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.

Tamarillos or tree tomatoes are egg-shaped fruits native to South America. Being from San Francisco I had never heard of them until two weeks ago when I found them at my favorite farmers market.

That day I only bought one. The next week I got a full bag of them.

I will not deny that these little fruits are strange. The color alone could be the topic of an entire post. Their flesh is orange like a persimmon, but the soft black seeds are nested in a deep red gel, making it seem as if they are bleeding when you cut them open. Although that sounds kind of gruesome, they are actually beautiful to behold. If I were a food painter, I would certainly seek out some tamarillos to be my subjects.

The taste of my first tamarillo surprised me even more than its appearance. I had expected it to be, well, I’m not sure, but the person I bought it from said it is usually served with either sugar or salt, like a tomato. I guess I was expecting it to be more savory or acidic. In my estimation it was closer to sweet, and seemed to perfectly meld the flavors of passion fruit, kiwi and tomato.

Strange, but delicious.

Unfortunately the skin does not lend itself to palatability. It is tough, bitter and very sour. Best to do away with it completely. The seeds, however, are edible.

Unripe a tamarillo can lean toward sour and bitter, so I am told it is best to eat them when they are dark red and softer rather than harder (they never get very soft).

Tamarillos are high in potassium, manganese, copper and vitamins A, C, E and B6.

All I know is that I am going to keep buying them until I can’t find anymore.

Do any of you have experience with tamarillos?

fennel

Lucky be the ones who found their way to the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market this morning. It was bright and sunny, so naturally I expected a bone-chilling cold down at the Embarcadero. But by global warming some miracle it was actually pleasant today, approaching 70 degrees. T-shirt weather if I’ve ever seen it.

It would be hard to imagine a more beautiful mid-January morning at the market.

This week the produce was very similar to what I found last week. Fennel is starting to become more abundant, as you can see by the main photo. And the pomelos seem to just keep getting bigger and bigger.

As for my purchases, the kohlrabi I bought last Saturday got me excited about root vegetables that are edible raw. So today I got a couple lo bok, a green relative of the daikon or Japanese radish (sorry I didn’t get a good picture). These vegetables are super crisp and moist, with a texture similar to jicama. They are relatively sweet for a vegetable and make a great appetizer or side dish when cut up into slices or sticks.

I also tried to buy some kaffir limes, but the guy said he forgot them this week and will definitely have them next week. I got an assortment of other citrus fruits to make up for it.

The most notable new purchase I made today was a whole free range chicken from the Golden Gate Meat Company. That’s right, I bought meat! I want to make a soup this weekend to take with me to work for lunch. As always, I will keep you posted on my experiments.

I also stocked up on tamarillos.

Today’s purchases:

• Free range chicken (whole)
• Tamarillo
• Lo bok
• Rio red grapefruit
• Cara cara orange
• Blood orange
• Meyer lemon
• Kiwi
• Romanesco
• Chinese broccoli
• Traditional broccoli
• Kabocha squash
• Dino kale
• Pink lady apples
• Pomegranate
• Shallots
• Garlic
• Yirg coffee

Any of you find anything interesting today?

citrus

Winter fruits are different from summer fruits and the undisputed king of winter is the citrus genus. Here in San Francisco we should feel thankful to have such a great bounty to start the New Year. Don’t forget the freeze that killed California’s citrus crop back in January 2007.

This week the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market had all the basics–oranges, grapefruits, clementines, lemons, limes–but half the fun is trying all the unusual varieties available.

Pomelos look like giant grapefruits with super thick skin. They come in several different varietals, each with a unique flavor and juiciness level. Interestingly, I find the less juicy pomelos to be the sweetest. You can eat them without making a complete mess of your hands and each individual pulp is like a little balloon filled with liquid candy.

At the farmers market you can find yellow, white, pink and green pomelos, and the skin color does not necessarily correspond with the color of the flesh inside. I think the green pomelos with pink flesh are my favorite, but they are all great. Eat them plain or add them to a refreshing winter salad, just be sure to remove the thick membranes that separate the sections.

Even oranges become deceptively interesting when you get them from local farmers. On the outside Cara cara oranges are virtually indistinguishable from navel oranges, but inside the flesh is pink like a ruby grapefruit. Blood oranges–great for juicing–are prized for their deep red flesh and richer taste.

For me one of the most surprising things I have discovered about citrus fruit is that lemons and limes are not always as pucker-inducing as you might guess. Meyer lemons taste like they have already been sugared and baked into a meringue pie. The juice is a little tart (though still drinkable) but the skin is so sweet and flavorful you have to try it to believe it. I zest it into everything this time of year.

One of the truly bizarre fruits of winter is the Fingered citron. Also known as Buddha’s hand, these large, tentacle-covered citrus fruits are primarily ornamental but can be used for their zest. Wikipedia claims that in Chinese and Japanese cultures they are sometimes used as air fresheners. Their white pith is not bitter as in most citrus fruits, so the “fingers” can be cut off and used in cooking. You might want to pick one of these up if you are entertaining or decorating your dining room or kitchen. They would make an interesting and unique centerpiece for a table.


Winter cruciferous vegetables are also abundant right now at the market. The cruciferous (Brassica) family is extremely diverse.

The term cruciferous means “cross-bearing” since the four petals of their leaves resemble a cross. Popular cruciferous vegetables include broccoli, cabbage and kale, but also root vegetables such as turnips and rutabaga. Cruciferous vegetables are usually what we are talking about when we say “green leafy vegetables,” and they are thought to have anti-cancer properties.

One of the best things about going to the farmers market is discovering new things. At McEvoy Ranch today I stumbled upon something called a Tamarillo, or Tree tomato. Tamarillos are native to South America, but are also common in New Zealand and a few other countries. I have not yet busted open the one I bought, but I was told it can be eaten raw with either salt or sugar (similar to a tomato). The skin is thick, tart and not usually consumed.
And in case you have forgotten, it is still crab season!

This winter do not be afraid to stare cold weather in the face and make your way to the farmers market whenever you get the chance. You will certainly not regret your trip, particularly if you are adventurous. If you see something you are unfamiliar with ask the vendor what it is like and what you can do with it. You just might find yourself a new favorite food!


Today’s purchases:

• Green pomelo
  
• Cara cara oranges
• Sweet lime
• Satsuma mandarins
• Meyer lemons
• Kiwi fruit
• Shinko Asian pear
• Kohlrabi
• Sunchokes
• Baby bok choy
• Romanesco
• Brussels sprouts
• Treviso (radicchio)
• Shallot
• Assorted small potatoes
• Scharffen Berger chocolate (Tomé-Açu)

UPDATE: This article is also available at Synapse.

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