Farmers Market Update: Early Winter
I’m loving the changing seasons. Winter is moving in fast, but fall produce is just peaking in flavor.
Pomegranates are amazing right now. They are sweet and don’t make you pucker with tartness like they do early in the season. We’ve been stocking up on the juice and freezing it in ice cube trays to add to sparkling water spritzers for the rest of the year.
Now is also the best time to get persimmons, because they lack the chalky astringency they can have before they’re quite ripe. Remember, fuyu persimmons are eaten while firm (find a dark orange color) and hachiyas are ripe and edible when soft. I’ve noticed a lot of restaurants adding fuyus to salads and even savory dishes.
As winter approaches, we’re also seeing the emergence of root vegetables. Members of the radish family are less spicy and more sweet this time of year, making them perfect for winter salads. Today I stocked up on watermelon radish (aka watermelon daikon) and kohlrabi. I like to eat both of these raw.
But radishes aren’t the only root vegetables to experiment with this time of year. Celery root has a subtle taste like celery but a consistency more like a potato. It’s great to puree, roast or add to soups. Sunchokes (aka Jerusalem artichokes) are another of my winter favorites. They’re flavor is remarkable, reminiscent of artichoke but more like a delicate potato in appearance.
Parsnips are another delicious root vegetable great for cooking. They look like white carrots but with a more herbal flavor. They are also great for roasting and purees.
Although it is fairly late in the season, there are still some peppers around. Though the selection is limited, you can still get beauties like these Christmas bells.
Winter is also a great time for greens. Chard, collards, kale, cabbages all get sweeter this time of year, and are a great accompaniment to roasted winter squash with beans or meat dishes.
Brussels sprouts and broccoli are also sweeter than usual.
I also found a few more exotic ingredients this week, including Indonesian lemon leaves (any relation to kafir lime leaves?) and aloe vera.
Oh, and crab season has started!
Today’s purchases:
- Kabocha squash (Tierra Vegetables)
- Cilantro (Eatwell Farm)
- Sweet lime (Bernard Ranches)
- Pomegranate juice (Twin Girls Farm)
- Meyer lemons (Hamada Farms)
- Baby broccoli (La Tercera Farms)
- Fresh porcini (Far West Fungi)
- Rutabagas (Heirloom Organic Gardens)
- Watermelon radish (Heirloom Organic Gardens)
- Kohlrabi (Heirloom Organic Gardens)
- Kale (Star Route Farms)
- Rome apples (DeVoto Gardens)
- Fuyu persimmons (Paredez Farms)
- Whole chicken (Marin Sun Farms)
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Looks delicious, I wish I lived in a warmer climate. I have never seen pink carrots before. 🙂
Just a few weeks ago I saw my first yellow and violet carrots.