A Mango Nectarine is one of those special fruits that is really best appreciated in person. We cannot effectively communicate the wonderful fragrance and outstanding flavor of this tender, short-season fruit. Sweet, exotic and perfumey, they are a wonderful summer fruit, grown exclusively in California. Suffice to say, they must be tasted to be believed….
The USDA’s standard for ‘tree ripe’ is very similar to their standard for ‘ vine ripe’ (i.e. the fruit is just starting to ripen when it is harvested). Our definition, driven by our chefs, is very, very different. We are talking fragrant, juice-running-down-your-chin, very sweet, lots of flavor ripe. Because our Tree Ripe Yellow Nectarines…
Don’t let this pale face fool you. The White Nectarine has a sweeter, more luscious flavor than its yellow-fleshed brother. Why so sweet? The white fruit has lower acid levels than the yellow varieties. When ripe, a White Nectarine has practically no tartness to its juicy, creamy texture. The White Nectarine’s flesh is pinkish-white turning…
Chestnuts (ours are grown in California!) contain more starch and less oil than most other nuts and have had a special role as food for this reason. Rural uses of wild Chestnuts include the original Italian polenta, a porridge that was made with Chestnut meal before the introduction of maize from the New World and…
The nuts of our Green Almonds are still in the jelly stage. Thinly sliced on a mandoline and tossed into or atop salads, laid out on a plate and sprinkled with Fleur de Sel or shaved onto a Spring Pea Risotto like truffle slices they have a wonderful, bright lemony flavor and a lot of…
We thought the urban produce people might like to see how Pistachio grow. Here they are, still on the branch. Once the nuts are ready to harvest, commercial growers shake the trees with mechanical shakers. The shaker looks a little like a backhoe, but the arm is straight and ends in pinchers. The shaker also…
Our grower plants Pearl Onions and harvests them while still young and tender, with their tops attached. These little onions are so young they have not yet formed a skin… so no peeling! And isn’ t that what every chef hates about Pearl Onions?!? Baby Pearl Onions served with just an inch or so of…
Some truly great specialty items have been developed as a direct result of growers thinning their rows and marketing the resulting product (e.g. Baby Parsnips, Baby Parsley Root, Young Green Chard). Here’s another: Cippolini Onion Shoots. They look like teeny green or red onions, but their flavor is much milder…similar to mild chives. Leave the…
This legendary sweet onion hails from the island of Maui. Maui “Kula” sweet onions grow high up Haleakala’s fertile slopes. Mauis were first introduced to the mainland U.S. by tourists bringing them back by the bag. Like Vidalias, they are a Yellow Granex type hybrid and originated from varieties developed in Texas. Maui onions are…
Spring has spring, and as our growers enjoy warmer weather they are starting to harvest some of our favorite Spring delicacies. RED SCALLIONS have popped up. Actually the very early shoots of traditional globe or granex red onions, RED SCALLIONS are a milder version of their more mature relatives. Use them as you would green…
Sweetest of the sweet onions, the MAUI ONION is a culinary favorite for salads, sandwiches, and fusion salsas. SPRING MAUI ONIONS are even milder than their famous full-size version. Try quartering SPRING MAUI ONIONS length-wise, brushing with olive oil and grilling. Slice them diagonaly and toss into s Fresh Succotash Salad. Julienne and add to…
Usually, Onions are cured or dried before they are marketed. The curing process results in an Onion with intense flavor and a lower moisture content . Mild and sweet, Spring Red Onions are harvested before they reach their full size and are packed without being dried. Leave an inch of the top attached and grill…
Corn is one of the most important crops in the world today. A traditional autumn decorative favorite, Indian corn, with dried kernels of deep blue, dried-pepper-red and brilliant yellow, is associated with Thanksgiving and an abundant harvest because of the sustenance it provided to the pilgrims and the early settlers. It was an important dietary…
Strawberry corn is one of natures most beautiful works of art. Unlike common yellow or white corn, ears of this exotic variety are shaped much like a large ripe strawberry and the rich crimson kernels surrounded by sun bleached husks paint the perfect autumn picture. Like much of the produce avaliable during indian summer and…
Are your amenity baskets looking a little pedestrian? Is your favorite pastry chef bored with apples? We’ ve got just the item to brighten up your winter fruit line-up. Crimson Peaches are New Zealand’ s answer to the Indian Red peach. Dark red exterior with dark red flesh, the attributes of these unusual peaches go…
Indian red Peaches are prized for the color of their skin and flesh. Their flesh is a deep magenta mottled with white near the pit.
A third-generation Japanese-American farmer, David “ Mas” Masumoto’ s commitment to farming extends beyond the flavor of his fruit. Mas and his family live on their farm in central California. He grows organically, and is a dedicated steward of the land. As he transitioned to organic methods, Mas learned to embrace weeds (he calls them…
It is rare that a farmer feels so strongly about his fruit that he is compelled to write a book about it. It is also rare that said book would receive literary praise for its lyrical style and compelling subject. And it is nearly as rare to eat a peach with the juicy, sweet flavor…
‘Tree ripe’ is defined by the USDA as “the fruit starting to ripen when it is harvested” or as our chefs like to say “fragrant, juice-running-down-your-chin, very sweet, lots of flavor ripe.” Our White Peaches have dark pink skin with red blushing and soft white flesh. While the varieties will change from week to week…
Also known as a Donut Peach, the Saturn Peach was named for its flat shape and sunken center. Descendants of the Chinese flat Peach, this variety is usually 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch tall with pale yellow skin tinged with a slight blush. The juicy white flesh boasts a…
