Click on image to enlarge for easier reading. See Page Two below.
So we’re just starting the very earliest part of our avocado harvest. Actually we always start with our pollinators, which did their pollination job this year, but didn’t fruit much. Anyway, there are Fuerte’s and a few very early to appear Hass in the Large shares this week. Actually, the real Hass harvest doesn’t start for a couple more weeks, usually.
Oddly, the macadamia harvest is weeks later than usual. We’re only NOW raking up any quantity worth getting excited about. Normally, by October we are raking away. So, too the kumquats are much later. I have always enjoyed combining kumquats with cranberries for Thanksgiving, indicating that we actually HAVE kumquats in November, which isn’t the case by a milestone this year. I’m guessing late February. So the climate at least on this farm, is changing in a huge way.
You’ll notice the sprouts are back again this week. They take almost 2 weeks to sprout in this cold weather, as opposed to 4 or 5 days. We hired an electrician to bring electricity to our tiny greenhouse, and we’re going to try moving the sprouting operation inside there, in the hopes that the greenhouse environment is so much warmer that we will be able to grow weekly supplies again. This week’s sprouts are an unusual combination of clover, garlic and cress.
Plenty of persimmons right now as we’re mid-harvest. We’re experimenting with drying and if successful, may include dried persimmons later on. We’ll use a dehydrator, but if you’d like to try your oven, here’s a link: www.marthastewart.com/recipe/oven-dried-persimmons-slices
The butternut squash can sit on your counter for quite a while. Baked, and the flesh scooped out, it offers the base for pumpkin pie, a hearty soup, pumpkin bread/muffins and a fine vegan gravy.