Blossom Bluff Orchards

Stone fruit arrived early this year. I couldn’t get used to the idea of eating fuzzy peaches and smooth nectarines in May, so I stuffed myself instead with cherries and plums until I could face the flagrant summertime fruits.

Then I found myself enjoying apriums, but I didn’t know what they were. So I called Bryce Loewen, whose family runs Blossom Bluff Orchards. They grow certified organic peaches and nectarines as well as plumcots, pluots, and apriums. The latter are all variations of plum-apricot hybrids. Plumcots are 50/50 hybrids, pluots are the offspring of a plumcot and a plum, and apriums come from a plumcot and an apricot. Confused yet? All you really need to know is how they taste – sweet and juicy, with sour plummy undertones. Utterly delicious.

Bryce’s family has been tending fruit trees for four generations. The orchards occupy 60 acres in the small town of Parlier, near Fresno. Stone fruit thrives in the Central Valley’s cold winters, dry springs, and hot summers. Come fall, there are pomegranates and persimmons, some of which grow on 60-year-old trees, then citrus takes over for the winter. They’ve recently planted figs, but it’ll be a few years before they’re ready. All together, Blossom Bluff produces some 170 varieties of fruit. You’ll find some of them on the menus of Northside restaurants like Greens and Bix, as well as in my own fruit bowl.

The Goods – Organic cherries, nectarines, peaches, plums, plumcots, pluots, apricots, apriums, persimmons, pomegranates, and citrus.

The Markets – Nine Bay Area markets including Ferry Plaza (both days), San Rafael, Berkeley (Tuesday & Saturday), and Oakland (Grand Lake & Temescal).

Fun Fact – The orchards originally belonged to Bryce’s maternal great-grandparents, Daniel and Babette Lichti, German immigrants who also raised almonds, pecans, and raisin grapes.

Originally published in "Fresh from the Farm," Northside San Francisco July 2007. "Fresh from the Farm" is a monthly column on sustainable agriculture, humane husbandry & artisanal food production. Reprinted with permission.

Comments

[The Cooking Ninja]

Interesting fruit. hmm...I wonder do they have it here in France.

[Zoomie]

I've always wondered, as I wandered the Berkeley and Marin markets, what those strangely named fruits were. They tasted like plums or apricots but only sort of. I agree they are delish! Thanks for the info!

[Zoomie]

I've always wondered, as I wandered the Berkeley and Marin markets, what those strangely named fruits were. They tasted like plums or apricots but only sort of. I agree they are delish! Thanks for the info!