Fresh broccoli will have a delicate flavor and texture. The peak season for broccoli is early fall through early spring. Cool-weather sweetens the taste of broccoli so for the best flavor fresh broccoli should come to the table before the weather warms. How to Choose Broccoli Select broccoli with tightly closed, compact bud clusters and
Legumes are plants that carry edible seeds in a pod. All beans, peas and peanuts are legumes. Peas, soybeans, lentils, peanuts, chickpeas, cowpeas, lima beans, adzuki beans, green beans, haricot beans, mung beans, winged bean, yard-long bean, runner beans, and kidney beans are all legumes. Some legumes—such as peanuts and mature English peas–are eaten seeds
Green beans with caramelized pecans and shallots Fresh, tender snap beans have a delicate flavor that is delicious eaten raw or just lightly cooked. Both the immature seeds and seed pods are edible. Green beans are snap beans, but snap beans can also be yellow, purple, and splotched in multiple colors. The peak season for
Onions come in a wide range of sizes, shapes, and colors, as well as specific varieties. There are fresh onions and onions for storage. There are onions for eating raw and onions for cooking. There are mild onions and pungent onions. There are onions that grow best where the days are short and onions that
Here is a list of the crops that you will find fresh this week at the farm markets in San Francisco and Sonoma and many other farm markets around the country this week: First of season: Artichokes, cauliflower, cherries, chives, fava beans, garlic chives, goat cheese, herbs and vegetable starts, marjoram, olives, snow peas, Valencia
Brussels sprouts have a nutty, cabbage-like flavor that makes a delicious hot side dish dressed with butter or meat-roasting juices. Lightly steamed Brussels sprouts are perfect with a lemon-butter sauce, or you can simmer them with chopped celery until tender and then fold them into a cheese sauce. Cooked and cooled Brussels sprouts can be
The perfect thing about cauliflower is that the size of the head is no indicator of quality. Big heads or small snack-sized heads–as long as they are fresh–will be equally tasty. Cauliflower is best harvested in late spring or fall when temperatures are moderate to cool. How to Choose Cauliflower Select heads of cauliflower that
Potatoes are not fattening. Potatoes are high in fiber content and contain quality complex carbohydrates that will fill you up but not fill you out. A medium-sized baked potato contains around 90 calories, about the same as an apple. However, potatoes drenched in butter or smothered in gravy or the fat in the steak you
Potato varieties: choose from low starch, medium starch, and high starch. When it comes to cooking potatoes, choose your potato for the style of cooking you have in mind. These are round reds. Which potato? When it comes to cooking potatoes, choose your potato for the style of cooking you have in mind. Use high
Fresh bamboo shoots Bamboo shoots slowly simmered have a delicate, bitter flavor and earthy aroma. Fresh bamboo shoots can be sliced and boiled, sautéed or braised and served as an accompaniment to meat and fish. They can be slow-cooked with other vegetables or stir-fried. The crunchy texture of young, tender bamboo shoots makes them a
