Green garlic
Also referred to as spring garlic, green garlic resembles green onions. However, it has a larger white portion at the base, where the bulb is forming.
Aromatic and flavorful, green garlic is an exceptional flavoring agent for most meals calling for either green onions or garlic. This week I prepared some green garlic mussels as the Fix of the Week, below.
Green garlic can be enjoyed in both raw and cooked preparations. It’s also excellent over steamed rice, in pasta dishes and over homemade pizza. The individual shoots can also be tossed in olive oil, seasoned and grilled, paring quite well over a grilled steak.
Green garlic can be found at the Saturday Santa Barbara, Sunday Camino Real, and Tuesday Santa Barbara farmers’’ markets from several local farmers. Price averages $3 per bunch.
Pixie tangerines
Sweet, seedless, juicy yet firm, pixie tangerines are one of the most desirable eat-out-of-hand tangerines to emerge all year.
Brought into the forefront thanks to a group of Ojai-based farmers, including Friends Ranches who participates at our Saturday Santa Barbara farmers’ markets weekly, this easy-to-peel variety is a huge hit with the kids.
A medium-sized fruit with a wavy pale orange skin, a pixie tangerine is recognized by the bump toward the stem end.
You can add pixie tangerines to mixed green salads, or pair them with seafood dishes. These pixie tangerines are a real treat, and they’re the hybrid result of crossing Dancy and King mandarins.
You can find pixie tangerines for the month to come at many weekly Santa Barbara certified farmers’ markets. Price averages $3 per pound.
Red mustard greens
Delivering peppery notes with a distinct mustard flavor, this member of the Brassica family makes for a nice presentation in a salad.
Enjoyed both raw and cooked, red mustard greens are recognized by their variegated purple and green leaves. The larger and more mature the leaves, the sharper the mustard’s flavor.
I regularly enjoy red mustard greens sautéed in garlic, as well as added to soups and stews.
A very good source of Vitamins A, C and K, red mustard greens make for a very healthy addition to your seasonal diets.
I purchased my certified organic red mustard greens this week from John Givens Farm of Goleta, available at the weekly Saturday Santa Barbara, Sunday Camino Real, Tuesday Santa Barbara and Thursday Carpinteria farmers’’ markets.
Price averages $3 per bunch.
