Archive for ‘Fruit & Growers’

Fig Season!

By Susie, 22 June, 2009, No Comment

Yesterday I bought figs at a farmer’s market and bought a bag of ground pecans. As I dipped the fig into the pecans I realized just how apropos my blog name is. This is really a non-post but I’m sharing my fig with you anyway.

Tired of Pluots? Stay Tuned for Peacotums

By Susie, 4 December, 2008, No Comment

Just when you were learning to say “apriot,” CNN reports that the “peacotum” is soon to hit the shelves, thanks to Zaiger Genetics. It’s my impression “genetics” has nothing to do with cellular genetic modification but I could be wrong.

Can’t wait to sink your teeth into a peacotum? Look into planting a tree yourself!

(Yes, you need to decipher the hybrid name yourself.)

Growing Esrogs for Sukkot (October 14)

By Susie, 14 October, 2008, No Comment

Esrogs are an important part of Sukkot, a Jewish historical and agricultural festival. It seems only fitting to celebrate a major grower of esrogs who is also finally relaxing after an intense harvest season!

If you want to use your citrons creatively after the holiday, here are some ideas. You can read more about the grower in The Saga of the Citron Selecting the Perfect Etrog.

Citron Cooking and Learning With Slow Food

By Susie, 30 September, 2008, 2 Comments

The Aqua Terra Slow Food convivium held a fun two-hour citron extravaganza at the June Taylor Still-Room in Berkeley.

We Learned
Through the magic of video and speakerphone, we learned all about citrons (esrogs) from the only large commercial grower in the US, John Kirkpatrick.

John grows five varieties of citrons, which have various characteristics such as differences in the peel, number of seeds, and proportion of pulp:
Temoni (originally from Yemin), Buddha’s Hand, Halperin, Kivelovitz, Braveman, Chazon Ish
The foam “bedding” keeps the citrons free from blemishes.

We Ate and Drank
Several of us brought the results of our citron cooking experiments, made with citrons received in advance:

Preserved citrons - Based on a preserved lemons recipe from the Apple Farm.
Citron marmalade – Made with 2 entire fruits
Citron candy – Made by June Taylor. Visit the Ferry Building farmer’s market soon and you might be able to find a bag of this delicious chewy candy.
Hangar One Buddha’s Hand vodka kindly donated by St. George Spirits, who call John a “marvelous human being.”
Candied Citrons and Citron Syrup which I made, simply by putting equal parts sugar and water in a pan with sliced fruit and letting it reduce. But when I left the fruit in the syrup, the syrup ultimately became very bitter. In my first go around when I poured the syrup out right away, it was delicious (especially in a citron-jito with mint!)
Citron Curd (like lemon curd) – This was everyone’s favorite.
Citrons in Sugar, from an 1830 cook book, where slices layered with sugar extract the little juice there is.

Click to see the big Victorian Sponge Cake recipe. Heavenly butteriness.

Delicious Citroncello recipe was based on this limoncello recipe.

(You too can have as much citronolicious fun as Vera provided at one of her famous parties.)

…and we had FUN.

Where to Get Citrons
After the Sukkot celebration in October, the price of citrons will come down. You can find them at the Monterey Market and Berkeley Bowl in Berkeley, CA as well as various specialty markets around the US (although I’m not sure where).

Learn More About How John Grows the Citrons
Here’s a short video, roosters and all!

Hey, Mrs. Tangerine Woman

By Susie, 10 September, 2008, 1 Comment

By the fortune that only random instant messaging conversations seem to bring, a friend introduced me to Lisa Brenneis, creator of Eat at Bill’s, the heralded documentary about Berkeley’s Monterey Market. I’m not alone in saying that this market, along with the Berkeley Bowl, are reason enough to live in Berkeley.

As if I weren’t thrilled enough, she lives on an organic citrus farm in Ojai, California where they grow Buddha’s Hand citrons. This particularly amazed me as very few people grow this fruit commercially; yet they’re now the second citron grower I know. (Yay!)

Her husband Jim Churchill, the “Tangerine Man,” is famous for those cute little organic Pixie tangerines, as well as 12 other varieties. What most inspired me to write was this spooky picture of Buddha’s Hands growing, which I’d never seen before. Who needs Halloween trappings when you have an orchard with alien like fruit ready to grab you? (They’re so fragrantly delicious, I can imagine much worse fates.)