Favorite Seasonal Foods

[Pinga]

Did someone say greengage plums have been and gone?In the UK they are ,I certainly hope,about to put in an appearance.They are ,I think ,called Reine Claude and are august fruit to me.

Beginning to od on broad beans and strawberries though

[lamb]

Reading the posts from last year regarding this topic makes me realize what a negative impact our rainy/shitty early summer has had on our crops. Corn is no where near where it should be growth wise, and tomatoes are non-existent.

Hopefully the hot spell we've had here in NJ will help out the crops.

[Foam Pants]

Out of interest, does anyone know if cloudberries are available to buy anywhere outside Norway/Finland/Sweden? Some quick googling suggests that they grow in Alaska, northern New England and perhaps Canada - has anyone seen them for sale there?

I do believe that cloudberries do grow in Southeast Alaska but, despite all the wonderful berries to be found here, you never see them in the stores.

I completely agree with transported corn. Fresh picked is the only way.

My favorite short season items are clementines, asparagus, garden patch strawberries, and tomatos so fresh they are still warm from the field. I find it ironic that I would long for tomatos all year and, when they finally arrived, I would have too damn many.

[beans]

Out of interest, does anyone know if cloudberries are available to buy anywhere outside Norway/Finland/Sweden? Some quick googling suggests that they grow in Alaska, northern New England and perhaps Canada - has anyone seen them for sale there?

I do believe that cloudberries do grow in Southeast Alaska but, despite all the wonderful berries to be found here, you never see them in the stores.

Yes, my fellow Southeastern Alaskan (Foam Pants) they do grow in the swampy bogs. I grew up under the family child labor forces with my cousins lead by my jam making grandmother suited up with a coffee can with a long piece of fabric to make it loop around our heads. We picked until the can was full which usally marked the end of our chores for the day! They are available around the mid to end of August and are somewhat harder to find. [in another thread I listed these as one of my adventures in making my own preserves, thanks to my grandmother!] Since they are not a "cultivated" berry, at least here in the States, they would rarely get to market and you've got to creep out to an Alaskan swamp and keep your eyes peeled for a curious bear!

Seasonal foods: Dungies, sockeye salmon, morels, Ranier cherries, figs, golden raspberries, salmonberries, spring garlic, clementines, red fleshed papaya, wild strawberries, Walla Walla onions, pumpkin, white peaches, fiddleheads, heirloom tomatoes...

Yikes this list can really ramble!

[Busboy]

Peas and favas...earthy and green before the rest of the world catches up (except this year).

Nectarines.

The first really good florida grapefruits of the year.

Teeny yellow mangos that sho up at the bodega just about the time the farmers markets get strawberries, and that stay just about as long.

[chantrelle]

Tomatoes from my dad's garden...sure there are farmer's market tomatoes but even those have to be firm enough to make it to the market...there's nothing like dad's tomatoes--sugarsugarsugar.

Porcinis--cant' wait until november!

Pluots/Plumcots -- my newest favorite summertime stonefruit.

I basically devour everything that ripens in the summer and then mourn their loss for the next 9 months.

[cdh]

Seville Oranges. Only available from New Years to the end of Feb... delicious, and almost totally unavailable even when they're in season... at least in the Northeast. Central Market in Austin always used to get a good supply in when they were in season.

[Foam Pants]

Since they are not a "cultivated" berry, at least here in the States, they would rarely get to market and you've got to creep out to an Alaskan swamp and keep your eyes peeled for a curious bear!

.

I will have to do some swamp stomping. Summer "hikes" in SE Alaska are so good, you can go into sugar shock. Now THAT is seasonal produce at it's best.

I forgot to add morels. We used to pull them up from our backyard. I also really enjoy sea asparagus season.

[beans]

I also really enjoy sea asparagus season.

HOW COULD I FORGET? See! I've been away toooooo long! Rats! I remember one of my co-workers jarred them and gave me some. We became instant friends.

[Jason Perlow]

amaebi, Japanese sweet shrimp.

Florida Stone Crabs.

[lamb]

WHITE CORN!  There's a local farm called Samaha's in Matawan between the GSP and Rte 34. Best corn out of all the locals I've tried over the past 20+ years.  Lovely delicate little kernels of white corn.  Eat them right out of the pot, nothing added.  You have to make them the same day they are picked, so time it so you are at the stand as the truck is offloading them into the bins.  I made 12 ears last night, and my husband, two kids and I finished off the entire batch.

Not yet White - but bi-color corn is out at Samahas! Bought one dozen and husband, kids and I polished them off last night. Tomatoes are just so-so. The wet spring has not been kind to NJ crops I think with the exception of asparagus.

[Rachel Perlow]

Maybe I should bring some Bing and Rainier and we can have a taste test.

We did that last year. The Ranier cherries are much more mild in taste, and they also go bad very quickly. So, even if both are available I tend to get the dark red Bing cherries as I like their flavor and texture better.

[tjaehnigen]

Silver Queen Corn, preferably right off the stalk, husk it on the way back to the kitchen to be thrown instantly into a boilin gpot of water and consumed immediately.

fresh local strawberries and blueberries and raspberries

super fresh still warm from the sun peppers from the garden

[fresco]

Pesto made from fresh picked basil. In fact, a whole lot of stuff with fresh basil.

[redwinegulper]

August and September are prime for my favorites out on Long Island

Heirloom tomatoes, and the basil is perfect at that time too

Also corn that was picked only hours before

[KatieLoeb]

Heirloom tomatoes

Figs

Fresh melons that perfume the entire car on the ride home from the farmer's market and for days afterward

Apricots

Crosnes

Asian pears and heirloom apples from Northstar farm in Chester County, PA

White Asparagus in May in Austria. It's only in season for about 3-4 weeks and every single restaurant serves it as one of many blackboard specials and every farm stand has it. Big honking stalks, but cooked until tender as a gratin, in rich cream soup, or any one of a million clever ways, every one delicious

[mudbug]

KatieLoeb,

How do you like your crosnes prepared?

[tryska]

definitely lychees, rainier cherries, and cherimoyas.

ooh and scuppernongs and muscadines which are in season as of 2 weeks ago.

[Jinmyo]

Grifflebugs only pollinate their crosshatches for a twenty minute period on August 20th and then burst into flames, some of the ash from which can fall onto the pollen and make it bitter. So one has to be quick.

Grifflebug pollen is tremendous on squaerzop roe.

[Raynickben]

Just experienced my first summer in Oregon and I must tell you the Oregon Strawberries are un-freakin-believable! You would think a strawberry from California and a strawberry from Oregon would taste the same but NO...Oregon Strawberries RULE!! (and they are already gone )

Oh, and to answer the original question: Soft Shell Crabs.

[afoodnut]

In Colorado markets now, from the western slope: Palisades Peaches, Olathe Corn, Rocky Ford Cantaloupe.

Edited August 14, 2003 by afoodnut (log)

[colestove]

I would add Sakata corn from Brighton Co to afoodnuts list. Some of the

best corn I have ever eaten.

colestove

[afoodnut]

I would add Sakata corn from Brighton Co to afoodnuts list.  Some of the

best corn I have ever eaten.

colestove

Their green beans are also great.

[dte3672]

Sweet Corn

Watermelon

Also at Christmas time I buy a bag of that old fashioned Arabian mix candy (not found except at Christmas) . That sure brings back the memories of childhood!

[Hest88]

Fuyu persimmons, chestnuts, pomegranates. (Yes, I love autumn.)

And fiddlehead ferns.