Posted by Leah Greenstein, June 9, 2008 at 4:00 PM
Blackberry sorbet made with blackberries from Burkart Organics.
For a former New Yorker there's a lot to get used to about Southern California life. For the first eight years I lived here I felt like a winter kale wilting in the summer sun. It took leaving and moving all over the country before I figured out that there's something truly special about Southern California. Rest assured it's not Lindsay Lohan.
While to most people California is a postcard of beaches and palms trees, much of the Golden State is actually farmland, a fact that is reflected by the more than 50 certified farmers' markets in Los Angeles County alone. Perhaps the most famous of these markets is the one held on Wednesdays in downtown Santa Monica, where you can spot the city's top chefs picking through dandelion greens and squash blossoms.
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Posted by Erin Zimmer, April 1, 2008 at 11:00 AM
Photograph from P_R_ on Flickr
Cherry blossoms and cherry fruit trees may come from different plantae families but that doesn't stop D.C.-area chefs from rolling out cherry-themed menus this time of year. With Cherry Blossom Festival kicking off last weekend, restaurants have been acting like it's peak cherry season, even if that's not until July. Not a drupe hater or anything, but should we challenge the chefs for this cherry misunderstanding? The blossoms have petals, not fruit, and are grown for decorative purposes, not for eating. Even if the custom is silly, here are some of the most interesting cherry dishes around Washington D.C. right now.
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Posted by Ed Levine, July 30, 2007 at 7:32 AM
In my heart I would like to be a locavore purist, eating food grown or raised within a 500-mile radius of my house. When I read about Broadway East, a restaurant opening this fall in New York City that is going to serve three locavore squares a day, I applauded. I believe in local food, slow food, and every other kind of "food" movement that supports local farmers and sustainable agriculture. I pledge allegiance to Alice Waters every day. But what's a localist to do when the cherries taste better from Washington, 3,000 miles away from where this local yokel calls home?
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Posted by Ed Levine, July 19, 2007 at 7:23 AM
Yesterday, a box of Batch's Best Family Farms Bing cherries arrived at Serious Eats world headquarters via Chefshop. Because these cherries are picked and air-shipped the same day, they cost a lot more than the cherries we get at our local supermarkets. But much like the Gold Bud peaches I have written about, these cherries are worth every penny.
They are firm, juicy, and sweet, with just enough acidity to let you know you are eating a perfect cherry. These cherries make me very happy, and I think they will make you very happy, too.
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Posted by Ed Levine, June 15, 2007 at 10:00 AM
There are Georgia peaches (good), Texas peaches (good) Colorado peaches (very good), and even New York and New Jersey peaches (stellar every so often). But the best peaches, nectarines, plums, and cherries are from California and Washington. I know this may be disappointing to all of you Texas and Georgia natives, but it is the truth. I can prove it to you if you order peaches for your dad from Gold Bud Farms in Placerville, California. They won't be ready until July, but your dad will find it's worth the wait. These are the peaches of your dreams; drippingly juicy with the perfect balance of sweetness and acidity.
If it's juicy, sweet, bursting-with-flavor cherries you're after, the folks at Chef Shop ship Batchs Best Orchards' Bing and Lapin cherries starting in July. These cherries, just like the Gold Bud peaches, are expensive but worth every penny and the wait.
Posted by Ed Levine, June 19, 2006 at 5:56 AM
Pableaux Johnson wrote rapturously about cherries and other fruit in the Hood River Valley in Oregon, and though I've never been there, his story had me thinking about a roadtrip.
The folks at Chefshop have been sending me many reminders about the fantastic cherries they will start shipping from Batch Family Farm in eastern Washington. I know you can get cherries at your local market starting right about now, but the Batch cherries are something special. I've had the Lapins, which are juicy and huge, with a deep cherry flavor. This year Chefshop is also selling BFF Sweetheart cherries, which are a new strain of sweet cherries first grown in British Columbia. These are picked right after the Lapins, in mid to late July.
These cherries are expensive (about 17 bucks a pound with shipping), but worth every penny.
Meg Hourihan wrote a lovely, lyrical post about successfully creating a dish without using a cookbook that any self-taught cook (like me) can relate to.
