PEACH HEIRLOOM TOMATOES are one of the very smallest heirloom varieties. They are a beautiful golden-orange color, have slightly fuzzy skin, and truly outstanding flavor. They are just fuzzy enough to give their skin a matte finish but not nearly as fuzzy as a peach. PEACH HEIRLOOM TOMATOES would be a great addition to an…
All the rumors you’ve heard are true. It is possible to cross a tomato with a bell pepper! Who would want to cross a tomato with a bell pepper? you ask. Well, we should never underestimate the creativity and vision of America’s farmers. These PEPPER TOMATOES have the structural appearance of a blocky-type bell pepper,…
This blushing heirloom tomato, said to have been grown by the Cherokees, has roots that date back to at least 1890. With skin that ranges to dusky rose to deep burgundy, and a brick red interior, the Cherokee purple is one of the most full flavored of the large heirlooms available. Its delicate taste is…
Southern California has many good tomato growers, but one of our favorites is growing these lovely Orange Cherry Tomatoes. Smaller than a true cherry tomato, these organically-grown tomatoes have beautiful true orange color and are very sweet. They are a great alternative to the more common red and yellow tears, and since they are packed…
These little yellow tomatoes have all the sweet flavor of the more commonly available red variety, with a nice, bright color. Good alternative to Yellow Tears!
The deep purplish-crimson-colored BANANA BLOSSOM is used as a vegetable from Sri Lanka to Laos. The flower is borne at the end of the stem. Long, slender, sterile male flowers with a faint sweet fragrance are lined up in tidy rows and protected by large reddish bracts. Higher up the stem are groups of female…
No one tasting Bread Fruit for the first time is likely to dispute that it is an acquired taste (and texture). Bread Fruit is used almost exclusively as a vegetable, generally when wholly or partly green. When completely green, the raw Bread Fruit is hard and starchy, like a raw potato when slightly ripe, the…
‘He was a brave man who first ate an oyster’, goes the old saying. Well, a man that brave pales in comparison to the man who first ate a DURIAN. Banned from most airlines for their sewer-reminiscent odor, durians originated in Malaysia or Borneo and have always been considered, for reasons beyond our ken, an…
Sometimes, it’ s a little difficult to work bright green into the color scheme of a presentation. Well, Gold Kiwi brings a completely different color and flavor (beautiful yellow-gold and a bit of a mango taste with hints of melon) to salads and recipes. It is quite sweet, very juicy. Gold Kiwi has a smoother,…
Native to China, India and Indonesia, Carambola is also known as starfruit, thanks to its appearance when sliced cross-wise. The preferred way of eating them in tropical countries is half-ripe, dipped into or lightly sprinkled with salt. The Carambola’ s skin is very thin and shiny, and the fruit needs only to be washed, not…
One taste of these small Tahitian Pineapples sent us scrambling for our refractometer. Our palates were dead on…these little gems registered a strong 16. Flown to us from Tahiti via New Zealand, these Pineapples will have you reaching for sunscreen, and a second helping. Tahitian Pineapples are so sweet that they are best appreciated when…
Two schools of thought have emerged regarding the origin of watermelon: Some historians posit India as the place of origin, and others believe this very popular melon is native to Africa. Yellow Seedless Watermelon have bright yellow flesh and a more delicate (some might say dull) flavor than the red-fleshed varieties. Like all seedless watermelon…
A native of the Japanese island Okinawa, the Okinawa Sweet Potato with its light brown skin and unusual purple flesh is richly nutritious and surprisingly sweet. Scientifically classified as a yam, this root vegetable is a staple among the people of Okinawa and Hawaii, and has surpassed the popularity of the ordinary yam due to…
Everyone knows the story of Jack and the Beanstalk however few people know about the Good Mother Stallard Bean! Glenn Drowns reintroduced this heirloom variety and has brought excitement to cooking with legumes. The pod is a buttercream color and inside rests 3 to 4 beans. The Good Mother Stallard beans are a deep maroon…
This Pepper mix has various varieties and colors such as Toro De Oro, Lipstick, Pimento, and Bell with colors of red, orange, yellow, and purple. They have thick walls making for a great crunch when eaten raw. The sizes range from medium to large sized Peppers, some being round and others being elongated and pointed…
Torpedo Onions received their name from their elongated bulb, resembling a torpedo. They are a sweet onion that comes from the Mediterranean and is very popular for Italian cuisine. The bulb is reddish-purple and has a mildly sweet flavor and tender texture. This variety is great eating raw and when cooked the Torpedo Onion is…
Young Ginger is the original Ginger used to make “Gari”, pickled Ginger featured with sushi dishes. It has the same shape as traditional Ginger but it is much less fibrous and offers plump texture with juicy flavor. Young Ginger is mild and able to be eaten raw. When thinly sliced the color is almost translucent…
Don’t judge this fruit by its cover! Nicknamed the ‘Ugli’ fruit because of its puffy, wrinkled outside, it is sweet and extremely juicy on the inside. Discovered in Jamaica, Uniq Fruit is a cross between a Grapefruit and tangerine. This sensation peels and separates easily into yellow-orange sections. Ripeness is marked by its heaviness and…
A truly ancient fruit, the Fig can be traced back to 5,000 B.D. Fig trees bear a first crop, called the breba crop, on last season’s growth, then there is a two- to three- week gap, before the main crop, borne new growth, begins. Figs do not ripen after they are harvested, so you must…
Figs are separated into four main botanical categories and within these categories are many commercial varieties. Brown Turkey Figs are soft with a velvety skin and they are sweet and juicy within.