Red Russian Kale is a very distinctive heirloom kale variety. Lauded for its color, Red Russian Kale is the most tender of all the kales. Our grower is harvesting his crop while the leaves are still quite small. The resulting Red Russian Kale is perfect for salads and garnish, where its lovely shape and beautiful…
The original eggplant, descended from the wild form, was similar in shape and color to a hen’s egg (hence, the name). In Italy, eggplants were already being cultivated in about 1550, and today, throughout the Mediterranean, eggplant is as much a part of the daily meals as potatoes, onion and garlic. Incredibly adaptable, eggplant’s white,…
In Roman times, Carrots were either purple or white. It was the Dutch who selected for and popularized the orange Carrot. So while purple Carrots are new to us, they represent the Carrot’ s earliest incarnations. We were only mildly interested in these Black Knight Carrots when we first saw them. Yes, their very dark…
Black Radishes can be almost as pungent as horseradish, and are firm and rather dry in short, nothing like the little red radishes that have graced salads and crudite platters for time immemorial. These sturdy, somewhat daunting, characters are roughly the shape and size of a Turnip, sooty black or matte black-brown on the outside…
Black-eyed Peas (Cowpeas, Crowder Peas, Black-eyed Beans) have long been popular in the South, thanks to their sweet and mild, rather earthy, flavor. They are small and greenish-beige (beige when dried) with a brown circular ‘ eye’ at their inner curve. Black-eyed Peas are traditionally partnered with rice and with greens and are the featured…
European growers love to blanch produce. Dandelion growers in France are no exception. These Blanched Dandelion have the flavor of traditional dandelions with the color of the very best baby frisee. Blanched dandelions are perfect when you want to lighten up the color in salads. They can be served raw or cooked.
The Sweet Corn grown in the Brentwood area of California’s Sacramento River Delta is the best tasting, sweetest Corn we’ ve found. Known as Brentwood Corn, this product has the well-deserved reputation across the country as the benchmark against which all other Corn is measured. The Sacramento River Delta boasts some of this country’ s…
A cross between Gai Lan and Broccoli, baby broccoli or broccolini has a sweet, delicate flavor with a subtle peppery ‘edge’. Although it looks somewhat like asparagus, with slender stems and buds on top, these two vegetables are not related in any way. The texture of the stem is less fibrous than broccoli or asparagus…
(LIMITED IN AVAILABILITY!!) While they look like loose heads of Cabbage, Brussels Sprout Tops have a little Brussels Sprout at the base of the leaves. Treat the leaves of Brussels Sprout Tops like Cabbage but enjoy their milder flavor.
This vibrant orange hot pepper was first brought to the United States 25 years ago from Bulgaria. They are 3 to 4 inches in length and their heat is moderate to hot similar to a Serrano Pepper.
Also known as Japanese artichokes, Chinese artichokes, knotroot and Chorogi, Crosnes are an heirloom member of the mint family. But there’ s no familial resemblence. First cultivated in France outside Paris, near Crosne, these unusually shaped edible tubers were very popular in Europe from their introduction in the 1880s until the 1920s. Crosnes are still…
While some people take advantage of the myriad value-added and further processed fruits and vegetables, others in our industry are dedicated to doing everything in-house. Towards that end, we offer fresh CALIFORNIA OLIVES. Following treatment with either lye or boiling water, these olives can be cured in salted water or salted water with vinegar and…
Fresh Cannelllini Beans are a rare treat. This moderately large white kidney-type bean is very popular in Italy, but is usually available in dry form only. Excellent for salads, soups and purees, they have a moist, creamy interior. Sub for dry Cannellini Ceans in any recipe and you will taste the difference!
Indigenous to the Mediterranean and North Africa, Cardoon was still a very popular vegetable in several countries in the nineteenth century. Now, it is only of regional importance in Spain, the South of France, and Italy. The leaf stalks, which taste similar to Artichokes, are reminiscent of Celery in appearance, and can also be prepared…
Castelfranco is an especially lovely variety of radicchio, a member of the chicory family. As the picture shows, Castelfranco forms rosette-type heads of creamy white, red-splashed leaves. Usually eaten raw, Castelfranco is especially decorative, and is one of the mildest members of the radicchio family. The notably bitter taste of radicchio (and of all chicory…
Considered the most important Italian variety of large-leaf chicory, CATALOGNA is grown for its succulent stems and tart, dark green, dandelion shaped leaves, which may be slightly or even extremely serrated. Catalogna has a well-marked white rib, and forms a voluminous long straight head, resembling an upright-growing dandelion plant. In general, large-leafed chicories are more…
Celery Root (also known as celeriac) is a variety of branch celery that has been cultivated for its tuber, rather than its stalks. As early 1536, botanical writer Ruellius mentioned that celery root was eaten, both cooked and raw and in 1575 another writer, Rauwolf, said that it was considered a delicacy in the Arab…
This traditional Cucumber variety from China has a sweet flavor and is touted as “bitter-free”. Chinese Suyo Cucumbers are ribbed 8s that grow up to 15-inches long. Due to the Suyo’s small diameter (3/4- to 1-inch) and ribbed exterior, slices of this Cucumber are especially lovely. Sweet flavor and beautiful presentation make this our new…
CIPOLLINA means ‘small onion’ in Italian (the plural is CIPOLLINE) and to the produce world, it means small, flat, mild, yellow or red onion. CIPOLLINE sold in the United States is grown here and in Italy. The domestic crop comes from seeds of Italian origin, and Italian-grown product is imported every season. CIPOLLINE are tender…
Grown in the famously fertile soil of California’ s Sacramento Delta, this Green Asparagus grows to lengths in excess of one foot and the diameter of a quarter. The spears are so long they will not fit into a commercial Asparagus carton we have to pack them lying down! The spears are colossal but their…