Live Earth Farm Newsletter - Week 14, Season 14

Perfect Ripeness
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Sunday Elisa and I were the first one's to wake up to a clear, fogless morning.
Although the sun had not yet risen, I could tell the day was going to be warm. Elisa kept me company as I toured the fields to get an early start watering the crops. Attracted by the many orange dots shining through the green foliage of the apricot orchard, Elisa wanted to go search for the "secret" tree I told her about the day before, the one hanging full of perfectly ripe fruit. I was happy to go along to snack on these irresistable fruit, to assess if we'll have enough ripe apricots for our scheduled U-pick scheduled for July 5th (see details below). I learned from last year that with a spike in temperature the 'Cots' ripen very quickly and Blenheims are notorious of dropping to the ground.
With the sun rising over the Mount Madonna ridge, it didn't take long to find a tree hanging full with bright orange, perfectly ripe fruit. Perfect ripeness is hard to describe, most folks associate ripeness when a fruit has a little color and still hard enough to ship. For me the perfect ripeness is not the one that can be advertised, it is the fruit that calls out, the fruit that gives a little when you touch it and releases itself into one's hand. I like to believe that this is that quiet, almost intimate moment, when one is rewarded by the land one loves and nurtures.
Blenheim Apricots, considered by many the best tasting Apricot in California, they are irresistibly inviting and seductively aromatic and sweet, without a doubt, one of my favorite fruit varieties. Blenheim's, trace their heritage back to my wife's place of birth, Paris, more specifically the Luxenbourgh Gardens in Paris. Somehow, this probably would make a good story given the history between the French and English, they ended up growing in the royal gardens of Blenheim Palace in England, from where they trace their name. In the 1880's this "noble" and delicate fruit was first planted in the gardens of the Spanish missions and expanded as trade with Europe came to a halt during the War years. The Blenheims were popular both for their high sugar content and superior sun drying qualities. In the 1920's Blenheims blanketed Santa Clara and Alameda counties and the Sacramento Valley. Today they are rare and hard to find, replaced by tasteless varieties more suitable for largescale industrial farming operations.

The Slow Food Organization in the United States has selected and placed the Blenheims in the "Ark of Taste", a catalog of delicious foods in danger of extinction. Over 200 rare regional foods are identified in the "Ark of Taste", and is a tool that helps farmers, ranchers, fishers, chefs, retail grocers, educators and consumers celebrate the diverse biological, cultural and culinary heritage of this country.
Based on the abundant harvest we had last year, I scheduled 2 U-Pick events, however this year with an unfavorable mix of rain, cold and hot weather patterns, during the critical periods when trees were blooming and setting fruit, we ended up with a small crop, maybe half from what we had last year. This means we have to make some changes and adjust to what mother nature has handed us. Therefore I had to decide that:

We will ONLY host ONE U-PICK event, on JULY 5TH, 10AM-4PM

   &

    THE JULY 12th U-PICK is CANCELED.