peaches

Nothing says summertime like ripe, juicy peaches, nectarines and apricots from the North Park Thursday Farmers’ Market. Look for fresh stone fruits at Smit Orchards and R&L Farms today. Eat a peach out of hand, or toss peaches, blueberries and Suzie’s Farm strawberries with a little Meljess Bees honey and a few sprigs of mint for a refreshing summer fruit salad.

Slice peaches into a fruit punch or sangria with navel oranges and Eureka lemons from Paradise Valley Ranch. Pick up a pastured bird from Da-Le Ranch and greens from J.R. Organics and African Sisters Farm and make chicken with peach stuffing.

Try spiced, braised peaches over a scoop of bare roots vegan ice cream for a delicious dessert, or try your hand at baking this delicious peach pie. And remember to enjoy peach day of summer!

Get ready for sticky fingers and sweet tastes at the Little Italy Mercato! Peaches are in full force, find just the right ones for you at Smit Orchards and Lone Oak Ranch. Grab a handful of white peaches and puree them for a classic bellini; pick up prosecco at Filippi's or Mona Lisa in Little Italy and snag a basket of ripe rasperries from Pudwill Farms.

Take a dozen donut peaches home, you'll eat half of them on the way. With the rest, halve 'em, grill 'em, slip the skins off and rest on a plate of fresh burrata from Taste Cheese, then drizzle with honey from Mikolich Bees, crimson raisins from Smit Orchards and toss with almonds from Hopkins AG. Spoon that warm mixture over fresh burrata from Taste Cheese for a delicous, decadent brunch dish.

Make a peach trifle like this, substituting brioche from Belen Bakery for the pound cake and layering with slivered almonds from Terra Bella Ranch and raspberry jam from Jackie's Jam! Or just pick up a few yellow peaches, grab a napkin and devour as you shop the market! Peach out! 

LIFE’S A  PEACH
The season’s first white and yellow peaches from Smit Orchards and Lone Oak Ranch sweeten up the Pacific Beach Farmers’ Market this Tuesday. Fresh, juicy peaches are perfect on their own, or sliced and tossed with strawberries from Kawano Farms, blueberries from Smit Orchards and tangelos from John Gilruth.

Peaches are a grill’s best friend; if you’re firing up the barbecue tonight, start your dinner with this grilled peach and avocado salad with hass avocados from Mexico Lindo. We couldn't believe what grilling adds to peaches and avocados. Grab some early season tomatoes from JR Organics, thyme from Suzie’s, fresh goat cheese from Nicolau Farms and citrus balsamic vinaigrette from Bistro Blends for this peach and heirloom tomato salad.  For a unique and refreshing summer sipper, pick up lavander from Gilbert Quintos and honey from Mikolich for peach-lavander agua frescas.  

Have a little more experience in the kitchen? Finish dinner with a flourish by bringing home pastured eggs from Paradise Valley for this sabayon with balsamic peaches.  We’ll see you at the Pacific Peach Tuesday Farmers’ Market!

GREAT LOQUATION!

Loquats from Rancho Mexico Lindo are occupying prime real estate at the Pacific Beach Tuesday Farmers’ Market just a couple of blocks from the ocean. Look for yellow-orange fruits about the size of a small lemon with an aroma of apricot and pineapple. They’re most often enjoyed fresh just the way they come off the tree, or sliced into a salad with other fruits like navel oranges from Paradise Valley Ranch, the season's first white peaches from Lone Oak or Fuji apples from Smit Orchards.

Loquats  also make great pies and cobblers, on their own or together with other fruits, and you can find more great ways to use them here.  Loquat butter, mmmm. A native of Asia, the loquat is related to the apple but it is nicknamed the Japanese plum, probably because its flesh is similar in color and texture to a plum. They have a short life span once picked, so they’re not often available in supermarkets; pick them up fresh at the farmers’ market instead to enjoy the best loquation in the nation.

When we heard the first murmurings of the back to school ads, we were prompted to find a way to preserve the luscious bounty of the summer harvest.   What better way of preserving that summer fruit than putting our famous San Diego sunshine to work and sun-drying them! Follow these easy steps:

1. Choose which fruits you want to dry.   The obvious choices are apricots and plums from R& L, peaches and nectarines from Hillside.  But, why not get adventuresome!  Be sure to give cherries from Smit farms, strawberries from Valdivia farms and citrus peel from Paradise Valley a try.    Why not preserve the outrageously delicious yellow and red watermelons from JR organics or the meaty Stupice tomatoes from Suzie's farms. 
2. Wash and thoroughly dry the chosen fruit. Cut large fruits into narrow slices about 1/4-inch to 1/8-inch thick. Small fruits such as grape tomatoes or berries can be left whole.  For watermelon and cantaloupes you'll need to remove the seeds.  
3. Spread the sliced fruit out on a stainless steel cookie rack atop of a baking sheet and cover with cheesecloth to keep away the insects.  Let sit in full sunlight for approximately two days, taking them inside at night to prevent the fruit from absorbing the moisture from any dew.  Turn them over once each day to promote even drying.
4. The fruit is done when it is no longer sticky. Store the dried fruit in plastic bags or airtight containers and freeze it. 
5. Open it on a cold rainy January day, we bet you'll be able to taste the summer sunshine!

This summer has brought us a superabundance of stone fruit.  Mosey through the R&L farm booth and you'll be treated to at least eight different kinds of stone fruit, including white peaches, black plum, pluots and apricots.  Stop by Smit farm and you'll find Rainier and black cherries.  Savor the flavor of the fruit but don't throw away the pits.   Some of us grew up terrified that if we ate the pits they would sprout in our bellies or that we could die.  There are so many old wives' tales and myths about fruit pits that it is hard to know what to believe.

So, let's separate fact from fiction.  First, most stones, also known as pits, are edible in moderation.  Cherry, peach, apricot and nectarine stones are all edible (within moderation).  They all have a distinct almond flavor and are, in fact, related to almonds. Crack open the pit and you'll find a soft little kernel that looks, smells and tastes a lot like a tiny almond. Europeans have long prized these hidden treasures, which go by the name "noyaux" in France. The French love to leave cherries unpitted in preserves and desserts like clafouti, so the subtle almond flavor can permeate the fruit.   When distilled those kernels produce several famous liqueurs, including kirsch and amaretto.
But the kernels can also have a dark side. They contain a compound that can release cyanide in the body.  Our bodies can detoxify small amounts of that compound without a problem. But when consumed in large amounts they can make you very sick. To be safe, always roast the whole pits at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, which helps destroy the cyanide compound and make the shells brittle, so they're easier to crack. Once the kernels are roasted, you can steep them in cream to make almond-scented ice cream. You can grind them, add a little sugar and sprinkle the mixture on your fruit pies, galettes, crisps and cobblers. 

Sounds like too much work to get almond flavoring?  Stop by the Hopkins AG booth and pick up a variety of flavored, raw and roasted almonds.  No matter which you try, the flavor won't be the pits!

Enter the North Park Farmers' Market and you can't miss the unmistakable buzz of the blenders at Green Fix Smoothies as they make their delicious fruit and vegetable concoctions.  But we're also hearing the buzz of our shoppers talking about juicing at home.   Whether you use fruit or vegetables, juicing is a great way to use up the prolific summer offerings - especially the blemished ones - and get your daily dose of vitamins and minerals. 

Go green and detox like the stars by blending or juicing a mix of kale and lettuce from JR organics, a cucumber or two from Suzie's Farm and the juice of lemon from Paradise Valley Ranch.   To brighten up the flavor of any vegetable juice try adding an orange or two from Ranchito Rainbow or carrots from Kawano Farms into the mix.  For a fruit forward take try blending in pitted cherries, blueberries or peaches from Smit Orchards to your greens based drink. 

Now that should get you juiced!

It's summertime and the stone fruit is blushing, spilling onto tables, piled high everywhere you look. It's the time of year - just before the tomatoes hit - that everyone looks forward to. Eating sun warmed peaches over the sink as the juice drips down your hands and arms. Find them now at Smit Orchards and Lone Oak, along with nectarines, apricots and pluots and let the stone fruit celebration begin,

Salads of Sage Mountain’s arugula tossed with sliced yellow peaches, wisps of prosciutto and Hopkins Ag chipotle roasted almonds. Halved and grilled peaches served with a scoop of ice cream for dessert. Pureed white peaches mixed with Prosecco for bellinis.

How do you like them peaches?

UNIVERSAL TRADITIONS

The Summer solstice is celebrated all around the world. The Swedes call it Midsommer; a celebration of the summer solstice and the longest day of sunlight all year long . A traditional event that revolves mostly around friends and food, Midsommer can easily be translated into a good time anywhere.

The basic idea is to celebrate the flavors of summer and the bounty of the markets at this time of year and the North Park Farmer's Market has plenty to share. Start your own midsummer tradition and toss some of Kawano Farm's sweet white corn in a salad with some chopped dill from Suzie's Farm and tomatoes from Valdivia. Grill halved avocados from Paradise Valley Ranch and made a smokier version of guacamole. While you're at it, add some bacon from Da Le Ranch and cilantro and lime too. A fruit salad of Smit Orchard's peaches and berries from Hillside and you've got summer in San Diego fully represented.

We may not spend our winters in almost perpetual darkness and snow, but we still love a good celebration of the sun. Why not start with the Summer Solstice Social at Suzie's Farm this Saturday?

EYE SPY SOMETHING FRESH!

I spy with my little eye new crops popping up under the radar at the Little Italy Mercato.

First there were the cherries at Smit Orchards, precious, bright red and cheery. These stone fruits were the first of the season, and a sure sign of the summer crops to come. Now Hopkins AG is in on the action as their cherries are ripe and ready. Almonds and cherries, what a perfect pairing!

Kawano Farms has been bringing sweet white corn for a few weeks now and the ears just keep getting better. Picture grilling season in full swing with smoky and slightly charred ears fresh off the coals. Their little zucchini and patty pan squash would make a nice accompaniment grilled and drizzeled with Thyme of Essence's balsamic vinegar.

Then there were the Persian cucumbers at Vang Farms. More fragrant than your typical cucumber and with tiny, tiny seeds, they're a great addition to any salad or use them to make a quick vinegar pickle. And last, but never ever least, were the peaches that just suddenly appeared at Lone Oak. Fuzzy, juicy and sweet, this first of the season offering did not disappoint.

Keep your eyes peeled, it seems like there's something new every week and you don't want to miss it! What did you see this week that you haven't seen before?