red bartlets

It has been ridiculously beautiful in San Francisco all week. Much nicer than it is here during the summertime, to be honest. You guys should all make an effort to visit the Ferry Plaza Market when the weather is like this. Trust me, you won’t regret getting up a little early–even on a Saturday.

In fact, it is so beautiful today that I am just going to tell you what I bought, post some photos then get out of the house. You should too!

Today’s purchases:

• Napa cabbage (Capay Organics)
• Leeks (Capay Organics)
• Collards (Everything Under the Sun)
• Kaffir lime & leaves (Bernard Ranches)
• Sweet limes (Bernard Ranches)
• Chinese broccoli (Chue’s)
• Baby bok choy (Chue’s)
• Garlic (Chue’s)
• Meyer lemon (Hamada Farms)
• Chandler pomelo (Hamada Farms)
• Oro blanco grapefruit (Hamada Farms)
• Melo gold grapefruit (Hamada Farms)
• Rio red grapefruit (Hamada Farms)
• Cara cara orange (Hamada Farms)
• Blood oranges (Hamada Farms)
• Kiwi (Four Sisters Farm)
• Tofu (Hodo)
• Tamarillos (McEvoy ranch)

UPDATE: Those awesome limes I bought last week were from Bernard Ranches, sorry for the late update.

Winter solstice is tomorrow, so today was officially the shortest farmers market day of the year. And with Christmas only a few days away, the San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers Market was filled to the brim with holiday cheer.

Here in the City, citrus has almost completely taken over as the most dominant fruit. The market also has lots of hearty greens and herbs, as well as winter squash and root vegetables.

I am going away again this week so I could not make too many purchases. The coolest thing I bought was a Himalayan Black truffle to go with my Eatwell eggs (another first time purchase).

Be very excited!

For those of you who are in to chocolate, Scharffen Berger has a new Brazilian variety that sounds amazing….

Next week I will be in southern California again. I will let you know if I find another good farmers market.

• Fukushu Kumquats
• Himalayan black truffle
• Sierra Beauty apple
• Gold apple
• Eatwell egg
• Padrones
• Asian pear
• Midnight Moon cheese
• Italian plum jam
• Scharffen Berger chocolate (assorted)
• Blue Bottle coffee

Today was yet another ridiculously beautiful day at the San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, despite the forecast for rain. I was really excited to find some new material for my meals this week, because I am completely sick of roasted root vegetables after eating them everyday for lunch since early November. Instead today I focused on green vegetables and fruit.

One of my most interesting discoveries was an heirloom apple called White Winter Pearmain. They look a little like your typical Golden Delicious apple, but the flavor was more aromatic and even floral. You should really explore the apple season this time of year, there is remarkable variety.

Finds like this make me feel so lucky to have this amazing market in my backyard.

I also picked up some kiwi fruit and another new persimmon, the tamopan. Apparently these are known as “hamburger” persimmons. I asked the vendor what they were like, but he did not exactly give a ringing endorsement.

“Funny looking things, aren’t they? What are they like? Don’t have much flavor, to be honest with you.”

I already had it in my hand, so I bought it anyway. I will let you know if I strongly disagree with his grim assessment, otherwise I’ll just spare you and drop it. One interesting fact is that they do have a slightly different shape than other persimmons, almost like a fuyu that has been squished (like a burger?). Maybe that is where they get their name.

Another first for me today was my purchase of Hodo organic tofu. Hodo Soy is a small, local tofu producer with products available at several different bay area markets. I tried it for lunch today and I do admit it was pretty amazing. Definitely get some if you find it.

Today’s purchases:

• White winter pearmain apples
• Sierra beauty apples
• Organic kiwi
• Chocolate persimmons
• Hamburger persimmons
• Rainbow chard
• Fennel
• Sweet piquillo peppers
• Pomegranates
• Romanesco broccoli
• Hodo tofu



• Meyer lemon
• Baby bok choy
• Broccoli shoots
• Kabocha squash

Ever since I mentioned the chocolate persimmon the questions have been rolling in. Are there really chocolate persimmons? What do they taste like? Where can I find them?

I even know someone who dreamt about them.

This weekend I finally got a hold of some chocolate persimmons of my own, the first I have seen this season.

Officially called Tsurunoko, chocolate persimmons are of the non-astringent variety, similar to fuyus. However they are unique in that the flesh inside is more brown than orange and the flavor is sweeter. These are highly sought after fruits; when ripe they do indeed possess subtle notes of chocolate flavor.

Like the fuyu, the texture of a chocolate persimmon is firm (not jelly-soft like the hachiya).

Keep your eyes out for Maru, or “cinnamon persimmons,” and Hyakume, “brown sugar persimmons” as well.

The vendor at the San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers Market said that the weather has not been favorable for persimmons this year because it is too dry. The season will be short, so be sure to get yours next week.

Has anyone else been able to find chocolate or other specialty persimmons?

It was 40 degrees when I woke up this morning. I am sure some of you consider that warm, but to me it may as well have been below zero. Cold, any cold, makes me extremely uncomfortable. The last thing I wanted to do was get out of my warm comfy bed, but the farmers market was calling.

For two weeks now I have been longing for a refrigerator full of vegetables and today I finally got one.

Despite the frigid temperature it was a beautiful day in San Francisco. The sun was shining and the Ferry Building was bustling. One nice thing about the winter time is that the crowds are not as cumbersome as they are in the summer, so it is easier to linger and savor the quaint beauty of locals seeking fresh market goods.

As expected, citrus fruits are starting to reach their peak. Grapefruits, oranges, pomelos and lemons have traded in their sour acidity for tangy sweetness, and today I bought my first Mandarin oranges.

The most exciting find though was the elusive chocolate persimmon. Orange on the outside and brown on the inside, these sweet pulpy treats are nothing short of wonderful. I was told there are only a couple weeks left in the season, so get them while you can!

As for vegetables, someone at Star Route (Marin Organics) finally talked me into buying those stinging nettles we discussed a few months ago. I will let you know how it goes.

Still on a mission to perfect the roasted root vegetable lunch, I also stocked up on rhizoid goodies.

• Chocolate persimmons
• Hachiya persimmons
• Pomegranate
• Mandarin oranges
• Meyer lemon
• Pink lady apple
• Fuji apple
• Leeks
• Romanesco broccoli
• Golden beets
• Rutabaga
• 1 giant carrot
• 1 giant parsnip
• Stinging nettles
• Yellow eye beans
• Dinosaur kale
• Soul Food eggs
• Acme epi loaf
• Nossa Senhora de Fatima (Blue Bottle) coffee

I must start by saying it is 80 degrees here in San Francisco and absolutely beautiful outside. In November! The farmers market at the Ferry Building was spectacular today, and for me few things are as inspirational as nice weather.

So I will just come out and say it: I went nuts.

Last week a Thought for Food reader asked how much I normally spend at the market, and some people were surprised to hear my weekly costs hover around $30. This week I admit I went over $40. But I had very good reasons, I assure you.

For one thing, as another reader pointed out my roasted vegetables were not really enough (alone) to sustain me for lunch the entire week. I noticed this after about two days, and ended up making a supplementary quinoa dish (recipe on the way) to fill the gap. With those two things I was good to go, but the moral of the story is that I want to make a bigger batch of roasted vegetables this week.

Another thing is that I have become very excited about the prospect of roasted root vegetables. I never know what to do with those funny looking round things, but they are affordable and I imagine that their sweet, earthy flavors will really shine in a roasting pan. But I do not yet know which kinds I like best, so I figured I should just try them all.

Consequently, the theme for today was buying things I do not know how to use.

Ever heard of quince? I hear you cannot eat quince raw, but since they were available I bought one to play around with. Quince is a yellow fruit that is related to pears and apples. The smell is fantastic, and I am excited to see what I can do.

I also bought both black and watermelon radishes for the first time. They looked so neat in this Whole Foods Blog post that I knew I had to get them if I ever saw them. It is amazing to me that although I go to the market nearly every week, there are still things I manage to overlook until someone points them out to me.

Another special appearance today was baby Romanesco cauliflower. My bag was already really full, but how could I ignore these beautiful things? (see pic)

I also really wanted to buy one of the winter squash I read about in the San Francisco Chronicle, but I already had too much stuff to carry home. Next time!

Today’s purchases:

• Romanesco cauliflower
• Red and white Tokyo turnips
• Black radish
• Watermelon radishes
• Candy-striped beets
• Parsnips
• Multi-colored carrots
• Fingerling potatoes
• Brussels sprouts
• Dinosaur kale
• Pomegranates
• Fuyu persimmons
• Warren pears
• Fuji apple
• Quince

I am really going out on a limb this week, so any serving suggestions are appreciated!

Mushrooms are a great source of fiber and can provide other nutrients, including potassium and

iron. They contain some vitamins as well, particularly B vitamins.

My other purchases today mark a notable shift from the usual. My goal at the market is always to get at least 5 dinners and 5 lunches for the week. But since my beautiful summer tomatoes are now out of season, I can no longer rely on salads for lunch. This means I also did not buy cucumbers or salad greens. Instead I will try roasting vegetables this weekend and reheating them at work. Stay tuned to find out how that goes.

• Shiitake mushrooms
• Soul Food eggs
• Warren pears
• Dino kale
• Cauliflower
• Brussels sprouts
• Baby leeks
• Golden beets
• Sunchokes
• Flame grapes
• Padrones
• Pasilla pepper
• Giant fuyu persimmon
• Arkansas black apple
• Pomegranates
• Pain epi baguette