December News from Chetwyn

Published: Thu, 12/22/22

December at Chetwyn

Hi ,

The month has started with wonderful rains! We are so happy to have the rain come and now we can see the hills turn a brighter shade of green. We have seeded the pasture with more grass seed and installed new gutters by the animals to battle the mud that usually appears with the winter rains.

Animals in the rain

We have found that with our animals some don't mind the rain and others can't stand it. The goats run for their barn as soon as it starts to sprinkle. The sheep on the other hand have no issue with getting wet. Our two horses usually choose to stand in the rain, but the donkey will refuse to join them and opt for the sheltered barn instead.

Everyone Loves Acorns

In addition to rain, another thing falling from the sky are the acorns. So many acorns have fallen this year.

And as we have found acorns are not just a favorite snack of the neighboring wildlife, but also our own animals. Our goats, sheep, and pigs love their acorn treats. In fact, we love to sweep up the acorns that collect on the paths around the house and give them to the pigs. Now they get excited as soon as they see us get out the broom.

The deer, squirrels, and turkeys all enjoy picking up the acorns we miss in the process.

The Off-Season Avos

Most of our avocados are now done for the season, but we do have two varieties that which are still producing.

Those two varieties are the Stewart and the Mexicola Grande. Both get shiny, purple skin when they are ready. They look so similar to an eggplant that some people have mistaken them as such.

Eventually they will produce enough that we will be able to take them to the market during this season, but we have been delivering the available Mexicolas to the chef at a local resturant in Castro Valley called Oculto. It has been such a great opportunity to be a part of their seasonal menu.

Winter Citrus

Just as our avocado crop is coming to a close, our citrus crop is ramping up. Our little citrus grove is loaded with beautiful fruit, as well as the other citrus we have planted for our family's consumption. We have grapefruit, Cara Cara oranges, four varieties of mandarins. A new addition we have this year is a Mandarinquat, which is a cross between a mandarin and a kumquat. Needless to say, we are eating and juicing a lot of citrus this time of year. Our Meyers and Bearss limes are being sold to Night Owl, which is a local cocktail lounge that focuses on seasonal cocktails.

Recipe: Citrus Salad

This recipe is from a good friend and it is a delicious way for us to use a mix of our citrus. In our variation of this recipe, we used Cara Cara oranges, grapefruit, two types of mandarins, and mandarinquats. It is a fresh and sweet salad with a little zip that will add color and flavor to any of your holiday meals.

Ingredients:

3 large navel oranges

2 blood oranges

1 pink grapefruit

1/4 small red onion, very thinly sliced

3 Tbs fresh orange juice

1 Tbs red wine vinegar

3 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

2 Tbs fresh mint, coarsely chopped

6 kumquats, thinly sliced

Pomegranate seeds for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Holding 1 orange over a small bowl, finely grate enough zest to measure 1 teaspoon

Using a sharp knife, cut a thick slice off the tops and bottoms of the navel oranges, blood oranges, and grapefruit to reveal the flesh. Working with 1 fruit at a time, place it upright on a cutting surface and cut off the peel and white membrane in wide strips. Cut the oranges and grapefruit crosswise into slices 1/4 inch thick. Cut the grapefruit slices into quarters. Using the tip of the knife, remove any seeds and discard.

Arrange the orange and grapefruit slices on a serving platter, overlapping the various colors. Separate the inion slices and scatter over the top.

Add the orange juice, vinegar, and olive oil to the bowl containing the orange zest. Season to taste with salt and pepper and whisk to form a vinaigrette. Drizzle the vinaigrette evenly over the citrus and inion. Sprinkle with mint, kumquat slices, and pomegranate seeds

Enjoy!

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas season!

Warmly,

Dave and Anna

Chetwyn Farm

26048 Fairview Ave
Hayward CA 94542
USA

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