Local crops are ripe for the picking
Local foods are appearing in a steady stream, with the widest selection in the public markets but plenty of asparagus and radishes available, some on special, in supermarkets.
The advantage to market shoppers is you can choose your asparagus by thickness. On Monday, Atwater Market had skinny spears (Primera brand) and fatter stalks from everyone else on sale at competitive prices. Quebec radishes are superb, a pleasant change from radish look-alikes we’ve eaten all spring. Fiddleheads continue and romaine is leading the assortment of local lettuce. Quebec green onions are starting. Quebec’s strawberry crop is ripening and the fruit should have more flavour by next week. My vote goes to the smallsize berries. Local rhubarb has arrived, meaning it’s not too early to make a strawberry rhubarb pie.
Among imports, Washington state sweet cherries are plentiful and good and the price should drop shortly. After the wipeout of the California cherry crop owing to too much rain, it’s a pleasure to see big, fresh, sweet cherries in good supply. Blueberries from the southern U.S. are reasonably priced and should soon be replaced by berries from New Jersey and British Columbia when those crops ripen. Keep an eye peeled for South African grapefruit, which are supposed to be available in a few weeks. Pears from South Africa are already in town. Raspberries from both California and Mexico are reasonably priced. Watermelons from Florida are a good buy.