Market Report:

Native heirloom squash is in full effect, cauliflower is increasingly become native, and romanesco cauliflower is here.  So are baby brussels sprouts.  Cold Hollow Farm cider is available, as well as a new product from Maine: apple cider syrup.  Roasted root veggies glazed with cider syrup is pretty killer, and so is a bourbon-spiked cider toddy sweetened with cider syrup.  First of the season rainbow carrots (full size) are here from Black Fox Farm in Maine, no tops, already washed.  I dare say no peeling needed.

Two really special things you may not know about:  baby scarlet turnips, from Farm Girl Farm in Sheffield, MA, are unreal.  Spicy, sweet, really juicy, and almost purple on the outside.  They’re peppery, creamy and don’t taste like someone just forced wasabi powder up your nose, unlike some turnips we’ve known before.  This is why you order from local farms right here.

The other big mention are the native red grapes we’re seeing right now.  This is not a concord, and it’s roughly muscat-sized, with a flavor all it’s own.  If all you’ve had are commercial red grapes, get ready to have an epiphany.  This is to regular red grapes what driscolls are to strawberries: practically a different plant.  Limited supply, try them now, and get ready to say goodbye quickly.

Say goodbye to heirloom tomatoes.  There are still some “early girl” tomatoes to be had, and if you’re trying to put some tomatoes up for the winter, grab them now and make jam or sauce. We have some really tasty mixed medley tomatoes, too, although we don’t expect them to last past this week. Don’t say goodbye to corn just yet: it’s so buttery and sweet, it’d be a shame not to use it–late season corn is full bodied, delicious and sweet.

Ordering notes: limited quantities have stars, exceptional items are in bold, and early variety items are not yet peak flavor or color.

 

First of the Season

• Native Romanesco Cauliflower
• Long Island Cheese Pumpkin
• Native Delicata Squash
• Georgia Candy Roaster Squash
• Uchiki Kuri Squash
• Native Butternut Squash
• Native Spaghetti Squash
• Baby Brussels Sprouts
• Early-variety Quince
• Fresh Oregon Huckleberries
• Early-variety Pomegranates
• Early-variety Native Cranberries
• Concord Grapes
• Native Red Grapes

Scott Farm Orchards

• Cox’s Orange Pippin
• Belle de Boskoop
• Ananas Reinette
• Honeycrisp
• Gala
• Macoun
• Dolgo Russian Crabapples

Black Fox Farm

Native Rainbow Carrots (large)

Fresh Start Farm – Lisbon, ME

Husk Cherry Tomatoes (aka Ground Cherries, aka Cape Gooseberries)

Stillwater Orchards – Courtland, CA

• French Butter Pears
• Seckel Pears

Ward’s Farm – Sharon, MA

• Native Raspberries*
• Native Corn
• Rosa Bianca Eggplant
• Early Girl Tomatoes
• Mixed Heirloom Tomatoes
• Fancy Mixed Heirloom Squash
• Fresh Cranberry Beans
• Fresh Lima Beans

Frog Hollow Farm – Brentwood, CA

• Warren Pears

Equinox Farm – Sheffield, MA

• Native Mesclun
• Mixed Braising Greens*
• Baby Arugula

Farm Girl Farm – Great Barrington, MA

• Baby Hakurei Turnips*                                                                         Baby Scarlet Turnips                                                                        Mustard Flowers*

& Also…

• Queen Charlotte Chanterelles
• Fresh Oregon Lobster Mushrooms
• Fresh Oregon Matsutakes
• Jumbo Squash Blossoms
• Fresh Garbanzo Beans
• Wild Oregon Pousse-Pied
• Baby Artichokes*
• Tri-Color Cauliflower
• Italian Prune Plums
• California Peaches/White Peaches
• California Nectarines
• California Plums & Pluots
• Black Mission Figs
• Meyer Lemons
• Washington Rhubarb*
• Native-style Quebec Strawberries
• Cold Hollow Farm Apple Cider
• Maine Apple Cider Syrup