Fruit 

As we reluctantly say goodbye to the apples of fall harvest Mother Nature’s harmony ensures new lovely choices for our seasonal wellness.

Next week we have for you California’s current seasonal star: The Naval Orange. Your Naval oranges are coming from Twin Girls farm near Fresno. The farm is named after the red-haired twin daughters of the farm’s owners: Nacho and Casamira. I love that the fruit they can’t sell is used to fertilize their fields for the next harvest. Thus, returning their love and care back to our life giving earth.

Other California citrus are having a strong harvest right now too. These include kiwi, minneolas, Meyer lemons, Fremont mandarins, and huge (the biggest I can find) Star Ruby grapefruits from Rainbow Valley Orchards.

Did you know: that Cara Cara oranges are a hybrid of two different varieties of Naval orange? Cara Cara’s are my favorite orange because they are generally sweeter than Navals.

Also for next week we have California blueberries which taste as divine as any other time of the year. They come to you from Forbidden Fruit orchard near San Louis Obispo. 

Your Bartlett pears for next week will are coming from Cascade Orchard just in time for your order. Keep in mind that pear varieties are limited from now until the end of the season. Which isn’t too far away.

To add some variety to our overwhelmingly abundant local citrus season we have limited fair trade avocados and bananas both from Mexico. Variety, as they say, is the spice of life. 

 Veggies

As the season changed from fall our local growing region is blessed with needed winter rains. These rains replenish resevoirs and cover the Sierra’s with snow. In the spring this snow-melt will rejuvaniate the central valley soil and, with it, the fruits and vegetables we love so much from our local farms. 

In the meantime, cold, heavy rains, limit the availability of some vegetables. Most abundant, however, are the root vegetables. Protected by the nutrient-giving soil they continue to grow despite occasional freezes. For you, next week Golden Gate Organics offers local: rutabaga, parsnips, bunched red beets, carrots, and red potatoes. 

For the above ground veggies we have green leaf lettuce, broccoli, and cilantro from Josie’s Organic near Santa Cruz, frost-kissed artichokes from Ocean Mist farms, and Lacinato kale from Tomatero Farm. 

As the temperatures and rain become more mild we will see this reflected in our local organic produce availability. Generally, the better the weather, the better the selection. 

Did You Know: Our values are to support the smallest, seasonal, most local organic farms, and, above all, offer an exceptional produce experience. 

Thank you for making your wellness and the wellness of our local Bay Area foodshed a priority with Golden Gate Organics. We appreciate you.

With Great Care,

Corey Tufts, and the Team at Golden Gate Organics