Fresh Produce

It’s fig season again in Northern California!  These luscious, versatile fruits are starting to appear in the local farmers markets.

There are many varieties of figs out there, but only a few are common in California.   One of my favorites is the mission fig, which is deep purple in color and very sweet.  This fig has two seasons - one in July for about two weeks and the other in the September-October timeframe. 

Here is one of my favorite fig recipes using black mission figs - Roasted Figs with Goat Cheese and Serrano Ham. 

Apricots are starting to appear in the farmers markets in Northern California.  Fresh apricots are really healthy for you, as they contain high amounts of beta carotein, the plant form of Vitamin A.  Apricots are also high in anti-oxidents and fiber and low in calories,  making them an excellent snack.

Apriums are now in the markets, too.  I had no idea until a couple of years ago that an aprium actually existed, although it was invented in the late 80’s.  Apriums are complex hybrids made from crossing apricots and plums.  They look like an apricot on the outside and have a nicely sweet balance of apricot and plum flavors.  They are generally only available in California markets in the June timeframe.

Try slicing fresh apricots or apriums over the top of low-fat Greek-style yogurt.  Drizzle with a little honey to finish.  Delicious!

I am a big fan of winter squashes - especially butternut, acorn and kabocha varieties.  These squashes are hard-shelled and keep for several weeks after being harvested. 

A butternut squash is elongated with pale skin.  The flesh is a bright orange color and is very sweet.  You can wash off a butternut squash, cut it down the middle, scoop out the seeds, rub all sides with olive oil,  drizzle the squash with  maple syrup and bake it cut side up in a 425 degree F oven for about 40 minutes.   Either scoop out the flesh or serve it in the skin. 

An acorn squash is shaped like a large acorn or hazelnut.  It has dark green skin and pale orange flesh.  This squash, too, can be washed, cut down the middle, de-seeded, rubbed with olive oil, filled with butter and honey, sprinkled with cinnamon and baked at 425 degrees F for about 40 minutes. 

Kabocha squash is a Japanese variety that is green and dimpled on the outside.  The flesh is orange and sweet.  This variety can be baked, too, or used in soups and risottos. 

All of these varieties of winter squashes lend themselves well to roasting. 

Quince is a fruit that looks similar to a pear but is normally larger and has a fuzzy coating on the outside.  It is native to southwest Asia, but is also found in central and southern Europe and in America.  Unless softened by frost, most quince is too hard, astringent and bitter to eat raw.  However, it is excellent when cooked into jams or pastes.  In Spain, they eat quince paste with manchego cheese. 

Check out my recipe for Pan-Roasted Duck Breast with Quince.  In this recipe, we cook the quince in sweet wine to take away the bitterness and astringency.