Once, Figs were just a fruit you remembered from your childhood but California’ s commercial Fig production has put Figs within reach of chefs across the county. But this commercially grown fruit does not taste like the Figs we remember pulling from the tree in our Grandmother’ s backyard. If you are looking for that…
We’ ve been eagerly awaiting their arrival…Champagne Grapes, also known as Black Corinth, are named for their sweet, wine-like flavor. Small and seedless, they are mouth-watering when chilled and eaten out-of-hand. You need not pull the berries from their very tender stems…just pop the whole cluster into your mouth or drape them on the edge…
If you love Welch’ s grape juice, you’ ll love Concord Grapes. Ephraim Wales Bull, ” The Father of the Concord Grape” developed this rich and flavorful variety after years of experimental and painstaking cultivation. In 1853, Bull exhibited the Concord, named after the town, before the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, and in 1854 he placed…
Italia Grapes are characterized by their large fleshy orbs of golden fruit (sometimes seedless and sometimes seeded) and are well known for their delicate muscat flavor. Home to Italy and the California coast, they bring a light and sun-kissed flavor to even the most discriminating palate. These grapes are born by the crossing of the…
Kyoho Grapes are a Concord-like cross between Campbell and Centennial varieties. Grown and prized in Japan for their huge size and very sweet flesh, Kyohos are a blackish-purple variety with large seeds. Their high sugar content is complemented by their moderate acidity. They are one of the most widely planted grape variety in Japan, second…
The characteristic trait of the Muscat Grape is its sweet, musky, floral flavor. In addition to being eaten out of hand and made into raisins, true Muscat Grapes are used to make a variety of fragrant wines and dried to make Muscatel raisins. These Seedless Muscat Grapes have the same distinctive Muscat flavor without those…
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Baby Red Mustard is a favorite spring mix component because of its color, slightly bitter flavor and texture that holds up well to dressing. Often a component in Asian mix, baby red mustard can be tossed into a stir fry and quickly wilted.
Black Seeded Simpson is one of the most popular heirloom lettuces. Developed in the United States around 1850, Black Seeded Simpson is a looseleaf lettuce with light green, crinkly leaves. This lettuce tastes crisp and juicy, and is never bitter.
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Also known as lamb’s lettuce, feldsalat or corn salad, mache is deliciously mild, and has possibly the softest texture of any salad green. This tasty plant grows wild in Europe, where it is considered a pest in corn and wheat fields, but here in the United States it is often grown and shipped still living…
One of our favorite cookbooks, not just for the inspirational recipes but also for sheer reading pleasure, is Judy Rodgers’ The Zuni Cafe Cookbook. Chef Rodgers introduces a Minutina Salad recipe with: “I fell for minutina the first time I mistook it for lawn clippings–this at Eastertime in a three-stall market in Impruneta, not far…
When everybody and their brother serves spring mix, it’s time to look for something that sets you apart from the pack. HEIRLOOM LETTUCES will do just that. One of our favorite family farmers has turned growing HEIRLOOM LETTUCES into an art form. The Coleman family is currently harvesting several varieties, including Black Seeded Simpson, Grenoblase,…
You’ re probably very familiar with baby red oak, but here is the same lettuce all grown up (12-16 inches across). RED OAK LETTUCE has the beautiful oak-shaped leaf and the rich dark red color of the more familiar baby heads. An heirloom, oak leaf lettuce has been a popular variety from at least the…
The specific heirloom variety that our farmer is growing is Parella Rossa (also known as Rougette Montpellier). It’s a lovely French butterhead we’ve discovered with perfect rosett shaped heads that are loosely formed with dark ruby accents at the leaf tips. Red Perella has the soft, tender, butter-textured leaves with sweet, succulent flavor typical of…
Batavian lettuces are heirloom varieties that were developed in France. Today, they are also grown outdoors in Italy and Western Switzerland, in greenhouses in Holland and Germany, and by our own favorite grower in Ventura County. The Batavian variety pictured here is SIERRA. An heirloom Batavian with thick-fleshed, slightly curly leaves with a crisp and…
These beautiful Mangoes are super high in sugar (21 to 23 percent!) and grown in California’ s Coachella Valley. Our farmer’ s father dreamed of growing Mangoes on his California farm, but experts said it couldn’ t be done. After his death, his daughter took up the torch and fulfilled her father’ s dream. But…
Melon mavens assert that tourists in France have been known to pull to the side of the road, drawn to a halt by the incredible scent of a Charentais Melon field. We have not witnessed this phenomenon first hand, but can believe it to be true. Charentais melons (also known as Cavaillon melons) are a…
The Galia Melon bears the name of the family in Israel attributed with its creation, and is a relative of the Ogen melon, another Israeli cultivar. Small and round, with cantaloupe-esque netting over yellow rind, Galias have pale green, almost white, sweet, juicy flesh and can be powerfully aromatic. Galias have been gaining in popularity,…
When a melon is ripe, we mean truly vine-ripe, nothing can beat its sweet, juicy, complex flavor. The problem is that commercial growers, in their attempt to provide melons to the consumer 365 days a year, have lowered the cook’ s expectations. The cantaloupe and honeydew have been relegated to salad bar and drop-a-slice-on-a-leaf-of-kale-and-you’ ve-got-your-garnish…