The art of choosing walnuts

Walnuts seem easy to overlook — how special can a nut be? — but every fall I look forward to the new crop of walnuts.

Get them now, before the holidays, when the meat is sweet and slightly creamy and they haven't had a chance to develop any rancidity.

The shells will be fragile enough to crack with your hands.

— Russ Parsons

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What's in season? Pomegranates

Join L.A. Times Food Editor and cookbook author Russ Parsons in cooking through the seasons. It's your guide to what's fresh now at the market -- and what to do with it once you get home:

What's fresh now? Pomegranates. Sweet and tangy as they are, pomegranates are undoubtedly the "un-convenience" fruit. Few other foods demand as much of the eater. Not only do you have to break through that tough, leathery outer shell, but then you have to pry apart the pith to get to the delicious, though admittedly seedy, edible parts.

Click here for an easy way to clean a pomegranate, and some recipes for putting them to good use.

Photo credit: Larry Crowe / Associated Press 

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A behind-the-scenes look at your farmers market finder

 

We're Californians. We like our produce fresher than fresh. We want it picked that morning, if at all possible. And we love our farmers markets. It seemed like a no-brainer to launch an interactive map that featured every single farmers market in Southern California.

But that was just the starting point. We wanted this to be a resource where we could share details about when the season's first crop of mulberries, or white peaches, would be coming to market. We also wanted to know which markets are kid friendly, and which offer a more chef-y vibe. What were the best markets for grazing -- whether it be samples or prepared foods. We also wanted it to showcase one of our favorite features -- Russ Parsons' Cooking through the Seasons -- as well as our timely reports from our Market Watch columnist, David Karp. We wanted it to also link to our ever growing collection of recipes from the Times' test kitchen, as well as any food news.

That couldn't be that hard, could it?

Memories of Copia, and a lesson well learned

Our recent story about Napa at a crossroads -- and the efforts to revive Copia: The American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts -- brought back some fond memories for one reader. Mel Raab and his wife, Jan, visited Copia a few years ago on their first visit to Napa, and their garden has never looked the same. Here, he recalls that magical night when he became a mulberry farmer -- and his hopes for Copia's revival:

Copia's gardeners were startled by the dark red dripping down my arm, but all I wanted was more information on the tree I had just been standing under.

Here's how the night started:

As we pulled up into Copia's lot, we eyed grapes on haphazard vines clawing their way up the surrounding fence. If this is what passed for weeds in Napa, we couldn't imagine what Copia's gardens would hold. We noticed the manicured gardens fronting the two tracts near Copia's main building. The weather was inviting and the gardens vivid, so before going deeper indoors to Copia's formal exhibits, we stepped among the careful plantings.

Are we farmers market failures?

Here in Southern California we love our farmers markets. But do we love them as much as the folks up north in Davis? Or back east in Ithaca, N.Y.? Or in Sunset Valley, Texas, for god's sake? Apparently not. American Farmland Trust is running a national online poll to determine the best farmers market in America and the only Southern California market in the Top 60 is Santa Barbara's. 

Now, there's no arguing that there are great farmers markets all over the country these days. But Ithaca? Given the weather up there, how long can it be open? Two weeks in August?
No, I think the problem is that maybe we've grown just a little complacent. Certainly the Santa Monica and Hollywood markets ought to be on that list. And for that matter, so should Torrance and Pasadena's Victory Park. And I'll bet you can think of a couple more.

Markets in the competition are divided into three size categories, depending on how many vendors attend them. The smallest markets are 30 vendors or smaller and the leading vote-getters so far are something called Smart Markets at Mason, in northern Virginia, and the Collingswood, N.J., farmers market. The Fresno State farmers market is third.

Mid-size markets have between 30 and 55 vendors. Leaders are the Capitol market in Charleston, West Va., the Historic Lewes, Del., Farmers Market, and the Farmers Market at Minnetrista in Muncie, Ind. 

Leading the big-market competition are the Davis market, just outside of Sacramento, Ithaca and Sunset Valley. Where in the world is Sunset Valley? Or, maybe more to the point, where in the world is Santa Monica? There's still time to right this grievous wrong. Vote early and vote often.

-- Russ Parsons

Photo: Alex Weiser at the Santa Monica farmers market. Credit: David Karp / For The Times

Celebrating 15 years: The Beverly Hills farmers market

 

David Karp's Market Watch: The Beverly Hills farmers market, which will celebrate its 15th anniversary Aug. 2, is one of the best mid-size markets in Southern California and is carefully supervised by its manager, Greta Dunlap.

Photo: David Karp

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Psst, have you seen any good mulberries?

 

The mission, if you choose to accept, is to help Howard George of Huntington Beach get a freezer full o' mulberries.

Here's his e-mail to the Daily Dish:

For me, no other berry comes close to the flavor and taste of mulberries. I first tasted them more than 20 years ago at the Santa Monica Farmers' Market and fell in love with them. I quickly learned, and was disappointed to know, that the season for these fabulous berries lasts less than two months from late June through early August. Every year I made it a habit of picking up many pounds and freezing them to enjoy long after the season had ended.

Six years ago I moved to Huntington Beach and have yet to find mulberries at any regular supermarket or farmers' market during the berries' season. So I am writing to you to ask for your help in finding this wonderful fruit in Orange County. With the season soon upon us, I do not want to go yet another year without mulberries. Your help will be greatly appreciated!!!

Howard, we know just how you feel. Times Food Editor Russ Parsons says that hunting mulberries can be tough -- and that it pays to know the right people. So dear readers, please keep your eyes peeled for these little berries, and leave a comment on The Daily Dish letting us know where they've been spotted.

-- Rene Lynch

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