~Full Screen: Opens in Separate Window~
The leaves on our pomegranates are golden yellow, and the first few cases of their fruit went out the door yesterday. This fall has blessed us with seasonal temperatures... cool mornings and warm afternoons, which are a welcome respite from the weeklong heatwave that ushered in September. Our weather station recorded 111 degrees on the hotest day. In a dramatic turn however, we had 1.85" of rain fall a couple of weeks later, greatly reducing the fire danger.
Heatwave aside, this spring and summer were not all that terrible temperature-wise. A low pressure system set up off the coast, allowing the marine layer to form in Santa Cruz and occasionally blessing us with foggy mornings. The real issue with this summer was that it began last January... Only three inches of rain fell last winter after New Year's, and our rain total for the entire year ended up around 32". Holding thumbs for many steady rainstorms this winter!
On the farm front, the first few cases of Meyer lemons went out the door yesterday as well. We have heavy crops of Fuyu Persimmons and Bearss limes looking to follow suit in a couple of weeks.