The oyster mushroom gets its name from its cap which, some say, resembles an oyster. The stem of the oyster mushrooms is perhaps more distinct; it unfurls something like one of those old-time paper lady's fans. The oyster mushroom has...

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January 2007 Monthly Archive

Kale

Kale is a great match with hearty foods such as pork chops, fried catfish, garlickly sausage, and cornbread.

A winter vegetable that goes practically undisturbed even by snow, kale can come fresh harvested to the table in mid-winter in even the most severe climates.

Kale is a non-heading member of the cabbage family—very similar to collards except with a different shaped leaf.

Curly leaved kale varieties—sometimes called curly kale or borecole--are the most commonly eaten. Flat leaved or plain kale varieties are too coarse and rigid to enjoy at the table.

The leaves of curly kale are arranged in a bouquet-like fashion. They grow from 12 to16 inches (30-41 cm) long and are deep-green tinged with shades of blue or purple.

Kale has tough stems which are edible only when young. The stems of mature kale must be removed before cooking.

Kale originated in the Mediterranean region and has been in cultivation for more than 2,000 years. The name kale is derived from the Greek kaulos, meaning stem.

From the late Middle Ages, kale was known as cole or colewort in England. Kale or kail is the Scottish name.

The French call kale chou frisé (curly cabbage); the Germans call it krauskohl (crispy cabbage); the Italians call it cavalo arricciato (curled cabbage); and the Spanish call kale col rizada (curly cabbage).

Choose: Select kale with fresh, plump, crisp leaves. Avoid kale with limp or yellow leaves. Sniff the leaves and avoid those with a strong odor.

Store: Kale will keep in the coldest section of the refrigerator for 2 days. After 3 days of keeping, the flavor of kale will become strong and the leaves will go limp.

Kale can be frozen after being blanched for 2 to 3 minutes or until the leaves become slightly soft.

Prepare: Before cooking, remove the tough center stalk by folding the leaves in half and ripping the stalk out.

Wash the leaves in a large bowl of water to dislodge sand and dirt. You can add vinegar or salt to the water to dislodge any insects. Afterwards, rinse the leaves under cold running water.

Don’t dry the leaves before cooking. Use the residual water on the leaves to help wilt the leaves as they cook.

Plan: One pound of kale with stems will serve 2 to 3 people. Without stems, one pound will serve 3 to 4 people.

Cook: Kale can be prepared just as you would spinach.

Steam the leaves in just the water that remains after they have been washed. Steam only long enough for the leaves to wilt: 3 to 6 minutes.

Italians steam kale until tender, then add olive oil, a little garlic, breadcrumbs, and sprinkle it with Parmesan cheese in the last minute or two of cooking.

The Chinese stir-fry kale with a few slices of fresh gingerroot, about 1 minute.

The strong flavor of kale goes well in soups and stews. In India, kale is often teamed with hot spices.

Kale is rarely eaten raw because of its strong pungent flavor. Small amounts of raw, young kale can be added to salads to add a spicy note. Young kale can be dressed with oil and vinegar.

Kale can be seasoned with salt, pepper, onion, garlic, basil, dill, mace, nutmeg, allspice, mustard, parsley, sage, rosemary, or thyme

Nutrition: Kale provides ample amounts of vitamins A and C, folic acid, calcium and iron.

The botanical name for kale is Brassica oleracea var. acephala. (The Latin term for “without a head” is alcephala.)

Harvest to Table's New Encyclopedia:
The Kitchen Garden Grower's Guide

A practical vegetable and herb garden encyclopedia

An enthusiastic and accessible companion, The Kitchen Garden Grower's Guide: A practical vegetable and herb garden encyclopedia by Stephen Albert details the very essentials to gain small crop prowess and expertise. This in-depth reference book is for the kitchen gardener and cook, a simple, one-stop, easy-to-use guide to bring fresh, inexpensive and healthy food from your garden to your table. Use this book as an index and information bank-a cornucopia-to access your favorite small vine fruits, vegetables and herbs and answer your particular questions.

Avocados with Seafood

Makes 4 servings.

2 avocados
Lemon juice
½ cup diced cooked lobster
½ cup diced cooked shrimp
⅓ cup diced raw mushrooms
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil or salad oil salt
Ground black pepper
⅓ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon dry sherry
2 teaspoons catsup
2 teaspoons grated horseradish
½ teaspoon powdered mustard
1½ tablespoons unsweetened whipped cream
20 peeled, deveined, and cooked whole shrimp
Black olives

Cut avocados in half lengthwise and remove the seed.

Scoop out the meat, leaving ¼ inch clinging to the shells. (Reserve the scooped out portion.)

Brush insides of shells with lemon juice to prevent discoloration.

Dice the reserved avocado meat and combine with the lobster, shrimp, mushrooms, lemon juice, oil, salt, and pepper.

Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.

Combine mayonnaise, sherry, catsup, horseradish, mustard, and cream.

Blend with the lobster and shrimp mixture. Spoon into the avocado halves.

Garnish each with 5 whole shrimp each topped with a bit of diced black olive.

Adapted from Henri-Paul Pellaprat "Modern French Culinary Art" published 1966.

Avocado

Avocadoes have a rich buttery textured flesh with a slightly nutty flavor and can be eaten as a vegetable or a fruit.

There are both winter and summer harvest avocadoes. Winter harvest avocadoes are available at your farm market now.

There are dozens and dozens of avocado varieties spread around the world. The variety you are most likely to find in markets now is "Fuerte" which is a winter harvested, medium-sized avocado with a smooth bright green skin.

Two other winter harvest avocado varieties are "Bacon" which is similar in size and color to "Fuerte", and "Pinkerton" which is larger.

"Hass" another well known avocado variety with a dark purple, almost black, pebbly skin is a summer harvest avocado. If you find "Hass" avocadoes in the market this time of year, they have probably traveled from the Southern Hemisphere where it is summer.

There are two avocado harvests in California every year: from November to March and from September to October. The "Fuerte" is harvested in the winter and the "Hass" during the summer.

Avocadoes come in varying shapes, colors, and sizes depending on the variety. There are those that stay green when ripe, like "Fuerte", and those that turn black at maturity, like "Hass".

Most avocadoes are pear-shaped but some are round. An avocado tree, which is a tropical or subtropical evergreen, can grow to 40 feet tall. Its leaves are waxy and oval.

Botanically the avocado is a fruit, but it is eaten as both a fruit and a vegetable.

The avocado is native to Central and South America where it has been cultivated for at least 7,000 years.

The word avocado comes from the Aztec word abuacatl which is roughly translated as "testicle". The reference is undoubtedly to the fruit's pear shape. Spanish explorers took the avocado to Europe in 1527. There the Aztec word abuacatl was said to be unpronounceable and became ahuacate or aguacate and was further modified to the pronounceable "alligator" and to "avocado" in California in 1915.

Avocadoes are also called "alligator fruit" and "butter pear", a reference to the consistency of its flesh.

There are three original forerunners or races of the avocado species:

• Mexican type avocadoes are plum-sized, smooth-skinned, and purple or black colored fruit that matures in autumn. The varieties "Bacon" and "Mexicola" are Mexican type avocadoes. These are hardier than the other types. They are oval and have a thin, green, glossy skin.

• Guatemalan type avocadoes bear larger fruits, have rough skins, and their color varies from green to purple to black. The fruit matures in spring or early summer and stores well. "Hass", "Gwen", "Nabal", and "Pinkerton" are Guatemalan type avocadoes.

• West Indian type avocadoes have a very large fruit up to 2 pounds (1 kg) or more with smooth skin. They are usually light green and of medium thickness.

"Fuerte" is a Guatemalan-Mexican hybrid. "Zutano" is another popular hybrid.

Choose: Select avocadoes that are heavy for their size, not too hard and free of blemishes. An avocado is ready to eat when it yields to the touch, but is not soft. Avocadoes that are too soft will be overly ripe. Overripe avocado flesh will be brown and stringy.

It is best to buy avocadoes a few days before you need them. An unripe avocado with ripen in 4 to 7 days at room temperature.

Store: Store unripe avocadoes at room temperature until they ripen. To speed ripening store an avocado at room temperature wrapped in a newspaper or in a closed paper bag pierced with small holes to allow gases to escape. Once ripe, the avocado will keep in the refrigerator for a few days.

Prepare: Cut the avocado in half lengthwise. If the flesh clings to the pit, twist the two halve gently in the opposite direction. Then the pit can be removed with a knife or with a spoon.

To make removing the peel easier, cut the avocado in half, remove the stone with the skin still on, cut through the flesh and the skin to make slices. Then strip off the peel.

Avocado flesh will darken when exposed to the air. To prevent discoloration, sprinkle the flesh with lemon juice or vinegar.

Serve: Avocadoes are usually eaten raw. They do not cook well.

You can add avocado slices to sandwiches and salads and to hot and cold soups.

Avocado halves can be stuffed with seafood or chicken.

The botanical name for the Guatemalan family of avocado is Persea americana. The botanical name for the Mexican family of avocado is Persea drymifolia.

Clementines

A clementine is a small mandarin orange that packs a rich juicy sweet-tangy taste.

The clementine has a thin, smooth, bright red-orange skin that is very easy to peel and delicate, red-orange flesh that is virtually seedless.

Here’s something to keep in mind about the clementine: the smaller the fruit the more intense the flavor.

Clementines—which are also called Algerian tangerines--are thought to be a natural hybrid between a common mandarin orange and the bitter orange.

The peak season for clementines is early to mid-winter.

The clementine is named after Father Clément Rodier who discovered this accidental hybrid in the garden of the orphanage he ran near Oran in Algeria in 1900. It is possible that this small citrus came to Algeria from China, but no one knows. Today the Clementine is mostly grown in North Africa and Spain and California, Arizona and Texas.

Choose: Select clementines that feel heavy for their size. They will be juicier. A clementine should be firm to the touch, but have some give. The smaller the fruit the more intense the flavor.

Store: Clementines will keep in the refrigerator for about a week.

Serve: Eat clementines out of hand. Use them to garnish poultry and seafood. Include clementines in gelatin desserts, puddings, custards, and fruit cups.

A clementine is a mandarin orange. The botanical name for the mandarin orange is Citrus reticulata.

Sweet Potato

• A sweet potato is not a potato, and it is not a yam.

• A sweet potato can be prepared in just about every way a potato can.

• What most people in North America call a yam is really an orange-fleshed sweet potato.

The three sentences above are the basics of sweet potatoes. Once you understand the basics, the world of sweet potatoes is easy.

The sweet potato looks like both a potato and a yam. But the potato and yam are two different vegetables from two totally different botanical families.

The sweet potato—like the potato—is a native of Central America. There are archeological records of sweet potatoes growing in Peru more than 10,000 years ago.

The true yam most probably originated in West Africa many thousands of years ago but traveled to the Western Hemisphere in only the last 500 years.

There are two main types of sweet potato (although there are more than 400 varieties): one has orange flesh and becomes soft and moist when cooked, and the other has white flesh and becomes relatively dry and crumbly when cooked.

The sweet potato with white-colored flesh is sometimes called white sweet potato but also batata, batata dulce, camote, and Cuban sweet potato.

The sweet potato with orange-colored flesh is called sweet potato and also yam.

The orange-fleshed sweet potato was dubbed “yam” in the 1930s when growers in the American state of Louisiana wanted to distinguish their orange-fleshed sweet potatoes from the white-fleshed sweet potatoes grown in New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia. Calling a yellow-fleshed sweet potato a yam was simply a marketing decision.

In American kitchens today, a sweet potato with a vivid orange-colored flesh that cooks up sweet and moist is called a yam.

Sweet potatoes—white-fleshed or orange-fleshed—can be prepared just like a potato: baked, simmered, steamed, fried, and roasted.

Sweet potatoes have a sweet-spicy flavor and they are excellent when paired with savory dishes that need a touch of sweetness such as turkey or pork.

Choose: Choose sweet potatoes with smooth, firm skins and no blemishes or bruises. Small and medium-sized sweet potatoes taste better than large ones which can be fibrous. Avoid sweet potatoes that are withered, wrinkled, sticky, damp, or sprouting.

Dark-orange skinned sweet potatoes have orange flesh (erroneously called yams) can be baked, boiled, roasted, sautéed or fried as chips. This sweet potato will cook up moist and sweet.

White-skinned sweet potatoes are thin skinned and have pale yellow flesh. They will become dry and crumbly after cooking and will not taste sweet. This sweet potato is similar to a white baking potato.

Store: Sweet potatoes will keep for up to 2 weeks in a cool, dry, dark, and well-ventilated place. But they are best used within a week of purchase. Sweet potatoes should not be refrigerated.

Prepare: Cook a sweet potato just as you would a regular potato—roast, boil, mash or bake. (White varieties can be substituted for regular potatoes in most recipes.)

To bake a sweet potato: Scrub the skin and pat it dry. Prick the skin several times with a fork. Bake at 350° F directly on an oven rack or in a shallow pan until soft when pierced with a fork, about 1 hour. Add butter, salt, and ground black pepper before serving.

You can make a sweet potato pie by baking or steaming the orange-fleshed sweet potato, then beating the mashed flesh together with brown sugar, egg, and cream; then bake in a pastry shell.

You can mash boiled sweet potatoes and potatoes together for extra smoothness—add grated ginger and a little ground cardamom.

Sweet potatoes can be peeled before or after they are cooked.

Sweet potatoes go well with bourbon, brown sugar, butter, ginger, honey, orange, pecans, rosemary, rum, and spices.

Nutrition: The sweet potato is high in vitamins A and C.

The botanical name of the sweet potato is Ipomea batatas.

(The true yam is a large, starchy tuber from the botanical Dioscorea family. “Yam” is an English adaptation of nyami, the Senegalese word for the African tuber--which is bland and dry.)

Spinach

Spinach has just the right balance of flavor—sharp and hearty but not overpowering. It is equally versatile raw or cooked.

Spinach can be served raw in sandwiches and salads. Just add a little lemon juice.

It can be served with a basic béchamel sauce or a rich Mornay sauce.

Spinach can be baked au gratin or puréed.

It equally accompanies veal, poultry, fish, aged cheese, cream cheese, eggs, egg noodles, garlic, mushrooms, nutmeg, onions, shallots or sour cream.

There are two main types of spinach: flat-leafed and savoy or crinkle-leafed. The more tender and mild tasting of the two is flat-leafed, especially the baby varieties. Savoy spinach has a stronger flavor with a slightly bitter aftertaste.

Spinach grows as a rosette of dark green leaves to about 4 to 6 inches (10-15 cm) tall and about 6 to 8 inches (15-20 cm) across. Smooth leaf varieties have thin, tender, sweetly flavored leaves. Crinkle or savoy-leaved spinaches have broader, thicker leaves which hold up better when cooked.

Spinach originated in the Iranian desert near Dasht-e-Kavir and was transplanted to Persian gardens in about the fourth century. The name spinach derives from an old Persian name aspanākh—isfanakh—which means “a green hand”.

Spinach was brought to Spain by the Arab conquerors as early as the eighth century and from there spread to the rest of Europe. The Arabic name for spinach was esbanash; in Spanish the name became espinaca. The first English cookbook reference to spinnedge came in the fourteenth century and referred to it as the Spanish vegetable.

Popeye the sailor made his first appearance in American comics in January 1929, the creation of E.C. Segar. Popeye’s strength was derived from spinach. He often quipped, “I’m strong to the finish ‘cause I eats my spinach.” American consumption of spinach grew by 33 percent in the years immediately following the first appearance of Popeye.

Choose: Select spinach with crisp and dark green leaves that have a fresh fragrance. Avoid leaves that are limp, damaged or discolored. Small baby spinach will have the most flavor and tender texture; older leaves will tend to be bitterer in flavor and have a chewier texture.

Store: Spinach can be refrigerated in a plastic bag for up to 3 days.

Prepare: Spinach leaves should be separated and cleaned in a bowl of cold water to loosen grit and dirt or soaked in a bowl of salty water for 10 minutes to remove bugs and then rinsed under cold running water to remove dirt. Wash spinach just before using it so that it does not become soft. Remove the stems once washed unless the spinach is very young. Spinach will shrink when cooled.

Serve: The dark green leaves of fresh spinach will add color to a lettuce salad.

Add orange segments and almonds to a fresh spinach salad and toss in a sweet-sour dressing.

Add cubes of cheese and sliced fresh peppers and mushrooms to a spinach lunch salad.

The classic spinach salad includes bacon, mushrooms, hard-boiled egg quarters with warm mustard and bacon fat dressing.

A spinach salad can be topped with grilled Portobello mushrooms and strips of spice-marinated grilled chicken.

Cook spinach in a saucepan or a skillet with just the water that clings to the leaves after washing. Add a sprinkling of salt and place the pan over a low heat. Cover the pan so that the spinach steams in its own liquid. Shake the pan occasionally to prevent the spinach from sticking to the bottom. Spinach will cook in 4 to 6 minutes wilting down to about an eighth of its volume. Drain and press out the remaining liquid. Chop and serve with lots of butter.

Try spinach with a horseradish sauce or with melted butter and a little garlic.

Serve spinach with spring vegetables such as baby carrots and young fava beans.

Eggs, fish, poultry, and meats that are served on a bed of spinach, usually with a sauce, are often appended with the phrase à la Florentine. The term originated in 1533 when Caterina de Medici traveled from Florence to marry the king of France. She brought along her favorite Florentine cooks who used spinach in many royal dishes.

Nutrition: Spinach is a rich source of vitamins A and C and B, but it contains oxalic acid which inhibits the body’s absorption of calcium and iron. One cup of fresh spinach contains about 10 calories.

The botanical name for spinach is Spinacia oleracea

Leeks

The most esteemed member of the onion family is the leek.

The flavor and fragrance of leeks are more subtle, more delicate and sweeter than onions

The ancient Egyptians held leeks in high esteem as did the ancient Romans, who considered leeks superior to both onions and garlic.

The leek is essential to many fine dishes—the popular cold soup vichyssoise—which has been made in France for centuries, the Scottish cock-a-leekie, and stews such as the French pot-au-feu.

You can find leeks at the farm market year round, but their peak season is October through May.

The leek looks like a giant scallion with a thick white stalk that is cylindrical in shape and has a slightly bulbous root end. It can grow from 18 to 36 inches (45-90 cm) tall and the bulb is usually at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter.

The tender part of the leek is the lower portion of the stalk—which is white and grows underground or is blanched white after being set in trenches or mounded during the growing process.

The leaves are broad, flat, dark green and wrapped tightly around each other much like a rolled newspaper.

Leeks have been in cultivation since at least 300 BC and are thought to be native to the region stretching from Israel on the Mediterranean Sea to India and Central Asia. It is thought that ancient Phoenician traders introduced leeks to Britain and to the Celts and Welsh. (Leac was the Saxon term for any kind of onion or garlic (gar-leac).

Today, the leek is the national vegetable of Wales. The leading producers of leeks are France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Choose: Select leeks that are straight, firm and intact with crisp, upright, brightly colored leaves and that have unblemished white portions. Avoid leeks with withered, limp or yellow spotted leaves or those that have cracked or overly swollen bulbs. The smaller the leek the tenderer it will be.

The white section and about 2 inches (5 cm) of the pale green portion are the desirable parts for cooking. If you bend the lower part of the pale section, it should give a little. If it doesn’t give, the leek has a woody heart that won’t soften during cooking.

Store: Leeks will keep in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. Wrap them in a damp towel in an open plastic bag. They will keep for only 2 days after cooking, and they do not freeze well.

Prepare: Slit the leek from the top to the bottom lengthwise keeping the root intact and wash thoroughly to remove all dirt trapped between the leaf layers or soak leeks for 10 minutes in cold, salty water to destroy insects that might be hiding between the leaves. Rinse them gently to remove any dirt. Trim rootlets and leaf ends before using.

Cook: Leeks can be prepared much the same way as asparagus. They can be used in stocks, soups, stews, and poached or steamed. They should not be overcooked or they will become slippery and slimy

To ensure uniform cooking use similarly sized leeks.

Braising or baking leeks allow 25 to 35 minutes.

Simmer medium- to large-size whole leeks for 10 to 15 minutes; quarters, halves, or small whole leeks for about 5 minutes.

Steam medium- to large-size whole leeks for 15 to 20 minutes; quarters, halves, or small whole leeks for about 10 minutes.

Sauté or stir fry leeks for 3 to 5 minutes until they are tender and slightly brown around the edges. You do not need to use a coating or batter.

Pan-fry or a deep-fat-fry leek in a wet batter until the crust is golden brown.

Raw, finely chopped leeks are often added to salads—use in combination or as substitute for onions, shallots or chives.

Leek greens are often used to add flavor to broth, stews and purees.

Season: Season leeks with salt, pepper, garlic, tarragon, mustard, dill, marjoram, turmeric, savory, basil, paprika, oregano, mace, nutmeg, allspice, mint, parsley, sage, rosemary, or thyme.

Flavor affinities: Leeks can be served with onions, tomatoes, pimiento, mushrooms, celery, sweet bell pepper, potatoes, bacon, ham, chicken, fish, mussels, vinaigrette, white wine or any combination of these.

Nutrition: Leeks are a good source of folic acid and a good source of iron and potassium. They also supply vitamin C, vitamin B6, magnesium, calcium, and copper. Leeks are low in calories and rich in vitamin A. If you have trouble digesting onions, leeks may be a good alternative.

The botanical name of the leek is Allium porrum.

Farm Market Fresh: Mid-January

Five nights of sub-freezing temperatures around much of California last week was a good thing for crops that benefit and actually thrive on freezing weather during their dormant time of the year—the grapes, plums, peaches, and apples that will be harvested later this year.

But the severe cold snap—which broke at least temporarily this past weekend—was terrible for big citrus and avocado growers and many large strawberry and leafy green vegetable farmers around the state.

At the farmers’ market in San Francisco this weekend, several growers said they would not suffer like the big growers. They said the relative small size of their crops made it easier for them to get crops harvested before they were wiped out by the cold.

Small growers have fewer acres of crops to bring in and don’t depend on the migrant workers who move from crop to crop on larger farms.

Still the price of some produce is likely to go up simply as a result of low supply and demand.

At the San Francisco farmers’ market on Saturday and Sunday, there was plenty of local newly harvested citrus to choose from, and the prices were not astronomical.

Here is a list of the crops that you will find at the farm markets in San Francisco and Sonoma and many other farm markets around the country this week:

First of season: Grapefruit, oranges, lemons, kiwi, red cabbage, scarlet turnips, winter broccoli.

Peak of season: Almonds, arugula, beets, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, chard, chipotles, collards, decorative corn, celery root, dried fruit, dried garlic and onions, herb starts, horseradish, kale, leeks, leaf lettuce, mushrooms, dried onions, mandarin oranges, pistachios, pomegranates, pomelos, potatoes, olive oil, olives, navel oranges, radishes, raisins, salad mix, scallions, sorrel, spinach, sweet potatoes, squash (delicate, butternut, Kabocha, acorn, tangerines, hydroponic tomatoes, turnips, winter squash, yams, fresh herbs including rosemary, oregano, bay leaves.

End of season: Apples, apple cider vinegars, red and white Jerusalem artichokes, bok choy, celery, chestnuts, cilantro, chives, garlic, red flame grapes, pineapple guava, mint, parsley, persimmons, potatoes, pumpkins, tarragon, walnuts.

Tangerines

Tangerines are among the earliest harvested mandarin oranges.

They are distinguished from other mandarins simply by their red-orange to red peels. They have a rough skin and sweet flesh.

All tangerines are mandarins but not all mandarins are tangerines. (Other mandarins are the tangelo and the clementine.)

The tangerine is named for the port city of Tangier in Morocco. Before the tangerine was widely cultivated in the United States, the main point of departure for tangerine exports to the U.S. was Tangier. Tangerine means a native of Tangier.

Dancy is the oldest variety of tangerine grown in the United States. It got its name from Colonel G.L Dancy of Buena Vista, Florida who introduced it into cultivation in Florida in about 1871. The first Dancy seedling was said to have arrived in Florida from Morocco in 1867.

Dancy is the traditional Christmas tangerine often found in Christmas stockings and gift boxes. It has a deep orange color and a rich sprightly flavor. It is smaller than other mandarins—about 2-3 inches (5-7.5 cm) wide and 1½-2⅛ inches (3.8-6.2 cm) tall.

Dancy has a thin, leathery skin but peels easily. It has dark-orange flesh and divides into 10-14 segments with 6-20 small seeds.

Other tangerine varieties are Sunburst, Page and Pixie.

Sunburst is a hybrid between a clementine and a ‘Orlando’ tangelo created in 1967. It is predominately a tangerine. Sunburst is about the same size as the Dancy with an orange to scarlet peel. It has about the same number of segments and seeds as a Dancy but much more colorful juice although it is not quite as flavorful as the Dancy.

Page is a cross between a clementine and ‘Minneola’ tangelo. Page is small, sweet and juicy with few seeds. It has a deep orange rind that can be tough to peel. Page ripens from November through January.

Pixie is a hybrid offspring of Dancy with a mild, sweet flavor and a seedless fruit. Pixie has a medium-orange flesh with yellow-orange rind and is easy-to-peel. Pixie ripens late and holds well on the tree well into summer.

Choose: Select a tangerine that is plump and fills its skin. A tangerine that feels heavy for its size will be filled with juice. Avoid tangerines that are that feel hollow or soft or look like they’ve been bumped or dented.

Store: Tangerines will keep for 1 week in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Serve: Tangerines are best for simply eating out of hand. Add tangerine segments to a spinach salad. For a tasty dessert dip segments in chocolate sauce, caramel sauce or a flavored yogurt. Tangerine juice can be used in sauces, dressing, sorbet, and marinades.

Nutrition: High in vitamin C and contains about 45 calories.

Mandarin Oranges and Tangerines

Say mandarin orange and you are describing a large and diverse group of citrus varieties and hybrids that vary from very sweet to tart and from egg-sized small to medium grapefruit-sized large.

The one thing that mandarin oranges have in common is that their peel or skin easily pulls away from their flesh and their segments are easily separated.

Mandarins—the majority of which are smaller and squatter than most oranges--have less acid than oranges, and generally contain more water and less sugar than oranges.

Mandarins vary in color from orange to deep, nearly reddish orange. Those with the deepest red-orange peels are often called tangerines.

The earliest ripening mandarin oranges and their hybrids are coming to market now. The mandarin season extends from December into summer—with the harvest divided into early, midseason and late.

This week the Satsuma mandarin, the Clementine, and the hybrid tangelo will be at your farm market.

Here’s a roundup of the most notable mandarin orange varieties and their hybrids and when you will find them at the farm market:

Clementine or Algerian Tangerine. Juicy, sweet, mild to rich flavor, excellent taste. Medium-small to medium sized and usually seedless flesh. Rind is deep orange to orange-red, smooth and glossy. Peels easily. Ripens late fall into winter: December, January and February. Originated and grown in North Africa and grown extensively in California since 1914.

Dancy or Dancy Tangerine. Rich, spicy flavor. Dark orange-red, smooth, thin rind. Peels easily. Flesh is deep orange. Smaller than other mandarins and seedy. The traditional Christmas “tangerine.” Ripens fall into winter: December and January. Best when grown in desert regions. First planted in Florida in 1867.

Encore. Delicious sweet-tart taste. Juicy, sweet, rich and spicy flavor. Pulp is deep orange and seedy. Yellow-orange rind mottled with dark spots. Ripens spring into summer. The last mandarin to ripen: March, April and May.

Fremont. Rich, sweet fruit and seedy. Medium-size with bright orange rind. Ripens early, fall into winter.

Honey or Murcott. Wonderfully sweet tangerine flavor and juicy. Very small and seedy. Yellow-orange rind, peels poorly. Midseason maturing winter into spring.

Kara. Sweet-tart, sprightly, aromatic flavor with varying seediness. Large fruit to 2½ inches (6.5 cm) in diameter. Ripens winter into spring: March and April. Will be tart if grown near the coast.

Kinnow. Very sweet and fragrant with seedy fruit. Somewhat hard to peel. Midseason, ripens winter to early spring: January through April. Grown best in very hot regions.

Mediterranean or Willow Leaf. Sweet, flavorful, aromatic and juicy. Yellow-orange rind, smooth and glossy. A few seeds. Midseason, ripens in spring.

Pixie. Mild, sweet and seedless fruit. Medium-orange flesh with yellow-orange rind. Easy-to-peel. Ripens late. Grows well in intermediate and coastal areas.

Ponkan or Chinese Honey Mandarin. Of ancient origins in India or China. Very sweet and aromatic, somewhat dry. Flesh and rind are deep orange. Few seeds. Ripens early: December and January. Widely grown in Asia and Brazil. Ripens early.

Satsuma. Called Unshiu in Japan. Moderately sweet, sprightly flavor. Seedless with loose skin, peels easily. Medium-small to medium sized fruits. Rind and flesh are orange. Ripens very early: November and December. Ripens well in low summer heat regions. Cultivars include ‘Owari’, ‘Dobashi Beni’, ‘Okitsu Wase’, and ‘Kimbrough’.

Wilking. Rich flavor and juicy. Deep yellow-orange rind with rich yellow-orange flesh. Medium sized. Ripens in midseason: January-April. Grow well in cooler areas.

Mandarin Orange Hybrids

There are several mandarin orange hybrids:

Tangelo. Hybrid between a mandarin and a grapefruit. There are two notable varieties: ‘Minneola’ is bright orange-red and has a distinctive neck. It has a rich, tart flavor tangerine flavor when picked late and some seeds. Early to midseason: December through February. ‘Orlando’ has small fruit with mild, sweet flavor and is seedy. Ripens early to midseason: November through January. A third tangelo, ‘Sampson’ has grapefruit like flavor. Ripens midseason to late: February through April.

Tangor. Hybrid between a mandarin and a sweet orange. Cultivars include ‘Murcott’ which is sweet and seedy and ripens in winter: January and February. This cultivar is marketed under the name “honey tangerine.” ‘Ortanique’ is sweet, juicy. Orange, slightly pebbled rind with a distinct neck. Some seeds. Ripens midseason: January to March. ‘Temple’ is rich and spicey sweet to tart. Orange to red-orange rind and seedy. Ripens midseason, winter to spring: January to April.

Ambersweet. Cross between a ‘Clementine’ mandarin and an ‘Orlando’ tangelo and a sweet orange. Juicy and seedy. Slightly pear shaped and pebbly. Easy to peel. Ripens fall into winter: October through December.

Fairchild. Cross between ‘Clementine’ mandarin and ‘Orlando’ tangelo. Rich flavored, juicy and sweet especially when very ripe. Orange flesh. Medium to medium-small and round. Red-orange rind that is somewhat difficult to peel. Ripens in winter.

Fallglo. Cross between a mandarin and the ‘Temple’ tangor. Juicy, tart and very seedy. Reddish-orange, thin, smooth rind which peels easily. Ripens early: October and November.

Gold Nugget. Cross between ‘Wilking’ and tangor. Rich flavor. Medium oblong to round shape with golden orange pebbly rind. Flesh is orange and seedless. Ripens mid to late season. Introduced in 1999.

Lee. Cross between a ‘Clementine’ and Orlando tangelo. Tender, juicy and sweet. Medium-size, round to oblong with yellow-orange rind that is smooth and thin. Seedy. Best flavor in hot regions. Ripens fall to winter: October through December.

Nova. Cross between ‘Clementine’ and ‘Orlando’. Juicy and very sweet. Medium-sized, orange, pebbly rind. Pulp is deep orange. Ripens fall into winter: November and December.

Page. Cross between ‘Clementine’ and ‘Minneola’ tangelo. Small, sweet and juicy with few seeds. Orange rind that can be tough to peel. Ripens fall into winter: November through January.

Robinson. Hybrid between ‘Clementine’ and ‘Orlando’. Mile to very sweet flavor and seedy. Yellow to yellow-orange skin that is smooth and glossy. Ripens in fall: October through December.

Sunburst. Cross between ‘Robinson’ and ‘Osceola’. Sweet complex flavor with an undertone of grapefruit. Large, sweet, red-orange fruit with smooth skin. Easy to peel. Some seeds. Ripens late fall: November and December.

Wekiwa. Also called ‘Lavender Gem’ or pink tangelo. Cross between a tangelo and a grapefruit. The size of a small grapefruit. Juicy, mild, sweet; the flesh can be purplish rose in hot climates. Ripens late fall into winter: December through February.

Sour-Acid Mandarin Hybrids

Calamondin. Cross between mandarin and a kumquat. Very small, orange edible rind. Flesh is juicy and zesty tart with some seeds.

Rangpur. Also called Rangpur lime (but it’s not a lime). Less acid than a lemon. Used as a base for punches and mixed drinks. Peels like a mandarin.

Satsuma Mandarin Orange

From now until late spring, a host of mandarin orange varieties will be coming to market. The first or earliest harvested mandarin is the Satsuma mandarin which you will probably find at your farm market this week.

The Satsuma is a small bright orange mandarin with a delicate, sweet flavor. It is seedless and contains less acid than most other mandarins. If you have ever bought a can of imported mandarin oranges, you have probably tasted the Satsuma. At the farm market, the just harvested Satsuma has a loose puffy skin and is usually attached to a twig with a couple of deep green ovate-shaped leaves.

The Satsuma like many other mandarins are sometimes called zipper-skin oranges or kid-glove oranges. The references are to how easily the skin is pulled away.

The Satsuma was discovered in Japan in the sixteenth-century. Today 80 percent of the citrus grown in Japan are Satsuma mandarins. The Satsuma—of which there are at least 70 varieties--is more tolerant of cold than other citrus trees.

In the United States, Satsumas are grown where the winters are too cold for other citrus—in places like northern Florida, the Gulf Coast of Texas and the Sierra foothills of California. One well known Satsuma cultivar--‘Owari’—has a rich, tart-sweet flavor and is widely grown in California.

If you have a recipe that calls for oranges but you want a more complex citrus flavor, the Satsuma is a good choice.

Choose: Select a Satsuma that fills its skin, although the skin may be a bit puffy. Some growers recommend that you choose fruits that have stems or leaves attached if available. They say that fresh looking leaves indicate that the fruit is fresh. Other growers say they detach the stems and leaves to avoid stems puncturing the mandarin's thin skin. Taste one to make sure the flesh is not dry. Avoid fruit that is soft or dented.

Store: The Satsuma will keep for one week in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Serve: Great eating out of hand. The Satsuma will add a refreshing sweet taste to cottage cheese or yogurt and you can add to green salads or gelatin salads. Remove the peel a piece at a time and then separate into segments. If you find seeds, snip the center of the segment and gently squeeze. The zest can be used for baking.

Mandarins go well with apricot, banana, chicken, chocolate, crab, cream, duck, fish, hollandaise sauce, melon, passion fruit, scallops, shrimp, sugar, turkey, vinaigrette.

Nutrition: High in vitamin C and contains about 45 calories.

The botanical name for the Satsuma mandarin and most mandarins is Citrus reticulata (reticulata means ‘netted’ in Latin). The fibrous or netted strands of pith under the loose rind of the mandarin distinguish it from other oranges.

A History of the Mandarin Orange

Mandarins oranges—in all their forms--are probably descended from wild oranges that grew in northeast India as long as 3,000 years ago. From India, mandarins made their way to China and from China to Europe, North Africa and Australia before they traveled on to other parts of the world.

The first of these small, loose-skinned oranges were brought to England from China in 1805. From England, the mandarin made its way to Italy in the next decade, and from Italy it came into wide cultivation and spread to other Mediterranean countries including several in North Africa. From China, the mandarin was introduced into Australia in the 1820s.

The mandarin gained its nickname when it was introduced into England. Mandarin denoted the form of Chinese spoken by public officials and other educated people in China. The robes worn by public officials or mandarins in the Chinese empire of that time were deep orange and so this Chinese import was dubbed a mandarin.

Mandarins were introduced into the United States in the 1840s by the Italian consul in New Orleans. From New Orleans, the mandarin spread to Florida and California.

Several varieties of mandarins that are deep orange in color took the name tangerine when they were imported in great quantities into the United States in the late nineteenth-century from Morocco in North Africa. Those mandarin shipments embarked from the Moroccan port city of Tangier.

Cremini Mushrooms

Cremini mushrooms have flavor.

Creminis look just like the small all-white button mushrooms you see at the grocery store but a cremini is brown and has twice the flavor of a cultivated white mushroom. When cremini mushrooms fully mature they are called portobellos.

The peak season for mushrooms harvested in the wild is fall and winter when the weather is cool, damp and frosty, but almost all varieties of mushrooms are available year-round since they are mostly cultivated indoors.

The cremini mushroom stands about 2 inches (5 cm) tall and has a cap that is 1½ to 2 inches (2.5-5 cm) in diameter. The cremini’s cap is brown and its stem is a dusky brown. If you turn it over, the cap of the cremini will be closed.

When creminis mature their caps broaden to 4 to 6 inches (10-15 cm) across, and the caps open to expose deep-brown gills underneath. These are called portobellos.

Cremini mushrooms are the standard cultivated mushrooms in Italy and France (where they are referred to as champignons), and they were the only cultivated mushrooms in the United States until the 1920s when common white mushrooms were introduced and became popular. Because the cremini has fallen out of broad cultivation in the United States, its cost is about twice that of the common white mushroom.

While the common mushroom has a slightly musky flavor, the taste of the cremini is richer and much more earthy and nutty. That flavor intensifies as the cremini matures. The flesh of the cremini and portobello is dense and almost meaty.

Choose: Select plump, solid, firm and dry mushrooms. Avoid mushrooms that are shriveled or slippery. A fresh mushroom should smell earthy.

Serve: Creminis can be used in any recipe that calls for mushrooms. Small creminis with closed caps can be cooked whole, and they will hold their shape. They can also be served stuffed and baked. Creminis can be sliced raw onto salads. Creminis go well with beef, chicken, cream, fish and seafood, game, garlic, herbs, onions, pasta, pork, rice, and wine.

Mushrooms can be cooked in a small amount of fat over a low heat. Cook them long enough that the entire flavor is released and until the liquid has evaporated. Wipe mushrooms with a damp cloth—do not rinse them unless dirt is clinging—before cooking.

Store: Mushrooms will keep for up to a week if refrigerated after being placed in a paper bag.

Nutrition: Mushrooms are rich in potassium and a good source of riboflavin.

There is no clear explanation about where the cremini got its name. Some in Italy, say it means brown. The French reference to the cremini “champignon” comes from the word for Champagne, so perhaps the reference is to a Champagne cork which is shaped like a cremini. Cremini mushrooms (also called crimini) are often referred to as baby portobellos or baby bellas.

The botanical name for the cremini and portobello mushroom is Agaricus bisporus.

Cocido

Cocido is a Spanish meat and vegetable stew that is slowly cooked and then served in three courses or vuelcos (singular vuelco) from the same pot.

There are several regional variations of cocido throughout Spain and Portugal--and in other countries where Spaniards have immigrated. While chickpeas are essential to every cocido, the combination of meats and vegetables added to this stew and the order in which they are served change with regional and seasonal influences.

In the Spanish capital of Madrid the version of this stew is called cocido madrilèno. Cocido madrilèno is considered the most traditional dish of Madrid.

The first course or vuelco of Cocido madrilèno is soup; the second course consists of chickpeas and boiled vegetables including potatoes, carrots, and cabbage or cardoons; the third course consists of pieces of beef, pork, chicken, sausages, and marrow bones. The first course is traditionally served with white wine. The second and third course is served with red wine.

Ingredients:
Ingredients for 4 people:

8 oz (250 g) chickpeas
10 oz (300 g) beef black pudding
¼ of chicken
4 oz ((100 g) streaky bacon
4 oz (100 g) black pudding (blood sausage) with onion
4 oz (100 g) spicy sausage
2 oz (50 g) cured ham end
4 marrow bones around 5 cm, long
2 lb (1 kg) of cabbage or cardoon
4 medium potatoes
2 carrots
1 onion
1 turnip
1 clove garlic
olive oil for browning
4 oz (100 g) stick noodles for the soup
Salt

Crusty bread mix: 2 eggs, 2½ oz (75g)of breadcrumbs 2 cloves of garlic, 2 tsp of finely-chopped parsley, olive oil, salt.

Preparation:

Soak the chickpeas overnight in warm water with a little salt. Next day, remove and drain them.

Place the meat, bacon, washed bones and the ham in a wide-based earthenware dish, and cover with about 4 quarts (4 liters) of water. Place the dish on a medium flame and when it comes to a boil, any fat and scum will rise to the surface. Remove the fat with a spoon for skimming and add the chickpeas.

Bring the dish to a boil again, add the carrot, onion and the turnip (cut into 1 inch/2 cm pieces). Cook on a low flame for 3 hours or more, until the chickpeas are tender.

Twenty minutes before the end, add the peeled and halved potatoes. Add salt to taste.
At the same time, cook the finely chopped cabbage or cardoon in another pot for 30 minutes. Drain and gently sauté it with the garlic.

Cook the spicy sausage and the black pudding in a separate pan so that they do not stain the broth.

To make the crusty mix: beat the eggs and mix them together with the breadcrumbs, very finely-chopped garlic, parsley and a little salt. With two spoons, form kind of squashed croquette shapes and fry them in plenty of very hot oil. It is not necessary to add flour or coat them in egg as the mix will hold without breaking. When the cocido is about to be served, add them to the broth and bring to the boil.

Presentation:

Madrid cocido is eaten in three courses or vuelcos.

First course or vuelco: the soup is served with the noodles (which have to be cooked in the broth for 5 minutes).

Second vuelco: the chickpeas in a serving dish with the vegetables--the sautéed cabbage, the carrot and the turnip. Add the onion to the broth to give it flavor, but then remove it. It is also accompanied by the mix and, in a gravy boat, peeled, chopped and fried tomato.

Third vuelco: the meat, pork, bacon and the marrow bones are served.

Cardoon

That bunch of silvery gray-green stalks that resembles a giant bunch of wide, flat celery is cardoon. Unlike celery the color of cardoon is dull not bright, and its texture is subtle not crisp.

Cardoon is available fresh and local from winter through early spring.

Cardoon has a more bitter than sweet taste that hints of artichoke, asparagus, celery, and salsify.

The cardoon is related to the artichoke. Both are edible members of the thistle family. The name cardoon comes from the Latin carduus or the later French chardon—which means thistle.

Cardoon is prepared like asparagus and celery and is served as a vegetable side dish or added to soups or stews. Cooked it is soft and meaty.

Cardoon is thought to have originated in the Mediterranean region where the Greeks and Romans considered it as an essential ingredient in a gourmet meal.

Today, cardoon continues that regional popularity in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and the countries of North Africa. In Italy, cardoon is called cardoni. In Spain, the blanched stalks or ribs of the inner leaves of cardoon are used in cocido—a meat and vegetable stew. (For more on cocido, read here tomorrow.)

Choose: Look for cardoon with smaller stalks that are firm and have a dull-silvery, gray-green color. The outer stalks of larger bunches can be woody, hard and covered with soft spikes. Avoid stalks that are wilting or browning—although the top of stalks that have had their upper leaves removed will brown slightly.

Store: Place a damp paper towel at the base of each bunch then place the bunch in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Cardoon will store for up to 2 weeks.

Serve: Cardoon is prepared much like celery or asparagus. It can be boiled, braised or baked. Remove the tough outer ribs. Cut the inner ribs to the size called for then soak them in a light lemon or lime water to prevent browning. Many recipes call for pre-cooking cardoon for 15-30 minutes in boiling water. Pre-cooking cardoon will remove the bitterness.

In Italy, young cardi is cut into strips, tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper and then baked in a moderate oven. When the cardi is baked tender, it is removed from the oven and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and served.

Raw cardoon can be chopped into salads, but taste a piece to make sure it is not bitter. If it is, pre-cook the stalks, chill then serve.

The botanical name for cardoon is Cynara cardunculus.

Grapefruit Varieties

Here’s a quick reference for grapefruit varities:

Duncan: lots of seeds, white flesh with great flavor; excellent for juicing; perhaps the oldest variety.

Flame: nearly seedless with red flesh and a slight rind blush.

Marsh (Marsh Seedless): nearly seedless, white-fleshed, medium-size with smooth yellow skin; it’s very juicy, tender and aromatic. You’ll find a balance of acidity and sweetness but somewhat less flavor than seeded varieties. This is a reliable old cultivar that’s great for juicing.

Redblush (also called Ruby Red and Ruby): seedless, pale-pink fleshed, and a yellow skin tinged with red. Red flesh fades to pink, then buff by end of season.

Rio Red: seedless, distinctly reddish skin and deep red flesh; firmer and smoother than Redblush; sweet-tart taste; excellent for juicing.

Star Ruby: seedless with the reddest flesh; clean and crisp tasting; easy-to-peel skin; smaller and less acidic than other varieties.

Grapefruit-Pummelo Hybrids

Melogold: grapefruit-pommelo hybrid developed in California; seedless with a sweet-tart flavor; bigger, heavier and thinner skinned than the Oroblanco; needs less heat than the true grapefruit.

Oroblanco: fruit is smaller, lighter and thicker skinned than Melogold; sweeter than Melogold; seedless with white flesh.

Rio Red Grapefruit

The first recorded mention of a grapefruit came in 1750 when it was found growing in Barbados—the easternmost island of the West Indies.

Yearly temperatures average 79ºF (26ºC) in Barbados. That tells you something about what it takes to grow a grapefruit—which is thought to have gotten its start as a cross between a sweet orange and a pummelo, also called pomelo.

Grapefruits grow best in places like Florida, South Texas, Southern California, Arizona, Israel, Argentina and South Africa. In climates similar to its native region, a grapefruit can ripen in as little as six months. Grown elsewhere, the grapefruit can take a year or even 18 months to ripen.

Grapefruits—which can measure anywhere from 4½-11 inches (11-17 cm) in diameter--come to market at different times of the year. If you look at a weather map, you can pretty much figure out where the grapefruit at your market is coming from by following the daily average temperatures for a week or so. In the United States, Florida and Texas grapefruits are in the market from October through June, and California and Arizona grapefruits are in the market from February through November.

The Rio Red grapefruit at your market this week probably came from South Texas somewhere along the Rio Grande River. It’s grapefruit harvest time there right now.

The Rio Red is a seedless grapefruit with a yellow to deep ruby-pink flesh and a sweet-tart flavor. It is a large and firm grapefruit with a smooth and distinctly reddish skin. The Rio Red is excellent for juicing.

Grapefruits in general are dived into natural types: there are common white or yellow-fleshed grapefruits, and there are pigmented or pale pink to ruby red grapefruits. There are also seeded and seedless grapefruits. Beyond flesh color and seeds, you can generally say that seeded grapefruits are more flavorful than seedless.

Obviously, grapefruits have a sharper flavor than oranges. The heat a grapefruit grows in has much to do with how long it takes to reach maturity and ripeness and can affect the sweet-tartness of the fruit. In hot regions, the grapefruit can mature in as few as six to seven months. Grapefruit grown in costal areas can take as long as 18 months to ripen. Costal grown grapefruit will taste more tart and have a thicker rind.

By the way, the grapefruit took its name from the French word for “clusters” which is grappes. Grapefruits grow in grapelike clusters on trees that reach to 30 feet (9 m) tall.

Choose: A grapefruit should be heavy for its size (which means more juice), quite firm, with a fine-textured, tight, shiny skin. Seeded grapefruits are said to have the best flavor and are easier to separate into segments. To the touch, a grapefruit should be springy; avoid fruits that are overly soft. The more blush of pink or red on the skin, the deeper the color of the flesh.

Store: A grapefruit will keep for up to two weeks when stored loose in the refrigerator. Don’t leave a grapefruit at room temperature for more than a day or two.

Serve: The grapefruit can be served fresh, halved or segmented as a breakfast fruit with a sprinkling of sugar. It can also be added to green salads, fruit salads or served with cheesecakes, flans or sorbets.

Grapefruits are easier to eat if the segments are first loosened with a curved grapefruit knife or serrated spoon. When segments of citrus are separated from the membranes holding them together, they are referred to by some cooks as supremes.

Grapefruit can also be grilled and served with duck, chicken, pork or shrimp.

Tip: Grapefruits are more difficult to peel than oranges. If you want to remove the white pith easily, drop the whole grapefruit in a pot of boiling water. Then remove the pot from the heat and let stand for 3 minutes. Remove the fruit and let it cool. Then peel the grapefruit, and you will see that the pith will easily come off the fruit.

The botanical name for the grapefruit is Citrus x paradisi.

Collards

If you'd like to add a little spice to a salad try a bit of fresh chopped or shredded collards. As well, cooked collards can be added to soups and stews.

Collards can be steamed, braised, and stir-fried. Combine collards with mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, or beans and puree. Steamed, collards are a good match for smoked pork.

You can find collards fresh and locally grown from mid-winter through spring, December through April in the Northern Hemisphere.

There are many ways to serve collards. Here are a few:

• Serve with hearty foods such as pork chops, fried catfish or garlicky sausage.

• Add shredded to bean soup or rice for color, texture and flavor.

• Top with grated sharp Chedder cheese and broil until melted.

• Cook until tender, chop fine, and fold in sour cream and a little nutmeg.

• Cook, drain and chop then top with crumbled bacon and a hard-boiled egg.

Collards is a type of kale with large smooth-leaves that resembles a cabbage, but unlike the tight-headed cabbage, collards forms a very loose leafy head. The thick leaves are paddle shaped with either flat or curly edges depending upon the variety. Collards grow to about 18 inches (45 cm) tall, and the leaves have thick veins and a tough, white central rib extending from a pronounced stem.

Collards has a very strong cabbagey flavor and is considered substantial enough in taste and texture to replace meat. The plant is a common kitchen vegetable in cultures as diverse as Portugal, Ethiopia, Kenya, Jamaica, Brazil and India.

The name collard, like the name kale, is said to derive from the Greek word kaulos which means stem. In the 1600s in England, the word kaulos had become ‘cole’ in reference to those plants that formed heads—which we now call kale (the Scottish name) and cabbage. Coles that did not form heads or were pulled from the garden as thinnings to make room for stronger heading plants were called colewort. Through dialect corruptions over the next few hundred years, colewort became collart and collart later became collard.

Collards in the United States are most popular in the South where they were introduced into culinary use by African slaves brought there before the American Civil War. Collards—which are hardy to 5°F (-15°C)--were an important food in the months from January to April when there was no cabbage harvest.

Choose: Collard bunches should be firm, brightly colored with relatively small leaves that are unblemished. Avoid dried, browned, yellowed or coarse-stemmed plants.

Store: Collards will keep in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 days. Wrap them unwashed in a damp paper towel and place them in a perforated plastic bag. The longer they are stored the more bitter tasting they will be. Wash collards thoroughly just before using.

Serve: Prepare collards like you would spinach. Collards can be steamed, braised, stir-fried, sautéed or added to soups.

After washing collards thoroughly, separate each leaf from the central rib--which is unpalatable unless the plant is young and tender. Stack or bunch the leaves and then cut them into strips.

To moderate the strong flavor and fibrous texture collards, blanch them for 5 minutes or more before cooking depending upon the toughness of the green.

Flavor partners: Collards have a flavor affinity for aged grating cheese, bacon, corn, cornbread, curry, garlic, ham, hot sauce, lemon, onion, salt, pork, smoked turkey, and vinegar.

Season collards with salt, pepper, onion, garlic, basil, dill, mace, nutmeg, allspice, mustard, parsley, sage, rosemary, or thyme.

Nutrition: Collards contain about 30 calories per cup cooked and are an excellent source of folic acid and vitamin A, and contain quantities of potassium, calcium, iron and zinc.

The botanical name for collards is Brassica oleracea var. acephala (acephala means without head).

The Farm Market In Early January

How is your winter?

Here in the Sonoma Valley the thermometer reached 70ºF (21ºC) one afternoon last week. But it also dipped to below freezing the other night.

Everywhere you turn winter is odd this year. In Colorado, the third major snow storm in little more than three weeks came this week while in New York State the temperatures were so mild--71ºF in Albany and 72ºF in New York City's Central Park on Saturday--that some farmers worried that the strawberries might bloom—and the fruit set would not be far behind. In Washington, D.C., the cherry tree buds were on the verge of breaking loose.

In much of England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, the temperatures were much the same this past week—hovering in the mid 10°s C (50ºs F) during the day and usually failing to hit the freezing mark at night.

Around here, vineyard workers began pruning the grapes this week. This is the start of the grape pruning period leading up to spring. They are cutting back last summer’s growth on older vines to one, two or three buds, according to the strength of the canes—the thicker the canes, the more buds to be kept. These buds will develop into stems that will bear fruit this next summer—the first day of which is 22 weeks away.

Many farm markets have not missed a scheduled day this winter. Here is a list of what you will find at the farm market in Sonoma this week. Many of these crops will be available at your farm market as well.

First of season: Grapefruit, oranges, lemons, kiwi, red cabbage, scarlet turnips, winter broccoli.

Sun-Dried Tomato Butter

Here is a tasty spread that can come together in any season. Match this with a saucer of extra virgin olive oil and warm sourdough bread.

Sun-Dried Tomatoes Appetizer

This appetizer will work with wheat crackers or slices of baguette.

Kiwis, Oranges and Pomegranate Serving

3 large navel oranges, rind and pith removed

1-2 tablespoons sugar

About ½ teaspoon orange-flower water

3 large kiwis, peeled

1 large pomegranate

Halve the oranges lengthwise then cut across to create thin half-rounds.

Arrange orange half rounds in a straight-sided bowl.

Sprinkle with half the sugar and half the orange-flower water.

Halve the kiwis lengthwise; cut across into half rounds.

Arrange the kiwi half round over the oranges.

Sprinkle with the remaining sugar and orange-flower water.

Tip the dish and baste the fruit with juices.

Chill.

Cut the pomegranate at the blossom end.

Lightly score the skin in quarters; break the fruit into quarters.

Bend back the rind and pull out the whole seeds.

Sprinkle the seeds over the chilled fruit.

4-6 servings

Kiwi Fruit

The flavor of a kiwi fruit is all kiwi fruit: sweet-tart with hints of citrus, strawberry, pineapple, and melon. You have probably tasted nothing like the kiwi fruit. Its flavor is unique.

The kiwi fruit is a berry. It grows on a climbing, creeping plant that resembles a vine. The fruit is about 3 inches (7.5 cm) long with a thin, bristly, brownish-fuzzed skin and weighs between 2 and 4 ounces (48-112 grams) . The kiwi’s flesh is emerald-green to chartreuse colored: sweet, juicy and will taste slightly acidic i you bite into the small poppy-like edible black seeds that radiate like a halo from the yellowish core.

This plant originated in China where it was prized. The ruling khans of southern China called the kiwi yang tao. When the British arrived in China in the early 19^th century, they renamed this fruit the “Chinese gooseberry”—even though it is no relation to a gooseberry.

The yang tao gradually made its way around the world. It was introduced into New Zealand in 1906 and became a major commercial crop there in the 1960s. In New Zealand, the yang tao got dubbed the “kiwi”—a nickname for the native flightless bird apteryx which at a distance appears brown and fuzzy.

Today kiwi fruit is a major crop in New Zealand and California. The California crop is available from October through May and the New Zealand crop from June to October.

Kiwi fruit is also grown in Spain, Italy, Greece, Israel, South Africa, India, China, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and France—where it is called souris végétale which mean vegetable mouse.

Choosing: Select kiwis that give slightly to your squeeze. The flesh should be soft but not very soft. A very soft kiwi can be mealy and mushy and will lack flavor.

Storage: A ripe kiwi can be kept in the refrigerator for several days. If you choose a kiwi that is close to ripe and refrigerate it immediately, it can keep for many months. When you are ready to use it, set it out at room temperature for a couple of days until it yields to slight pressure and has finished ripening.

Serving: Kiwi fruit is a great breakfast fruit. Halve the kiwi crosswise and simply scoop it out and eat it chilled and fresh with a small spoon. A peeled kiwi can be served halved or quartered as an edible garnish. (Peel a kiwi with a paring knife.) Add raw kiwi to fresh fruit compotes and salads or serve it with avocado, radicchio, endive just as you would oranges.

Dried Early Girl Tomatoes

Was it just six months ago that the first Early Girl tomatoes were coming off the vine?

If you like tasting tomatoes, you love the Early Girl. In one survey after another, the Early Girl scores high points for flavor. When you taste a vine-ripened Early Girl, the words “sweet” and “rich” will not be far behind.

Even though it will be another six months before you see the first fresh Early Girls coming to market, that doesn’t mean you have to wait a half a year for that Early Girl flavor. Dried Early Girls—and many other dried tomato varieties, as well—will be at the farm market this week.

Dried tomatoes are fresh, ripe tomatoes that have been placed in the sun, in an oven, or a food dryer to dry out the water content. A dried tomato has every bit of the nutritional content—high in Lycopene, antioxidants, and vitamin C--of a fresh tomato, and the taste.

The idea of drying tomatoes came from Italy where the process was used to store tomatoes into the winter. Tomatoes were placed on tile roofs and sun dried in the heat of the summer. Today, some tomatoes are still sun dried—usually on large outdoor racks; most are dried in convection ovens or large food dryers.

Not all tomatoes are perfect for drying. The best tomatoes for drying have thick, meaty flesh and low water content. Beefsteak tomatoes are not a good choice for drying; they are fat, juicy and full of seeds. The Early Girl is a smaller, fleshy tomato with as few as 24 seeds plus the great flavor.

Tomatoes for drying are usually split lengthwise or quartered, the seeds are removed—though as much as possible of the pulp in the center is left. They are sometimes sprinkled with salt or herbs—but not always--then placed on racks or in a dryer and dried. It will take two to three days for tomatoes drying under a hot summer sun to become completely dry. Twenty pounds of fresh, ripe tomatoes will dry down to about one pound of dried tomatoes.

Before just picked tomatoes were shipped around the world on a daily basis, dried-tomatoes in winter were considered a kitchen staple. For the past several decades, dried tomatoes have somehow become associated with gourmet meal preparation. But the tastelessness of tomatoes shipped thousands of miles to be sold in places where fresh tomatoes are out of season has brought back the demand—and the common use—of dried tomatoes in winter. (Isn’t it weird--and almost perverse--how old-fashioned foods were made gourmet?)

Dried tomatoes can be served in any dish where you would serve fresh, local tomatoes. If you are not sure, pick up some dried Early Girl tomatoes this week and throw them on a tossed green salad.

Check here on Friday for more dried-tomato serving ideas.

Many Moons In The Sonoma Valley

It would be difficult for you to walk the length of this valley in one night. It stretches nearly 17 miles from a place where the Sonoma Creek begins in a narrow canyon of the Mayacamas Mountains and follows that creek to the San Pablo Bay—a shallow tidal estuary that forms an extension of the San Francisco Bay.

If you were to set out on a walk of the length of this valley tonight, you would understand why the first people who lived here called this place Sonoma—which means “many moons” or “valley of the moon.” This is a narrow valley—only a few miles across at most points—and the Mayacamas Mountains tower on one side and the Sonoma Mountains jut up on the other. When the moon is full—like tonight—it disappears and reappears behind the mountain tops as you go. It’s as though there are many moons here.

Millions and millions of years ago, this place lay beneath the ocean. But the earth moves here—now just like then, and this place rose up. You will still see the remnants of ancient volcanoes and volcanic eruptions as you travel this valley.

Today, after the mellowing work of nature over millions of years, the ancient sea bed and volcanic landscape have been transformed into cragged peaks that almost immediately soften into places of riparian woodland, oak woodland, oak savanna, grassland, and marshland. There are areas up the sides of this valley where oak trees are underplayed with bunch grass of prehistoric origins. There are places in the Valley of the Moon that have never been disturbed by anything other than the rising of the sun and the setting of the moons.

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January 2007 Monthly Archive

Harvest to Table's New Encyclopedia: The Kitchen Garden Grower's Guide

A practical vegetable and herb garden encyclopedia

Harvest to Table's New Encyclopedia:
The Kitchen Garden Grower's Guide