Finally Fall...

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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.

Merry Citrus!

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The sun is shining on the morning of Christmas Eve, though that follows a few days of rian with more forecast. Our rain year is off to a terrific start, and the 26.11" we've recieved already surpasses last year's total.

There are large crops of citrus hanging on our trees. The fruit has been quick to size up, slow to color, but its flavor is outstanding!

Wishing everyone safe holidays and prosperity in the new year!

Storm Update, 12/29: 8.17" storm; 29.74" year-to-date.

Nearly Around The Sun Again...

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It's hard to believe it was nine months since I posted here, but there it is, so there you have it... Our rain year last year ended just north of 23". There was really only one storm to speak of, an 8" day in February, but other than that, what fell evaporated just as fast. That said, we had a relatively gentle summer to date with plenty of marine layer action, and we're certainly in a better place than this time last year, when we were being evacuated due to fires.

What smoke blew in a few weeks ago mixed with said moisture to make for some hazy days, but at least it smelled of pine trees and not burning houses. The first few troughs of low pressure have already rolled through, and while they've been dry, they provide some hope that we may have a normal rain season, without the 'ridiculously resilient ridge' swatting all of our moisture north of Vancouver.

While we were quiet on the blog front, we've been nothing but busy on the farm front. Over 7500 lbs of citrus went out the door last year, and we're a few weeks away from Bearss limes kicking it all off again. Our avocados are currently on sale down at Wild Roots Felton and Boulder Creek. Also be sure to visit The Penny Ice Creamery's newest location in Hanger on Mount Hermon Road, Scotts Valley. Their grand opening featured our Thomcord grapes.

We're currently four rounds deep into the canning of tomatoes for this winter with another due this weekend. We've also already dehydrated two rounds of jalepenos, the first round of cayennes and the first round of hot wax. We have a wonderful molé pepper that's yet to fully ripen, but we're certainly looking forward to its crop. In the meantime, our sweet peppers, poblanos, pickling cucs, yellow melons and asian pears are still cranking. Pomegranates, pumpkins and persimmons are not far behind.

Stay safe, turn off the news, get outside and pray for rain!

Sneaking Up On Winter Solstice

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Our world is finally getting a bit moister as 2020 trickles to a close. The farm's rain gauge currently sits at 4.15 inches since September, and CalFire officially opened burn season this week. We had quite a few piles lined up before the Cruz August Complex sparked into existence, but extensively brushed out around the house once it got going. We encourage everyone to work on their defensible space and maintain fuel breaks around driveways and along public roads this winter.

On the farm front, our tomatoes held on until the first week in December, through 5 rounds of canning. All our garlic went in just before Halloween and is already 8" tall, as are multiple beds of winter greens.

Currently, citrus season is in full swing! Australian Finger Limes, Bearss Limes, Kaffir Limes, Buddha Hand Citrons, Meyer Lemons, Genoa Italian Heirloom Lemons, Owari Satsuma Mandarins, Bergamot Sour Oranges, and Yuzus have all gone out the door in the past couple of weeks with many more to go. Over 400 pounds of Fuyu Persimmons, a couple hundred pounds of Blue Hubbard Squash and Wonderful Pomegranates rounded out our fall crops. Page Tangelos and Algerian "Clementine" Tangerines are next.

Happy fuel reduction and more rain please as always... gentle, so as not to kick off landslides in the recent fire scars, is perfect!

Got to Get Better in a Little While...

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This post is long overdue... I kept putting it off for various reasons... First it was the heat-wave; then Santa Cruz County was in flames and we were evacuated after dark by the police; then there was hotter heat -we hit 111- accompanied by choking smoke. The final shot above is of a very close call (~1/4 mile from the bottom corner of our property) last week.

Both the temperature and Air Quality Index are scheduled to be in the triple digits tomorrow, and our family is again sleeping on the living room floor on camping mats with fans tonight because the rest of the house is filled with smoke... and yet, we are grateful for the majestic abundance that surrounds us!

Our hearts go out to all those who have lost their homes, property, livelihoods this year. Our deepest gratitude goes out to all the first responders who put themselves in harm's way to save our mountains. Our prayers go out to all of those still threatened by fires throughout the State.

Starting the storm watch a little early this year... There's hope that a trough approaching the California Coast at then end of next week, the remnants of Tropical Storm Marie, might bring us some moisture.

Here's to anticipation of a wet winter this year, full of productive forest management and ripping burn piles!