K.B. Hall Ranch

Word is that I've been hacked and you might get a fakey-like friend request from me. Don't click! As a reward for your attention, here is a kitten yawning in a sunbeam.

We have a very big (and skinny) bobcat visiting the ranch.

Smaller fruit ripening this week! It looks impressive but remember: the camera adds 10 pounds.

Squirrels. Destroyed fruit.

So, here's what's happening at the ranch: tiny little drought apricots. Many of them might not even get sweet and juicy, but we're hoping for enough to satisfy our customers and a couple of farmers' markets. It's mid-June and they aren't even coloring up yet! Maybe 10 days or so. Stay tuned...

We have lots of little 'cots but no rain! The trees are straining to have leaves. Even the weeds aren't too big.

Not just hot. Hot hot. I think 117 ties the record for Upper Ojai.

Not much exciting around the ranch lately except this massive pepper limb that came and took the lower limb with it--darn. But it missed the house! Time to spend some bucks and get the professionals up there--hasn't been done in 10 years.

Waaaaaay past time for an update. It looks like the trees are taking a mini-vacation this year, so they aren't loaded with fruit, but we'll get what we can; right now I'm trying to keep up with earwig and squirrel patrols, as they both are very fond of our apricots. The 76 new trees are all very happy and some even have a few little 'cots on 'em! We'll see what we get about the 3rd week of June...

Persimmons and snow!

Hey, K.B. Hall Ranch viewers--one of our customers left something small and probably important at at the ranch this week. PM if if it's you!

Well folks, it looks like the crop is bust this year after all--I'll post updates every couple of days to let you know if there's any fruit at all.

Almost ripe--but WINDY!

Waaaaaay past time for an update. It looks like the trees are taking a mini-vacation this year, so they aren't loaded with fruit, but we'll get what we can; right now I'm trying to keep up with earwig and squirrel patrols, as they both are very fond of our apricots. The 76 new trees are all very happy and some even have a few little 'cots on 'em! We'll see what we get about the 3rd week of June...

Persimmons and snow!

Just waiting for the winds....so far we have had only mild breezes and no electrical shutdowns on the Ojai side of the grid, but they are forecasting gusts up to 70-80 mph. Hoping for a dud in that department. Highest wind I heard about during the Thomas Fire was 72 mph, which simply evaporated fire-fighting water, blew a window out of the house, and tore the corner right off the fruit shed.

There, that's better: a red tractor pulling an old trailer, instead of a U-Haul. End of apricot season! We hope to find enough nice fruit to open the stand until Wednesday, and then it's finito for fresh fruit until the November Fuyu persimmons.

This looks like a lot of fruit but it's going fast. Hot hot hot weather. And as a capper to the season my truck burned up it's clutch in a smoky debacle, so it's U-Haul time.

Update: we have really ripe fruit for jam at the ranch stand! You can get 10 lbs. for 25 bucks! I know a lot of folks have been waiting for the jam and cooking fruit and now that the July heat has hit the fruit is coming off fast. Very sweet.

The view from the ladder--but it's drizzling in July!!

The stand is finally open with plenty of fruit! We have baskets for $3.50, 3 lb. "boats" for $10, 10 lb. flats for $32. Open from 9-5. Plus Ojai Sunday Farmers' Market, and Santa Barbara Farmers' Markets on Tuesdays and Saturdays, hopefully until July 14.

Why we need squirrel control.