Boy! How time goes bye. Here we are just about to finish with the plums, pluots, and white peaches for the year. But I see that the mandarins are starting to color up. We are in the middle of walnut harvest. The quality of the nuts look very good. Nice plump meats with good color. We are in full swing with our candied almonds. We have a great array of gift packs ready for the holidays. You can pick and choose from all the different flavors. We also have a non sugar pack of natural nuts. The red walnuts have been in great demand this year. We are cracking the new crop as I write. Wouldn't the red walnuts look great in a gift pack or a holiday salad! At our markets we are offering a big variety of holiday decorative gourds and winter squash. All you need to set your table off during Thanksgiving and Christmas. Check out the website checkerouters: shaskyfarms.com for all the latest products. Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!! JIM

Labor day weekend is upon us. Get ready for R & R. It's a time for rejuvenation and refreshment. There's no better way than to choose a destination where you can just shut down and relax. Make a choice where everything you do is simple and uncomplicated. There is nothing more uncomplicated and easy than making fresh fruit your meal or dessert choice. Just wash, slice, and enjoy. It's turned hot again. There's nothing more satisfying than a bowl of ice cream or yogurt topped with our tree ripe peaches or pluots. We also have many flavors of candied nuts to enjoy. Whether you're at the beach or in the mountains or in your backyard take time and enjoy the beauty around all of us. Take a deep breath, relax and take in the final lazy hazy days of summer. JIM

Welcome back from vacation! The last of the great summer holidays is upon us. Labor Day weekend, what fun. It's time for a family outing. I see more and more people just enjoying the river beaches and local getaways. This is the time to pack a pacnc basket and don't forget the fresh fruit. The pluots are especially good right now. We have flavor Grenades, Flavor Kings, Flavor Treats, and Flavorich. all are at their peak. Plum varieties ripe are Fortunes, Big Reds, and Emerald Beautys. Most people think that there are less fruit varieties to choose from in the fall. actually we have more to pick from than any other time of the year.

Bust out and picnic this next weekend. Enjoy the remaining days of the season. These are the adventures the family will treasure forever. JIM

It's time to can or freeze. Fruit is at it's peak for the summer. There are still many varieties to choose from. This week three of our favorite varieties are ripe. O'Henry peaches have a hearty peach flavor, freestone and easy to can. Emerald Beauty plums are an eyecatching green on the outside with a brilliant hue on the inside. Great for salads or garnish. The most requested pluot, the Flavor Grenade is coming into its sugar. It is the highest brick sugar piece of fruit we have.

Yes these are the wonderful days of summer coming to a close as school starts soon. Don't forget a healthy snack of fruit for the kids lunches or after school treat. Or maybe a tried and true idea, a piece of fruit to butter up the new teacher. JIM

Customers are asking which fruit is the sweetest. This time if the year pretty much all of the fruit is high in sugar and flavor. The taste you savor is really up to you. Different people like different flavors and levels of sweetness. The best way to tell is to sample. A lot of the newer varieties will stay firm when they are at the best ripeness. Some people make the mistake of letting them sit to ripen and when they think they are ripe they are often molding inside. Sample them and determine to your taste when you want to eat them.
We are giving away walnut recipes at our markets. If you don't see them, ask. They are provided by www.walnuts.org. A great website to obtain more information on the nutritional value of walnuts. They are the highest source of omega-3 in the nut world. They are not only wholly nutritious they're simply delicious. See you t the markets. JIM

Wow!! It finally started to cool off a little. At least the nights have been reasonably cool. This helps the fruit mature at a perfect rate. Once again it is hard on the fruit going to market in this daytime heat. Some of the sweetest, best varieties are close to ripeness. Yellow freestone peaches are as good as they get for those who are looking to can or freeze for later treats. Ask about box rates. Pluots are also close to perfection. The Dapple Dandys are closr for beautiful color and flavor. Beautiful speckled outside with a explosion of red inside. Flavor grenades are three weeks away.
Summer vacations aren't right without tree ripened fruit in the ice chest. Check out our website for locations of the nearest farmers market where we are participating. We will advise you which fruit will travel and stay fresh and flavorful. Thanks for your support. JIM

I am sorry to say that the apricots are through for another year. We have one tree with a few apricots left but it is one of the trees that was planted here before the first generation of this family moved to this property. Almost none of these apricots even make it to the house, they are eaten by eager mouths while standing under the tree. Even our dogs relax under this tree in the hope that an apricot will hit the ground so that they get a treat. We did dry some of the apricots so we can sell them during the fall and winter months.

The hot weather that we had last week made getting the fruit to the Farmer's Markets a challenge. When the temperature changes that quickly and that drastically the fruit gets really soft really fast. We are on to the next varieties in almost everything now and it's cool again! Oh well I never complain about the cool weather. It could stay in the mid 90's all summer and that would be good for the fruit and great for us!

Summer is finally here? There is crazy weather all over the US. The good news is that the cool weather at night makes for very sweet fruit. We have more apricots than anticipated. the Blenheims are almost finished, but the Golden Sweets are coming next week. They are sizing well. The pluots are great this week. Flavor Supremes are green on the outside with a vibrant red color inside. They are beautiful in salads.
Shasky Farms is now selling at seven markets in the valley. We have lots of people ask us if we go to the Bay Area. I tell them no we don't. We want to serve the people and places we love. Those people are you, our friends and neighbors. Our home is the San Joaquin Valley.

Cherries, Cherries, and more Cherries

We picked our first boxes of cherries this week and it finally feels like the farms market season is starting. We are going to 4 markets a week right now and it is nice to have some fresh fruit on our table. There are some white peaches that will be ready next week that I have been sampling everyday. The yellow nectarine are right behind it. Most of the apricots froze during the cold snap we had back in April so there won't be many of those.

Our new market this year is the Old Town Clovis Farmers Market. It has been great to see so many people out and about. We have really been talking to a lot of people at this market about our red walnuts. It's hard to believe that they grow that way but they do. People seem to enjoy the candied nuts too. We are working on our smoked nut recipe and think that we have it almost perfected.

Starting new markets this week

It's that time of year again. I walk the orchards and am amazed every day by the growth of the fruit. It seems like just yesterday that I was out in the bloom with the family taking pictures. Here it is just a few weeks later and the fruit is growing and we are starting to plan our first picking. The cherries will once again be the first fruit of the season but there is a nectarine that is right behind it. After a long winter of oranges and dried fruit we are all anticipating that first sweet nectarine that will kick off the wonderful summer.

This week we are adding Bass lake to our list of markets. We are still going to Merced on Saturday mornings and last week was the first week of Merced's market at the promenade.

Hope to see you soon!