A Cocktail Avocado is a delightful little gift of nature that occurs without warning as a result of genetic factors and sudden changes in climate. This small, seedless avocado shows up most often in the greenskin variety, Fuerte. Although difficult to peel, Cocktail Avocado are cute and tasty when sliced into rounds as a garnish…
These shiny scarlet berries are grown in huge, sandy bogs on low, trailing vines. Cranberries grow wild in northern Europe and in the northern climes of North America, where they are also extensively cultivated, mainly in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Washington and Oregon. Historians and culinary anthropologists still consider how cranberry sauce became a staple of the…
In 1915, Californian Everett K. DaVall developed two new Date varieties with the help of the Coachella Valley Agricultural Extension Station staff. To this day, his grandson, Everett, grows the same two Dates Empress and Honey. Both have exceptional flavor but have their own personalities. The Empress is perfect for stuffing its texture is somewhat…
Red Dragon Fruit, originally known as Pitahaya, is native to Central America, and is grown in the dryer tropic climates of Asia and the Americas. The fruit is related to the Cactus Pear, and grows on a vine-like member of the cactus family. Dragon Fruit cultivars have flesh of various colors: white, pink and the…
There are basically two commercially important varieties of Persimmons (also known as Kaki Fruit), both bright orange in color and Asian in origin. Pointy Hachiyas should be ripened until squishy-soft before eating, but flat, tomato-shaped Fuyu Persimmons can be enjoyed crisp like apples. Fuyus are the first persimmon variety to be harvested, the harbinger of…
Indigenous to China, the Loquat is a subtropical fruit that is available from California from March to June. Growers in Chile have planted Golden Nugget variety Loquat trees, and now, thanks to our neighbors in the southern hemisphere, we have Loquats in winter. The Golden Nugget Loquat is large and ovoid, with succulent, tangy-sweet, orange…
Hachiya Persimmons are quite soft, almost squishy, when completely ripe and have a smooth, creamy testure and a tangy-sweet flavor. If eaten even slightly underripe, they will pucker the mouth with an incredible astringency. Persimmons that are not quite ripe can be ripened at room temperature. Great in a multitude of baked good and other…
This dry fruit is so special, Slow Food has accepted Hoshigaki into their Ark of Taste. From the Slow Food USA website: ” Hoshigaki are persimmons that are peeled and dried whole over a period of several weeks through a combination of hanging and delicate hand-massaging, until the sugars contained in the fruit form a…
Also known as Chinese jujubes, Chinese apples or Chinese dates (anab in Arabic, zizifa in Greek, bor in India, and natsume in Japan), Jujubes have been cultivated in Northern China for more than 4,000 years and are now grown extensively in India, Asian, Southern Europe and more recently on the West Coast of the United…
Distant relatives of the lychees, Longans are small, round, undistinguished-looking fruit. The brittle light brown skin encloses translucent, juicy-soft flesh around a single large, black inedible pit. Their perfumey flavor is delicate and sweet. Longans are grown throughout Southeast Asia and China, where they are particularly popular the Chinese name means " dragon’ s eye"…
Loquats grow in clusters, are oval, rounded or pear-shaped, 1 to 2 inches long with a smooth or downy, yellow or orange, sometimes red-blushed skin. The succulent, tangy flesh is white, yellow or orange and sweet to subacid or acid. The Loquat is comparable to the apple in many aspects, with a high sugar, acid…
The Lychee is native to low elevations in Southern China. Cultivation spread over the years through neighboring areas of southeastern Asia and offshore islands. It reached Hawaii in 1873, and Florida in 1883, and was conveyed from Florida to California in 1897. Lychee must be allowed to ripen fully on the tree, and can be…
This ultra-tropical fruit is newly allowed into the United States. Revered for its unusual flavor (pineapple/guava/citrus-ish), it also has great presentation value.
These fabulous Persimmons are a Fuyu-type with an unusual dark-flecked flesh. The flavor is sweet and rich with baking spice notes. Thanks to its flavor and crisp texture, this is one of our favorite Persimmons for amenities and salads…any fresh application. The season is short so don’t miss out!
These are the very best Medjools we have found. Grown by a small farmer in California’ s Coachella Valley, these Medjools are large, rich, meaty, and super sweet with a smooth texture…everything a Medjool is supposed to be! Absolutely gorgeous amenity!
Also known as Spanish Sweet Pomegranates, the Paper Shell Pomegranate variety is named for its very thin shell. Very juicy and sweet, and seldom seen commercially, the Paper Shell Pomegranate’s arils are a lovely blush pink or white and they have lower acid than red Pomegranates so they taste even sweeter than the red varieties….
This beautiful fruit, with its smooth golden skin heavily streaked with purple, is sometimes called a ‘tree melon’. Native to Peru, the Pepino is a relative of the tomato, Potato and Eggplant family (Solanacae), but looks rather like a Melon. The pale yellow flesh is quite tart, with a flavor suggestive of Lemon, Pineapple and…
These small sized, tree ripe Fuyu Persimmons have outstanding texture, very high sugar and are perfect for amenities.
No Description
Also known as Chinese broccoli or Chinese kale, this brassica grows up to three feet high and forms strong stems, glossy, blue-green leaves, and flowers like broccoli. An everyday vegetable throughout Asia, it is cultivated mostly for these fleshy stems, the young and tender leaves and the unopened flowers. This vegetable is often compared to…
