Gooseberries are an under-appreciated member of the berry family. In their fresh state, Gooseberries have a flavor similar to a tart kiwifruit…a little tropical. With the addition of a bit of sugar, Gooseberries make excellent jams, jellies, pies and the dessert for which they are famous–fools.
Discerning cooks note: hand-selected Raspberries with stem , picked specifically for their perfect shape and intense color. These berries dazzle the eyes and tempt the palate. Enjoy them as an unusual addition to your best recipes or as a beautiful and tasty plate garnish. Served with the stems on, these luscious raspberries are a perfect…
(Please note: Mulberries will be wet when you receive them. They are purely an ingredient berry. Do not expect them to look like nice, dry Blackberries. Be ready for lots of juice in the bottom of the clamshell!) Native to western Asia, Black Mullberries are precious, both in availability and price. While they look like…
Closely related to the Gooseberry, Red Currant Berries are widely popular in northern Europe, but have two very short seasons here in the United States. Transluscent, bright red and literally bursting with juice, Red Currants are extraordinarily beautiful. These tiny jewels are quite tart and have a flavor reminiscent of pomegranates. Often paired with raspberries,…
Alice Waters discusses White Currant Berries in her book, Chez Panisse Fruit: ” White currants, sweeter and more delicate than red ones, need no service at all: you pull them off their stems and eat them like candy…Preserved red and white currants are a famous specialty of the French city of Bar-le-Duc, in Lorraine, where…
Wild Huckleberries are quite similar to Blueberries, but have a tougher skin and hard internal seeds. They are small but mighty and every berry packs a flavorful punch. Their flavor is sharper than that of Blueberries, but they can be eaten and cooked in exactly the same ways. Prized for jams, jellies and baking (muffins,…
(Please note! Wild Strawberries do not travel well! Chefs outside Southern California should plan on using them as an ingredient only. They will NOT arrive in garnish condition!) Wild Strawberries are beloved for their fragrance and flavor. Fruit expert David Karp explained Wild Strawberries in a New York Times article (April 15, 2005): ” A…
The Bing Cherry is a sweet Cherry, in fact one of the most common variety of sweet Cherry in the United States. These Cherries are large and plump with dark skin. They travel well because of their firm texture and strong skin. They are very sweet with good acid, these Cherries Brix 32.4!
The Rainier, a combination of the Bing and Van cherry varieties, is light cream to golden colored with a pink to red blush. The most precious of cherry varieties, its flesh is sweet and delicate with a colorless juice. Like most fresh fruit, Ranier Cherries can be bagged and frozen for several months. Pit and…
Also known as Tart Cherries and Pie Cherries, Sour Cherries are smaller, softer, and more round than the sweet cherry varieties. Sour Cherries are not quite sweet enough to eat raw, and are most famous as the feature ingredient in Cherry pies and other desserts. They are delicious in main courses, salads, savory sauces, jam,…
Bergamot is an acidic orange prized for its peel which yields an essential oil, essence of Bergamot, used in production of confections and perfumes. Known in the Mediterranean for centuries and described as early as 1708, Bergamot is thought to be a cross between sour Orange and Citron or Lemon. The peel is responsible for…
A truly exceptional citrus grower in the California’ s Central Valley will pack Stem and Leaf Blood Oranges for us. We bring product from them at least once a week, and if we call ahead and preorder they will pack up a really lovely carton. In a world where presentation is becoming increasingly important, this…
The citron, like the lemon and lime, is native to NE India, where it was used from early times as a perfume and in medicine. The fruit seems always to have had a curious connection with religion and magic, and a high reputation as medicine, being regarded as an antidote to almost any poison and…
The fruit of the Calamondin resembles a small, round lime. It has the color of a tangerine with a very thin green or orange colored peel. Despite its appearance and aroma, the taste of the fruit itself is quite sour, though the peel is sweet. Using the whole fruit results in a great combination of…
Although the Cara Cara Navel Orange was thought to be the result of a cross between Washington and Brazilian Bahia navels (Allen Susser’s The Great Citrus Book), UC Riverside citrus experts say it was a mutation of a Washington Navel discovered on the Hacienda de Cara Cara in Valencia, Venezuela, in 1976. The Cara Cara’s…
The Chandler Pummelo is a relative new comer to the Pummelo family. Developed by crossing a Siamese Pink Pummelo and a Siamese Sweet Pummelo, this new hybrid blends to the best of both color and flavor. The rind is thick, and bright yellow with an occasional pink blush. The flesh ranges from light to dark…
This special Grapefruit variety was developed by researchers at the University of California, Riverside. They crossed a Thai Pummelo with a Mandarin to produce this yummy hybrid. The fruit is medium to large with a smooth rind with a greenish orange to golden-orange color. Cocktail Grapefruit has apricot-colored flesh which is exceptionally sweet and super…
Cocktail Grapefruit are small to medium (3 to 5 inches in diameter), white-apricot colored flesh, seedy, extra sweet, and very juicy. Grown in San Diego County by an organic farmer, this Cocktail variety is “Triumph”, first propagated in Florida in 1884. The very mellow, low-acid flavor of the Cocktail Grapefruit makes it perfect for juicing….
Our grower harvests ripe Satsuma Mandarins, peels them and slices them into 1/4- to 1/2-inch wheels. Then he dries them, and voila! The result is a high sugar, high acid, crispy, crunchy dried fruit that is the single most addictive fruit product we’ve found. Dry Satsuma Mandarins are like citrus popcorn…and once you start eating…
The Citron’s origin is unknown, but it was the first cultivated citrus fruit, with records dating back to 4000 B.C. Citron was a common fruit in the Mediterranean region, and today is cultivated primarily in Sicily, Corsica, Crete, Greece and Israel, as well as a number of Central and South American countries. Etrog Citron (Citrus…