Health
Habits
Food
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Better Than Butternut: Roasted Delicata Squash Recipe
10 Simple Ways To Eat Less Without Noticing
Juicing: Stupid and Pretentious or Nourishing and Enlightening?
10 Tasty Carbs That Won’t Make You Fat
How To Start Working Out When You Don’t Like To Exercise
Focus More on Your Brain and Less on Your Diet if You’re Serious About Losing Weight
Home Court Habits: The Secret to Effortless Weight Control
10 Reasons You Aren’t Losing Weight When You Think You’re Doing Everything Right
How To Burn More Calories Without Breaking A Sweat
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Foodists
Farmers Market Update: Late Summer
Asian Pears
I had to do a double take when I looked at the calendar this week. Is it really September already? Looks like it is, and the farmers market seems content to prove it to me. Not only was there a decent selection of pears, apples, grapes and other fall fruit, the market was completely packed with football fans for the Cal game. Go Bears!
I was particularly impressed with the Asian pears this week at K&J Orchards. I’m not always a big fan of Asian pears, I find they get a fermented taste very quickly if they are too ripe, but this week they blended a perfect mix of sweet and crispy. K&J has about half a dozen varieties, all different and delicious. They are pricey, but worth trying at the height of season.
Warren Pears
Niitaka Asian Pears
The legendary Warren pears have appeared at Frog Hollow, but I couldn’t bring myself to choose them over the newly arrived emerald beaut pluots and flavor kings. I’m not letting go of summer quite yet.
O Henry Peaches
Emerald Beaut Pluots
It is definitely time to start buying grapes, however. If you make it to the farmers market, sample them all and find the ones you like best. I like them very crisp and sweet, but not too sweet.
Collard Greens
Black Grapes
Finally, don’t forget to try all the wonderful varieties of peppers. I put them in everything these days, but especially love to cook them up with onions, fresh corn, tomatoes, garlic and cilantro.
Peppers
Gypsy Peppers
Fresh beans and Asian greens and other specialties like bitter melon are also easy to find.
Bitter Melon
Romano Beans
Today’s Purchases:
- Collard greens (Green Gulch Farm)
- Asian pear (K&J Orchards)
- Pimentos (Happy Quail Farms)
- Emerald beaut pluots (Frog Hollow Farm)
- Flavor king pluots (Frog Hollow Farm)
- O Henry peach (CandyCot Fruit Co.)
- Early girl tomatoes (Dirty Girl Produce)
- Treviso (Dirty Girl Produce)
- Cipollini onions (Dirty Girl Produce)
- Purslane (Marin Roots Farm)
- Arugula (Marin Roots Farm)
Another good week at the farmers’ market. Those pimentos sure are a lot longer than mine. Mine almost look like a child’s spinning top. Of course, I know there are a plethora of unique pepper varieties, even within well-known names like pimento. Oh, and the Asian Pears, mmmm! I love the crispness of those pears.
Steve, you’re right!! Those aren’t the pimentos, I took the wrong picture! These were sitting next to the pimentos and I’m not sure what exactly they are, so I just changed the caption to “Peppers”. You rock, thanks!!
okay… i’m really hungry now. everything looks so amazingly good. especially the Niitaka Asian Pears.
Oooh those bitter melons…we tried ’em in a recipe from an Indian cookbook and they were, hate to say it, terrible! Do you like them and how do you prepare them?
Yep, bitter melon is an acquired taste. I find I can tolerate them marinated for a long time in vinegar and sesame oil. I know people who love them though.
I love pears…well, I should clarify that. I love crisp and just ripe pears. Mushy pears = gag reflex.
I bought more grapes this week…tried this green grapes that were grown biodynamically. Best green grapes I’ve ever had…and that’s a lot. My favorite wine is derived from a biodynamic farm. I think that Rudolf Steiner was onto something…