Frog Hollow Farm

Farm · Contra Costa County

Frog Hollow Farm

Farm · Contra Costa County

3

11435 Brentwood Blvd, Brentwood, CA 94513

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Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null
Frog Hollow Farm by null

Highlights

Organic fruit, pastries, jams, olive oil, and fruit preserves.  

Featured in Eater
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11435 Brentwood Blvd, Brentwood, CA 94513 Get directions

froghollow.com
@froghollowfarm

$$$ · Menu

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11435 Brentwood Blvd, Brentwood, CA 94513 Get directions

+1 925 634 2845
froghollow.com
@froghollowfarm

$$$ · Menu

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Last updated

Aug 24, 2025

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@eater

The 39 Best Housewarming Gifts for Food Lovers - Eater

"A farm in California known for offering a variety of perfect stone fruits, including avocados and juicy mangoes." - Charley Lanyon

https://www.eater.com/24372860/best-housewarming-gifts
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@eater

What Are Persimmons? And How to Use Them for Cooking | Eater

"The Brentwood, California farm is currently in the middle of its annual persimmon harvest; farm assistant Rachel Sullivan says watching the orchards change color and the fruit turn bright orange is the perfect welcome to fall. The operation grows multiple persimmon varieties — Sullivan highlights the aromatic, speckled Maru with its caramel-y, almost butterscotch flavor (which she likes with yogurt or cottage cheese) — and is experiencing strong interest this season, with inquiries outpacing supply and particularly growing demand for fuyus. Staff emphasize both the visual impact of the ripening trees and the fruit’s versatility, from fresh eating to drying and preserves." - Sylvio Martins

https://www.eater.com/22799430/what-are-persimmons-how-to-use-cooking-recipes
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CSA Boxes and Farm Deliveries Serving San Francisco During Coronavirus - Eater SF

"Frog Hollow Farm is another Ferry Building icon, known for seasonal fruit and delicious jams. They’ve got weekly and monthly boxes of mixed fruit, with discounts on subscriptions, and a few free shipping deals." - Becky Duffett

https://sf.eater.com/2020/4/3/21207506/csa-box-farm-pickup-delivery-san-francisco-bay-area
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M Allen

Google
I buy several items from Frog Hollow at the farmers market every other week. I've also bought their Reed Avocados online. I'm very particular about Avocados as I eat one every day and theirs are the best I've ever had. It's less expensive to buy them at the market. All of their fruits are excellent and always in great shape and I like buying them at the market. They also have the best cherry, peach, apple and blueberry pocket pastries I've ever tasted in the Bay Area, and I've been to the best bakeries in the Bay Area. The pastries are jampacked full of organic fruit, and the pastry is incredibly good. They also have delectably good cakes. So good in fact that I have a difficult time walking by the stand and not buying lots of them. They are that good! They also have a delicious olive oil, dried fruits, jams, and an array of fruits in season. If you look on their website as I have, you will see that they have excellent innovative and old-world farming practices, that set them apart from a lot of other farms.

Maria Bocanegra

Google
Received my order , incomplete for one item paid $73 for 500ml olive oil and 2 acme bread, except that I only received the olive oil and no bread , emailed 3x with no response . So I bought a very expensive olive oil . Will never buy from them again , poor customer service and very expensive products !

Larry Rand

Google
I am really in SHOCK! I have occasionally purchased boxes of stone fruit from Frog Hollow, esp when I’m craving some super flavorful stone fruit—that’s what they’re known for and what we, as customers, pay quite a premium price for. So you can imagine my disappointment when I purchased a box of their nectarines at Whole Foods 5 days ago and came home to first discover they were hard as rocks (like, actual rocks!). But I figured I better give them time to soften and ripen. Five days later, I just ate two of them (the second to make sure the first wasn’t a fluke) and they were AWFUL!!! Completely flavorless — like not even a LITTLE bit of flavor!!! I also happened to buy additional organic nectarines from Whole Foods that day (vendor undisclosed), which were absolutely delicious—juicy and packed w flavor and sweetness. I’m so disappointed in Frog Hollow, both by my purchase and to know that there isn’t consistency. I would expect them to have someone at least TASTE the fruit they’re packing that day to ensure they’re good—some form of quality control. But I can assure you that there wasn’t any quality control—no farmer in their right mind would pack fruit this tasteless, knowing that customers are buying and paying more for their fruit because it’s supposed to be GOOD. And now I’m seeing other reviews describing how awful their fruit was, and their uninterested reply that “this is how it is.” They have totally lost me as a customer and I think it’s a fair assessment to say that other customers who are eating the same awful nectarines won’t be rushing to purchase more Frog Hollow anytime soon. You can’t brand yourself as premium if you can’t deliver the right product, nor take any accountability when your customers tell you there’s a problem. It’s really a bummer when trust in a vendor is broken. I would much rather be enjoying yummy fruit and writing a glowing review than wasting my time on this. But it needs to be said—it’s not right to be selling flavorless fruit boxed up under the premium Frog Hollow label when it tastes this bad—it’s deceptive, and not how I want to spend my hard earned money. PLEASE, do something about your quality control!

Jade Erickson

Google
""Spent 40$ on 2lbs of tomatoes. I'm not complaining about the price, however I think that the tomatoes could of arrived in better condition. There were 6 or 7 tomatoes smashed with fruit flies...I understand that it's not entirely the farm's fault, but the tomatoes could of been packed better and there was mo fragile sticker on the box."" UPDATE: Within a couple days of posting my review, Frog Hollow Farm emailed me to comfirm a replacement shipment for tomatoes. Unfortunately, they didn't have tomatoes anymore. Frog Farm sent a list of what they had. I chose mangos. They arrived in perfect condition and were the most delicious mangoes! Thank you for taking care of your customers! 😁

Arvey Alfonso Granada Calderon

Google
Amazing place, a beautiful farm where you can buy organic fruits and explore like a farmer. It's very interesting to understand the work before eat something delicious and healthy. 💯% recommended

Grose Grose

Google
Must be a bad year for crops and quality merchandise. Last year we purchased the Satsuma Mandarin Oranges; and they were delicious; they were presentable great product. This year? Not so much; bruised, very tart to almost unedible. Unfortunately we bought the 5 pound box this year. Pretty bummed as these were close to the Japanese Satsuma Mandarins we used to get as children. I suppose we're onto a new tradition.

frances barnes

Google
Absolutely the best peaches, melts in your mouth, very juicy....great customer service and very friendly workers...A+++

David Kira

Google
Would definitely not recommend this vendor. First, the only good factor - 1 star for rapid shipping, carefully packaged and arrived on time. Now the disappointment - we ordered yuzus and kiwis. Both items are essentially not usable. The yuzu fruit do not even distantly resemble the images on the website, the rinds are shriveled and not aromatic at all. The green kiwis were harvested immature and remained rock hard until they too began to shrivel. See attached image. We contacted the vendor and the reply was essentially "this is how it is" sorry thus we feel the need to forewarn others regarding the items sold from this vendor. I rarely leave negative reviews but this transaction is completely unacceptable. Overall, quite a disappointment and a complete waste of about $90.
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Ziyan C.

Yelp
We got a Pear Ginger cake here in November '23 ($6): 3.5 stars, moist but a little crumbly. Frosting was thick and cream cheese-like but a little stretchy. However, I have always loved their jams! Great mix of texture yet spreadability.
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Joseph A.

Yelp
Frog Hollow Farms were at the Stonestown Farmers Market in San Francisco. Nice mix of goods plus some delectable Persimmons.
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Patrick C.

Yelp
Frog Hollow Farms has the best produce around. I love their Pink Lady apples, as well as all their stone fruit. Delicious olive oil, I cannot wait to order more goodies from them. You pay for the quality.
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Alice C.

Yelp
After receiving bad first order, they reached out faster than any company I've ever dealt with and immediately gave me full credit. I'd been told by a chef that their fruit is exceptional, but since it's winter, I decided to try some pastries, and am I glad I did! The frangipane pear tartlet is dreamy! The pastry is flaky, the pear excellent, and the frangipane wasn't overdone. A perfect desert. I later tried the mushroom and leek empanadas and again: jackpot! Once again, light, flaky crust, filled with perfectly done portobello and shiitake mushrooms , a hint of goat cheese, and leeks that you know came straight from the garden. These treats more than made up for the first bad order and I'll be ordering again soon. Yum!

Info J.

Yelp
I have ordered twice - as a full staff fall gift. Every single time - Frog Hollow does not disappoint! Everyone is always raving about how delicious the apples/plums/etc are. The fruit is of course, wonderful - but add on that customer service? No one is doing it like Frog Hollow. We also love the fact that it's local. Thank you!

J D.

Yelp
This is one star for a service issue. I heard glowing reviews about Frog Hollow Farm online. I ordered a monthly delivery of fruit as a gift. The 2nd shipment never arrived, BEWARE IF YOU'VE ORDERED A YEAR SUBSCRIPTION. I contacted customer service and this is their response which sounds a little fishy to me. "Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Looks like our system never transferred this order after the first shipment was sent, I have manually added the information and this program should ship as scheduled. January box will be shipped this week, after that your program will ship the second week of every month."
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Chris W.

Yelp
Frog Hollow Farm's fruit and preserves are incredible! 100% organic and locally grown. Everyone in our family loves it, and we love to give it out as gifts. More importantly, the owners and growers are wonderful people who have a long term commitment to feeding our community through sustainable farming practices. Please support this small, family-run farm to support locally grown produce!

Susan F.

Yelp
I wouldn't recommend ordering peaches from FHF. I ordered peaches this year and but when I received them approximately 4-5 of my peaches were between badly rotten and a1/4 of the way there. I reached out to them but they never responded
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Hillary L.

Yelp
Received my first CSA box (local pick up so no shipping delays) and the fruit was disgusting on the day after I picked up my box. I live in the Bay area so it is fairly cool in the house, but all of my apricots had large nasty bruises, some with mold on the stems and when I cut into them to save the rest of the meat, GREEN mold inside. One even had a giant maggot hanging out. One peach had a nasty green mold patch covering the bottom and almost all the fruit was brown and mushy. Any fruit I could save was unripe so clearly these are just damaged fruits they're sending out for $6+/lb. Of the other fruit in the box, I expect it to mold/go bad before ripening as several had big dents in them or gouges into the skin. Extremely disappointed and very upset I bought a 4-box subscription if they will all look like this.
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Jui C.

Yelp
Moving to SF from NY, I miss seasons. It's like living in this sci-fi world, where the alarm goes off every morning, and tells you it's going to be sunny and a high of 62. Every day. So I mark my seasons with fruit and produce. I might no longer have use for my seasonal wardrobe, but from asparagus to oranges, I know the seasons are changing as I visit the farmers' market. Always having been a fruit fiend, I am now EVEN more about what grows when, where, and how good it is. My fave time of year is mulberries (HAVE YOU HAD FROG HOLLOW'S MULBERRIES? IF NOT, YOU HAVEN'T LIVED) and Frog Hollow's Brooks cherries (such a complex flavor profile, so much better than the other breeds) -- and their Rainiers can convert the most ardent of Rainier-haters -- leading up to all the incredible Frog Hollow stone fruit, juice dripping down your elbows, almost making up for the fact that you can no longer wear summer dresses. Almost. Their two kinds of apricots are really the best, and I say this as someone who lived in Central Asia and had an apricot tree in our backyard. That's where apricots come from. I love the farm. I love the family that runs it. I love the fruit. I love their practices. I love that it's organic. I love that they treat their staff fairly. Most importantly, I love that they really care about the quality of the fruit and the experience of the customer. It's cherry season now! Buy more cherries. Make more clafoutis. Share with friends. Spread more joy. :)

Babs P.

Yelp
For the second year, I've received spoiled and rotten oranges from Frog Hollow Farm. I sent a photo of last year's order to my gifter. I don't know if she followed up with Frog Hollow. It is now too embarrassing to tell her again that this company failed her. I received 6 oranges, two were tossed immediately. The fruit may be organically raised but picking and processing is careless and ruining any good reputation that the company has.
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Karina C.

Yelp
I purchased from them at the north Berkeley farmers market and I have to 110% recommend the pear pastry!! It's to DIE for. I wish I bought more

Bev Y.

Yelp
Received gift from niece containing "Organic Mixed Tropical Box" on 23Nov2022. 2 papayas were very green with large soft spots look like freeze burns. 2 days later, the passion fruits in a wood bowl in open air were covered with grey /black mold. Most receivers will feel embarrass to complain to the gift giver but I called my niece and asked her never use this company again. I will give it a '0' star if the system allows!
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Maureen L.

Yelp
Meh. The little apple tarts were underwhelming. Pastry was tasty, but the fruit was under spiced and bland. Overpriced, overall. The mushroom leek empanadas were better.

Salvatore P.

Yelp
This review applies to their persimmons only. I recently ordered 5 lbs of Hachiya persimmons. When the persimmons arrived none were close to being ripe. After two weeks a few began to slowly ripen. As of today, half of the persimmons have ripened and everyone single one of them was rotten. The others that are beginning to ripen look as though they will be black inside as well. I will never order persimmons from Frog Hollow Farm again. In the past, their apricots and peaches have been excellent but I would definitely avoid the persimmons.

Sandi H.

Yelp
The order I received for 2 pounds of passion fruit was the most disgusting looking fruit I have ever seen! They were dried up and covered in thick gray mold making it impossible to cut into the fruit without the knife blade pushing the outer layer of mold into the center fruit. The whole box went into the trash and my confidence in your fruits and service has come to a complete stop. I have recommended you to several of my friends but I am not going to alert all of them to the nasty fruit I received to you. What a waste of money. Totally dissatisfied customer
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Beverley B.

Yelp
This is the fruit from frog hollow farms the fruit from this farm hose the schools in Antioch most of it has expired.
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Toni M.

Yelp
Alan, who does our Kensington Farmers' Market runs on Sunday, came home w/, among other things, "an apricot tart from a stand that didn't sell pastries before.". We shared it for dessert tonight, and when I cut it in half I saw it was apricot and cherry, maybe 3 1/2 inches in diameter, w/ the crust an inch and a half or 2 high. It was delicious, the fruit clearly fresh off the trees when it was assembled. I asked him who made it and he replied, "Frog Hollow". I was astonished and pleased, because while I knew they were at the market, I also knew they didn't have their pastries, because I asked several years ago. Clearly that has changed and I'm going to ask him to keep an eye out for the risotto-currant tart I fell in love w/ at the North Berkeley Farmers' Market 9 years ago, and anything else that looks good. This is wonderful news!
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Katie S.

Yelp
Frog Hollow fruit is the best! I started subscribing to their CSA in early 2020. I've enjoyed all four seasons of the fruit, but the spring is my favorite. Last week, I was lucky to get mulberries, apricots, cherries, and apples. The mulberries were so sweet and tart and flavorful. Yum! I've also sometimes stopped at their fruit stand at the ferry building farmer's market. I loved their lemon cake and their ginger cake. I only get it by the slice because I don't trust myself with a whole cake. It's that good! And on par with some of the best bakeries in the area! The CSA website is really easy to use and the customer service is fantastic! If you need to skip a delivery while you're out of town, it's pretty easy to do. Thank you Frog hollow! It's so nice to support a local organic farm with amazing fruit! I can't wait for peach season.

Geo W.

Yelp
sold, infected fruit on purpose refused to give a refund so much for satisfaction guaranteed Mike at the Berkeley market told me that at the peaches turn brown you can cut out the rotten part next day they all turn brown rotted. They knew they were infected and then I came back and said yeah I'd like a refund and refuse to give me a refund and he knew the freight was infected. The website says satisfaction, guarantee.
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Victor G.

Yelp
i seldom buy fresh fruits at farmers market cuz i drive for quite awhile afterwards and the fruits may not survive the ordeal. Frog Hollow is different, they have pastries and dried fruit which can survive hours in a vehicle. eats: lemon tart (3) -nice shell,texture, fabulous home made lemon within 100% organic dried fruit (Suncrest), 4 oz, $6 -sweet tasting without added sugar. yum!
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Russell N.

Yelp
Just received Flavor King Pluots. They are PERFECTLY DELICIOUS! I preordered them and waited a little but it is sure worth the wait. Soooooo good. I will be a regular customer!

Robin S.

Yelp
This place has amazing Warren Pears which is why I keep coming back. But the competence and customer service is lacking. Last year I ordered some pears and they shipped them weeks too early and did not seem to care, were more confrontational. I was not looking for compensation; just someone to care and maybe apologize. I just called in an order again. The billing name and billing phone showed the recipient and not mine. I called and was advised that they are unable to change this and was told that the order was accurate and I guess the parts that were not did not count. I asked if it was possible to bounce the order to the person who placed it as perhaps a "training opportunity" and this was met with silence. Then I asked to speak with a manager or supervisor and was told there was no one there to speak to; just those answering the calls.
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M L.

Yelp
We received a 3 pound box of cherries as a gift. It arrived on June 14. In Texas. When it arrived at 6 pm it was still well over 90 degrees. Who knows what the temperature was inside the truck all day. Unsurprisingly, the cherries did not survive the two-day, 1700+ mile journey across country via UPS. We opened the box and were greeted with the smell of fermenting fruit. It took me a moment to realize they were cherries under the straw rather than grapes. And then I saw the mold and bruises and... yuck. Sadly, we love cherries, but did not enjoy this batch. I am sure Frog Hollow fruit is lovely when purchased directly from the farm. But it does not travel well during the summer in a cardboard box in a bed of straw with no ice pack. My advice? Buy locally and do not try to ship ripe, fresh fruit in the summer!

Cheri H.

Yelp
Great peaches! I received the missing box of peaches and Frog Hollow kindly compensate me another box for the misunderstanding on the shipping costs. So I received 16petite to small peaches in one box, 11 medium to large peaches in another box and 13 small to medium peaches for the third box. Now I am going to share the joy with friends and families.
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Wendy K.

Yelp
I have ordered a lot of fruit from Frog Hollow Farm over the past couple of years. Some of it is wonderful, some of it is not. My biggest issue is the enormous cost. $55. plus shipping for eight peaches. That works out to $8. per peach. I'm sorry, but no peach is worth $8.

Coby K.

Yelp
I'm very impressed with the responsive customer service we received. The gifted fruit we received was not up to the standards of this upscale purveyor, so we let them know. They graciously replaced the shipment and even sent it overnight. It arrived in perfect shape. We have yet to try the apples and citrus, but it all looks first rate.
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Lisa M.

Yelp
I was thrilled to stumble across peaches from frog hollow farms at Whole Foods! $5.99 for 4, small to medium sized, ones. They have the right amount of tartness to sweetness.
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Helen H.

Yelp
Frog Hollow came to my workplace to do a fruit tasting and I had Persian mulberries for the first time and fell in love with that fruit! The berries had just the right amount of sweetness and tartness, no hard seeds and can eat the whole berry right at the stem or eat it off the stem pulling the berry off with your teeth. I was able to buy cartons of mulberries at the Ferry Building Farmer's market yesterday. They were $6 per carton. Mulberry season is very short so better get them while they last!
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Kim A.

Yelp
I've ordered online gifts from Frog Hollow farm seven times over the years and have always been very happy with the results. Their jams are excellent and the bakery goods are always fresh and yummy. Delivery seems to be prompt, too. They have a customer for life.

Kay W.

Yelp
First time customer here. Loved their granola, jam, and dried fruits. So ordered some online. But the shipment came in missing some of the items that I've ordered. Had to go back and forth with their customer service to get the item that I paid for. Ive saw the review about customer service being wonderful but I didn't exactly have a good experience. The three stars are for the products. They are good but might not worth the troubles.

R J.

Yelp
Great Pears, Disappointing Customer Service We have ordered from Frog Hollow over the years and have really enjoyed their pears. They were out of our favorites early, but we decided to still order pears for a gift and looked at both Harry & David and Frog Hollow. We ended up ordering from Frog Hollow despite that fact that Harry & David was less expensive, wanting to support a smaller local company. When we inquired about placing an order now to ship later, we were advised to place in the notes section of the order that we wanted a later shipping date, which we did for December dates, as we wanted these for a specific December occasion; I called and left a message to this effect as well. On November 23, we received a call telling us that despite the fact that we entered the notes correctly, the pears had already shipped. They offered to ship them again on the intended date which we declined as the gift was going to a person living alone who would be challenged with finishing the initial order of 6 pears. I expressed my disappointment and there was some back and forth, and they offered to refund shipping to which I replied that this was overall very disappointing. In my opinion they should have offered to refund the entire order, or to send a shipment to us instead as an attempt at a make-good; the total order with shipping was only $52.88 and the representative who called said that they were having a really great year so it did not seem like offering either of these solutions would have put them in a bind financially like many other small businesses at this time. I finally agreed to the shipping refund as it seemed that this was all that they were willing to do and the rep seemed anxious to get off the phone and move on, but I again expressed my extreme disappointment.

N. R.

Yelp
Their fruit pastries are to die for. The seasonal fruit tarts are buttery and full of tree ripened fruit. I just tried their upside down cake from their stall at a farmers market in Berkeley. A little dense but not heavy, and the taste of brown sugar, butter and plum was amazing. This could become dangerous habit.
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Tammi F.

Yelp
Frog hollow has a popular stand at pier 39 that sells lots of their fruits. One of my absolute favorites are their dried nectaries which I can eat non stop. However the most recent bag I opened had some strange webbing on a nectarine. I looked more closely and saw some kind of worm nesting in my dried nectarine with about 15 eggs!!! Upon further examination I discovered that every single dried nectarine in that bag had been covered in little eggs and webs. Just a warning to keep an eye out for bugs in your fruits! ):

KD O.

Yelp
This company sent me 11 fruits when their website clearly states 15-20. When I reached out to customer service they did absolutely nothing to rectify the situation. Now I order from "fruit stand". Much cheaper and still organic!

Candi S.

Yelp
This review is for the company itself. In honesty, I ordered something that was not what I expected it to be. I contacted Frog Hollow Farm to let them know and they promptly and graciously replied, offering a more than fair resolution. I was really impressed with their customer service. It's nice to come across a company you can trust to do good business.
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Celeste P.

Yelp
Tours are rare here. So, when they had a tour scheduled for the Friday I was in town, I jumped. Wear comfortable shoes and hat/sunblock (no shade). Kristin gave a great tour. Learned so much about their slow movement approach and the wide variety of fruits. Met the owners, Al & Becky. Tasted emerald beaut plums for the first time. And their plum preserves reminded me of a tart tamarind, conjuring up old childhood memories. Near Brentwood? See if you can arrange a private tour (min. of 8 ppl. Fridays only). If you're at the Ferry Bldg in SF, check out the cafe (free tasting samples). My cousin May first introduced me to their fruits, conserves & marmalades. Flavors are so deliciously intense, can't help but preach 'em. Bought jars & fruit at the farm for my friends. Had to share this flavorful discovery. Go support this farm!
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Rebecca L.

Yelp
My mom received a box of the Crimson Lady peaches today. She said they are delicious. The shipment was quick (and well within the stated time) and the peaches are beautiful. Happy 87th birthday, Mom!
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Wilhelm Y.

Yelp
At $4 plus per pound Frog Hollow's peaches are among the priciest peaches out there, but for my hard-earned dollars this is the peach that I prefer most for its amazing flavor, sweetness, juice content and balanced acidity. Dare I say these are the most perfect peaches I've ever had. Frog Hollow Farm is not open to the public (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/si783oAm44YXwJdkHWHHfQ?select=aqm3njcsK3Tgf57nFeThQw#Z1nxrtkxfDi3ea3Z0w9TWQ), so when the opportunity to visit the actual farm came up I jumped on it. Twice in fact in 2011 and again this past weekend in 2012. Now comes the task of formulating a review covering two very different farm tours at the exact same farm. Farmer Al Courchesne is co-owner of the 143 acre farm now in its 37th year. Farmer Al didn't grow up on a farm though. He was born in Berkeley, grew up in El Cerrito, graduated at Cal (Yay!!) and relocated to Hawaii to take a teaching position for 10 years. He didn't strike an interest in farming until he was 30 while still in Hawaii. Two years later he found himself back in the Bay Area on a 13 acre parcel of land he had purchased in Brentwood where he planted his first peach orchard with the goal of creating the best peaches available. It was 13 years later that Al decided to alter his farming practice by going organic and renaming his farm Frog Hollow Farm. Now he's one of the most respected farmers around. For both tours he greeted us in front of the main building which currently houses their office, their commercial kitchen and an old packing assembly where he offered an introduction to his farm and their products. Anybody who gardens or in this case farms will tell you the importance of bees in the ecosystem. In agriculture pollination is essential for the healthy reproduction of plants, and there is no greater pollinator than the bee. With that in mind a native bee garden was added into the farm in 2011. Consisting mostly of native, local plants the garden is thriving now and the bees seem to be quite happy. The garden is part of a 10 year study on bees by a Cal researcher who regularly collects and monitors the bees, but Al was quite honest in telling us he just likes the bees there because they help to pollinate his farm. On both occasions we did a walking tour of the farm, and Al has talked to us about soil conditioning, composting, irrigation, pest management, tree life and about local land issues that have effected his farm. This past weekend he even shared secrets on what makes their fruit-filled peanut butter cookies so dang good! In addition to his award winning peaches, rumored by Al himself last year to be a favorite of our current President, we've stopped to talk about the quince, the pomegranates, the olives and the citrus. We got to see the dry farming area where overripe peaches and pluots are split and pitted to dry under the hot Brentwood sun then sold as preservative-free dried fruits. Our tour of a year ago included lunch as well. We met Al's wife Becky who runs the commercial kitchen on the farm, and she wowed us with fresh sweet corn, heirloom tomatoes drizzled with Frog Hollow Farm's very own unfiltered olive oil, freshly baked empanadas and a fresh green salad which incorporated some delicious stone fruit. I haven't included links, but all of those lunch items plus many other photos have been posted in the photo section. We concluded our 2011 tour with a round table discussion on the Slow Money movement, a movement to organize investors and donors to steer new sources of capital to small food enterprises, organic farms, and local food systems. Al shared with us some of his ideas in relation to his farm then reviewed a display of his products that his 2 young daughters had set up. He sold many of his products to us at substantial savings over the farmers market prices and even sold us full cases of 2 of his peach varieties and his heirloom tomatoes, something he rarely sells at the farmers markets. Bay Area Green Tours was the source of my original tour. Of the two tours I've taken part in this was the better of the two, but then again I paid 4 times the fee that I paid to CUESA who organized the most recent tour. In this case I definitely got what I paid for. Sadly though, Bay Area Green Tours no longer offers public farm tours. Frog Hollow Farm operates a café at the San Francisco Ferry Building where you can find a variety of their products and fresh baked pastries. They also participate at farmers markets in North & South Berkeley, San Francisco's Castro, Danville, Kensington and Santa Cruz. I often stop by to chat with Farmer Al and purchase some incredible fruit at the Saturday San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers Market run by CUESA. Be sure to check their website for updated information on this.
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Bonnye S.

Yelp
This will be the 4th year I have ordered from this exceptional company. Makes you remember what fruit was supposed to taste like---some of it we eat over the sink because it is so incredibly juicy--Thank you. My office waits for each delivery.
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Dorothy C.

Yelp
Toni M, I'm right behind you! Frog Hollow Farms deserves the highest accolades! You, Toni, deserve an ROTD for putting FH Farm on the Yelp map! As usual, I bought the farm today. At El Cerrito Natural Food just down the block from my house. On this occasion, I bought Frog Hollow's Plum and Blueberry jam. Last week I bought two jars, the organic cherry conserve, and my personal favorite, the organic peach chutney. (Spicy is the name of the game for this latter concoction...and a little spice does a body good, IMHO.) You really should know why I'm such a Frog Hollow fan... You will presume that it is because I'm fond of a delectible handcrafted jam. Or that I'm a fan because I hate to cook and a nice chutney covers a multitude of culinary indiscretions. Burnt omelet being an example. In both cases, you would be close to the truth. But listen up...here's the real reason that I enjoy Frog Hollow Farm's jams and jellies... The yummy stuff reminds me of basketball courts. Pep bands. Cheerleaders jumping about of an evening at the El Cerrito HIgh School gym. In other words, Al Courchesne. Yep, El Cerrito High School's star basketball player (circa 1960) went on to create Frog Hollow Farm in Brentwood, CA. Where he and his wife have lived happily ever after. I would guess. When I purchase a jar of FHF's preserves, I remember the halcyon days of youth. Clean air, clean water. Sunlight warming the outdoor basketball courts on a winter's day. Scurrying down to the gym before an evening game, heading for the best seats in the bleachers. With parental permission. Screaming (and I do mean screaming) when a basketball curled effortlessly into the home team basketball hoop. Celebrating yet another Gaucho victory. For a buck or two. Good stuff, these jams and jellies. Trust me on this, still a couple of bucks to live the dream. Apricot. Cherry. Blackberry. Or...Peach chutney. If you don't believe me, go ask Alice. Chez Panisse is just down the road, you know. Probably can order Frog Hollow preserves from the restaurant's menu too. Though I doubt if Alice has ever burned her omelets.
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Kim N.

Yelp
Frog Hollow supplies the French Laundry with excellent peaches. Now I've had them in the dishes several times, but recently as I was waling to TFL via the back streets, we ran into the Frog Hollow Farm delivery guys. They were unloading the fruit from the back of the truck and we chatted them up a bit. They were so nice and they gave us a bunch of peaches before we went in for our meal. I even got two "long bombs" from one of the guys as he threw some peach Hail Marys to me down the street as I went long. How cool is that? Of course the peaches were super tasty and we had a bunch of them that we brought into the restaurant. That's not weird or anything. :)

Frank D.

Yelp
I recently received a 5 pound box of 'fresh' cherries. I immediately opened the box to find the sorriest pile of cherries I have ever seen. I wrote an email to the company but I never received a reply. I also wrote an honest review on their website but it was removed within 24 hours. Be careful with this company. Buyer beware!
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Shan M.

Yelp
Holy crappers. BEST PEACHES EVER. I'm not even exaggerating. Amidst all the mediocre, either hard or mushy, tasteless, odorless peaches in the supermarkets, Frog Hollow Farm's are perfumy, sweet balanced with a bit of acidity, juicy, and brightly colored. If only I could remember the specific varietal of the darn thing....flavor king? Not sure. Yes, it's expensive at $4+ per pound, but it's really worth it. You only live once. Do you really want to be on your deathbed and say "I never had good peaches." No, you dont.

Cindy R.

Yelp
Very very disappointed will tell others Do not buy from them.7 pieces of fruit no better than store one VERY tiny plot WENT bad didnt bother with it.Skin on pluots has to be thrown away.Tough and bitter.They say box of fruit.They deceive you.It is 7 pieces and one so small you will toss it.ALL FOR 31.00 THATS 10.DOLLARS A POUND.BAD DEAL
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Amal M.

Yelp
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.... First there is the organic stone fruit...delicious mouth watering cherries, apricot, nectarines, peaches, plums, pluots...and how they find their way into tartlets, galettes, muffins, scones and scuffins(!), not to mention the dense fruit spreads bursting with flavor. And I can't say fruit spreads without heaping praise on the citrus fruits and their marmalades...Meyer lemon and Seville, Bergamot and Tarocco blood orange, and especially the unique strawberry-blood orange marmalade. Farmer Al has given us a unique fruit...the Warren pear. If you've never had it, get it! No other pear quite comes close to match its aroma, its firm sweet flesh, and the Warren pear frangipane tartlet and galette are simply divine. It's the best pear I EVER tasted! Wait, did I mention blueberries....? And I cannot say enough about the incredible variety and scrumptious taste of the bakery products, both sweet and savory, all thanks to the masterful hands of Chef Becky....whether it's the Warren pear-ginger cake, almond torte, a mushroom-leek or asparagus-green garlic empanada, to mention just a few. And since I order mostly by phone, my thanks to all the customer service staff, who are as friendly as they are courteous, attentive and efficient in helping me order whatever I need from Frog Hollow Farm!

Liz B.

Yelp
I have been ordering fruit from the CSA from Frog Hollow for about a year now. The fruit is very good to mouth wateringly delicious. Once in a while it is blemished or imperfect, but that's ok because we are supporting this farm and sometimes ugly is sooo good it will blow your mind! We've visited the farm for members only events during the Spring and Fall, and enjoyed the family friendly atmosphere and seeing the land our fruit is grown on. This is a family run farm. I hate to see bad reviews. Customer service has always been wonderful. Please contact them directly instead of writing negative reviews that hurt people's livelihoods.
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Janet K.

Yelp
The BEST fruit on the planet...period... If you haven't tried their Flavor King Pluots, you haven't lived!!! Shipping is pricey, but oh so worth it!!!
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Deb H.

Yelp
I've been buying and enjoying Frog Hollow Farms fruits and conserves for many years now. I first found them at the Livermore Farmer's Market and now I get my fix at the Saturday Market at the Ferry Building. I know a lot of people think we are nuts for paying what we pay for this fruit...but then they taste it. And just like my husband and I they are changed forever! Their dried fruit is the best ever. The conserves are magnificent and no other jam will suffice. And the fresh fruit? Tonguegasmic!