What’s New?  Glad you asked. We have some super cool new items that just came in. Tinned fish from La Brujula and Jose Gourmet is here.  Go to our catalog and check it out. Iacopi Dried Beans from Half Moon Bay, CA: if you’re in the know, then you know- these beans are in a class of their own: creamy, no split skins, incredible depth of flavor, don’t really need soaking.  Cranberry, Borlotti (yes there’s a difference), Gigante and Butter Beans are now in. Market updates: fresh cranberry beans are OVER almost as fast as they began.  The reason why is kind of positive- it’s not yet a commodity crop, therefore, a few guys grow them, and when they’re out, they’re out.  Stone fruit is STRONG and we have several varieties from Frog Hollow and Boldt Farm.  Muscats are over, Champagne grapes have begun.  And the Santa Rosa plums from Knoll Farm are out of sight.   Down the pike:  Week of July 7th/8th, expect thing like first of the season California heirloom tomatoes and mixed medley tomatoes, and native fava beans.  Mid-month, perhaps around the 15th, start looking for native currants, gooseberries, beans, and if we’re lucky raspberries.  Stay tuned! Coming Attractions:  Is vanilla just vanilla?  Not according to Gramercy Tavern, Eleven Madison Park, or Sqirl restaurant.  These chefs all are using Heilala Vanilla beans and extract, among other reasons, because “It tastes so natural, super pungent — you’re getting that essential vanilla-bean flavor. It’s not watered down,” it tastes “almost creamy,” and “It’s made responsibly, both on an environmentally sustainable level (the beans take forever to grow and cure) and on a humane level,”   Read the full write up here, and keep your eye on our Instagram feed, we expect this excellent vanilla to arrive soon.

Now Featuring: Frog Hollow Peaches Frog Hollow White Apriums Frog Hollow Apricots Frog Hollow Rainier Cherries Boldt Farm Nectarines Boldt Farm Pluots Knoll Farm Santa Rosa Plums (outstanding) 1st of the Season Champagne Grapes County Line Agretti Brokaw “Gwen” Avocados Native = Local = In Season Now Native Strawberries Native Rhubarb Native Green Strawberries (ltd) Equinox Mesclun Mix Spring-dug Parsnips Native French Breakfast and Easter Egg Radishes Native Baby Beets: Red, Gold & Candy Native Fresh English Peas Native Fava Beans (Monday) Native Mixed Summer Squash Native Garlic Scapes Native Baby Carrots Native Baby Turnips ME Pea Tendrils Now in Season: CA Peaches, Nectarines, Cherries, Rainier Cherries Champagne Mangoes Fresh Lychee Yellow Watermelon Black Mission Figs (in baskets) Nasturtium Leaves Nasturtium Flowers Squash Blossoms Spring Onions Green Garbanzo Beans Romanesco Cauliflower Fioretti Cauliflower Arrowhead Cabbage  Red Mizuna

New this week: Native French Breakfast Radishes, Native Stinging Nettles and Nasturtium Leaves, Maine Pea Tendrils.

Saying Goodbye:  86 winter/heirloom citrus, purple artichokes, black trumpets.  Limited: morels are in short supply.  

Now Featuring:

Native French Breakfast Radishes
New Jersey Asparagus 
Delta Queen Asparagus
Oregon Morel Mushrooms (limited)
Maine Pea Tendrils
Michigan Ramps
English Peas
Fresh Green Almonds
Eastern Fiddlehead Ferns

Onion and Chive Blossoms
Oregon “Crimson Crown” Rhubarb
Champagne Mangos
Fava Beans
Green Garbanzo Beans
Fresh Green Almonds
California Red Walnuts
Harry’s Berries (ltd)
Dried Rose Petals

Garden to Garnish Farm

Hanson, MA

Stinging Nettles 

Watermelon Radish
Black Radish
Purple Boar Radish
Green Daikon
Knoll Fava Leaves
Knoll Green Garlic 

Equinox Farm

Sheffield, MA

Native Mesclun Greens

In Season:

Pink Muscat Grapes
CA Japanese Negi (limited)
Baby Red Mizuna

Romanesco Cauliflower
Orange/Purple/Green Cauliflower
Red & Green Gem Lettuces
Pink Ice Petite Watercress (ltd)

You oughta know: limited amount of Harry’s berries available each week; we strongly suggest you call to reserve a flat if you want them.  Season over on bergamot and oro blancos; the remaining heirloom citrus is rapidly winding down.  No stone fruit yet: there is some desert-grown product available on the market, but it’s not very good, we are waiting for the tasty stuff.  Fava leaves are gapping, and currently there are none, not yet sure when they’ll return.

Have you tried the seasonally-available Red Walnuts yet?  They do more than look sexy on the plate.  Freshness = high oil content = buttery/fatty/rich.  Not tannic!  Enjoy raw walnuts again.  Or candy them- they are so creamy inside, that the contrast between a crispy shell and creamy interior would be a lovely thing.  See the nice photo below ↓

Now Featuring:

Delta Queen Asparagus from Stockton, CA
Oregon Morel Mushrooms
Black Trumpet Mushrooms (limited)
Maine Pea Tendrils
Michigan Ramps
English Peas
French and Dutch White Asparagus
Fresh Green Almonds
Eastern Fiddlehead Ferns

Onion and Chive Blossoms
Oregon “Crimson Crown” Rhubarb
Champagne Mangos
Fava Beans
Green Garbanzo Beans
Fresh Green Almonds
California Red Walnuts

Continue reading “Delta Queen Asparagus, Morel Mushrooms and California Red Walnuts” →

 April 4th Market Updates

It’s Spargelzeit season, guys.  That’s German for White Asparagus season, and it has it’s own season because it’s so good: with butter and ham, with caviar, with tiny potatoes, with hollandaise, maybe all at once, maybe not.  Just don’t miss it.  We have the highly treasured real-deal French white asparagus here, ready for you to turn it into a great side that every table should get along with a bottle of Riesling. For more wine pairing ideas, straight from the Germans, click here–and while you’re at it, read about “Ideas for an Open Air Asparagus Picnic.”  Trust me, it’s better than actually working.

Chive blossoms and onion blossoms are here.  Limited ramps have begun, and supply will get much stronger into next week. Next week:  we are eagerly anticipating the season’s first arrival of Delta Queen asparagus from Stockton, California.  This is a big deal.  Why?  Because it’s rich, peat soil makes one of the best growing areas for asparagus in the world.  Hey, what’s up with morels?  Hold tight- price should drop soon, and as soon as they do, we will bring them in. What’s available now is either sandy or overpriced. We’re waiting on the sweet spot.

86 // no more // no mas:  mixed chicories, hedgehog and yellow foot mushrooms.  One more week on black trumpets.

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Now in

French White Asparagus
Onion and Chive Blossoms
Fresh Green Almonds
Pacific Fiddlehead Ferns

Washington Rhubarb
Fresh English Peas
Fava Beans
Green Garbanzo Beans
Champagne Mangos

Knoll Organic Farm

Brentwood, CA

Heirloom Purple Artichokes (limited)
Stinging Nettles (fresh arrival Saturday)
Green Garlic
Cardoons
Wild Rapini
Fava Leaves

Rising C Ranch

Reedley, CA

Cara-Cara Oranges

Moro Blood Oranges

Seville Sour Oranges

Meyer Lemons

Page Mandarins

Bergamot

Green Sunshine Farm

Hodgdon, ME

Russian Banana Fingerlings

Bintje Potatoes

Sparrow Arc Farm

Copake, NY

Watermelon Radish

Black Radish

Purple Boar Radish

Green Daikon

County Line Harvest

Petaluma, CA

Spigarello Kale

Equinox Farm

Sheffield, MA

Native Mesclun Greens

In Season:

Brokaw “Gold Nugget” Mandarins
Meiwa Kumquats
Pink Muscat Grapes
Sorrento Lemons
CA Japanese Negi (limited)
Baby Red Mizuna
West Coast Fiddlehead Ferns

Arrowhead Cabbage
Romanesco Cauliflower
Orange/Purple/Green Cauliflower
Fioretti Cauliflower
Red & Green Gem Lettuces
Red & Green Watercress
Fresh Oregon Black Trumpet Mushrooms (limited, season ending)

Spring vegetables are coming.  You need just the right ingredients to highlight their bright, verdant qualities without covering up their beautiful flavor.  We humbly submit the following pantry items for your consideration.  All of these items have a story behind them, all are crafted by artisans.  Our promise is that each one is actually worth your time and attention.  Pick one, or a few, to add to your pantry this season, and discover something new to love. You think you’ve had orange blossom water, but you haven’t really, not until you’ve tried this one.  That’s because these are one of the few traditional producers of orange blossom water in the world.  This is made by collecting the distillate from freshly picked orange blossoms distilled in spring water.  The aroma is incredible.  Most commercial product is simply artificially flavored water.  Not this.

Everything Bagel Spice!  Yep, a spice jar that includes toasted onion and garlic flakes, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and caraway.  Really good on salmon, beets and rye.

There is little that a perfect green spring vegetable needs other than a nice drizzle of good olive oil, salt and pepper.  However, this agrumato, which is made from olives crushed with tangerine peels, is a worthy departure.  The warm aromatic orange oils highlight fava beans especially well. If you’re not using Okinawa Black Sugar yet, you’re in for a treat.  This soft, chunky molasses-y at the core sugar has true terrior, and deserve to be showcased.  Japanese women are reputed to consider this a health food and snack on the sugar pieces straight up.  Butterscotch is essentially brown sugar and butter: perhaps it’s time for an upgrade.  Or maybe a butter pecan ice cream.  Or a salted shortbread situation. Look at me.  Any guesses?  Okay, stay with me.  I realize this sounds forward, but, you need purple sweet potato vinegar with honey in your life.  Who?  Essentially a sweet potato sake that’s been turned into vinegar and sweetened with honey.  A bit like a concentrated shrub, flavor-wise. Once you taste this, you’ll find a way to incorporate it.  If you’re planning on using spring and summer fruits in a savory way, like strawberries or stone fruits, this would be an excellent way to enhance them.  It would make an excellent spring or summer-weight vinaigrette.  Truly special. Want to add a hit of spice and citrus to your crudo, asparagus, scallops, or oh yeah–fried soft shell crabs?  This.  Togarashi with yuzu peel.  Hot and bright, balanced and nuanced.  Sansho makes it tingle.  Get. Wadaman Sesame: three products, three ways.  You know how there are almonds, and then Marcona almonds?  Pistachios, and Sicilian pistachios?  There are also sesame seeds–and then sesame seeds from Wadaman.  We have their roasted sesame seeds, sesame pastes, and sesame oils. The seeds: single-source, roasted by a master sesame roaster who has been at it 6 days a week for 45 years.  They taste different than seeds you roast in your oven: these are deeply crispy, have a nutty popcorn-like crunch to them, and each one is perfect.  Salty Black, Roasted White, and Roasted Gold. The oils: all of the oils are light-roast, and the oil itself is pale, clear, and closer to a nut oil than a toasted sesame oil in flavor.  White, Black, and Gold Sesame Oils.  This is the perfect item to lightly dress asparagus, peas, and favas with if you want to enhance without overwhelming their delicate spring flavors.  They also make a Toasted Sesame Oil for when you want something more robust. The pastes: as many of you now know, we have their Black Sesame Paste as well as Gold Sesame Paste.  These are made from fully roasted seeds and are ground whole and unhulled, as opposed to tahini, which is typically hulled.  That means these have a very robust, full flavor profile.