Favorite Seasonal Foods

[Stephanie]

Reading the "Summertime" thread below got me thinking about seasonal foods in general. Advances in agriculture, refrigeration, transportation, etc. have made some previously seasonal foods available year-round, but thankfully some are still only on the market at the proper time. So, which are your favorites that are available but for a brief few weeks? (The ones where if you blink, they're gone.) And I'm opening it up to all seasons, not just summer.

Mine is white cherries. I like them so much more than the regular cherries, and they're sold for maybe 3 weeks in June/July. I always buy a lot & gorge myself, knowing that they're not always easy to find and are pricey to book.

[=Mark]

Clementines in Jan/Feb. Love it when you can flick them with your finger and the skin falls off and they fall into segments...

[bushey]

Are white cherries different than Rainier cherries? Rainiers are in my grocery store now and they're a golden color with some red blush. They're hideously expensive, but I plan to try some when I have time to go to the store and "cherry-pick" some good looking ones. Sorry, I couldn't resist the pun

Every spring I gear myself for trying fresh fiddleheads at home and it never fails that I blink and I've missed the season. Ditto for shad, which is on the menu at a local restaurant for only a few weeks.

[Miss J]

I like quinces when they're around. Especially baked with butter and eaten with a little cream.

[helenas]

I like quinces when they're around.

I was actually surprised that in local gourmet stores quinces are now available all year round.

Blackcurrants are still seasonal.

[Liza]

Ramps. Too short a season, too much bear piss, but worth it.

[rich]

Even though they're available 3-4 months, a softshell crab only stays soft for 12 hours - now that's a short season.

[cabrales]

Cherries, including Rainier cherres. Below is a thread on the utilization of cherries in non-dessert dishes:

http://forums.egullet.org/ibf/index.php?ac...2f057d769e026c5

nyfirepatrolchef's question at the end of the linked thread is a good one -- what are the ideal storage conditions for cherries?

[bigbear]

Ramps. Too short a season, too much bear piss, but worth it.

I never. Well.... hardly ever.

[bushey]

Here's a link to some information on cherry varieties:cherries

I generally store them in a loosely tied plastic bag in the fridge -- but I usually buy small quantities at a time and plan to eat them right away. Cherries are some of the only fruits I prefer chilled to room temperature.

Hmmm....going to visit my daughter at camp tomorrow and she loves cherries. Maybe I should bring some Bing and Rainier and we can have a taste test.

[LaNiña]

Store cherries? I eat 'em all up before it becomes an issue...(or bake 'em in a clafouti)

[Holly Moore]

Hop Sprouts. Only had them once, at Comme Chez Soi in Brussels. Supposedly they are in season for a couple of weeks or so.

[Jim Dixon]

white peaches...local ones from about now into early August...I peel, slice, and eat with a dollop of mascarpone

pears...only edible in season...I used to think I liked Comice best, but lately have been moving toward the winey sweetness of Bartlets...Bosc are okay when none of the others are worth eating

sockeye salmon...the Copper River craze brought more sockeye into the domestic market (it all used to go to Japan)..we get it from Copper River, Bristol Bay, and other Alaskan fisheries from late May into early August

Rainier cherries...local Rainiers come on in June and don't last too long

tomatoes...from my own backyard...my first Early Girls are just starting to red up, and the others (6 plants, 4 varieties) will have us eating the only really good tomatoes until late September (I especially like the Sun Gold cherries in the late afternoon, warm and full of sugar)

asparagus...local crop pretty much over, but I ate lots of the fat ones, grilled to a slight char and drizzled with olive oil

blackberries...the weed-like Himalayan, an introduced nuisance species, is still one of my favorite berries...August and September

Jim

[Stephanie]

Are white cherries different than Rainier cherries? Rainiers are in my grocery store now and they're a golden color with some red blush. They're hideously expensive, but I plan to try some when I have time to go to the store and "cherry-pick" some good looking ones. Sorry, I couldn't resist the pun 

Yes, that's them. Forgot the "proper" name--all the stores around me call them white cherries.

[wingding]

Blackcurrants;I've recently found out that local east coast farmers are destroying their plants because blackcurrants can carry disease that has been declared illegal....along with bitter almonds and wild quince,a disappearing species....good blackcurrants have a wonderful,musky flavor.

[Sandra Levine]

Fresh lychees.

[southern girl]

Figs

[Jinmyo]

I'm with Liza re the ramps. Ramps mean spring. And spring in Canada means a great deal.

[nyfirepatrolchef]

Lychees.

Beautiful honey sweet succulent lil dragon eyeballs.

Is it me or were they early this year?

And Harvest Moon Cakes!

9 Eldridge Street.

My lil Chinese bakery.

The one night a couple years back....I was on the Housewatch at work when there was a 3rd Alarm in the adjoining building. They transmitted the notification and my heart skipped a beat when I realized where it was. I was like oh nooooooo please god....thinking itd surely extend to thaty side.

Next morning I got off work and hauled ass over there....the place was not only still there but open for business.

That morning I learned that relief is NOT spelled EXLAX.

[ngatti]

White Truffles?

Or do I belabor the obvious?

Nick

[chopjwu12]

rambutans(sp) have you seen these babies? If you like fresh lychees like i do you will love rambutans.

[Leslie Brenner]

Santa Rosa plums--they're at the absolute peak right now in California. I could eat a hundred of 'em.

[nyfirepatrolchef]

Rambutans?

Never had em...tell tell please..info forthwith and forthright please!

and *hangs head in shame*

how COULD I forget figs!?!?!? drool

[laura]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned english peas. They have a very short season June into July. They are excellent and far more interesting than the ever present sugar snap peas. Berried Treasures at the Union Square Greenmarket has them as well as petit pois. Other stands at the market carried them as well but they were often over ripe and starchy, one must taste before buying.

Laura

[CathyL]

Fresh garlic. Early fall apples. Pomegranates.