****In a tiny bit of housekeeping, I'm hosting and co-hosting a few events next week that you might be interested in—information below!
On Tuesday, September 24th, Bethany Harris and I will be co-hosting a workshop with the LA Food Policy Council– take a look HERE.
And then on Thurs, September 26th (big week, I know!!) I'll be teaching a fun fruit and cocktail hour class/chat at The Social Club in Downtown LA. More information HERE
The seasons are shifting. There's no denying it. Fall is lingering just around the corner, but summer hasn't given up its grip yet, and no one is in a sweater yet. The first of the winter squash cozying up to the last of the tomatoes like freshman college roommates who tolerate each other at best. And the colors! Everything holds an incredible vibrancy like it's electric– making it just that more surreal to examine. I love this confusing time of year. Here's what I bought Wednesday and what you should absolutely buy too, because you are, like me, a discerning human with impeccable taste and an absurd attachment to seasonal produce.
**Please note that while this fruit is perfectly laying oh so casually in this crate–the point to take away is that it is all in a crate or a box or anything flat so that the produce doesn’t smush each other. I love a tote bag just as much as the next person. However, they are just aren't made for produce.
(Munak) Tomatoes
Farmers spend the summer watering their tomato plants, encouraging them to grow big and produce as much fruit as possible. But the truth is, after that initial growth, tomatoes—and I mean the tomatoes themselves—don't actually love a lot of water. What they benefit most from is a good struggle, which leads to a better-tasting fruit (and sometimes vegetable). Tomatoes grown late season with less water may be smaller and have thicker skin, but their flavor becomes more concentrated. In some ways it’s like dry farming. I would like to specifically call out the blush tomatoes located at the bottom of the crate. Their intense flavor is reinforced this time of year when the water is turned off … and so they might just be the greatest tomato ever produced.
Asian Pears
This is an incredibly underrated fruit. It is crunchy and juicy and snappy and poppy. I really can't explain why the Asian pear isn't a household name, but I guess we can be that change! It smells like a pear, but the texture is more like an apple—crisp, firm, and round. Keeping them in the fridge is essential because, WOW, they're so refreshing when chilled. Look for ones with a deep tan color and lots of spotting. And always pick firm ones—the crisp crunch snap is everything.
Apples
There is this false notion that apples are for fall and winter only. But it's really not the case. Apples actually begin in the late summer and are mostly from cold storage in the fall and on. So the ones you can get now are crisper, and much more interesting overall. Apples are a personal favorite, so there will be a much deeper dive into this topic VERY soon. However, I really want to make a point to beg you to try different and weird and old- time varieties. I wasn't really an apple lover until I started to experiment with the heritage kinds that don’t store well - Cox New Pippins and the russeted Ashmead’s Kernels of the world….
Green Onions (but thick, juicy ones)
This seems ordinary, but staples are essential. Like a perfect pair of blue jeans, it's vital that all the details are really correct. Green onions (scallions) should be erect and stand firm, almost unnervingly so. If you're super lucky, the tips will be all green. They should be juicy but not wet; there are few things produce-wise that eek me out like slimy alliums.
Japanese eggplant
Hands down my favorite variety. The skin is thin, so it never gets chewy, and it holds its moisture beautifully, showing its graceful silkiness when cut. The flesh is creamy when cooked and doesn't have many seeds, which I prefer. (Many other eggplant varieties, especially some of the "cool" heirloom types, can be overloaded with seeds.) It's so simple to prepare - cut into a large cube dice, toss it into a hot cast iron skillet with plenty of oil, and keep adding a bit of oil as the eggplant soaks it up. The eggplant will tell you when it wants more if you listen closely - it sounds dry when it should be sizzling. Toss it in a bowl with soy sauce, a hit of fish sauce, a pinch of brown sugar, a casual spoonful of fermented chili sauce, sliced green onions, and a generous squeeze of lime. I’m salivating and on a roll now, so anyway look for ones that are firm and the deeper the purple, the better.
Dates (fresh and gooey)
Pictured here are the fresh Bahri dates alongside their ripened selves. I wrote about these last week HERE.
Fresh ginger
Not only do you get the root itself, but also the large green stalks that grow from the top. Fresh, young ginger is starting to appear at the market for fall. When picking ginger, I always suggest looking for the biggest clusters of the tubers—you'll get the most bang for your buck. The fresh version is much juicier, sweeter, and less pungent than the cured ginger we're used to seeing at the grocery store– which is great for anyone who usually finds ginger too strong. As for the green stalks, you can use them in soup in place of regular ginger, broth (we make ramen broth with stalks and then freeze it in jars), or a ginger + lemon + honey tea.
Peppers
Peppers deserve a much bigger conversation in the future, but for now, here's what you need to know—they're actually more of a late-season crop. While you start seeing them in summer, peppers take quite a while to fully ripen and develop their best flavor. So, I really think of them as a late-summer, early-fall crop. This is the season to pickle them or make hot sauce. There are hundreds of different types—some great for sautéing, some perfect for pickling, others ideal for eating fresh. Some are vegetal and other are fruity, some look like bull horns and others look like tiny hats. No matter what, always look for firm peppers. You want them to feel crisp, not soft or wet, which usually means they were picked a while ago.
Corn
This is the year's last ears (of corn)! Please read here! to get the fullest scoop on these buddies.
Passion Fruit
You'll often find passionfruit growing along gates in alleys and streets in Southern California. The robust vines produce an abundance of fruit. The most common variety here is the purple one, which is tart, sweet, and floral! When picking passionfruit, you want it to feel heavy for its size—a sign it's packed with seeds. And if it's a little wrinkled, even better! While it might not look as pretty, the wrinkles mean it's riper, and more of the sourness has turned into sweetness. To eat it, you can cut it open with a knife then use a spoon. Or if you're like me, crush it with your hands like the Hulk and dig in. The seeds are surrounded by a jelly-like membrane with a bit of crunch. Plus, kids love it too! One more fun thing I recently learned: the skin of the passionfruit can be used to make a beautiful natural dye, resulting in a light pink color.
Honeynut squash: If you like butternut squash but find it too big and cumbersome, then the honey nut squash is for you!! This super-sweet mini version was bred by the Row 7 team to be smaller, tastier, and much sweeter. The flesh is smooth, tender, and free of the stringiness found in larger squashes. You don't need to peel the skin because it is super thin and edible. When roasted, it takes on a caramel, malty flavor. When choosing a few at the market, note that when they’re fully developed, honeynuts are a deep orange, so avoid any with green patches. Look for a still attached stem and firm squash without soft spots. They store well for a few months in a cool, dark place, but you should eat them once they start to wrinkle - a sign that they are starting to dry out
Well, that was very fun! Should we play the "What's in my cart" photo game?? Send me your #flatlay (I learned this is the name for this) crate photos, and we can chat!!
XOXO,
Sam Loves The Market