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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2012 13:32:53 GMT
Peaches, apricots, nectarines are in season.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2012 3:58:24 GMT
Despite Hurricane Issac's rough turn on some, the citrus crop here has been very successful thus far, and promises to remain so. I have lemons and limes, blood oranges, we'll see if the opossum get to them before they turn red....
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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2013 17:55:38 GMT
Today's farmer's market featured local strawberries, brussel sprouts and other brassicas, umpteen greens, kale, chard, collards, beets... I got some of each.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2013 11:18:02 GMT
The loquats are incredible this year!! I have to make Bixa's chutney soon, soon!!!
Fava beans just came in as well.
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 11, 2013 15:17:38 GMT
Make lots ~~ you'll love it!
Yum, fresh favas! They seem to be available here almost all year round. However, in common with some other vegetables, they're not picked early enough so are sometimes too tough.
Strawberries are still in evidence here & all of the different mango varieties. I feel out of the loop, seasonal produce-wise. I really need to go to the Abastos (the big mkt) to see what's abundant right now.
I have gone to the weekend organic market. The guy there who has fennel & chard (not common here), along with more "known" greens sells something really interesting. He says each picking of broccoli means that the subsequent growth will be smaller & more likely to bolt. But that also means that instead of broccoli with the stalks of giant redwoods, such as is all too common here, he sells delicate little bunches that are very leafy & with small flower heads already opening. It's a nice & pretty change from regular broccoli.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2013 21:00:23 GMT
I have made the loquat chutney before Bixa and it was a big hit.Thank you. Our strawberries are ending their season here and the ones I got at the Farmer's market this week were some of the best I ever had. The ones that I got in February were not nearly as sweet nor juicy. I make the same mistake every year and but them as soon as I see them and am always sorely disappointed.
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Post by Don Cuevas on Apr 12, 2013 9:25:48 GMT
Mameyes are in season, although I don't think they are grown here in the cooler Michoacán highlands. There's a truck alongside the highway at Tzurumutaro, near Pátzcuaro, selling mameyes, 2 kilos for $20 pesos. We were stopped to buy water next door but decided to wait on getting any mameyes. Not my photo.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2013 11:29:55 GMT
Oh, please tell me more about these Don C. I've never heard of them I wonder if they would grow here. They do seem to slightly resemble a papaya.
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 12, 2013 14:27:10 GMT
Wow, that's a fabulous price! I'm trying to get myself out the door to go to the abastos, & the prospect of finding a similar deal is an incentive.
Wonder if those are its leaves shown in the pic. I've never seen it growing.
Somewhere on the forum DonC & I waxed eloquent about mameyes, trying to get HW to try them.
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Post by bjd on Apr 12, 2013 19:02:35 GMT
It's that bad time of year here -- the winter stuff is finishing or not good any more and the summer stuff hasn't started, so the few new veggies like asparagus are really expensive, as are tomatoes imported from Spain or Morocco.
There are strawberries but expensive and not that tasty because they are from greenhouses.
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Post by Don Cuevas on Apr 13, 2013 1:26:34 GMT
Oh, please tell me more about these Don C. I've never heard of them I wonder if they would grow here. They do seem to slightly resemble a papaya. I don't eat these regularly, as they are too rich and sweet, almost cloying when ripe. The first ones we ever had were years ago, from the mercado in San Cristóbal de Las Casas. When we tasted it, in its full ripeness, it was like eating a mixture of soft, cooked sweet potato, a bit like cooked pumpkin, but with a subtle almost spicy undertone and honey sweetness. They taste quite unlike a papaya. We took them back to the guest house, where with the approval of the owner, made a pumpkin like pie from the pulp. I may have to go out tomorrow and get some, if the truck is still there.
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 13, 2013 3:44:02 GMT
That is a perfect description, DonCuevas.
Casimira, remember where that Cuban ice cream place used to be -- somewhere over by the original Cooter's? They had mamey ice cream. If there is still anyplace with Cuban ice creams, you can maybe get an idea that way.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2013 11:09:43 GMT
Thanks Don C. I will keep my eyes peeled for them. Bixa, I have absolutely no recall of a Cuban ice cream place here. Not a clue.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 10, 2013 15:38:25 GMT
I've been eating the heck out of these ~~ It's a guanábana, an absolutely ambrosial fruit with a taste and texture like nothing else. I suppose the texture would have to be described as cottony, creamy, and very moist, although that doesn't sound that nice. Truly, it's lovely. The taste is sweet, yet not insipid, and how you'd make fruit taste if you were a god & could invent your own fruit. It does have big, hard black seeds well encased in the flesh. just to remind us we're not really in paradise. Its unfortunate English name is soursop: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SoursopI have lucked out in finding a fruit stand in my local market with knowledgeable and kind vendors. I let them pick out for me, & everything they choose is perfect. Saturday's haul was pineapple, guanábana, watermelon, cantaloupe, and plums. So far I've only had some of the watermelon, the guanábana, & the plums -- all so good that I can hardly wait to try the other two things. One really great benefit here is that you don't have to buy all of something. You can get slices or halves of any of the larger fruits.
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Post by tod2 on Jun 10, 2013 16:05:20 GMT
Bixa- How about some seeds?? Possible? I would love to grow a tree - if not mature in my lifetime, perhaps my grandchildren will appreciate the fruit
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2013 16:40:46 GMT
Absolutely nothing is in season right now because the weird weather disrupted all of the growing cycles. Things like strawberries and cherries are for sale, tasteless and overpriced, which this should be the perfect time for them.
I did see on the news that there is a grand total of one vegetable that has loved the wet weather -- peas. Everything else is either rotting or just growing big leaves rather than the vegetable that is supposed to be growing.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2013 16:43:12 GMT
Its unfortunate English name is soursop. I thought I recognized it -- it is very common in Southeast Asia. It kind of appears to be kin to the dragonfruit.
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Post by fumobici on Jun 11, 2013 2:26:24 GMT
Absolutely nothing is in season right now because the weird weather disrupted all of the growing cycles. Things like strawberries and cherries are for sale, tasteless and overpriced, which this should be the perfect time for them. I did see on the news that there is a grand total of one vegetable that has loved the wet weather -- peas. Everything else is either rotting or just growing big leaves rather than the vegetable that is supposed to be growing. My father in Tuscany says they're in a similar situation even there the fields are too wet for planting and some crops simply won't be grown at all this year because of it.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 11, 2013 3:34:25 GMT
Bixa- How about some seeds?? Possible? Oh gosh, oh golly. You mean I have to eat another one?! Okay. For you, Tod, I'll make the sacrifice. Incidentally, unless you're planning on checking out early, there are reports of the guanábana fruiting as soon as two years after planting from seed. It kind of appears to be kin to the dragonfruit. Well, maybe in the exoticism of their outer appearance. They are very different from one another.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 13, 2013 22:19:44 GMT
Guess who just scored some of the first wild mushrooms of the season? *smirk*
They're like little light orange colored, slightly inverted umbrellas. Can't wait until suppertime!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2013 23:13:17 GMT
My cantaloupe is starting to smell perfect in my kitchen. I'll eat it tomorrow. Unfortunately, it had to come all the way from Morocco.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 14, 2013 1:19:07 GMT
Mine has pets. Even though it's very fresh & perky, the fruit flies are going crazy.
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Post by rikita on Jun 17, 2013 13:36:16 GMT
i had some very nice radishes from my balcony recently. unfortunately just a few. the rest of them are either kind of hollow inside or didn't form bulbs...
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Post by Deleted on Jun 27, 2013 19:44:16 GMT
I bought some tasteless strawberries the other day, and I have been told by others that the cherries are just as bad. So I think I may be skipping those fruits this year, which is a tragedy.
I'll be in the south of France soon, where I have a bit of hope for the apricots, peaches and cantaloupes, but I know that there are no guarantees this year in Europe.
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Post by htmb on Jun 27, 2013 19:51:39 GMT
I've had some really wonderful strawberries at home this year, but the ones I bought in Cambridge had no flavor.
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Post by rikita on Jun 28, 2013 15:33:08 GMT
i had good ones recently...
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 29, 2013 19:01:51 GMT
It's the rainy season here, so all kinds of wild fungi are in season. For supper last night I cooked huitlacoche along with a few button mushrooms. The huitlacoche was utterly delicious and the button mushrooms added perfect texture to the dish. Today I got small hyper-fresh chanterelles, cooked them & put them on memelas with cheese, green onion, habanero, & chepiche.
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Post by htmb on Jul 1, 2013 18:39:31 GMT
I used to live near a farm that also included a road stand where the farmer's wife and daughter in-law sold fresh produce. I would stop by there several days a week on the way home during the season.
My daughter made a run out to buy produce today since the farmer closes up the stand after the July 4th holiday and the whole family goes on vacation. My wonderful daughter brought me a bushell of shelled white acre peas, some lima beans, sweet corn and blueberries. All just recently picked. I blanched and froze a lot of the peas, but enjoyed a delicious bowl of peas and rice with a little olive oil drizzled over the top for lunch. For me, it's even better than eating ice cream.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jul 2, 2013 20:20:01 GMT
Mangoes out the kazoo here. There is a tree planted right on the property line with a branch hanging over my roof. I have to gather the mangoes to make sure they don't clog the drain on the roof, but there are far too many for me to eat. They're intensely sweet, but have a very big seed.
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Post by Don Cuevas on Jul 2, 2013 20:50:03 GMT
Mango chutney? I have a pretty good recipe for mango-tamarind chutney.
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