Wandered into this article: https://seasonal.substack.com/p/pears
About the Warren pear. Sounds tasty! Not sure if I ever had that one particular variety, but anyone else want to chime in on other local fruits and veggies (I’m not sure if we have local animal products; though cows were once in the cow hollow neighborhood in SF and Rancho Buri Buri…).
Wonder if that pear was part of Chez Panisse’s fruit bowl
Following!
If local includes Dixon, and it should, then we do have animal produce. Dixon is technically Bay area, and I think famous for lamb.
I had a patient that used to bring pears from Suisun, not sure what kind. but even 20 years ago, his farm was struggling, and it was on its way out.
Capay not technically Bay Area, but I think it’s still local. I’ll be back with something official, but its still feels like summer here near the Sacto Valley . Soon some home gardens (not mine) will be have ripening pomegranates and persimmons. But so many things can work. I usually have figs ripening, but not this year.
Those who know of Vacaville often think that the “vaca” means cows, and we have some, but in this case, vaca was actually a family name.
I really never knew that Dixon was famous for the lamb, wow weird. I mean if you look at the Sacramento County lines, it technically touches the bay lol. There’s a lot of rice grown around that northern outskirts of Sacramento so that sorta counts too… I guess.
I recall reading Silicon valley use to have a bunch of fruit orchards as well but uh… think there are some more profitable businesses now
This is what I was thinking of, but it’s not Bay Area specific.
Seasonal Food Guide-California, late October
Apparently just missed the Lambtown Festival!
Lambtown
There is also The Dixon May Fair…usually.
When it comes to agriculture there are quite a few small commercial farming buisnesses in Solano County, which is one of the original Bay area counties. The high schools have ag classes, Future Farmers of America, and there are lors of 4-H clubs. Not sure how much of that happens elsewhere in the Bay area.
Oh wow, those are some fantastic resources. Though some of the seasonality things, I could’ve sworn I’ve seen melons around mid to late summer as well. I remember grabbing this watermelon: https://www.nuggetmarket.com/articles/727/l-black-seedless-watermelon/
at like Raley’s in the east bay before. I find them to be quite sweet and has a great mmm… meaty texture? The Vierra farm is located in West Sacramento which isn’t technically bay area, but sorta… with the sacramento river canal lol I’ll call that local enough.
Yeah, I don’t think the seasonal food guide is really that local, but I am sort of spoiled in terms of what local means to me.
Sacto and Capay Valley certainly seems local to me.
A lot of “Bay area” things don’t feel really local in my neck of the woods. Most times it feels like Sacto Valley with Bay area prices. But I love it, and we do have the Nugget Market, so there’s that!
And seasons can be different. This one sure was.
You can drive around older neighborhoods in Mountain View, and still see remnants of fruit orchards in people’s backyards.
And in response to the OP, Frog Hollow Farm grows Warren pears, and they’re pretty good in my experience.
I just found a source of yellow feather chicken that purportedly comes from a farm around Gilroy. Not only is it in Santa Clara county, it is also better than any chicken I’ve bought around here from the stores. I don’t know if that counts as local animals though.
Speaking of Gilroy, they do have plenty of local garlics!
And these remnants also appear in real estate disclosures in the form of elevated pesticide residues too!
Separately, I recall someone here mentioned a while ago a stone fruit farm right off one of the South Bay freeway, either 280 or 85 I don’t remember.
There’s also yang mei, or yamamomo, technically a fruit local to the Zhejiang province in China, but was adapted by a local originally from that region in his backyard in Fremont. After a few years, he was able to successfully grow a couple of cultivars here (I am not sure where the current farms are, though- I think its a network). You can buy at Bi-Rite when they are in season at $50/lb, lol.
http://www.californiabountiful.com/features/article.aspx?arID=2451
Some of the very high end omakase restaurants import them in season and serves them in meals.
A couple of my local favorites: Gravenstein apples and Santa Rosa plums.
My home town, Sebastopol (still counts as Bay Area, right?) is the cradle of the Grav, my favorite apple for cooking, baking and eating out of hand. They have an amazing tart-sweet balance and a great juicy crunch when just ripe. Sadly, they have a very short season—August/early Sept—and don’t keep, but make stellar cider, apple sauce and pies. They are getting rarer as the orchards are replaced by vineyards (or houses), but I have seen them at Oakland and other local farmers’ markets and at Berkeley Bowl, when in season. If you’re up that way, Andy’s Produce—between Sebastopol and Forestville—has a good selection of local Gravenstein cider and sauce. https://andysproduce.com/
And the Santa Rosa plum, developed by Luther Burbank, up 101 in, yep, Santa Rosa. A gorgeous plum and pretty easy to find in Bay Area markets and farmers’ markets, in season. The sour skin makes me pucker, but I still love them (when very ripe, eat over the sink, to catch your dripping elbows). And they make my second favorite jam, after apricot.
Heartbreaking. The last few years have been so devastating, fire-wise. Hope you’re all ok! My family in Sonoma Cnty has managed to dodge the fire-bombs so far, but after a year like this, it feels like it might only be a matter of time…
Thank you! We are okay. Gotta love USAA insurance.
I also love those Gravensteins, but they are elusive! Sometimes my Farm Fresh To You CSA has them for a minute.
Huh! I have an acquaintance that showed pictures of the yang mei fruit and it was somewhere in the east bay. I wonder if its the same people. But yowza! 50 bucks a pound. oof… My parent’s friends were somehow able to grow passion fruit around Fremont though I doubt its on a commercial scale lol.
But glad to know there are so many random local varieties. Totally forgot that Luther Burbank helped with a lot of orchards up north as well.
Is that your acquaintance? If so, can we get the yang mei half off please? LOL.
There’s a stone fruit farm just off 101 near Morgan Hill – Andy’s Orchard, where they grow heirloom varieties of stone fruit and actually pick them ripe. We stop whenever we’re going that way in summertime – better fruit than at most farmer’s markets. The land is surrounded by housing developments and the farm is shrinking, though. https://andysorchard.com/
Andy Mariani also has a stand at the Wednesday Santa Monica market along with David Karp (summertime only) – I haven’t been, but from what I gather, they have the best of the best there.
Bay area stone fruit.
" a stone fruit farm right off one of the South Bay freeway, either 280 or 85"
That sounds like for me, it involves a bridge, and for fruit, I do not comprehend (smile) . But as far as farms go, I wonder if Frog Hollow might be worth a trip.
Frog Hollow stone fruits are definitely good. With that said, the fruits are sold all over the bay area farmer’s markets and delivered to certain locations, so they aren’t hard to find.
I don’t know if they carry some other fruits that aren’t sold at the markets, however.
That’s it! i got the freeway wrong lol.
