This Week in Produce

By Mandy Catlette

Updated every Friday

Last Updated: March 19, 2010

One thing I love about spring is that sometimes, when we start to thaw out, some of the bad habits that have been clinging to us throughout the dark winter months get dislodged and float on down the stream--like so many icebergs in that great rocky, stick-strewn river that is our heart. To put it another way, I'm so glad that I finally had a craving for something other than pastry this week. Whew. What a relief to have some of our indulgences quit us instead of having to quit them—the power of spring!

Organic Lemons

If, however, you need a tiny outboard motor to help those cravings head downstream, I have a few energizing spring produce suggestions for you today. Starting with one of the best and tastiest: Organic Lemons. I am not really the kind to play favorites when it comes to produce, but if I had to pick a spring season MVP it would be the Lemon. If you doubt this—buy some lemons and start each day drinking the juice of half a lemon mixed with a cup of water. This simple mixture can stimulate your liver and digestion, helps to relieve conditions of acidity and inflammation (think indigestion, gas, arthritis), removes constipation, kills unfriendly bacteria, freshens your breath and gums, can eliminate intestinal parasites, eases nausea, and dislodges phlegm. There you have it, a big list of gross things that lemons can help you with. But wait, that's not all! Lemons also remove stains from your counter top, take stains out of delicate clothing, polish your sink and kill bacteria, treat dandruff, boost blond highlights, can remove warts, make muffins tasty, provide aromatherapy, and I also understand that if you ask them nicely, they might vacuum your living room (but really that's just hearsay). So folks, for what ails ya, how about try a lemon?

Red Dandelion Greens

Another spring tonic, Dandelion Greens, is perhaps less fun but no less effective. Dandelions are a member of the chicory family, which includes relatives such as Radicchio, Endive, Escarole, and Frisee to name a few. These greens are cultivated for their leaves—so they are slightly milder than wild dandelion—but they are still ragingly bitter and as such are an acquired taste for some. They are extremely nutritious, loaded with calcium and iron, and vitamins A, B, and C. Their tonic effect comes from their bitter taste, though—which is a stimulant for the liver. The liver functions, as we may know, to filter and cleanse our blood. When the liver gets a boost, our bodies have extra energy to detoxify. Dandelion is often eaten raw in salads, but if you want to decrease its bitter aspect, try adding it to a hot cup of miso soup—it sweetens up and tastes great with the salty miso. We have red and green Dandelion greens from California, available now. As a final note: although you can harvest your own from your lawn in a month or two, do so with caution—dandelions are a big target for pesticide in the city—be sure you know that they have not been sprayed.

Parsley

Another green item: parsley. Parsley is bursting with antioxidants, vitamins, and flavor. Two Tablespoons of parsley in a fresh salad are providing you with around 15% of your daily value for vitamin C, and will scrub your breath clean to boot. There are so many flavonoids and volatile oils in parsley that people have written books about it—but in my opinion, parsley is just delicious—bright and pungent, slightly sweet, slightly salty, a little citrusy, a little minty, and all-around aromatic. Another reason parsley is good for spring: it is considered to be an aphrodisiac. Just sayin's all. We have curly and Italian flat-leaf parsley in stock right now.

Lastly, Celery is a delicious spring tonic, and it's so easy to enjoy. You can enjoy a stalk of celery on the fly! Keep it washed and ready in your fridge and munch on a piece now and then. Celery is full of healthy mineral salts that help restore your electrolytic balance which is purported to support your nervous system. It is also essentially just crunchy water. It is hydrating and provides fiber and bulk for your diet which helps act on both your kidneys and intestines (for those of you still reading this after all of this body talk, thanks, really. Thanks. I'm done now.)

And now, if you want some suggestions of things that are particularly good this week: the one-pound packages of organic Strawberries finally make us go "Mmm," out loud in that way that only in-season strawberries can do. Soft, sweet, with ripe berry flavors that will give you that sweet, barefoot summer feeling in no-time.

Blackberries

Kent Mangoes

Green Bartlett Pears

Local Tomatoes

Kiwi

Organic Blackberries are also back in action! Berry season has officially arrived from California. Look for prices to come down and the size and intensity of these berries to go up in the coming weeks. For blackberry enthusiasts: you will love these jammy, rich, tangy berries straight from the container.

The season many of us wait for—Mango season—is starting up with the lush red Kent Mango. These mangoes have an intense, silky, golden flesh and a honeyed, flowery flavor. Unlike other varieties, select a Kent mango on the basis of texture only—the color doesn't change a whole lot from unripe-to-ripe. When the mango yields to slight pressure, it's ready to devour, er, I mean, eat. Look for local favorite Champagne mangoes and my personal favorite, the Keitt Mango—in the weeks to come!

Argentinian Pear season continues—and I highly recommend both green and red Bartlett Pears. These have a melting texture that is as fine as spun sugar—and they're almost as sweet. The really nice thing is the flavor—it is perfumey and refreshing, like a sweet and gentle breeze of fresh air in a stuffy room. These are ripe and ready to go when blushing yellow and tender to the touch.

Locally-grown Living Waters Hydroponic Tomatoes are back and tasting really good after the long winter. These red stunners are vine-ripened in Wells, Minnesota, and you can tell the difference. Perfect texture, tons of flavor, and a color which will remind you that nature produces colors other than white, brown and gray.

You can still get in on the excellent Kiwi this week—we have huge bins of organic kiwi fruit coming in from California which keeps the price low and the quality high. Speaking of tonic, Kiwi fits that bill—being both sour and sweet. A bonus: kiwi seeds contain Omega 3's—which is good any time of year. For added fiber, wash and eat the skin, too.