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For us here at the farm, ripe McIntosh apples signify that harvest is going to start any day, and any thoughts of leisure-time will be futile until at least Thanksgiving.  This is actually a good thing, as just like clockwork, everything falls into place when the McIntosh are finally ripe - Asian Pears will be harvested starting Monday, and the other apple varieties will begin to turn up ripe in their centuries old progression toward the end of Fall.  The beautiful thing about the McIntosh is that it defines what I call "Apple Flavor".  Many consider McIntosh apples a tart apple, but to me they are truly just the flavor of Apple with a capital A.  Pretty much every other variety can be measured and compared to the flavor of the McIntosh, and the uses of every other variety can be measured against all the many uses of a McIntosh...

I know the the East-Coast crowd likes to think that the McIntosh from back there are superior to those we grow here at the farm, but I encourage you to come visit the farm and pick a few - they really can't be beat.  During a season, dominated by stone-fruit and last-ditch efforts to cling to Summer, McIntosh season often gets missed.  I hope that you won't let it pass this year without giving them a try...

Our first delivery of the year will be to Bi-Rite Market in the Mission in SF.  If you can't make it to the farm in the next few weeks, visit them and pick up a few Mcs for yourself...

Thanks for reading...

We are nearing the end of the first week of harvest on our Asian Pears, and I am again reminded of the amazing & remarkable flavor of the Asian Pear.  After the first few bites of a Shinseiki in the morning hours of the first day of picking, I am often left to ponder the reasons why they are not considered a first-tier fruit by most folks.  They are, all at the same time, crisp, juicy, tangy, sweet, crunchy & most-of-all refreshing beyond compare.  And on top of all of that, they will store, relatively unchanged, in the refrigerator for almost 2 full months in most cases - put one in and forget about it, only to return to its amazing flavor and texture.

So at the end of this first week, I am, once again, resolved to spread the word about Asian Pears.  You will find me at the farm, at Farmer's Markets, doing deliveries, and even in my rare spare time, talking about their amazing qualities.  We do really try to raise the best fruit that we can, and in this our 10th season, I am once again rewarded by the tremendous fruit that is the Asian Pear from Gabriel Farm...

Hope to see you all soon...

Torrey - The Farmer