Spring has sprung!
May. 14th, 2007 02:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aelfieWe went to the Farmers Market yesterday. I found some lovely apricots. The were perfect. Soft, tangy, sweet, juicy.
The corn man was there, but it was a bit early for corn, even from Brentwood. But he did have some nice looking cherries. They were good, but I think they could of used a couple more days on the tree. A too high percentage of them were picked too early. The flavor wasn't deep enough, they were kinda dry, and a bit too tangy.
I love strawberries, but I'm having a problem with them for the last few years. Even the ones from the Farmers Market. They look great, beautiful even. But the flavor? Bah. The flavor is flat, there's just not enough of the strong sweet perfumey strawberry flavor. Its very disappointing. I hate wasting my money on pretty fruit that doesn't taste as good as it should.
Okay, I'll admit, maybe I'm working at a slight disadvantage. My grandparents used to own several orchards in this valley. They still have trees in Concord. I grew up eating ugly, but oh my god, this is amazing, perfectly ripe fruit. I know what cherries are supposed to taste like. I haunt the Farmer Markets this time of year, asking "Do you have any Blenheims?" And the answer is almost always "no" (Blenheims are a wonderful variety of apricots that just LOVE the climate of the silicon valley. They don't do well anywhere else. Most of the apricots are now grown in the central valley, which is too hot for them. Blenheims are a very delicate apricot, they scar easily, thus making ugly fruit. But the flavor! Oh, a ripe blenheim is an orgasm for your mouth.) The last time I found Blenheims at the market was 3 years ago. My Dad showed up a day after I bought them, and we had a good chat enjoying them.
I hate buying fruit at the supermaket, where the fruit is ALWAYS green, crunchy, dry or mealy. And Farmers Markets are just as bad. People want pretty fruit. I want the fruit that is going to be a drop tomorrow. Most americans just don't know what good food is supposed to taste like. I know the bunch at Farmer's Markets are better than most, but the Farmers aren't selling the food I know they could. I need to do a better job of getting to know the Farmers, try and convince them, that no, I don't want pretty fruit. I want the good stuff. I want taste that explodes in my mouth.
The corn man was there, but it was a bit early for corn, even from Brentwood. But he did have some nice looking cherries. They were good, but I think they could of used a couple more days on the tree. A too high percentage of them were picked too early. The flavor wasn't deep enough, they were kinda dry, and a bit too tangy.
I love strawberries, but I'm having a problem with them for the last few years. Even the ones from the Farmers Market. They look great, beautiful even. But the flavor? Bah. The flavor is flat, there's just not enough of the strong sweet perfumey strawberry flavor. Its very disappointing. I hate wasting my money on pretty fruit that doesn't taste as good as it should.
Okay, I'll admit, maybe I'm working at a slight disadvantage. My grandparents used to own several orchards in this valley. They still have trees in Concord. I grew up eating ugly, but oh my god, this is amazing, perfectly ripe fruit. I know what cherries are supposed to taste like. I haunt the Farmer Markets this time of year, asking "Do you have any Blenheims?" And the answer is almost always "no" (Blenheims are a wonderful variety of apricots that just LOVE the climate of the silicon valley. They don't do well anywhere else. Most of the apricots are now grown in the central valley, which is too hot for them. Blenheims are a very delicate apricot, they scar easily, thus making ugly fruit. But the flavor! Oh, a ripe blenheim is an orgasm for your mouth.) The last time I found Blenheims at the market was 3 years ago. My Dad showed up a day after I bought them, and we had a good chat enjoying them.
I hate buying fruit at the supermaket, where the fruit is ALWAYS green, crunchy, dry or mealy. And Farmers Markets are just as bad. People want pretty fruit. I want the fruit that is going to be a drop tomorrow. Most americans just don't know what good food is supposed to taste like. I know the bunch at Farmer's Markets are better than most, but the Farmers aren't selling the food I know they could. I need to do a better job of getting to know the Farmers, try and convince them, that no, I don't want pretty fruit. I want the good stuff. I want taste that explodes in my mouth.
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Date: 2007-05-14 10:43 pm (UTC)You're also right that the variety makes a HUGE difference. I have a Spitzenberg apple tree. Spitzenbergs make the most unbelievably flavorful apple pies. People always ask what kind of apples I used and they write down the name. Good luck to them. They will never be able to find Spitzenberg apples at the grocery store.
Then there's tomatoes. Our local nusery, Territorial Seed Company, carries something like 60 varieties of tomatoes. The ones that taste the best are mostly heirloom varities that look AWFUL.
Do you have space to grow some everbearing strawberries? They're nice because you get strawberries all summer long. And, of course, they would be perfectly ripe and just picked when you ate them.
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Date: 2007-05-15 12:09 am (UTC)I so wanted to plant a Blenheim tree, but my grandfather told me it might take 7 years before I get fruit. Since I'm not sure we'll be here that long, I didn't want to make that investment in time.
After I wrote this, I remembered this guy who has a 3 acre orchard in the middle of the burbs and only grows fruit that tastes good. And he picks it when ripe. I'll have to start winging by his place again.