Tour of Y-S fruit stands

Summer is a great time in the valley. The Sutter Buttes are splendid in their golden coat while nearby fields and orchards stand out in contrasting shades of green.

While the views are great, it's the farm stands selling fresh-picked produce that can be found within just a few miles of Yuba City or Marysville that make summer something special.

To discover the what's available, my wife and I jumped into the car and headed east on Highway 20, following the "Yuba-Sutter Farm Stands, Farmers Markets and Wineries" pamphlet provided by the Yuba Sutter Chamber of Commerce. We turned up Marysville Road and got as far as Tuff Stuff Jerky & More, but it wasn't what I was looking for.

Turning around, we made out next stop at a strawberry stand on the east side of Marysville Road. The berries looked and tasted delicious.

Continuing on, we turned west on Highway 20 and stopped at Spring Valley Produce just east of Marysville.

"My uncle built the place over 50 years ago, but it's been in the family for close to 55 years," said owner Irvin Hamilton.

When I talked with him in mid-June, he said he had early fruits on sale, including cherries, peaches, apricots, plums. He said that nectarines and pluots would be available by early July.

"My fruit is picked tree-ripe. It's not like the (fruit) that's picked green and sits in a warehouse before it goes to market. If you're buying fruit for flavor and taste, tree- or vine-ripened is the way to go."

Walking around the stand, Irvin pointed out that he also sells an assortment of dried fruits, as well as local olive oil and honey. "I've even got sorghum, and that's something you don't usually see in California."

Carl and Donna Puchalski Yuba City stopped by while I was there. "We like the idea of fresh, local fruit," Carl said.

Getting back on the road, we drove to Linda to the small Saeturn Farm stand at the corner of N. Beale Road and Griffith Avenue.

The stand, which sells strawberries from the nearby field, seems to have a steady customer base.

While I was taking pictures, two customers stopped by. Andy Schneller from Arboga said he comes often because he goes to the nearby Bible Baptist Church. "It's on my way to and from church. I really like local produce, and the strawberries here are really sweet juicy." He said that buying local helps the local economy, and the fruits and vegetables are better quality.

And Jana Ciceman from Marysville said that while this was her first visit of the season, she always shops at Saeturn because the strawberries are really good.

My luck, expect for a stop at the Wheatland Strawberry Patch, wasn't as good when I drove down to Wheatland. The patch's owner, Yoonfou Saeturn, said he has sold fresh produce at his stand at the corner of Highway 65 and Dairy Road for nine years.

He said he has good customers who come every year to buy his blackberries, tomatoes, beans, strawberries, chocolate-covered strawberries, cherries and flowers.

The other two stands that are listed in the Chamber's pamphlet — Jim's Produce on Spenceville Road and Salle Orchards on Wheatland Road — were both closed. I found out later that Jim's won't be open at all this year, and Salle expected to open July 10.

The next farm stand expedition took us up Highway 70, where there are four good places to stop within a 15-minute drive north of Marysville: Bock's Fruit Stand, Tony's Fruit Stand, Sodaro's Orchards and David's Family Farm.

Judging by Tony's very-pink signs, I wondered what I was going to see as I slowly drove down the dusty road. What I found was a stand set up in the cool shade with tables filled with peaches, tomatoes, apricots and nectarines plus an assortment of fresh and dried vegetables.

"(In late June) we harvested peaches, plums and nectarines. The way we plant is decided on when we want to pick, but because of the weather, we're in kind of a lull," said Jerralee (LaBarbara) Barry, Tony's daughter.

She said that they pick their freestone peaches from late May into October — weather permitting. And weather has been a factor. Jerralee said the peach harvest was delayed about two weeks because of the cool spring.

Jerralee said the peaches are not only picked at just the right time to ensure freshness, but that it's important they are set in a box just right so that the fruit doesn't turn mushy. "The best way to complete the ripening is not to keep the fruit in a bag, but place it stem-side down in a paper box. That way, it'll ripen perfectly with no bruises."

Tony's is also selling some new hybrids, including Nectarplums (a necratine-plum mix), Cotton Candy apricots and donut peaches.

A little further south, also on the west side of Highway 20, is Sodaro Orchards. Owner Sara Baggett was there, working, as usual.

Talking about the weather, she said that now that the heat has finally arrived, things were starting to pick up with more people stopping by for their peaches, nuts, dried fruits and other fruits.

Her farm stand is important to her because of what it says about her business. "We're like other farmers in that we build our reputation around the fruit," she said, adding, "Farmers markets are great, but to bring the kids out so they can see the fruit on the trees is even better. I'll let the little kids go out to the trees and pick a peach off a tree. That'll stick with a kid for a long time."

Jean Harwood of Sheridan, Ore., was surprised by the selection at Sodaro's and the other stands she had stopped at. "The fruit stands all have quite a variety. We're not used to that up in Oregon."

Continuing my drive south, we next stopped at David's Family Farm.

This little stand boasts a wide variety of fruits, including kiwis — his specialty — that he picks from the trees growing right behind the building.

David is also selling new varieties of fruit, including Aprium — an apricot-plum mix — and new variety of pluot he called a Flavor Ella.

"Almost all I sell comes from local family farms," he explained. The only thing that isn't local is the avocados that come from Southern California. David pointed out the Butte Vista olive oil that comes from Palermo; and the kiwis, jams and vinegar that come from T.J. Farms in Chico.

The last stand I visited, Saetern Farm, came highly recommended.

David Fernandez took on the job of spokesman for the stand located at the corner of Lincoln Road and George Washington Boulevard in Yuba City.

"We're here for the community to provide important vitamins," he said. But he was most proud of the way they their grow their fruits and vegetables. "Everything we produce here is organic."

David said the stand is open year-round and should have strawberries for sale through December.

June Hartstra of Yuba City was making her second visit to the stand while I was there. "I come here because I live around the corner."

June had a few reasons for buying from fruit stands. "First of all, the fruits and vegetables are ripened on the vine and not green, they have a sweet flavor and they taste like they should — like I remember from when I was a child — which was, like, a 100 years ago."

CONTACT John Hollis at 741-2400 or jhollis@appealdemocrat.com .

LOCAL FRUIT STANDS

Chao’s Strawberry Farm
Highway 20 and Woodruff Lane, Hallwood
Open mid-April to August

Correia’s Fruit Stand
13197 Highway 99, Meridian
Open daily July to August

David’s Family Farm
7801 Highway 70, Marysville
Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, May to September

Fruit Palace
6205 Highway 99, Live Oak
Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily

Minton Farms
Highway 99, Yuba City

Moody’s Middle Mountain Mandarins
13197 Griffith Lane, Sutter
Open mid-November to April

Naumes Inc.
3792 Feather River Blvd., Olivehurst
Open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday, June to November

Oregon House Farms
14582 Indiana School Road, Oregon House
Open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekends, year-round

P&B Orchards
3207 Walnut Ave., Marysville
Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday, May to September

Saetern Farm
Lincoln Road and George Washington Boulevard, Yuba City
Open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily

Saeturn Farm
N. Beale Road and Griffith Lane, Linda
Open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, April to October

Sodaro Orchards
3315 Walnut Ave., Marysville
Open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, June to September

Spring Valley Produce
3860 Highway 20, Marysville
Open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. in summer, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. in winter, year-round

Sweet Tree Farm
3315 Walnut Ave., Marysville
Open May to September

Tony’s Fruit Stand
10464 Highway 70, west of Ramirez Road, Marysville
Open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. in summer, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in winter

Wheatland Strawberry Patch
4524 Dairy Road, Wheatland