Spring produce is beginning, slowly and then suddenly.  Here’s the outlook:

Now: Equinox Mesclun, Knoll Farms Stinging Nettles and Green Garlic, Brokaw Passion Fruit, Champagne Mangoes, Richter Rhubarb, Muscat Grapes, Greengage Plums

Limited Special: Pink Pineapples!  These have beautiful pink flesh throughout and are quite sweet and delicious.  More perfume than a typical pineapple.

By the weekend: Fresh Green Garbanzos, Fresh English Peas, and Fava Beans

NOT YET:  Knoll Farm Artichokes in about a week.  Sometime in the next two weeks, we expect to see Greg Paul (Stockton) Asparagus, and Wild Ramps.  The outlook on Morels is poor- early-season morels come from China, and even if there were pickers available, they couldn’t be flown in.

Notes // 86: fresh red currants

First of the Season
Brokaw Passion Fruit
Champagne Mangoes
Pink Pineapples (limited)
Knoll Farm Stinging Nettles

Rising C Ranch- Reedly, CA
Page Mandarins
Blood Pumellos
Cara Cara Pink Navels
Meyer Lemons
Moro Blood Oranges
Seville Sour Oranges
Fresh Bergamot
Oroblancos

Equinox Farms- Sheffield, MA
Mixed Baby Mesclun

Knoll Farms- Brentwood, CA
Green Garlic
Stinging Nettles
Cardoons
Wild Rapini

Harmony Meadows Farm- Smyrna Mills, ME
Fingerling Potatoes

Frith Farm- Scarborough, ME
Black Radishes

The Buckle Farm- Unity, ME
Watermelon Radishes

Red Fire Farm- Montague, MA
Green Kohlrabi
Purple Kohlrabi

Queen’s Greens- Amherst, MA
Green Daikon
Purple Daikon (ltd)

Two Farmers Farm- Scarborough, ME
Organic Rainbow Carrots
Organic Purple Dragon Carrots

Fishbowl Farm- Bowdoinham, ME
Organic Yellow Kimbe Carrots

Now in Season

Artisan Red Gem & Little Gem Lettuce
Artisan Mixed Baby Head Lettuce

Cut Baby Watercress
Firecracker Red Mizuna

Kyoto Carrots
Oregon Black Trumpet Mushrooms
Oregon Hedgehog Mushrooms
Trumpet Royale Mushrooms
Chef’s Mix Mushrooms

Spigarello Kale
Romanesco Cauliflower
Fioretti Cauliflower
Baby Brussels Sprouts
Shanghai Baby Bok Choi

Champagne Mangoes
Muscat Grapes
Greengage Plums
Richter Rhubarb
Kumquats

A shipment arrived containing some of the most incredible chicories we’ve ever seen come through our warehouse.  Pictured above are the mixed heirloom chicories, baby size.  We also have Rosa di Gorizia, pictured below, variegated Castelfranco radicchio, and pink Radicchio del Veneto.

Who says late winter has to be all root vegetables?  The crisp chicories above are a natural pair with the heirloom citrus that’s at its peak right now.  Blood Pumellos, new to us this year, are everything you want in a grapefruit but can’t get, like a perfect acid-to-sweetness ratio, and a grapefruit-meets-tangerine peel aromatic oils.  Oroblancos, also known as melogolds, are another grapefruit cousin with white-gold flesh and, as billed a mellow sweetness.

Muscat Grapes are now in, and Knoll Farm Green Garlic is arriving twice weekly.  Richter Rhubarb is now available.  The short Greengage Plum season is now here- use fresh, or lacto-ferment some for later.  Expected Saturday: Will Brokaw’s Passion Fruit!  From Will Brokaw, grower of the excellent avocados we are anticipating in about two weeks.  A first for us, can’t wait to try it.

86/season over/no mas: all winter squash

1st of the Season
Brokaw Passion Fruit
Champagne Mangos

Mixed Baby Heirloom Italian Chicories
Variegated Castelfranco Radicchio
Pink Radicchio del Veneto
Rosa di Gorizia 

Rising C Ranch- Reedly, CA
Blood Pumellos
Paige Mandarins
Meiwa Kumquats
Cara Cara Pink Navels
Meyer Lemons
Santa Theresa Lemons
Moro Blood Oranges
Seville Sour Oranges
Fresh Bergamot
Oroblancos

-Rosa di Gorizia Radicchio-

Knoll Farms- Brentwood, CA
Cardoons
Wild Rapini
Green Garlic

Weiser Family Farms- Tehachapi, CA
Purple Sprouting Broccoli

Harmony Meadows Farm- Smyrna Mills, ME
Fingerling Potatoes

Frith Farm- Scarborough, ME
Black Radishes

The Buckle Farm- Unity, ME
Watermelon Radishes

Red Fire Farm- Montague, MA
Green Kohlrabi
Purple Kohlrabi

Queen’s Greens- Amherst, MA
Green Daikon
Purple Daikon

Two Farmers Farm- Scarborough, ME
Organic Rainbow Carrots
Organic Purple Dragon Carrots
German Butterball Potatoes

Fishbowl Farm- Bowdoinham, ME
Organic Yellow Kimbe Carrots

-pink radicchio del Veneto-

Now in Season

Artisan Red Gem & Little Gem Lettuce
Artisan Mixed Baby Head Lettuce
Blue Sky Mesclun

Cut Baby Watercress
Firecracker Red Mizuna

Oregon Hedgehog Mushrooms
Oregon Black Trumpet Mushroom (Sat)
Trumpet Royale Mushrooms
Chef’s Mix Mushrooms

Green Garbanzo (limited)
Baby Garnet Yams
Crosnes
Sunchokes
Celery Root
Cippolini Onions
Parsnips
Salsify

-variegated Castelfranco radicchio-

Baby Brussels Sprouts
Purple Baby Brussels Sprouts
Romanesco Cauliflower
Fioretti Cauliflower
Shanghai Baby Bok Choi

Muscat Grapes
Richter Rhubarb
Kumquats
Fuyu Persimmons
Medjool Dates

First of the Season Crosnes have arrived.  Also known as Chinese Artichoke, Knotweed, and perhaps coolest of all, Artichoke Betony, these have the winning nuttiness of a sunchoke, textural pop like a water chestnut, and taste really good with other white winter root veg, or prepared in the style of carbonara.

Ending soon: Chantarelle mushrooms will be done soon; we will continue to have other foraged winter mushrooms such as black trumpet and hedgehog.  Heirloom apples are done, and winter squashes are winding down.  As mentioned above, County Line had a very short season this year, and as a result, the mixed chicories will be over sooner than usual.  We do have many interesting single-variety chicories; scroll down to see!

-First of the Season-
French Crosnes
Fresh Red Currants
Seville Sour Oranges
Knoll Farm Rapini

Rising C Ranch- Reedly, CA
Cara Cara Pink Navels
Meyer Lemons
Moro Blood Oranges
Seville Sour Oranges
Ripe Yuzu
Coming mid-next week: Fresh Bergamot

Knoll Farms- Brentwood, CA
Cardoons
Wild Rapini

Harmony Meadows Farm- Smyrna Mills, ME
German Butterball Potatoes

Frith Farm- Scarborough, ME
Black Radishes

The Buckle Farm- Unity, ME
Watermelon Radishes

Red Fire Farm- Montague, MA
Green Kohlrabi
Purple Kohlrabi

Queen’s Greens- Amherst, MA
Green Daikon
Purple Daikon (ltd)

Two Farmers Farm- Scarborough, ME
Organic Rainbow Carrots
Organic Purple Dragon Carrots
Fingerling Potatoes

Fishbowl Farm- Bowdoinham, ME
Organic Yellow Kimbe Carrots

Featured Chicories
Puntarelle
Endive & Red Endive
Pink Radicchio (ltd)
Castelfranco
Tardivo
Treviso
Escarole
Frisee
Radicchio

Now in Season

Artisan Red Gem & Little Gem Lettuce
Artisan Mixed Baby Head Lettuce
Blue Sky Mesclun

Cut Baby Watercress
Firecracker Red Mizuna
Micro “Purple Ice” Watercress

Oregon Hedgehog Mushrooms
Oregon Black Trumpet Mushroom
Trumpet Royale Mushrooms
Chef’s Mix Mushrooms

Delicata Squash
Row 7 Koginut Squash
Acorn Squash
Kabocha Squash
Spaghetti Squash
Butternut Squash

Native Macomber Turnips
Baby Garnet Yams
Sunchokes
Celery Root
Cippolini Onions
Parsnips
Salsify

Baby Brussels Sprouts
Purple Baby Brussels Sprouts
Romanesco Cauliflower
Fioretti Cauliflower
Shanghai Baby Bok Choi

Bosc Pears
Bartlett Pears
Seckel Pears
Asian Pears

Kumquats
Pomegranates
Fuyu Persimmons
Medjool Dates

Market Updates

We are deep into root vegetable season, with Chantenay carrots, Yellow Kimbe carrots, and Purple Dragon carrots all available.  You are probably already using the well-known Macomber turnip, truly unique to Massachusettes, but have you done anything with native Quince yet?  Now is the time to poach and preserve them, so you can enjoy them now (a puree with crispy duck?) and later (as a gelee with foie gras on the New Year’s Eve menu?) or as a dessert (poached with Heilala vanilla beans and served with spice cookie crumble and boozy rum raisin ice cream?)  You know.  Stuff like that.

Also noteable: Rising C Ranch’s winter citrus has begun: finger imes (below) now in, along with fresh green yuzu.  Coming this weekend- 1st of the season varigated pink lemons and a limited amount of Makrut limes!  More sneak peeks at new arrivals this weekend: baby purple brussels sprouts and Maine sun chokes.  Stay tuned to our instagram to see when Satsumas begin- we are waiting for the Owari, our favorite early-season variety, to be ripe ready to pick before we’ll sell them.

First of the Season

Rising C Ranch- Reedly, CA

Fresh Green Yuzu
Finger Limes
Coming Saturday: Pink Lemons & Makrut Limes

Scott Farm Orchards- Dummerston, VT

Native Quince
Baldwin Apples
Holstein Apples
Roxbury Russet Apples
Northern Spy Apples
Ananas Reinette Apples
Ribston Pippin Apples
Rhode Island Greening Apples
Dolgo Russian Crab Apples
Lady Apples
Blue Pearmain Apples
Calville Blanc d’Hiver Apples

Now in season:

Red Gem & Little Gem Lettuce
Artisan Head Lettuce
Blue Sky Mesclun Mix
Endive & Red Endive
Castelfranco Radicchio
Escarole
Frisee
Trevisano
Radicchio
Cut Baby Watercress
Shanghai Baby Bok Choi

Habanada Peppers
Romanesco Cauliflower
Fioretti Cauliflower
Black Radishes

Oregon Chantarelle Mushrooms
Oregon Black Trumpet Mushrooms
Trumpet Royale Mushrooms

Coming Saturday: Baby Purple Brussels Sprouts
Baby Brussels Sprouts

Comice Pears
Seckel PearsCape Gooseberries
Black Mission Figs
Pomegranates

Frog Hollow Farm- Brentwood, CA

 Local Produce

Scott Farm’s Heirloom Apples

Ananas Reinette – This small, yellow-skinned apple was grown in France in the 1500’s. It has a zesty, pineapple, citrus flavor and flesh that has a fine grain texture. Translated into English, this would mean the “royal pineapple.”

Calville Blanc d’Hiver – A 15th century French apple that has a vanilla-like flavor and a wonderful texture when cooked. Of all the French apples Calville Blanc is considered the best to cook with because of its resiliency. 

Blue Pearmain – A New England apple dating to the early 1800’s. Henry David Thoreau wrote in his journal about his preference for Blue Pearmain. The crisp, rich flavor makes it a good apple for fresh eating and baking.

Gravenstein – A very old apple from Italy. The combination of both tart and sweet flavors makes this a wonderful culinary apple as well as a sprightly flavored eating apple.

Rhode Island Greening – This apple was grown by Mr. Greening at his Inn and Tavern near Newport, Rhode Island. Although it is a good eating apple, it excels in baked goods. Pies made with this apple have won awards all over the world. Legend has it that this variety came from the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden.

Roxbury Russet – The oldest American apple variety, this apple has a nectar-like flavor that is similar to guava. It has a very high sugar content though you may not notice it due to the acids. Cider made from this apple is like syrup, it is so thick.

Northern Spy – The best use for this apple is for cooking, though it is admired for eating out of hand as well. Introduced in the late 1800’s it was named after James Fenimore Cooper’s novel, “The Spy,” which was very popular during this time.

Baldwin – A handsome, deep red apple originally from Massachusetts in the early 1700’s. There is a monument in Wilmington, MA where the original tree grew. This variety was the major New England apple until the 1930’s when a terrible freeze killed most of the trees. It is a hard apple, sometimes referred to as the woodpecker. It has the quintessential apple flavor and back in the day when pie was made for breakfast, it was a very hardy meal.

Cox’s Orange Pippin – The most popular of English apples, it has been awarded the highest honors by the Royal Horticultural Society. It was originally grown from seed (hence the name Pippin) in 1825 by an amateur horticulturist named Richard Cox. It has a tart, citrus flavor exquisitely tempered by a sweet pear flavor. It is excellent for eating and cooking. 

Notes courtesy of Scott Farm Orchards