It's been several weeks since that damaging hail storm. Fortunately spring weather is pushing new growth and several more items are now ready to sell. Try to ignore scratches and pock marks from the impact of the hail stones.
GRAPES $11 (1-gallon)
Lakemont seedless is our best white seedless grape. Most of Orange County doesn't have the Fresno heat that the popular Thompson seedless grapevines prefer. Lakemont was developed for the cooler Great Lakes area by combining the European Thompson seedless with and American grape called Ontario. The resulting offspring Lakemont will ripen in less than full sun and appears to be highly resistant to Powdery Mildew disease. (Last year's dreary spring weather destroyed my crop of European grapes, but my American and hybrid cultivars were untouched.) In my backyard, Lakemont covers about 25' of fence under 40' pine trees and reliably produces 40 to 50 bunches per year.
WINE GRAPES $11 (1-gallon)
Cabernet Sauvignon
Zinfandel
Both Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel are easy-to-grow, popular wine grapes.
BLACKBERRIES $6 (4"pot)
Navajo
Chester
Triple Crown
All are thornless cultivars. Navaho loves heat and doesn't require support. Chester and Triple Crown ripen late.
APPLE #5 $35
Anna is the best apple we can grow locally. Anna originated in Israel. It is a sweet apple with large, cylindrical fruit and crispy, tender flesh. The main crop ripens in July, a secondary crop in late fall, with a few fruit available to eat just about any month of the year.
PLUM #5 $35
Burgundy is my best plum. It is not my best producer. The Satsuma plum is easily my best producer, making huge crops just about every year. However, when my Burgundy plum is ripening, I'll let the birds have the Satsumas. Burgundy is a daughter of Satsuma and makes larger fruit with darker burgundy skin and flesh. It is rated among the top 10 of all plums.
The AVOCADOS (Carmen-Hass, Gem, Stewart, Bacon) and CITRUS (Lisbon lemon, Bearss lime, Keifer lime, Gold Nugget mandarin, Satsuma mandarin, Minneola tangelo) are still available.