California produces 82% of the world’s total Almond production due to the Central Valley’s ideal growing conditions. Fat Uncle Farms, located in the San Joaquin Valley, has grown, hand picked, and processed their own Almonds for three generations. These Fat Uncle Almonds are blanched, meaning the raw Almonds are boiled and rinsed in cold water…
Known properly as Doyenné Du Comice, this French variety of pear was first propagated near Angers in the mid-1800’s. The Comice is one of the sweetest and juiciest pears. Their flesh is very soft, and can best be described as creamy in texture, abundantly full of juice, and very sweet. The sweet buttery flesh of…
Pears fall into two different classes. The familiar European type has the typical pear shape its flesh is soft and succulent, its skin yellow or red. Asian pears are generally round (the exception being the newcomer, Yali), with green-yellow or russet skin and crunchy flesh. Forelle Pears are one of the lesser-known commercial European pears….
The d’ Anjou Pear, sometimes referred to as the Buerre’ d’ Anjou or simply Anjou, is thought to have originated in the early to mid-19th century, in Belgium or France. The Red d’ Anjou originated as naturally occurring bud sport found on Green d’ Anjou trees. The d’ Anjou’ s flesh is aromatic, juicy and…
Seckel Pears prove the old adage that good things come in small packages. This diminutive pear variety is the connoisseur’ s favorite. Sweet, flavorful, aromatic, spicy, and perhaps the very best of the pear family. All this sweetness and flavor is packed inside a russeted skin occasionally blushed with red. Seckel Pears are perfect for…
YALI ASIAN PEARS combine the crunchy texture and juicy flesh of typical Asian pears with the graceful shape of European pears. The name Ya Li literally translates to “duck bill”, a reference to the silhouette of this pear. More aromatic and higher in sugars than most Asian pears, Yalis are gaining popularity each year. In…
Dapple Apple Pluots are one of the most popular plums summer has to offer. Sweet, rich, light-red flesh (nearly white near the pit) is covered with the distinctive light red mottled skin. Their unusual exterior makes them an eye-catching addition to fruit baskets and their red and white flesh presents well in tarts or galettes….
Fruit juice blends are hot, so why not serve the ‘ real’ thing? This plum apricot hybrid is characteristically more plum than apricot, and is more luscious than either of its parents. Dark purple skin and red flesh richly flavored and bursting with juice is what makes the Flavorosa one of the most popular members…
Wild Greengage Plums were probably introduced to Britain by the Romans, but disappeared from cultivation until Sir Thomas Gage brought them from France in the eighteenth century (and gave them his name). In France, they are known as Reine-Claude after the wife of Francois I, who adored their sweet flavor. These small members of the…
Plum varieties seem to be coming out of the woodwork, but all of them can be divided into two main categories: Japanese and European. ITALIAN PRUNE PLUMS are considered a European variety. Italians are the main European variety and are smaller, firmer, sweeter, and less juicy than the Japanese varieties (i.e. Friar, simka and Sant…
AMANDINE FINGERLING POTATOES are virtually unknown to North American cooks, but Weiser Family Farms plans to change that! These lovely fingerlings have smooth, yellow skin with shallow eyes and rich, yellow flesh. AMANDINE FINGERLING POTATOES’ consistant shape and smooth exterior makes them perfect for wedges and slicing.
BUTTERFINGER FINGERLING POTATOES have yellow to brownish skin with a true yellow flesh, even after baking. This fingerling variety has a crescent shape and is small to medium in size. Butterfinger fingerlings have a nutty flavor with a smooth texture. They hold up well in salads and are especially good when lightly steamed or boiled…
GERMAN BUTTERBALL POTATOES are European in heritage, and these are real beauties. They have smooth golden skin with a yellow flesh, and a great, rich flavor…and the awards to prove it! Medium round to oblong tubers, GERMAN BUTTERBALLS are great for boiling, baking and mashing, and they produce wonderful hash browns. These potatoes are grown…
The King Edward Potato is a white flesh, heirloom variety that has been popular in Britain for hundreds of years. Named for King Edward VII, these are the potatoes that cooks in England use to make Potato Jackets. Available in A, B and C sizes (B size is shown at left), King Edward Potatoes are…
Considered the very best of the French Fingerling Potatoes, La Ratte Fingerling Potatoes are appreciated for their creamy, pale gold flesh that tastes of hazelnuts and chestnuts. An all-purpose potato, the La Ratte is wonderful when sauteed, gratineed, mashed or used in salads. In France, these favorites are grown beyond fingerlings to fairly generous sizes…
Hats off to the family farmer! Across the country family farms are being purchased by huge agricultural conglomerates…but that’ s mainly in the Mid-West, and those farms are growing wheat, corn, etc. Here in California the family farmer is king thanks to their innovation and responsiveness. One of our most talented family farmers is digging…
The Ozette Fingerling Potato is an heirloom said to be brought from Peru in the late 1700’s by the Spanish explorers and traded with the Ozette Indian tribe of the Olympic peninsula in Washington State. A very tasty and earthy potato, Ozettes are dug when 2 to 6 inches in length. This is a unique…
If you’re looking for dark purple potatoes, you’ve come to the right place. PURPLE PERUVIAN FINGERLINGS can trace their ancestry directly to the Peruvian Andes. Purple Peruvians have dark purple skin, dark purple dry flesh, and a mid-range starch content. When cooked, Purple Peruvian flesh becomes a light bluish-purple and similar in texture to a…
RED THUMB FINGERLINGS have brilliant, smooth red skin and very unusual rosy pink flesh that holds its color after cooking. This beautiful fingerling has very shallow eyes and is uniform in shape, and is sometimes a bit larger than other fingerling varieties.
The Rose Finn Apple is a fingerling potato, also known as Ruby Crescent and Austrian Crescent. The small finger shaped tubers exhibit eyes of medium depth, rose-colored smooth skin and pale yellow, waxy, moderately dry flesh and outstanding flavor. Rose Finn Apple Fingerlings are especially delicious when roasted.