Blossom Bluff Orchards

Smallish stand at the smallish Albany Farmers Market. Just enough selection (barely) to make it worth the short stroll from our place.
All I wanted to do was sample and purchase some organic fruit. Staff and crew gave the distinct impression that they could care less. Sadly, this vendor was sorely lacking in basic customer courtesy. Disappointing.
Should’ve gotten my organic produce elsewhere. Won’t make that mistake twice.

I had a bad experience with this farm. One of their employees at the Temescal Farmers’ market told me that if you order in advance, you pay a certain discounted price per flat. A friend and I were planning to make jam, and delighted by this news. My friend placed an order for the next week. I was going to miss the next market, so I waited a week to call. When I did, the owner (Fran) told me that she only does that for restaurants. She admitted she had given my friend that deal the week before, but that «she wasn’t going to do it again because my friend was disappointed.» I know my friend wasn’t «disappointed» she just noted that she was charged for 10 lbs, when she only received 8.5lbs. I thought that was just a fluke, but her management of this situation suggests the farm is just trying to make a killing at farmers’ markets. Maybe fine if you want to buy just a plum or two, but just know you are paying the absolute highest prices and they will not work with you, even if you want to buy bulk.

I love Blossom Bluff! The staff at all locations are super friendly and knowledgeable. The fruit is absolutely amazing and sweet/​sour depending on the type of fruit and the season. It is always a must each time I visit any farmer’s market.

Their fruit is not sweet. I just bought a plum and a pluot and they had no flavor. This happened to me the last few times I bought fruit from them at the Albany farmers market which is part of the Ecology Center’s Berkeley Farmers’ Markets. FYI, It’s really a good idea to be honest and fair when you’re selling fruit at the farmer’s market. People have budgets and money doesn’t grow on trees like fruit. If the fruit you’re selling doesn’t have any flavor, either 1) be upfront about it or 2) just don’t sell it. I did ask the people who work there if the fruit was sweet and they told me it was. Okay, they got my business today and the last few times I went. But never again. Ever.

The fruit is amazingly delicious. The farmers are super nice. The farm is beautiful (at least from their descriptions and pictures I have seen)

If you are a really cute girl they’ll probably be nice to you and quite literally offer you samples until you burst (I saw two instances of this.) If you are a quiet midwesten professional, they’ll likely ignore you and let you enjoy your samples (I experienced this personally.) If you are a young skater kid or an EMO-​sort and you are sampling their goods they’ll probably be quite unprofessional to you despite the sign that states «free samples.»
The Cherries and Nectarines were great and I can honestly say I would likely buy them in the future, but I found the professionalism quite lacking and the friendliness to be quite hit-​or-​miss from the crew there when I visited.

Blossom Bluff fruit stands can be found at farmer’s markets around the Bay Area.
The farm is small, family owned and operated, and produces amazingly delicious organic fruit. Their summer fruits (cherries, apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums, apriums, plouts, plumcots, etc) are phenomenal and in recent years the farm has expanded to include more fall and winter fruits (persimmons, pomegranates, citrus, etc.) They also dry their fruit so that you can still enjoy a peach or nectarine in the fall and winter (the dried persimmons they have in the winter are fantastic!)
Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys fresh ripe fruits!
Full Disclosure: I worked for Blossom Bluff (the Loewen family rules!) for 5 years and love love love them.