fruit shine on the shoulders of the season with their premium large, firm blueberries with excellent flavor. Tomatero Blackberry peak is on the downside but we will continue to see good volume for a few more weeks. Mexican blackberries will start up by November. AG Berry Raspberries out of hoop houses has great flavor and we are bringing in everything she is growing. California Tomatero Strawberries have great flavor and barring any rain they will continue through October. We will see some Baja strawberries come on as we get into the winter months.
NEW from Buck Citrus- Key Limes, Finger Limes and Makrut Limes! Key Limes are smaller and with more seeds than the more common Persian Lime, its distinctive flavor makes it heavily sought after, especially for delicious desserts. Key lime is most often used for its juice, which is sweet and tart and a signature ingredient in key lime-based desserts, marinades, and cocktails. Finger Limes have a fresh, tart citrus flavor. Squeezing each half forces these little bubbles out, where they can be eaten or used in cooking. When chewed, they pop in your mouth, releasing their tart, lemony juice. Chefs who use them serve them alongside seafood, sushi, pasta, and other foods that benefit from the crunchy pop of the bubbles and their tart, citrusy flavor. Makrut Limes are incredibly fragrant. The limes, zest, and juice are used in Thai, Cambodian, and Indonesian cooking. The zest of the fruit can also be used in curries or soups.
We are getting into more of a California lemon profile. DOC lemons have started up out of the desert with very nice quality. We may see a little of Mexican fruit soon. Valencias are winding down out of California and sizing up smaller. Choice is going strong and doesn’t have strong legs. The Mexican Valencia season won’t start up until November.
Maywood Figs are peaking with outstanding flavor and volume on Black Mission, Brown Turkey and Kadota varieties into October.
On the grape scene, Concords are done and Thomcords will be done soon. It is peak California grape season! Benzler green seedless Autumn King and red seedless Scarlett Royal tote bags are super crunchy and full of flavor. Seedless Black Adora, green Pristine and Autumn Crisp and red Krissy and Scarlet Royal are available in bags.
The new Homegrown “Prankster” Kiwi Berries are almost here. Grown in Oregon, kiwi berries have all the flavor of a kiwi in a poppable snack. They are ready to eat when they soften up. Pomegranates and Persimmons will start harvest by mid-October. Jujubes are crisp and refreshing, with a delicate fig-and-caramel flavor. Fresh jujubes provide more vitamin C than your average citrus fruit.
Asian Pears are coming up short out of the Pacific Northwest and California thought they lost their entire crop to Fire Blight, a fungal infection in the tree. Good news! Homegrown got into the Asian Pears orchards and are harvesting a small amount of Shinko Asian Pears.
California Keitt Mangos are in good volume and should go through early October.
Dwelley has a few more blocks of corn in Brentwood. Look for the season to go through September. Now is the time to cut fresh corn kernels off the ear and freeze them for winter soups and stews.
Mushroom Market Update
There has been a shortage of mushrooms across the industry over the last few weeks. This has been caused by several contributing factors in the industry, stemming from an original shortage in the East caused by severe storms and flooding. This shortage has put a lot of pressure on Western growers to supply customers and make up for the low supply that would have originally come from the East. In addition to these shortages in the East, the West has also seen recent challenges due to heat/mold issues with many farms. With daily mushroom favorites being tight now is a great time to try wild foraged mushrooms out of the Pacific Northwest! Preorder Chanterelles, Lobster, Chicken of the Woods and the new Hedgehog mushroom today! Hedgehog mushrooms look a lot like highly prized chanterelles and have a wonderfully sweet and nutty flavor when they're fresh.
California tomatoes are eating great from Heirloom Tomatoes, to Early Girls and cherry tomatoes. Recent heat waves in July and August affect tomato firmness differently depending on the growing region. Tutti Frutti benefits from cooling ocean breezes letting the fruit ripen up slower and stay firmer. Tomatoes in the hot regions of Yolo County, Gilroy and at times on the central coast may be softer because the nighttime temperatures are not cooling down significantly.
Tutti Frutti Mixed Hard Squash bins are available on your next delivery, as well as cases of all your favorites- Butternut, spaghetti, acorn, kabocha, red kuri, sweet dumpling and delicata . Coming soon from Dwelley, Orangetti hard squash. Developed in Israel, Orangetti squash is a close relative of the yellow spaghetti squash and is a heavy bearing plant producing smaller fruits with a deeper rind and flesh color. You can find Earl’s Hard Squash Guide here.
Follow Earl's Buyer's Notes each week for seasonal updates and follow the flavor. Ask your Earl's Sales Rep how we can help with Fall produce display.