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October's Bounty    

Sprouts
*For what's available at market this week please see below 


NEW APPLE VARIETIES THIS WEEK:
 
Suncrisp is a relatively new variety developed by the New Jersey Apple Breeding Program. As a cross of Cox Orange Pippin and Golden Delicious it retains the Gold's color but often shows a lovely orange blush from the Pippin, especially where it was exposed to direct sunshine. Like many apples and peaches if you look closely you may see the outline of a leaf which lay over the fruit when it was getting its "suntan".  
     The SunCrisp is somewhat sweet but with a tanginess which you don't find in a Gold, and yes my wife and I are chowing down on one right now. The apple is very juicy and acidic, not the least bit bland, with a strong apple flavor.
 
     The Jonagold we've moved on to is quite different, being sweeter and slightly less tangy than SunCrisp. Lyn says it has more pear flavor but with a similar texture and juciness to the SunCrisp, which must come from their shared Golden Delicious parent. The Jonagold, however, has Jonathan rather than Cox Orange Pippin on the other side. The Jonagold is a much larger apple with quite a lovely red skin on a yellow background. I prefer cooking with the SunCrisp, but both will make excellent "bakers", with the Jonagold making a good choice at this time for a traditional Baked Apple.
 
     Moving right along, we are now trying a Crimson Crisp which Lyn just characterized as way more "Appley", crisper and tangier than the other two. It has a denser mouthfeel than them, more like a York than a Gold. It was developed by Purdue as a part of a program to develop apple varieties with above average disease resistance. The parentage is quite complex, and breeding was a very drawn out process.
 
     Surprisingly enough both of us agree that our favorite turns out to be the Jonagold; not what I had expected, but our honest appraisal. The flavor jumps out at you more than with the others, and just has a bit more "Character". It explains why a good fresh Jonagold is the best selling apple in parts of northern Europe, especially Germany and The Netherlands. Get out there and do a taste test for yourself; all three are just fantastic. 
 
     If what varieties you have purchased at market confuse you just borrow a marker from an employee and write the variety's name right on the apple. I have had all too many customers come to me and say "You know that apple I bought last week, what was it?" 
 
     The last apple, and I don't have a sample to try as they won't be picked until tomorrow, is the Mutsu, an apple we have had in the ground for many years. There was a brief period when it was showing up at supermarkets; but they proved to be too much trouble due to their large size. Many customers have been asking about them and we should have some, everywhere, starting this Saturday. The variety is a Japanese development; a cross between Golden Delicious and Indo (whatever that is). 
     The story I heard is that the Japanese have a ritual with respect to the father passing around slices of apple at the dining room table; and they always want a huge apple. They certainly got it; if you try to leave enough apples on the tree during Spring hand thinning, so that the size will diminish, the crop load will break many of the branches, and can ruin the tree, leaving you no choice but to grow large apples. Anyone of Japanese lineage who knows the true story on this "ritual" is welcome to fill me in on it, as it turns out that I'm just too busy, or lazy, to do the research.
 
BRUSSELS SPROUTS

    We will have more and more sprouts as Autumn progresses, but still a limited supply for the next few days. Arturo just called to let me know that he expects about twice what they were able to harvest last Friday. I just wanted to put in the above cool sprout picture my wife took yesterday as many of you are probably clueless as to how they grow. The plants may, in time, grow to three or more feet tall, and keep producing new sprouts, which start at the bottom and progress up the stalk, for many weeks. Over time you pick your way up the plant, as they size up, 'till you get to those last few at the very top; after which you get to harvest the "Fairy Cabbage" (more on that later!).
     These warm days will bring them on pretty fast. Look for sprouts early at market as we have been running out of them at all locations. That will change as more sprouts reach ideal size. Arturo thinks we will be able to harvest every other day, or so, in the near future. We've had some disappointed customers, and we don't like to see that.

CELERY
     The celery has been very well received; and there will be lots available at all locations. If we get the numbers right most markets should have plenty till near the end of the day. A Takoma customer asked what to do with all the green foliage we leave on our stalks when bagging them for market. I suggested saving the trimmings and leaves to be added when making stock, whether chicken, veggie or even beef stock; the strong celery flavor will add a lot to whatever mix you put together.
 
 Enjoy Indian Summer!
Thanks for being such great, loyal customers
Aubrey and the whole Twin Springs Crew
*At all our locations this week
  • Lots of our fabulous Celery  
  • A limited supply of Brussels Sprouts, probably only on the weekend, till they really "kick in"
  • Freshly picked apple varieties available this week:Daybreak Fuji, HoneyCrisp, CrimsonCrisp, SunCrisp, Empire, Golden Delicious, Mutsu, Red Cortland (Be forewarned they are getting a bit soft), Royal Gala and Jonagold
  • I recommend Crimson Crisp, Suncrisp, Empire and Golden Delicious, as the best cookers this week. Red Cortland are still our favorite for apple sauce; or, as I tell lots of customers, "Buy our seconds at half price and you'll make great sauce, just a bit more random - any good, i.e. Twin Springs' apples will make good sauce. 
  • A few Bartlett Pears 
  • Sweet bell peppers, mildly spicy Anaheim Chiles and sweet little "Yum Yum" peppers are still available.
  • Our Gourmet baby Manar Cucumbers are in pretty good supply this week.
  • We still have lots of our field grown Beefsteak Tomatoes, picked vine ripened, both firsts and seconds.
  • A few Roma 
  • The heirloom tomato varieties: Cherokee Purple and German Slicers
  • Sweet bell peppers, Anaheim Chiles and sweet little "Yum Yum" peppers 
  • We will have a very limited supply of our spicy Arugula.
  • Red Oakleaf Lettuce is in good supply.
  • A few Red Raspberries 
  • Candy, sweet onions and Mercury, mild red onions
  • Potatoes, freshly dug and washed
  • German Hardneck Garlic
  • Sungold, sweet orange cherry tomatoes and Dasher red grape tomatoes    
  • Chipotle Ketchup is still missing in action, but we have Marinara Sauce, Apple Butter and Apple Sauce
In addition to the above we will have, at the "Twin Springs Own Markets" locations:
  • Joe's Sweet Corn, the weekend after the coming one may be the last of Joe's crop. Remember, it is not GMO and is quite easy to freeze. 
  •  Spinach, Kale, Green and Golden Zucchini, Radishes, Turnips, Green Peppers,both Green and Golden (Wax) Beans, Potatoes (our own Sylvana), Eggplant, Limas, Beets, Green PeppersSweet Peppers, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Broccolini, Cauliflower, some Romanesco, herbs (Sage, Parsley and Rosemary). Disclaimer: To be on the safe side I'll say that this represents what it looks like we'll have at least through the weekend and hopefully through the week, but as we need to get it fresh I can't predict everything - Don't count the chickens before...
  • Local honey and maple syrup, salad dressings, jams and jellies, chow chow, mustards, sweet and hot relish, bar-b-que sauces etc.
  • A full line of baked goods, fresh that morning: Croissants, baguettes, many loaf breads too numerous to list, both sliced and unsliced (crispy like a baguette) and cookies
 
or add a friend's email address to bug them about going to market to buy local stuff!