How to store mushrooms? Refrigerate mushrooms in a tightly sealed plastic bag, but slip in a paper towel to absorb any excess moisture. Finish cooking until the moisture has been re-absorbed. The navel orange, which is harvested in winter, has an exceptionally rich flavor, adaptable to all sorts of dishes.
Navel orange recipes ». How to choose navel oranges? A deeply colored peel is pretty, but not necessarily the best indicator of quality. Instead, choose oranges that are firm to the touch and heavy for their size. How to store navel oranges? Oranges have relatively thick rinds and can store at room temperature for several days. To keep them longer, refrigerate them. Extra tips It makes excellent juice, but you do need to drink it fresh; a chemical compound called limonin turns it bitter after it sits.
Truly new potatoes are those that have been freshly dug and brought to market without curing. They have a distinctive flavor and creamy texture. New potatoes recipes ». How to choose new potatoes? The best way to tell truly new potatoes is to rub the skin with your thumb — it should be delicate enough to scrape clean.
How to store new potatoes? Extra tips When making a salad with new potatoes or really, any potato , remember to sprinkle the potato with a little dressing while it is still hot so it will absorb the flavors. Okra recipes ». How to choose okra?
Choose okra that is deeply colored and firm. Avoid okra that is oversized or too ripe — it will be even more slimy. How to store okra? Refrigerate okra tightly wrapped in a plastic bag; if there is much surface moisture, slip a sheet of paper towel in the bag to absorb it.
Extra tips Okra connoisseurs love it in part because the juice it gives off provides a delicate thickening to stews. Take a look at passion fruit and you wonder who could have thought up that name? It has a profound tropical fruit flavor. Passion fruit recipes ».
How to choose passion fruit? And remember, passion fruit will continue to ripen if left at room temperature. How to store passion fruit? Store ripe passion fruit in the refrigerator tightly sealed in a plastic bag. Try serving it over a fruit sorbet. Kissing cousins, these fruit are the queens of the summer harvest. The main difference between them is that peaches are fuzzy while nectarines are smooth. Connoisseurs may argue that the peach flavor is a little more musky, while nectarines are slightly more lemony.
Peaches recipes » Nectarines recipes ». How to choose peaches and nectarines? The trick to choosing peaches and nectarines is to look at the background color, not the red overlay.
The background should be golden, with the best fruits having almost an orange tint. And always, above all, trust your nose. Great ripe peaches and nectarines have an irresistible perfume.
How to store peaches and nectarines? Stop the cooking in an ice water bath and peel with your fingers. Bartletts are the predominate pear grown in California, and there are two growing sites with very different fruit. The earliest pears are harvested starting in August around the Sacramento delta area. They are fine, but the ones picked in September and October from the hilly orchards of Lake and Mendocino counties are much better.
Pears recipes ». How to choose pears? The best perfectly ripened Bartlett pears will be golden and fragrant and will have a slight softness at the neck. How to store pears? Pears will continue to ripen off the tree indeed, they really have to ripen off the tree to avoid a woody texture.
Then you can refrigerate them. The persimmon world is cleanly divided between two families. Acorn-shaped Hachiya-type persimmons need to be softened before eating; Fuyus, shaped like slightly flattened apples, can be eaten crisp.
Persimmons recipes ». How to choose persimmons? Choose fruit that is deeply colored and heavy for its size. Fuyus, though, should always be firm. How to store persimmons? Persimmons should be kept at room temperature until they are fully ripe. Then they can be refrigerated for as long as a couple of weeks. Fuyus are crisp enough that they can be sliced into salads. There may be more different varieties of plums than of any other single fruit. Plum recipes ». How to choose plums, pluots and plumcots?
Choose plums that are deeply colored, shiny and firm but not hard. How to store plums, pluots and plumcots? If your fruit feels a little too hard, leave it at room temperature for a day or two and it will soften. Then, and only then, should you refrigerate it. Extra tips Split a plum along the cleft that runs from stem to flower end and the seed will pop right out. Pomegranates are a lot of work and a fair bit of mess , but the sweet-tart jewels you wind up with are worth it.
Pomegranate recipes ». How to choose pomegranates? Do look for deep color though. How to store pomegranates? Extra tips To seed pomegranates without making a mess, score the peel in quarters, then submerge the fruit in a bowl of water and separate the peel and the pith. These will float while the seeds will sink.
Radishes are among the fastest growing of all of the vegetables as any veteran of elementary school science fairs can surely attest. Radishes recipes ». How to choose radishes? Check the tops first; they should be bright green and not at all wilted. The roots should be brightly colored and free from cracks and nicks. How to store radishes? Extra tips Radish varieties differ in how pungent they are, and the same radish variety can differ depending on growing conditions -- irrigation tends to cool them, sulfurous soils tend to heat them.
Why is it that people go crazy for carrots but ignore other root vegetables? Parsnips recipes » Turnips recipes » Rutabagas recipes ». How to choose root vegetables? Select root vegetables that are firm, with no soft spots or discoloration. Avoid roots that have lots of hairy secondary roots. Extra tips Each root has a slightly different character. Parsnips are sweet; turnips have a slight horseradish edge. Rutabagas are somewhere in between. These are shelling beans: varieties that are normally grown for drying but which can be sold and cooked fresh.
The season lasts for only two or three weeks, so get them while you can. Shelling beans recipes ». How to choose shelling beans? Look for pods that have begun to shrivel and dry, with full-sized beans inside.
These will be the most mature and have the best flavor. How to store shelling beans? And a little bit of ham or bacon will never hurt.
Add some chopped soft herbs, such as fresh basil, parsley, cilantro or mint just before serving. It will perk up almost anything. Basil recipes » Cilantro recipes » Parsley recipes » Mint recipes ». How to choose soft herbs? When choosing soft herbs, freshness is of the utmost importance. How to store soft herbs? Particularly with basil, cilantro and mint, the best way to make them last is to treat them like cut flowers — stick them upright in a glass of water, drape a plastic bag over top, and refrigerate.
Extra tips One of the easiest things to do with soft herbs is make a pureed sauce, like pesto. Puree herbs with minced garlic and salt and with the blender running, add olive oil until you have a sauce-y consistency.
Almost anything with a leaf can be considered a candidate for salad these days. The array of colors, textures and flavors is one of the real pleasures for the springtime cook. Specialty lettuce recipes ». How to choose specialty lettuce? Reject any lettuce that appear soft, and certainly if there are signs of darkening. How to store specialty lettuce? Keep lettuce in a tightly sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper drawer. Extra tips A great salad is made of many textures and flavors.
Build upon a mix of lettuce varieties rather than a single one. We can get strawberries any time of year now, but I still think of them as a springtime treat. Strawberries recipes ». How to choose strawberries? Choosing good ones is pretty simple: your nose will know. How to store strawberries? You can refrigerate berries, but the flavor is best if you leave them at room temperature and eat them the same day.
Just before serving, wash gently in cool running water, pat dry and then hull them, removing the green top removing it before washing will cause the berries to absorb more water. Extra tips Strawberries are one of the most vexing of fruits because their quality varies on a weekly basis. Even the best varieties from the best farmers can be off if the plant is putting its energy into producing foliage rather than fruit. So you really need to taste before you buy.
Want the flavor of an English pea without the hassle of shucking, and with a more reliably sweet flavor? Then go for the sugar snap pea. Sugar snap peas recipes » Snow peas recipes ». How to choose sugar snap and snow peas? Look for edible pod peas with crisp pods that show no dark blemishes or soft spots. Traces of white streaking are often found on sugar snaps and are nothing to worry about.
Extra tips Edible pod peas need to be cooked as briefly as possible to retain their crunch, color and flavor. And despite the marked differences between the two types, they can be used almost interchangeably. Sweet potato recipes ». How to choose sweet potatoes? Orange sweet potatoes are sweeter and moister than the golden ones, which are drier, starchier and nuttier in flavor. Extra tips Want an easy side dish? Bake sweet potatoes, then peel and puree in a food processor with butter and a little orange juice.
The secret to that irresistible lemony tang in so many Mexican dishes? Tomatillos recipes ». How to choose tomatillos? Choose tomatillos that are deep green and firm and that have a husk that is definitely dried out and papery. Once tomatillo fruit has started to turn yellow, it loses some of that flavor. How to store tomatillos?
You can keep tomatillos with their husks wrapped in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Extra tips To prepare tomatillos for serving, remove the husk and rinse off any sticky residue. You can puree them raw for a very sharp flavor, or roast them or grill them until soft for a mellower taste.
While the quality of supermarket tomatoes has improved, the farmers market is still the only place you can hope to find fruit with anything approaching true backyard flavor. Tomatoes recipes ». How to choose tomatoes? Tomatoes should be vibrantly colored with taut, shiny skin. There should be no soft or wrinkly spots. How to store tomatoes? Never refrigerate tomatoes — it kills the flavor.
Keep them at room temperature, lightly wrapped if you prefer. Extra tips For cooking, choose firm, elongated tomatoes. Transfer them to ice water to stop the cooking and peel with your fingers. You can simply squeeze the seeds out with your hands. Cooks tend to regard nuts as staples, like flour or butter. But they do have a season and when you get them right after harvest, they taste fresher and their texture is almost creamy. Walnut recipes » Almond recipes » Pistachio recipes ».
How to choose walnuts, almonds, pistachios? With whole nuts, choose examples that are heavy for their size. How to store walnuts, almonds, pistachios? Whole nuts can be stored at room temperature for several weeks. Shelled nuts must be refrigerated immediately. Extra tips Toast nuts before cooking them. You can do this either on a cookie sheet in a degree oven, or in a dry skillet on top of the stove. Before refrigeration, these squash with their hard shells were among the few vegetables that could be stored through the cold months.
Squash recipes ». How to choose winter squash? Look for squash with deep, saturated colors and no soft spots or cracks. The stem should be hard and corky too. How to store winter squash? Keep winter squash in a cool, dark place. Extra tips To prepare winter squash, cut them in half and remove the seeds. Place them cut-side down on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and bake at degrees until they can be easily pierced with a knife. Cool, then spoon away the tender flesh.
Zucchini recipes ». How to choose zucchini? Look for zucchini that are small to medium-sized no longer than 6 to 8 inches. They should be firm and free of nicks and cuts. Really fresh zucchini will bristle with tiny hairs. Generally speaking, the more gray and bulbous a zucchini is, the firmer and milder the flesh will be -- good for soups.
The darker and thinner zucchinis are more tender but usually have richer flavor. Extra tips Though smaller zucchini are best for cooking by themselves, larger zucchini are still good for stuffing and baking.
Russ Parsons is a former Food writer and columnist and the former editor of the Food section at the Los Angeles Times. All Sections. About Us. B2B Publishing. Business Visionaries.
Hot Property. Times Events. Times Store. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options. By Russ Parsons. Apricots and apriums Because so much of the apricot harvest has gone to drying and canning, most lacked flavor when sold fresh.
Apricot recipes » Advertisement. Artichokes Most people eat artichokes only one way — the biggest ones, served whole with drawn butter or mayonnaise. Artichoke recipes » When are artichokes in season? Really fresh artichokes will squeak when squeezed.
Asian pears Asian pear varieties can differ quite remarkably. Asian pear recipes » Advertisement. Asparagus The most reliable harbinger of spring in the vegetable world, when asparagus peeks through the dirt, you can bet warmer weather is coming. Asparagus recipes » When is asparagus in season? March and April How to choose asparagus? Avocados There are many reasons to love living in California, but ranking high among them are the variety of avocados we can try; as wonderful as Hass avocados are, try a Reed or a Gwen.
Avocado recipes » Advertisement. Beets Not only are beets physically beautiful — they have a deep, rich saturated red color that shines like nothing else — but they are also a wonderful combination of sweet and earthy. Beets recipes » When are beets in season? November — March How to choose beets? How to store beets? Bell peppers There is nothing at the farmers market that sums up the late summer-early fall season like the mounds of brightly colored peppers that seem to be everywhere.
Bell pepper recipes » Advertisement. Blood oranges Blood oranges get their color from the same anthocyanin pigment that gives raspberries theirs. Blood orange recipes » When are blood oranges in season?
February — March How to choose blood oranges? Broccoli recipes » Advertisement. Carrots Once carrots came in one model — fat and orange. Carrots recipes » When are carrots in season? February — June How to choose carrots? Cauliflower For cooks, cauliflower has two distinctive personalities. Cauliflower recipes » When is cauliflower in season? December — May How to choose cauliflower? Chard recipes » When is chard in season?
January — April How to choose chard? And, as promised, we have another update from the California cantaloupe fields in the two major cantaloupe-growing regions of the state. Have you been following the California cantaloupe season countdown since it started earlier this year? If so, do you remember when they were covered with plastic to stay warm? California cantaloupe farmers and producers in the southern desert region of the state are gearing up for a delicious harvest beginning next month!
As you know, the early season cantaloupe fields are set to harvest at the start of May, originally it was predicted they would start harvesting on May 5, and that date has moved up to May 2, so California cantaloupes will be here even sooner that we thought. Now there are only 8 days until we can all enjoy them! It could be the end of us. In past years of limited water, Del Bosque said delivery of purchased transfer water would happen right away, usually in April or May.
This year, the bureau told the district that it would not receive this water until October. Westlands Water District anticipates that approximately , acres of land within the district will be fallowed this year.
Despite drought-related challenges, Ryan Van Groningen of Van Groningen and Sons—a grower, packer and shipper based in Manteca—said perfect weather during the spring led to larger-sized fruit and high brix. His grower-partners are wrapping up harvest in the Imperial Valley, and he said he expects to begin harvest of large- and personal-size watermelons at the family farm in Manteca. He said extreme heat can affect yields, noting recent temperatures reaching degrees in El Centro and in Manteca.
Another impact to the season, according to growers, is a lack of skilled employees to harvest the crop. A shortage of truck drivers also has affected the food-supply chain and melon shipments, growers said. Pallet costs have risen exponentially. Even with the various challenges of getting the crop grown, harvested and to market, California melon growers say demand remains strong at retail — and now at food service as restaurants reopen.
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