Hot Shots - March 17, 2023
Hot Shots - March 17, 2023
Severin R-B Danieli
Hello all,
Long time no chat! I am very happy to be back this week to chat produce, chat weather, and catch you up on what I've been up to these past two weeks (fair warning, nothing too crazy)
The spring is so close we can almost taste it here on the coast. In the middle of this week temperatures are predicted to reach up to 14 degrees Celsius! Every second or third morning, there is a new dusting of snow on the mountains, so winter is still hanging on in the higher altitudes, but down here at sea level we are feeling the timid spring warmth come to tickle our rosy cheeks.
My other half was in Toronto all of last week at a conference, so Roma and I just hung out, went for beautiful spring dog walks, watched some movies and ate pretty simple meals. I recently had Annies Pasta again, the white cheddar shells and the one that looks like the healthy version of Kraft Dinner and oh my gosh I forgot how delicious they were. I made a delicious salad, that included some cubed ataulfo mango and orange slices, got my pot on the stove with boiling water, ripped open the package, and low and behold, no sauce packet. To say that I was sad would honestly be an understatement. I was devastated. You know when you have a meal idea in mind and you can already taste it? That was me.
We've got a few fun new citrus items in house for this week's Hot Shots, and a few old faithful's. Let's get started!
Variegated pink lemons.
When I saw these on our incoming purchase orders, I was like a kid waiting for Christmas morning. Pink lemons? Is this what pink lemonade is made from? I kid I kid... or maybe...
These cuties come up to us from California and Rainbow Valley Organics in 10# cases. Spontaneously mutated, these pink lemons were found in Burbank, California in 1931, and have a yellow and green striped rind, pink hued flesh inside, and their trees have white and green leaves.
I did do a quick taste test of these lemons, and they taste just the same as a classic lemon. To show off their colour I would maybe make a lemonade and slice some of these lemons up to add in some colour, or maybe slice them in rounds and bake them on top of a lemon tart or a lemon loaf?
Ambrosia apple.
A classic, delicious, crunchy, equal parts tart and sweet, apple.
In my house, ambrosias go quick. I think it is because while my husband was growing up, his mom would buy ambrosia apples and they were always fresh and crispy. Now, whenever I bring an ambrosia apple home from work, I hear him go into the kitchen, pink up an ambrosia from our fruit bowl, give it a flick (this is how he checks the firmness) and then I hear a crunch. It never fails to make me laugh.
These ambrosias, and many other apples at Disco right now, come from Natures First Fruit (NFF) which is in Cawston, BC.
In house right now from NFF we have:
Gala 100/113ct
Gala 80/88ct
Ambrosia bagged 12x3#
Gala bagged 12x3#
Ambrosia 100/113ct
Spartan bagged 12x3#
Fuji 100/113ct
Pink Lady 100/113ct
Granny Smith bagged 12x3#
Annnd,
Fuji bagged 12x3#
Take your pick.
Kumquats.
I finally took a photo of them!
These teeny tiny citrus fruits are entirely edible, and are more on the tart side. There are a few different uses for kumquats, which include: sliced up in a salad, turned into jam or marmalade, baked into a cake, add them to beverages, turn them into candy or eat them raw.
Two recipes I am keen to try are Easy Kumquat Jam & a Kumquat Martini!
Native to Southeast Asia, the first documented record of the kumquat was in China in the 12th century. European introduction of the kumquat was made in 1846 by a man called Robert Fortune, a Scottish botanist, who was a plant explorer for the London Horticultural Society.
Hosted in Dade City, Florida, there is an annual kumquat festival that has been held for the past 24 years. During the festival, over 400 vendors line city streets and sell fresh kumquats, homemade baked goods, ice cream, salsa, vinaigrette, marmalade, cookies, pies and cocktails - all with kumquats as the star ingredient.
The photos above are from Beck Grove's Instagram. To the left are crates of kumquats, and to the right are trees of Minneola's.
Long English cucumbers.
First delivery of the season from OriginO!
OriginO supplies us with delicious and near perfect quality organic produce throughout spring, summer and into autumn. Their long English cucumbers, bell peppers, TOV's and heirloom tomatoes are something to write home about.
I have been loving sliced up cucumbers lately, with a squeeze of lime juice and some salt flakes. Refreshing, hydrating and oh so tasty.
OriginO was founded in 1997, and switched from conventional farming to organic in 2005. There are two warehouses in use, one in Langley and one in Delta, and together they equate to 23 acres of farm land.
Coconuts.
Both brown husked and young Thai coconuts.
The young coconuts are harvested directly from the tree before it has time to age and drop to the ground, like the brown husked coconuts. Young coconuts provide sources of calcium, carbohydrates, iron, high amounts of electrolytes and dietary fibre.
Coconuts are revered in a few different cultures. Some of these include:
- In India, coconut meat is thought to be specifically beneficial for pregnant women and new mothers.
- In Sanskrit, the palm tree is named 'kalpa vriksha' which means 'tree which provides all the necessities of life'.
- In Bahia, the coconut is considered one of the region's holy trinity of ingredients, the other two of this trinity are malagueta pepper and palm oil.
A few months ago, my dad went on a walk along The Thames River in the UK. This walk is called 'From Source to Sea" and what do you know, he is going back for a second time! This time he is bringing along my mom and they are going to take on the Thames together. This walk starts in the Cotswold's, ends at the North Sea, and is just as beautiful as you could imagine rural England being.
This weekend is going to be a social one for us, a birthday, a party and a birthday dinner. I'm very much looking forward to it, but hoping I can sneak some chill time in there as well.
Hope everyone's week went by quickly and smoothly, and we are heading into the weekend with excited anticipation.
Thanks for reading along as always, and I will talk to you all next week.
Big love,
Severin R-B Danieli