We are super excited to be featuring these delicious dried beans from Iacopi Farms! Well-known by chefs on the west coast, these varieties from Half Moon Bay are delicious, creamy and rarely split. The flavor and texture are A++.
Cranberry Beans
Borlotti Beans
Gigante Beans
Butter Beans
Sweet. Musky. Robust. Native Concord grapes are here, but can’t stick around for long. Expect them to last around 10 days, so get some now for your sorbets, jams, and soups that will get you through the fall. This variety is a classic, and not hybridized as many of them have been. Tiny seeds add a bit of crunch to the sweet flesh, and the thick dark skin slips off easily as is characteristic of the American grape variety Vitis labrusca.
Locally foraged lobster mushrooms are in abundance at the moment. While these peculiar fungi get their name from the bright orange-red hue, some claim they have a certain seafood funk. If that’s not your thing, throw together a colorful duxelles or “lobster” risotto – the creaminess will be a perfect balance. The vivid color actually comes from the fungus that invades the host mushroom, which is generally a bland, unpalatable Russula. The fungus contorts the host into shapes a Cirque de Soleil performer would envy, and transforms it into an edible, sought-after specimen.
Coming soon: Romanesco Cauliflower, Maine Yellow Sun Carrots, Heirloom Winter Squashes, Scott Farm Apples
*limited quantity
Husk Cherry Tomatoes (aka Ground Cherries, aka Cape Gooseberries)
You’ve officially achieved celebrity status when both Alice Waters and Oprah have sung your praises, and the Warren pear has to be one of the few fruits to have this distinction. Coming from renowned organic fruit grower Frog Hollow Farm, the Warren has been said to be the tastiest pear variety in the world. It’s a bit of a mutt, with origins from the Seckel (tiny, but massive flavor and impervious to the bacterial disease of fire blight), and the Comice (larger, juicy, not quite as impervious). The Warren got the best of both with a concentrated sweet, rich flavor, and a bit more voluptuousness than the Seckel. It’d be hard to find a pear that surpasses it.
Scott Farm up in Dummerston, VT sent us some rock star Santa Rosa plums a few weeks ago, and he’s back with some greengage plums this time that are on the level with the Santa Rosas we recently had. Deep green, on the smaller side for a plum, and perfectly ripe–right now.
California’s having a bad go of it the last few years, and the current weather is affecting the artichokes. Hot nights, rather than the cools nights artichokes require, mean the artichokes can’t vernalize. Vernalization is the prolonged exposure to temps under 55º so that the ‘chokes can induce flowering and plant production. Not happening in sunny Cali right now, so for the next 5-6 weeks, plan on spending a bit more for artichokes. Perhaps not the best time to write an artichoke-centric fall menu. #menuplanning
Husk Cherry Tomatoes (aka Ground Cherries, aka Cape Gooseberries)
Hello, husk cherry tomatoes. Also known as ground cherries, aka cape gooseberries (can’t they just make up their mind already?). Mild, slightly sweet, with a lingering pineapple-banana flavor, they have a paper-thin husk that hides the pale yellow sphere inside. A relative to the tomatillo (they certainly look like siblings), throw them into your next fresh summer salsa or bake a pie or tart with them this weekend before the temps skyrocket again next week. I’ve heard rumors that they can be made into clafoutis as well, if you’re missing the Bings and Rainiers that are now long gone.
Caribou Lake Farm in Maine has sent some mixed color snow peas that are turning up in shades of deep purple, pale yellow-green, and dark green. Can’t say I’ve seen many purple snow peas, and the contrast between all of the colors makes for a smashing presentation.
Fresh edamame just came in from Nessralla (sounds like an evil queen in a Grimms fairy tale) Farm right here in MA, and while the outside is covered with the ubiquitous green fuzz, the beans inside are crisp and refreshing.
Husk Cherries (aka Ground Cherries, aka Cape Gooseberries)
Quality over quantity: we try and make that our approach to everything we source, and our cheese program is no exception. It’s a carefully curated selection of funky, nutty, crumbly, creamy wheels that can be featured on a cheese board, melted into a sauce, or folded into an insanely decadent mac ‘n cheese. Not all of you have the time to come over and visit the SFB cheese cave, so we launched cheese week last week to give you a glimpse of what we’re digging right now (see Instagram and Twitter).
Read on in the privacy of your own home, as you might be salivating more than is appropriate for public.
*cheese featured in cheese week
*Gorgonzola Piccante (Italy, cow): piquant, spicy, with wood and mushroom tones
Gorgonzola Dolce (Italy, cow): aromatic, buttery
*Fourme D’Ambert (France, cow): cylindrical, creamy, pungent
Roquefort Society (France, sheep): slightly salty, intense
*Queso Valdeon (Spain, cow/goat): bold, spicy, hearty
*Queso Cabrales (Spain, cow/goat/sheep): strong, assertive
Cashel Blue (Ireland, cow): intense, creamy, strong veins
*Point Reyes Blue (California, cow): creamy, peppery, strong veins
*Maytag Blue (Iowa, cow): rich, creamy, tangy
*Middlebury Blue (Vermont, cow): zippy, crumbly
*Mossend Blue (Vermont, sheep): sweet, peppery
*Bailey Hazen Blue (Vermont, cow): fudgy, nutty, anise-y
*Berkshire Blue (Massachusetts, cow): bright, sour, tangy
*Great Hill Blue (Massachusetts, cow): dense yellow, mild
*Pierre Robert (France, cow): buttery, smooth, mild
Saint Andre (France, cow): rich, dense
Boucheron (France, goat): bright, floral
Brillat Savrin (France, cow): luscious, creamy, faintly sour
Delice de France (France, cow): rich, creamy
Robiola due Latti (Italy, cow/sheep): milky, grassy, rich
Tallegio (Italy, cow): tangy, very soft, aromatic
*Oma (Vermont, cow): organic, silky, spreadable
*Lake’s Edge (Vermont, goat): ash veins, clean, pure
Dorset (Vermont, cow): buttery, seasonally influenced pungency
*Champlain Valley Triple Crème (Vermont, cow): earthy, very creamy
*Harbison (Vermont, cow): wrapped in spruce, soft, earthy
*Simply Sheep (New York, sheep): mushroomy, grassy
*Grafton Cheddar 2 year (Vermont, cow): slightly sharp, clean, dense
*Cabot Cloth Bound (Vermont, cow): firm, nutty, complex
*Shelburne Farms 2 year (Vermont, cow): creamy, sharp, tangy
*Grana Padano (Italy, cow): dry, parmesan style
Pecorino Romano (Italy, sheep): sharp, salty
Pecorino Toscano (Italy, sheep): sweet, nutty, robust
*Parmigiano Reggiano (Italy, cow): intense, crunchy
*Gouda Pradera (Netherlands, cow): firm, almost crumbly, caramelly, complex
Sarvecchio (Wisconsin, cow): salty, parmesan style
Mahon (Spain, cow): sharp, tangy, lemony
Manchego (Spain, sheep): nutty, buttery, smooth
Garroxta (Spain, goat): milky, delicate, tangy, clean
Sottocenere with Truffle (Italy, cow): mild, studded with truffle pieces
Gruyere (Switzerland, cow): musty, slightly sweet
Boggy Meadow Fiddle Head Tomme (New Hampshire, cow): rich, natural rind
