Dan's
September
Best of Season

Fruits

Apples
New crop
Fuji apples
Gala apples
Golden Delicious apples
Granny Smith apples
Macintosh apples

Specialty Apples include:
Cox's Orange Pippin apples
Gravenstein apples
Jonee apples
Pink Pearl apples
...to name a few.

Avocados
California Hass avocados—ending
Chilean & Mexico—begins

Berries
Strawberries—Watsonville
(Season is winding down)

Grapes
Seeded table varieties:
Concord grapes
Kyoho grapes
Muscat-Italia grapes
Peony grapes

Seedless Table Varieties:
Black Autumn Rose grapes
Champagne grapes
Red Crimson grapes
Thompson grapes

Melons
Canary melons
Cantaloupe melons
Honeydew – Green, Gold, Orange Flesh melons
Sharlyn  melons
Watermelon

Oranges
Australian navel oranges
California Valencia oranges
Peruvian navel oranges
South African navel oranges

Peaches and Nectarines
Late season fruit must be eaten
FIRM or cooked.

Pears
Bosc pears
California Bartlett pears
California Comice pears
French Butter pears
North West Bartlett pears
Red pears
Seckel pears

Plums
French plums
Italian plums
President plums
Prune plums

Pomegrantes
Early varieties

Vegetables

Beans
Blue Lake beans
French beans
Italian Romano beans
Yellow Wax beans

Corn
Last call for local corn!
Freeze some and pull out during
the winter.

Mushrooms
Black Trumpet mushrooms
Chantarelle mushrooms
Chicken of the Woods mushrooms
Cimini (Italian Brown) mushrooms
Hedgehog mushrooms
Oyster mushrooms
Porcini mushrooms
Portobello mushrooms
Shiitake mushrooms
White mushrooms

Potatoes
Specialty spuds from Thumbs Up Farms includes:

All Blue potatoes
Blossom potatoes
Butterball potatoes
French fingerling potatoes
German potatoes
Orzette potatoes
Papa Kasho (Hot Dog) potatoes
Red Thumb potatoes
Ruby Crescent potatoes

Squash
Hard Squash Varieties:
Acorn squash
Buttercup squash
Buttrnut squash
Delicata squash
Kabocha squash
Kubota squash
Spaghetiti squash

Sweet Potatoes and Yams
Beauregard yams
Japanese sweet potatoes
Red yams
Sweet potatoes

Tomatoes
Heirloom tomatoes—Last call! Cook some down & freeze for a winter treat!

Beefsteak tomatoes
Roma tomatoes
Vine ripe tomatoes

September is National Mushroom Month, Organic Harvest Month and National 5 a Day Month

Columns to Savor
Dan Avakian

Iceberg Lettuce and Basil

Corn

Produce Expert
Dan Avakian

Getting Fresh

Apples:
A Great American Harvest

If ever there were a month to eat apples, this is it! Every  growing region in the United States harvests hundreds of varieties of apples in September, flooding grocery stores nationwide with a huge array of crisp, juicy treasures. And of course, don't forget your local small orchards. They are always good for rare varieties that are usually outstanding in flavor. Support them while you can before urban sprawl steals them away!

There are 35 apple-producing states in the US, so no matter where you live there’s a fairly good chance someone’s growing apples close to home. The major producers can be found in Washington, Upper New York, Michigan, and California. If I went through all the varieties of apples on the market today, I would be writing a dictionary. So I’ll simply point out that all the apples you’ll find right now are fresh new crop, so the time is ripe to treat yourself to a type you haven't had before.

The prevalence of apple trees across our nation is no accident. During the period of Westward Expansion in the early 1800’s, American law actually required settlers to plant at least fifty apple trees their first year to ensure stability. One particular man—a fellow named John Chapman—was especially zealous in the cultivation of this wholesome American crop. Born on September 26, 1774 in Leominster Massachusetts, John was the son of a Minuteman who fought in the Revolutionary War. In 1797, like many young men of his day, John began his westward journey. As he traveled, he planted orchards for the settlers with seeds that he purchased from cider mills back in Pennsylvania. He also sold and gave away trees to traveling pioneers.

Learn How to Peel, Core,
and Cut Apples

How To Make an Apple Cake

Quince

You know that summer is ending when the new crop apples and pears start filling the produce tables alongside the late peaches and nectarines.  Italian and French prune plums come into play, and the fuzzy-skinned yellow quince grabs the attention of curious shoppers.

Quince is native to the mountainous region of northern Persia and Turkey known as the Caucasus. It was first cultivated in Mesopotamia, the area now known as Iraq. Through wars, travels and trade throughout the centuries it made its way from the Mediterranean into Europe, Asia, America and Latin America, where it was very popular in colonial times. Ultimately, the quince took root even in Australia and New Zealand.

Here in the US, quince grows in Washington, Oregon and California, with California taking the lead in commercial production. Although fresh quince is usually sold to processors for jellies, paste and confections, a small percentage is shipped to the commercial market. Quince is a rarity at large retailers; you’re much more likely to find it at smaller specialty markets and farmer’s markets.

Quince is a “pomme,” a member of the pear and apple family—but is far from a fresh-eating fruit like its popular cousins. Bite into one of these babies and you just may leave a tooth in it. It’s like biting into a 2x4. However, the fragrance of the fresh quince is incredible, with undertones of pineapple or guava and pears. In fact, that’s why it’s sometimes called “pineapple quince.”

When cooked, the flavor of quince is outstanding. For a simple preparation, cut and core the quince and place it in a saucepan with melted butter over medium heat. Add some cinnamon and a small drizzle of honey. You will notice as the quince is heating up that it turns a reddish color. This is caused by the antioxidants in the fruit as they begin to “rust” from the change in temperature.  Cook the quince until soft and serve it with vanilla ice cream.

When selecting quince at the market look for firm, yellow, aromatic fruit. Any soft spots or brown spots are a sign of age. Quince is available from late August to mid-October and is used in many recipes from sides for meats to preserves, cakes, pies, muffins and cookies. My favorite quince recipe of all time, for those who’d like to look it up, comes from  Barbara Ghazarian’s  book, Simply Armenian: Quince stuffed with walnuts in syrup. For sweetening the transition from summer into fall, this one takes the cake!        

Read more about Dan Avakian.

Dan's Web site www.producepair.com