In Conversation with Chris Otow Kuratomi and Tosh Kuratomi, owner-operators of Otow Orchard

Garden The Knowledge

Otow Orchard
6232 Eureka Rd
Granite Bay, CA 95746
916-791-1656
www.otoworchard.com

In 1911, Kitchitaro Kawanoand his wife, Momi, purchased 20 acres of land in the Rosedale Colony Tract of Loomis and named it Rosedale Farm.

After Kitchitaro's death in 1939, his widow and youngest daughter, Helen, ran the farm. During World War II, Helen and her husband, Seiichi Otow, were interned at Tule Lake Relocation Center.

After the war, they returned to the farm to find that it was not in a condition to provide them an income. Seiichi opened a radio repair shop in Sacramento while reviving the orchard.

The Otow family, including Seiichi, Helen, June, Christine and Wesley cared for and harvested the orchard and packed all the fruit on the farm until the 1970s.

Today, Chris Otow Kuratomi and her husband, Tosh Kuratomi, respond to their customers' preferences with a much more diverse variety of fruits and vegetables. They continue to specialize in the ancient art of dried persimmons known as hoshigaki.

Surrounded by development, they strive to honor their family's commitment to the farm. The orchard takes on different personalities through the seasons and continues to provide local residents with high-quality fresh food.

They grow the following fruits + Vegetables:

Apples:
Gala
Gravenstein
Fuji
Honeycrisp
Pink Lady
Reinette Simirenko
Red Delicious
Yellow Delicious
Gala

Apricots
Blenheim
Fantasme
Orange Red
Patterson
Robada
Royal
Royal Rosa

Asian Pears
Hosui
Kosui
Nijisseiki
Okusankichi
Olympic
Shinko
Shinseiki
Ya Li
Yoi

Blackberries

Cherries
Bing
Rainier
Royal Lee
Royal Lynn

Citrus
Blood Orange
Clementine Mandarin
Eureka Lemon
Satsuma Mandarin
Naval Orange
Satsuma Mandarin
Valencia Orange
Yellow Grapefruit

Figs
Black Mission
Brown Turkey
Panache

Garden Vegetables
Basil
Bitter Mellon
Chard
Chile
Cilantro
Japanese Cucumbers
Japanese Eggplants
Kale
Lavender
Mint
Okra
Peppers
Rosemary
Tomatillo
Tomatoes

Grapes
Kyoho
Red Perlette
Thompson Seedless

Jujube
GA866
Li
Sugar Cane

Kiwi

Mulberries

Nectarines
Ambre
Fantasia
Flavortop
Heavenly White
Jade

Nuts
Almonds
Chestnuts
Pecan
Walnut
Olives
Manzanilla
Mission
Sevillano
Clingstone Peaches
Bowen
Phelps
White Peaches
Babcock
Indian Free
Nectar
Saturn (donut)
Silver Logan
Spring Rose
Sugar Lady
Yellow Freestone Peaches
49er
Delight
Fairtime
Fay Elberta
Flavorcrest
Frost
Gene Elberta
June pride
Junecrest
Late Alamar
Loring
Maycrest
Muir
O'henry
PF 11
PF lucky 13
Q-1-8
Red haven
Regina
Springcrest
Summerset
Suncrest

Pears
Bartlett
Comice
D'anjou

Persimmon
Chocolate
Hachiya
Fuyu
Giombo
Giro
Hachiya
Hyakume
Imoto
Izu
Maru
Nagamaru
Niishimura Wase
Vodka

Plum
Black Amber
Casselman
El Dorado
Empress
Frontier
Kelsey
La Roda
Mariposa
Red Beaut
Red Roy
Santa Rosa
Satsuma
Ume

Plum
Black Amber
Casselman
El Dorado
Empress
Frontier
Kelsey
La Roda
Mariposa
Red Beaut
Red Roy
Santa Rosa
Satsuma
Ume

Pomegranates
Ambrosia
Eversweet
Wonderful

Quince

Squash
Black Futsu
Butternut Squash
Delicata
Kabocha
Red Kuri
Yellow Zucchini