Spring 2020
Red Raspberries
BEST FLAVOR | PEAK SEASON
July is for sweet-tasting, flavorful Red Raspberries from California, and at reasonable prices too. Raspberries are good for snacking, as a topping for cereal, yogurt and salads, in smoothies and their flavor can be intensified in cooking and baking. Not only are they flavorful, but the health benefits of Raspberries are formidable – antioxidants, vitamins and nutrients and emerging research linking Raspberries to obesity management.
Tips
- Always keep Raspberries refrigerated.
- A Raspberry is a delicate fruit – wait to rinse them with tap water until just before use.
Inspect the package from all sides to be sure there’s no mold, wet spots, black spots or smashed and clumped berries. - Buy the Raspberries more frequently instead of buying several packs at once to use over a week’s time or more.
- And the best advice is: when you find a nice Raspberry pack enjoy it quickly – fresh is best. Protect your investment by eating it – not by storing it.
- Recipes? Check out these beautiful recipes on Driscoll’s website – they’re one of the best Raspberry growers in the world.
Gold Bar Squash (Yellow Zucchini)
PEAK SEASON | BEST FLAVOR
Summertime produce is the best, and one of the seasonal vegetable varieties I really enjoy most is Gold Bar Squash (aka Goldbar Squash, aka Yellow Zucchini). Unlike regular yellow squash varieties which scar easily, have bumpy skin and a yellow stem – Gold Bar Squash has smooth, bold yellow skin, a green stem and creamy yellow flesh. The taste is mild with a mellow flavor, and with its bright color Gold Bar Squash adds vibrancy to all kinds of summer recipes.
Gold Bar Squash is now in peak season from small farms in Pennsylvania and New Jersey – both conventional and organic. The crop is coming on quickly with the recent warm weather, so expect nice quality and reasonable prices.
What can you do with all of that tender, moist Yellow Zucchini and Green Zucchini this summer? Low calorie Zucchini is good in sweet and savory recipes like stir-fries, quiches and pastas. It can also be sliced thinly and used in raw salads or slaws. Check out this summer squash recipe collection. Or, if the weather is nice – GRILL IT! The charring adds a smoky flavor and the dry air from flame heat draws out the moisture of this soft squash, especially when it has been seasoned with salt.
Recipe: Grilled Yellow & Green Zucchini Kabobs
- Pre-heat cleaned grill to high
- Wash 2 Gold Bar Squash (Yellow Zucchini) and 2 Green Squash (Zucchini), trim the ends
- Slice squashes into ½” think rounds, cut on the bias
- Toss squash slices in a mixing bowl with 2-3 tbsp olive oil to coat
- Season with ½ tsp Sea Salt, ¼ tsp Garlic Powder and Black Pepper, re-toss
- Add squash slices to metal or soaked bamboo grill skewers in an alternating pattern
- Grill over high heat for 4-6 minutes, rotating the skewers three or four times
Limes
PEAK SEASON | BEST FLAVOR
You may have heard news stories about the extreme Lime shortage this past spring and read articles about Mexican Drug Cartel involvement, but that’s history. The summer crops of both conventional and organic Persian-type Limes are here and the market forces of supply and demand have brought prices back to normal, if not, cheaper levels.
Celebrate this month with a tangy lime-mint iced tea, some homemade Margaritas or go healthy with lime in your green juice. Go ahead, keep some juicy, zesty Limes in stock at your house. If you’ve never had a Persian Lime before (What! Really?) they feature a strong, tangy-sweet flavor that can brighten up juices, teas, cocktails, sauces, salsas and dressings, as well as meat and vegetable preparations.
Recipe: Lime Meadow Tea
- Rinse 2-3 large bunches of fresh Mint (as many stems as could fit in your fist)
- Place the Mint, stem-leaf-and-all, into a large spaghetti pot
- Fill spaghetti pot with water, up to 2.5 gal, and submerge the Mint
- Bring water up to a high temp, turning the heat off just before it gets to a rolling boil
- Cut 5 Limes in half, squeeze their juice into the steeping water, then add fruit in too
- Allow Mint and Lime to steep in the pot for up to 1 hour
- Strain and pour Tea into jugs or containers. Refrigerate to cool.
- Serve cold or over ice. Keep refrigerated for up to three days.
