Sunny Slope Orchard

Sunny Slope Orchard
In the coast range foothills overlooking the Sacramento Valley

About our orchard and what we grow

History: We have farmed our orchard organically since 1972, and have been certified by California Certified Organic Farmers since 1984.

Location: Ours is a small 4 acre parcel at 800' elevation in the hills north of Vacaville. Hot summer days and warm nights cause very early ripening of most crops. Water is scarce here, allowing only minimal drip irrigation which results in fruit with very concentrated flavor.

Crops and harvest times:

  • Royal (Blenheim) apricots - Our semi-dry farmed cots are a favorite at several Bay Area restaurants. Late May through mid June.       
  • Spring Crest peaches - A very sweet and juicy peach. Late May through mid June
  • Santa Rosa Plums - Delicious complex plum flavor, mid June to early July.
  • Beauty Plums - A very sweet, juicy plum, mid June
  • Formosa Plums - Large plum with firm flesh, delicious with almost a floral scent, late June
  • Black Mission Figs - First crop early June through late June; 2nd crop early August through early September. Picked very ripe with no torn stems and carefully packed.
  • Meyer Lemons - Late October through mid December
  • Fuyu Persimmons - Late October through early December.
  • Hachiya Persimmons - Mid November through early December.

Harvest Practices - We preserve lots of our fruit for our own use, so we are fussy about quality and especially ripeness. We allow our fruit to tree ripen as long as possible for maximum flavor, packing the best for sale and using any culls for home use.