Edible flowers have become increasingly popular over the past few years. Nasturtiums are favored for their peppery flavor and bright color. NASTURTIUM LEAVES offer that same peppery flavor with a whole different look. Use them to brighten up the flavor in a green salad. Try spreading NASTURTIUM LEAVES with an herbed goat cheese or marscapone…
Vanilla Bean prices are falling…please call for quotes! Freshly picked Vanilla Bean are odorless the distinctive aroma develops as the beans are dried and fermented. Harvested, before they ripen, from the plant Vanilla planifolia, Vanilla pods are then plunged into hot steam at 160F before being left to ferment for up to four weeks. After…
Chile de Arbol is a Cayenne type Chile grown in Mexico. Green when immature, and red when mature, de Arbol Chiles are not very flavorful, but very, very picante, making them desirable for sauces. Usually 2.5-3 inches long and 3/8 inch in diameter, de Arbol Chilis rate a 7 on the heat scale.
Habanero chilis are probably the most famous and feared of the chile line-up. They are green, orange, orange-red or red when fully ripe, shaped like little pointed lanterns, and up to 2 inches long and 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 inches in diameter. They measure 200,000-500,000 on the Scoville heat index. For reference, jalapenos register…
Capsicum pubescens is the only domesticated species of peppers with no wild form. The center of origin for this species was Bolivia, and it was probably domesticated about 6,000 B.C., making it one of the oldest domesticated plants in the Americas. The common name for this species in South America is rocoto or locoto. In…
If you like the idea of a vegetable that is soft but crunchy, with the flavor of green pepper, string beans, and asparagus (all touched with a sorely citric edge) and the slipperiness of okra, NOPALES (a.k.a. cactus leaves, cactus pads) are for you. Steam nopales quickly over boiling water for a few minutes (do…
The Poblano or Chile Poblano, as it is known in Mexico, originated near the city of Pueblo, southeast of Mexico City’ hence its name Poblano or pepper from Pueblo. It is one of the most popular cultivars in that country. The fruit is undulating an more or less triangular in shape. The flesh is moderately…
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Native to tropical Africa, the tamarind tree (Tamarindus indica) is prized for its pods, which grow in clusters and contain very small beans, surrounded by a sweet-sour pulp, which forms the basis of sweet drinks and food. The pulp can also be turned into a syrup, with the addition of sugar, and then diluted to…
The area from southern Texas to Guatemala is home both to the wild forms of the Tomatillo and the present-day cultivated forms. These tomato-like relatives of the Cape gooseberry are thin-skinned and encased in a papery husk. When ripe, the 8 may vary in color from green to yellow, or purple. The flesh is pale…
Throughout history, farmers gathered their wheat into sheaves and displayed the fruits of their labors at county fairs across rural America. Sheaves of wheat symbolize abundance and prosperity, bring a touch of Americana and, according to legend, good luck into our homes. Celebrate the season of harvest with these golden and shimmering stalks, gathered together…
An excellent all-around Apple for eating fresh, cooking, baking and juicing, the Empire was developed in New York in 1966, and has excellent flavor, high sugar, fine texture and is very juicy. OUr Empires are dry farmed in a small canyon near San Luis Obispo, California.
These apples are so exceptional, they are patented! Our Honeycrisp Apples are dry farmed (without irrigation) on a small family farm near San Luis Obispo. Characterized by an amazingly crisp and juicy flesh, Honeycrisp Apples have a well-balanced (sugar to acid), aromatic, spicy flavor. Their flesh is cream colored, and skin color is 60 to…
The Kidd’s Red Orange Apple was developed in New Zealand in 1924. Its flavor is a rich balance of sugar, acids and aromatics with hints of violets. It is speckeled and russetted and not very pretty to look at but the Kidd’s Orange Red is all about flavor! And didn’t your mother tell you “don’t…
Because of their beautiful coloring and diminutive shape, Lady Apples are often used as a garnish. They have a flavorful, delicate skin and a sweet-tart flavor, and can be eaten raw or cooked. Lady Apples are commercially grown in California and Oregon (and limited amounts in Canada), and are available from September until the crop…
Varieties will change as we move through the season and will include early-, mid-, and late-season cultivars such as Spitzenburg, Ribson Pippin, Missouri Pippin, Stayman Winesap, and Winter Pearmain.
Sweet, spicy, fragrant, tart and juicy. Those are the adjectives that are used most often to describe these wonderful Pink Lady Apples. The Pink Lady (also known as Cripps Pink) was developed in Australia, the result of a cross between the Golden Delicious and Lady Williams varieties. The fine-grained flesh is crisp and crunchy and…
First identified in Kansas, 1875, the Stayman Winesap is medium to large in size with a dull red bloom over greenish base, striped red in less highly-colored fruit. The flesh is yellowish, firm, tender, juicy, sweet and pleasantly sub-acid. The Stayman Winesap is an excellent all-purpose Apple, perfect for eating fresh, juicing, baking and cooking.
An old English variety that has been traced back to A.D. 1200, the Winter (White) Pearmain is the oldest known English apple. The fruit size is medium to large, light green with one side sometimes blushed red. The flesh is firm and crisp. An excellent dessert apple, the flavor is sweet, mildly subacid and pleasantly…
These sweet and juicy prizes are highly guarded by bramble bushes with needle-sharp prickers. The Blackberries have been captured especially for your creations and will arrive, fresh, plump and richly dark. These purplish-black bumpies are the largest of the wild berries and will only improve with cooking. Heating Blackberries will intensify their color and soften…