Author: Diego Maldonado

Agretti, Native French Breakfast Radishes, and Santa Rosa Plums

Now In: Agretti, Native French Breakfast Radishes, and Santa Rosa Plums

Knoll Farm Santa Rosa Plums and Patterson Apricots are in.  Cot n’ Candy Apriums from Frog Hollow are candy-sweet and not to be missed.  Agretti, an Italian plant with needle-shaped leaves, similar in flavor to pousse pied, is here.  Sometimes called land seaweed, agretti has a flavor that is reminiscent of spinach but more mineral-y. 

Now is the time to try Hodo Soybeanery’s legendary Yuba skin.  If you’re wondering what that is, it’s the skin that forms on the vat of soybean milk as it’s being turned into tofu.  It’s considered a delicacy and after tasting it, we know why.  See what they do here. Or watch Daniel Patterson make it look easy here.  SF Chronicle’s article on Hodo Soybeanery’s Yuba is pretty much a who’s who of CA restaurants.

Fresh Yuba Skin from Hodo Soybeanery


Wild Agretti
Wild Oregon Pousse-Pied
Black Mission Figs

Knoll Organic Farm
Brentwood, CA

Santa Rosa Plums
Patterson Apricots

Frog Hollow Farm
Brentwood, CA

Crimson Lady Peaches
Cot n’ Candy Apriums

Fitz Kelly Farm
Reedly, CA

Lady in Red Peaches
Rose Diamond Yellow Nectarines
Lovely Lolita White Nectarines
Modesto Apricots

Fresh Maine Duck Eggs
-from Hershberg Family Farms-

Willamette Rhubarb Growers

Canby, OR

Field-Grown Rhubarb

Equinox Farm

Sheffield, MA

Native Mesclun Greens
Baby Arugula
Baby Pea Tendrils 

Native Produce

Baby Red/Gold/Candy Beets
French Breakfast Radishes
Easter Egg Radishes
Baby Turnips
Garlic Scapes
Nasturtium Blossoms
Lacinato Kale
Lemon Cucumbers (limited)
Maine Fiddleheads
Spring-dug Parsnips from Hadley, MA
Chive Blossoms
Lovage
Anise Hyssop (v. limited)

Now in Season:

Fresh English Peas
Fresh Fava Beans
Fresh Green Garbanzo Beans
California Sugar Snap Peas
Spring Onions, with tops

Black Radish
Watermelon Radish
Romanesco Cauliflower
Orange/Purple/Green Cauliflower
California Sugar Snap Peas

California Bing Cherries
California Apricots
California Peaches
California Nectarines
Yellow Watermelons

By Diego Maldonado

Hodo Soybeanery’s incredibly versatile fresh Yuba

State Bird Provisions is one among many to regularly feature Hodo Soybeanery’s legendary Yuba skin.  If you’re wondering what that is, it’s the skin that forms on the vat of soybean milk as it’s being turned into tofu.  It’s considered a delicacy and after tasting it, we know why.  See what they do here. Or watch Daniel Patterson make it look easy here.  SF Chronicle’s article on Hodo Soybeanery’s Yuba is pretty much a who’s who of CA restaurants.

We spoke with Minh Tsai, of Hodo Soybeanery, to learn more about his process.

We chatted with Minh Tsai, founder of Hodo Soybeanery, to learn more about the roots of Hodo.

SFB: What made you specialize in tofu and yuba?

Minh: I always loved to cook, and here in the Bay Area in the early 2000s, the organic farming & artisan food world was starting to gain a foothold in the minds & mouths of folks here.

All areas of the food world here were beginning to produce wonderful raw ingredients and products, however, something so simple, clean, and basic as tofu, a staple in the Asian family pantry was missing.

Fresh tofu and yuba, traditionally made and consumed daily in Asia were not easily found on Asian nor Western store shelves at that time, so I decided to learn how to make a tofu with traditional culinary value, the highest nutritional value, and with the cleanest ingredients available to me.

After an enthusiastic response at the Palo Alto Farmers’ Market and growing demand through word-of-mouth, I left my career in finance. In 2004, I founded what would become Hodo – a company whose mission is to craft the highest quality, best-tasting, freshest soymilk, tofu, and yuba possible.

SFB: Your tofu and yuba are different than much of the stuff that’s commercially available.  What experience/person inspired you to do things this way? Is it harder to do things your way?  Why do you do it anyway?

Minh: Before immigrating to the US, I grew up in Vietnam, where some of my earliest memories were going to the tofu stand with my grandfather.  These early food memories have been with me every step of the way in learning how to make tofu.

We don’t want to make a product that has a good pedigree (organic, non-GMO, US sourced beans) and made by hand, then not have the texture & flavor profile be flexible enough for different applications.  We feel like tofu and yuba are often considered secondary ingredients, should be cheap, or are a substitute for meat and for that reason, the tofu space has not changed for decades in this country.

We do a lot of tweaking in our production process to ensure artisan quality, especially as we’ve grown, since we do have to mechanize things to be viable.  However, we choose to use machines to do the “hard” work and still need people to do the artisan aspects of our food making to get the right final product. Our yuba, to this day is still 100% hand-made.  We’re proud of that! Other tofu makers will ask us how we do it; when we say we do it the old-school way of hand cutting and folding, they are usually incredulous.

SFB: Anything you wish chefs (and servers, and consumers) realized about your product that they might not know?  

Minh: We’re extremely humbled by the fact that so many types of customers use our tofu and yuba.  We’re incredibly surprised that the range of customers is so diverse and use our products in vastly different ways.  In some sense, that’s a testament to the product itself and is based on an immediate visceral reaction after tasting. (We’ve had many home and professional cooks tell us they hated tofu until they tried ours.) By chefs, it hasn’t been pigeon-holed as an Asian culinary ingredient.

Our range of clients goes from Japanese and Chinese to French, Mexican and from food trucks to Michelin Star restaurants. On that front, we’re lucky to have innovative chefs understand tofu and yuba simply to be a food ingredient to be treated like any other. We do a lot of education and work with chefs to come up with ways of incorporating our products into their repertoires.

By Diego Maldonado

Frog Hollow Peaches, White Nectarines & Native Strawberries

Now In: First of the season Frog Hollow Crimson Lady Peaches.

We also have Will Brokaw’s Gem Avocados. They have a short season of a few weeks. This buttery avocado is known for its exceptional texture and flavor.

Now is the time to try Hodo Soybeanery’s legendary Yuba skin.  If you’re wondering what that is, it’s the skin that forms on the vat of soybean milk as it’s being turned into tofu.  It’s considered a delicacy and after tasting it, we know why.  See what they do here. Or watch Daniel Patterson make it look easy here.  SF Chronicle’s article on Hodo Soybeanery’s Yuba is pretty much a who’s who of CA restaurants.

Fitz Kelly Peaches, White Peaches, Yellow Nectarines and White Nectarines are in.   We have some beautiful native Chive Blossoms and some native Nasturtium Blossoms.

Say Goodbye: to all spring Knoll Farm products, Muscat Grapes, and Ramps.


Fresh Yuba Skin from Hodo Soybeanery

Will Brokaw’s Avocados

Pell Farm Strawberries

Frog Hollow Farm
Brentwood, CA

Crimson Lady Peaches
Golden Rainier Cherries

Fitz Kelly Farm
Reedly, CA

May Crest Peaches
Virgin Blush White Peaches
Zee Fire Yellow Nectarines
Lovely Lolita White Nectarines

Native Produce

Native Fiddleheads
Native Stinging Nettles
Native French Breakfast Radishes
Native Asparagus
Native French Breakfast Radishes
Native Easter Egg Radishes
Native Baby Turnips
Native Fava Leaves & Green Garlic
Ward’s Farm Nasturtium Flowers
Native Spring-dug Parsnips from Hadley, MA

NJ Asparagus
Native Chive Blossoms (ltd)
Wild Oregon Morel Mushrooms-

Fresh Maine Duck Eggs
-from Hershberg Family Farms-

perfect with asparagus and morels

Willamette Rhubarb Growers

Canby, OR

Field-Grown Rhubarb

Equinox Farm

Sheffield, MA

Native Mesclun Greens
Baby Arugula
Baby Pea Tendrils 

Now in Season:

Fresh English Peas
Fresh Fava Beans
Fresh Green Garbanzo Beans
California Sugar Snap Peas
Spring Onions, with tops
Holland White Asparagus

Black Radish
Watermelon Radish
Romanesco Cauliflower
Orange/Purple/Green Cauliflower
California Sugar Snap Peas

California Bing Cherries
California Apricots
California Peaches
California Nectarines
Yellow Watermelons

Champagne Mangos
California Kumquats
Meyer Lemons
Pomegranates (Chile)

By Diego Maldonado

French Breakfast Radishes, Ramps, and Lovage

Now Native: French Breakfast Radishes, Ramps, and Lovage.

Wild Oregon Morels are DOWN in price.  Many spring items now local, including French Breakfast Radishes, Spring Dug Parsnips, Fiddleheads and more.  We have asparagus from both Hadley MA and NJ. Lovage has been added to the lineup.  We are getting in limited amounts of Lemon Verbena and fresh Lavender from Knoll Farm.

Coming Soon: Hodo Yuba Skin, Japanese Black Sesame Paste & Black Sesame Oil, Small Batch Tamari, Wild Za’atar leaves- stay tuned!

Say goodbye: 86, Season Over, No More- purple artichokes, mustard flowers, green and purple daikon, macomber turnips and cara cara oranges

Native Ramps
Native Fiddleheads
Native Stinging Nettles
Native French Breakfast Radishes
Native Asparagus
Native Lovage (ltd)
Native Spring-dug Parsnips from Hadley, MA

NJ Asparagus
Onion Blossoms
Chive Blossoms (ltd)
Fresh Green Almonds
Wild Oregon Morel Mushrooms- PRICE DROP

Knoll Organic Farm

Brentwood, CA

Fresh Lavender (ltd)
Lemon Verbena (ltd)
Green Garlic
Fava Leaves
Cardoon
Wild Rapini

Fresh Maine Duck Eggs
-from Hershberg Family Farms-

perfect with asparagus and morels

Green Sunshine Farm

Hodgdon, ME

Russian Banana Fingerling Potatoes

Willamette Rhubarb Growers

Canby, OR

Field-Grown Rhubarb

Equinox Farm

Sheffield, MA

Native Mesclun Greens
Baby Pea Tendrils (ltd)

Now in Season:

Fresh English Peas
Fresh Fava Beans
Fresh Green Garbanzo Beans
California Sugar Snap Peas
Spring Onions, with tops
Holland White Asparagus

Black Radish
Watermelon Radish
Romanesco Cauliflower
Orange/Purple/Green Cauliflower
Jerusalem Artichokes

Seedless Pink Muscat Grapes
Champagne Mangos
California Kumquats
Sicilian Blood Oranges
Meyer Lemons
Gold Nugget Mandarins
Pomegranates (Chile)

By Diego Maldonado

Knoll Farm Purple Artichokes, French White Asparagus, Spring-dug Parnsips

These artichokes are dangerous and beautiful.  The spikes are no joke, and neither is the flavor.  Limited supply.

Gorgeous Chive & Onion blossoms abound.  Jumbo White Asparagus is here, and you have choices: true French, and it’s somewhat less expensive cousin, Dutch.  Both by the 11# case, only.  California Asparagus is here as well, the “Delta Queen” label from Klein Family Farms in Stockton.  Any of these would be well-matched with our fresh weekly Duck Eggs from Hershberger Farm, up in Unity, Maine.

All kinds of pea tendrils: we have the larger ones, big enough for wilting but tender enough to eat raw, from Knoll Farm.   We also have the smaller local pea shoots, which look and taste best raw or barely wilted.  We still have stinging nettles, although they’re no longer from Knoll Farm, and the season will be ending on those soon.  Finger limes and black trumpet mushrooms are done for the season.  Fresh GA peas are back in stock, and ramps are in full swing.

Fresh Maine Duck Eggs
-from Hershberg Family Farms-

Wild Oregon Morel Mushrooms
Wild Virginia Ramps
Spring-dug Parsnips from Maine
Chive Blossoms
Onion Blossoms
Fresh Green Almonds

Knoll Organic Farm

Brentwood, CA

Purple Artichokes
Green Garlic
Fava Leaves
Cardoon
Wild Rapini
Wild Mustard Flowers (ltd)

Rising C Ranch

Reedley, CA

Cara-Cara Oranges
Moro Blood Oranges
Meyer Lemons
Shasta Mandarins

Green Sunshine Farm

Hodgdon, ME

Russian Banana Fingerling Potatoes
Carola Potatoes

Fishbowl Farm

Bowdoinham, ME

Organic Spring-dug Parsnips

Willamette Rhubarb Growers

Canby, OR

Field-Grown Rhubarb

Ripley Farm

Dover-Foxcroft, ME

Yellow Sun Carrots
Purple Haze Carrots

Stick & Stone Farm

Ithica, NY

Purple Boar Radish
Green Daikon

County Line Harvest

Petaluma, CA

Baby Mixed Heirloom Chicories

Equinox Farm

Sheffield, MA

Native Mesclun Greens
Baby Pea Tendrils (ltd)

Now in Season:

Fresh English Peas (very ltd)
Fresh Fava Beans
Fresh Green Garbanzo Beans
Vidalia Spring Onions, with tops
Holland White Asparagus (with pre-order)
Native Baby Pea Tendrils
Black Radish
Watermelon Radish
Romanesco Cauliflower
Orange/Purple/Green Cauliflower

Fresh OR Wild Morel Mushrooms
Fresh Oregon Hedgehog Mushrooms
Fresh Oregon Yellowfoot Mushrooms

French Crosnes
Jerusalem Artichokes
Macomber Turnips 

Seedless Pink Muscat Grapes
Champagne Mangos
California Kumquats
Pumellos
Comice Pears
Pomegranates (Chile)

By Diego Maldonado