Produce Possibilities: Seasonal and Savory
Thursday, July 22nd, 2010
Click here to watch Matt from our produce department prepare White Nectarine and Tomato Salsa on FOX 9. Then, stop by our Valley Natural Foods demo kiosk on Saturday July 24, anytime between 3:00-5:00 where Matt will present a demo and free taste experience of that recipe!
“Savoring the Season” is a phrase often used here at Valley Natural Foods. In fact, some kind of seasonal language is used every day in the produce department. This week’s recipe features some local produce but what we tend to forget about is that the local season doesn’t always run together with what we think should be in season right now.
For example, there is no local season for white nectarines here in Minnesota but some of us don’t want to miss out on this delicious fruit. The best way to take advantage of our produce department is to ask the broader question of “what tastes good and is fresh?” Certainly the peak of the California watermelon season rivals that of Minnesota’s, so why wait for great quality when one can have it multiple times.
One example of using the local season as an advantage for better taste comes in tomatoes. For local tomatoes, the amount of time between being picked and coming to your table can be as little as one or two days, yet it may be a few weeks for California or Mexican tomatos. Some of our local tomato varieties are vine-ripened which adds even more flavor and nutrients to the tomatoes. Because of the high quality in both nutrition and flavor of all our organic produce, one can never go wrong with what’s local and in season.
