Organic black radish
This is a rare variety of turnip that I purchased at this past Saturday’s farmers’ market from the McGrath Family Farm.
A member of the Brassicaceae vegetable family, it’s one of the more intensely flavored radish varieties around. At one time, this heirloom radish was once the most widely grown radish in Europe.
Enjoyed both raw and cooked, it has a flavor that is much more peppery and bitter when raw and becomes soft once cooked.
This week I prepared a Roasted Black Radish and Sun-choke dish with Mandarinquats, the Fix of the Week (elsewhere on this page).
Certified organic is available.
The price is $3 per bunch or 3 bunches for $8.
Cocktail citrus baskets
This cute assortment of citrus is brought to the Saturday Santa Barbara farmers’ market weekly from Friend’s Ranches of Ojai.
The baskets contain a combination of mandarinquats, limequats and petite Mexican limes.
A balance of sweet, sour and bitter, these fruits can be enjoyed skin and all, but may make your mouth pucker a bit. Use them to infuse cocktails, or slice them thin and add to salads and grain dishes. They also pair incredibly well with fish preparations or can be used to make a jar of unique marmalade. Price is $5 per basket
Organic sunchokes
Also commonly referred to as Jerusalem artichokes, this vegetable physically resembles a combination of potato and ginger root.
These edible tubers are the harvested stem to a specific type of sunflower, and can be cooked as you would a potato in most cases. Sunchokes can also be enjoyed raw, delivering a chestnut-like flavor and texture with an underlying sweet and nutty flavor.
Unlike potatoes, they are not a starchy vegetable. Native to North America, sunchokes are being grown and harvested from Mt. Olive Organic Farm and are available at the Saturday Santa Barbara farmers’ market.
Price is $5 per pound.
