World class fruit: Moro Blood Orange from Frog Hollow Farm
“Farmer” Al Courchesne is an old friend, so when I say his Frog Hollow Farm sells world class fruit you can take it with a grain of salt. But it’s true! First time I met Al was at his stand at the Saturday Farmer’s Market in Ferry Plaza in San Francisco. After the market closed we went down Fisherman’s Wharf and deep into a pier where Al loaded a 55 gallon drum of some mysterious seaweed into the bed of his truck; he planned to spread it under his peach trees to feed them. Did this salt water slurry help to produce better fruit? I have no idea but it’s an example of his relentless pursuit of perfection.
A typical result is the magnificent Moro Blood Orange shown here. You can see that the fruit is juicy, fleshy and perfect in appearance. What you can’t see (I should have tossed a penny on the tray for scale) is that these oranges are as big as your head, or anyway as big as a “regular” (eg Valencia or Navel) orange, vs the smaller size of most blood oranges. And it tastes every bit as good as you would expect; I eat my blood orange sections with a saucer under my chin so I don’t lose a drop of the gusher of juice when you bite into it.
Arriving in the depth of winter, my Frog Hollow fruit was a welcome treat
Frog Hollow Farm is in Brentwood, CA, a community on the far east end of the Bay Area with hot, sunny growing seasons like the San Joaquin valley. You can find them at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Saturdays, but most folks will have to mail order from their website. The fruit is not cheap, so folks placing an order might be in the mindset of “I want the best possible product and I’m wiling to pay for it”. And in perspective a food extravagance is an affordable luxury when you compare it to other luxuries like a Rolex, a cybertruck or a condo in the new Adelphi Residences in my town.
That town would be Saratoga Springs, NY, an upstate village which awakens from its torpor for a few weeks each summer to become the center of the horse racing world. The races attract a lot of wealth and in particular a class of wealthy individual for whom spending freely is a lifestyle choice; if you have that much money to throw around it must mean you or your horses are winning big.
We have Salt & Char, a high end steakhouse where you will struggle to dine for less than $100 per person (and why should you if you just hit the daily double). And Omakaze, where you can easily drop $200 on sushi so fresh it swims into your mouth. You could fill your table with Frog Hollow fruit for the same amount and have the comfort of knowing chef Bobby Flay, “Barstool Sports” guy Dave Portnoy or ex-NFL coach Bill Parcells (three locals who are frequently cited as embodying the pursuit of the good life) could enjoy no better fruit.
Looking for a special something for that hard to please someone? In search of a client gift that will truly stand out? Frog Hollow has you covered. Full disclosure, I did not pay for the fruit shown here but have happily done so on other occasions and so should you. World class fruit from Frog Hollow Farm is available here; that link will currently get you a 10% discount because even though you don’t mind spending it feels good to save.
