Good morning ☀️
There's something that really excites us farmers, and that's harvest time. The beauty of this profession is that everything we've done for weeks, even months, culminates in a few days when the field tells you: go ahead.
And even though I've spent my whole life among orange trees, I've never stopped being thrilled by the first orange of the season. That was a while ago now, but it's a unique moment:
You pick it up, feel its perfect weight, the skin yields slightly to your thumb, you hear that click as it separates from the tree, and the perfume reaches you. On that day, I always think the same thing: if it ever stops thrilling me, I'll hang up my hoe and go sell flip-flops on the beach.
But this moment isn't always so happy. And let me, {nombre}, tell you why.
To tell you, let me tell you what happened at the beginning of the week...
We couldn't send strawberries. The plants didn't produce enough, and we had to wait to harvest properly. Strawberries ripen in batches, not on a strict schedule. If there are a couple of cool or cloudy days, they slow down. If we harvest them too early, they arrive with less flavor and a shorter shelf life.
We prefer to give them one more day so they reach you as they should.
And if it rains, it's the final exam. Delicate fruits like strawberries and blueberries are a bit finicky when it comes to harvesting. With water on their skin, they become slippery, mark easily, and humidity doesn't suit them well, because inside a closed box, humidity is a feast for fungi.
That's why, when a downpour hits, we wait for the sun and the country air to dry them. Someone jokingly suggested we put them through a lettuce spinner, but knowing me, I'd end up sending you a purée.
With blueberries, there's also a curious detail: that whitish layer you see, which looks like fairy dust, is called pruina. It's natural and protects them. If it gets soaked, the fruit spoils faster, so patience and dry harvesting are best.
All of this doesn't diminish our joy during this season. On the contrary, it makes it more ours. The best part of the day is picking a ripe strawberry and eating it right away, still at the field's temperature. Or peeling a freshly picked orange and having the whole kitchen smell like Sunday.
That's exactly what we want you to feel when you receive a box from us. It's your walk through the garden without getting your shoes dirty.
We can promise you this because we work in a way that is rare in Spain. Every morning we harvest what you've ordered, and we go out to pick it. No weeks in cold storage, no empty races. From the tree to your home in a matter of hours.
It sounds simple, but it requires fine choreography. The website sets the rhythm, the weather plays its improvised solos, and we dance without losing the beat...
To those who wrote to us asking about this week's strawberries, thank you for your patience. When we tell you we're waiting, it's not out of whim. It's so that instead of an "almost," you receive a "wow, what strawberries."
There's a golden rule I also apply to my oranges: It's better to arrive a little later and be fantastic, than to arrive on time and send you a disappointment.
I'll close as I began: with the first orange. Every season, that first one reminds me why we do what we do. Because no matter how much weather forecasting and planning there is, there's a moment when you bite into it and say, "that's it: it was worth it."
I hope every box you take home gives you a little bit of that feeling. And if opening it brings you a breath of the countryside and a smile, you've made my day 🍊🍓
Thank you for being on the other side, for supporting artisanal farming, and for understanding that the land rules here, but we decide how to care for it.
A big hug from the orchard of Valencia, and we'll read each other tomorrow,
