They're back!

Hello, hello,

Good morning!

Your trusted newsletter is here, direct from the Spanish countryside 🚜.

Several weeks ago, when it was still very hot, I wrote to tell you about persimmons.

Do you remember?

I told you about how we thinned them, that is, how we removed the excess small persimmons from some branches so that the tree would have enough strength to feed the fruits that were growing well in size...

Yes, I've already told you about that, but today I bring you new information and three different ways to eat your persimmons. Be patient, I'll tell you at the end of this newsletter.

Getting back to the topic. We really did a very good job of thinning, because the truth is we are harvesting some delicious, bright red persimmons 😉.

Now, with the fruits in hand and remembering everything we went through to get to this moment, I started thinking... The journey we take to harvest is quite long and winding 🎢.

Not to mention my little trees that I've been tending for six years...

First, to make sure they have enough water, sun, and that the soil has nutrients. In the countryside, it's our daily work, but the truth is we put a lot of energy into the whole process.

That's why, when problems arise, it's really an issue...

I told you a few weeks ago about the Mediterranean fruit fly problem, which bites the fruit when it's reaching its sugar point because it's very greedy.

Luckily, and to keep you updated on this issue, I can tell you that the traps we set are working well, and we have managed to reduce the presence of the little fly 💪🏽.

With persimmons, they are very delicate fruits, and any bump, even rubbing against the branch or another fruit, affects them. So, you have to be very careful throughout the cultivation period.

Another obstacle that can appear on the path of cultivating persimmons is "planchado" (sunburn).

What is this? you might be asking... Well, it has nothing to do with shirts or pants 😂

It's when the sun affects them in such a way that it spoils the fruit; it's like a burn that forms on their skin. What's more, it leaves a spot, and once that has happened, the persimmon dehydrates from the inside.

Look, it leaves it like this:

Of course, you have to remove it from the branch and let the tree focus on continuing to feed the healthy fruits.

You might say, but that's good because the remaining fruits are better nourished. And yes, of course, the tree can give more nutrients to those that remain... But the problem is that this work has already been done before with the thinning 😕.

So, when a persimmon gets sunburned and has to be removed, it's a shame, because it was developing into a good fruit...

But well, the great news is that those that have made it to harvest, overcoming the fly, pests, and sunburn, are now ready to go to your home and are delicious 😋.

In the Valencia countryside, there's a whole tradition with persimmon cultivation because the bright red variety originated right here, in these lands. Did you know that?

Yes, it emerged through spontaneous mutation here and then spread throughout the Júcar River basin, where my family has had fields for 150 years.

But I'll tell you about the persimmon boom in another newsletter 🔜.

Let's get back to it; I was telling you how winding the path of cultivating persimmons can be.

I felt compelled to tell you all this because our work, that of farmers, is not valued as it should be.

That is one of the main reasons why we work so hard at Campos del Abuelo: to give farmers the treatment they truly deserve 🌱.

By not having intermediaries, this large network of farmers champions the work of those of us who make the countryside our home every day.

Before I say goodbye, and thinking that you're going to order those persimmons right away for them to arrive at your home, this humble servant will give you three possible ways to eat your persimmons. A promise is a promise, here they are:

👉🏽The first: just as you receive it at home, firm. It's like an apple, but with a persimmon flavor, of course.

👉🏽The second: let it ripen a little bit. How do I do it? I put it in a pot with apples, tightly covered, and leave it until it has a texture similar to that of a mango, where you touch it and it yields a little. If you do this, you'll see how it starts to release its juices...

👉🏽The third option is special for those with a sweet tooth: you can let it ripen until it's very soft and eat it with a spoon, like a dessert.

Here you can watch a TVE video, where my son and I appear, talking about persimmons right here on our fields in Valencia. It was our debut on Spanish television 📺 and it was very entertaining to do.

I'll say goodbye for today, but not without reminding you to visit our online store for fruits and vegetables because, honestly, the products we have this season are of supreme quality.

Until next week, I bid you farewell.

Thank you very much for supporting the Spanish countryside.

A big hug!