Produce Roundup

this is the first in a series of monthly writeups about the prouce we’ve been eating. we think it will be helpful to look back on what was available in the bay area as the years go on, and what to look out for in the future. to begin with though, february was very exciting…

sumo mandarin

simply put, these are so good. we buy them in excess every year. they’re sour, sweet, highly shareable, easy to peel, and contain a ton of “meat,” so to speak. they’re extremely juicy and bred to have no seeds. every time i find a seed though, i save and try to germinate it. last year i had some very successful germinations, but they eventually failed because i transferred them into too big a pot too soon. this year my germinations themselves have all failed but one… fingers crossed that it persists and i can nurture my own little plant.

opal apple

The most pear-like apple i’ve ever eaten. Textutre is kinda grainy kind of similiar to a red apple or to a pear. Flavor is very subtle. Nothing crazy really it’s just a beautiful looking apple. I looked it up online and people like them because they are resistant to browning after you cut into them, which i think is charming and cool. I would use these cut up in my lunchbox then!

kumquat

sarah claims she’s slightly allergic to these. “it’s not a claim,” she retorted when i told her i wrote that. these guys did actually squirt juice on me on my first bite, and sarah did almost choke on one of the copious seeds. despite it all, i do find these really delicious though, very tart and very complex. the two-bite quality of these is also a big draw. it’s more fun to eat something so cute and dainty.

romaine lettuce

this leaf made me change this whole idea from a fruit roundup to a more general produce roundup. i was washing and leafing this head of romaine to use for salads throughout the week and nibbled on one of the small tender leaves closer to the core and it actually blew my mind. it was SO sweet, sweeter than any other green i’ve had.