The kaffir lime tree is native to tropical Southeast Asia and was spread to neighboring regions via exporters and trade routes. Today Kaffir lime leaves are available in fresh markets and frozen in specialty grocers in Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, the United States. PRODUCT INFO Kaffir limes are widely used in Thailand as a household ingredient. Essential oils are extracted from the fruit's peel and are used for cleaning products, shampoos, and as a method to kill lice. The fruit's zest is used to flavor curries and soups, and the leaves are also crushed and used as potpourri or placed in a hot bath for a citrus aroma. Kaffir lime plants are so common and frequently used in Thailand that the majority of rural households have their own trees growing in their backyards. Kaffir lime leaves are small to medium in size and oblong in shape, averaging 3-5 centimeters in diameter and 8-12 centimeters in length. The top of the thick leaves is glossy and deep green, while the underside of the leaves is porous and a pale, matte green. Kaffir lime leaves grow in pairs and grow in a double leaf formation, which means two leaves grow on either side of the stem and appear to mirror each other. There is a prominent central midrib or vein and the tips of the leaves can be slightly rounded or very pointed. Kaffir lime leaves have a strong citrus taste and aroma that is said to be a blend of mandarin orange, lemon, and lime. USES Kaffir lime leaves contain some antioxidants. They also contain limonene and citronella, which both contribute to the flavor and fragrance of the leaves and have been shown to have antimicrobial properties. Kaffir lime leaves can be used in both raw and cooked preparations such as boiling, steaming, and saut�©ing. They can be used fresh, dried, or from a frozen state and the thick leaves are never consumed whole, but rather steeped and later removed, or sliced very thinly. Kaffir lime leaves can be sliced and used in salads or shredded and used in fish cakes. They are also widely used in soups such as tom yum and hot and sour shrimp, curries, fried rice, pastes, and stir-fries. Their herbal citrus flavor can be used to infuse desserts such as custard and ice cream. Kaffir lime leaves pair well with lemongrass, basil, cardamom, curry leaves, mint, tamarind, turmeric, cumin, galangal, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, jasmine rice, meats such as lamb, chicken and pork, mussels, and coconut milk. They will keep up to two weeks when stored fresh in the refrigerator and up to one year when stored in a sealed container in the freezer. SEASON Kaffir Lime Leaves is available year-round.
PRODUCT INFO Pomegranates are round, red fruits. They feature a white inner flesh that's densely packed with crunchy, juicy edible seeds called arils. USES Pomegranates are juicy, sweet fruits with edible seeds called arils packed tightly inside. They're rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals and even contain some protein. SEASON Pomegranate is available between Jun - May.
PRODUCT INFO Kra Thon, Katon, the santol, sentul or cotton fruit, is a tropical fruit native to maritime Southeast Asia. Santol fruit, botanically classified as Sandoricum koetjape, is one of two edible fruits found in the Meliaceae, or Mahogany family. The fleshy fruits are known for their sweet and sour flavor and are widely cultivated throughout tropical lowlands in Southeast Asia, sold in fresh markets as a raw snack. SEASON Santol is availble between Apr - Jul/Aug.
PRODUCT INFO Star Gooseberry is a type of fruit. There are both sour and sweet varieties. They are often pickled, welded or preserved. USES Star Gooseberry is eaten fresh, and is occasionally used as flavoring for other dishes. It is candied in sugar or pickled in salt or preserves. it is used to make vinegar as well as eaten raw, soaked in salt or vinegar-salt solution. SEASON Star Gooseberry is available between June-August.
PRODUCT INFO Langsat fruits are small to medium in size, averaging 3-7 centimeters in diameter, and are round to slightly oval in shape, growing in large clusters of approximately ten fruits. The thick rind is hard, leathery, and tan to pale yellow, developing brown spots and blemishes as the fruit matures. The rind is also covered in fine hairs giving the fruit a fuzzy appearance. Underneath the surface, there is a white, spongy, and very bitter layer that is easily separated and peeled, and the flesh is thick, translucent-white, and is typically divided into 1-5 segments. These segments are juicy, tender, and soft with a texture similar to grapes, and the flesh may be seedless or contain a few bitter seeds. Langsat fruits are very sour when young, but as they mature, the fruits develop a sweet-tart flavor with light acidity, reminiscent of grapefruit and pomelo. Langsat is an excellent source of vitamins A, B, C, and E, fiber, and also contains some iron, phosphorus, potassium, and calcium. USES Langsat is best suited for raw applications as its sweet and tangy flavor is showcased when consumed fresh, out-of-hand. The rind is easily peeled and removed from the flesh, and the segments can be consumed whole, discarding the small bitter seed. Langsat can be served as a snack or as a fresh dessert. It is also commonly segmented and mixed into fruit salads, green salads, juiced or blended into fruit drinks, or coated in syrups for a sweeter flavor to add to ice cream, desserts, and pastries. In addition to fresh preparations, Langsat can be combined into sauces, jams, and jellies for a sweet-tart preserve. Duku pairs well with other tropical fruits such as snake fruit, lychee, and rambutan, mint, basil, and cilantro. The fruits will keep for 3-4 days at room temperature and up to one week when stored in the refrigerator. SEASON Langsat fruits are available year-round in Southeast Asia, with a peak season in the fall through early winter.
PRODUCT INFO Sweet Mango is hands down the most popular fruit in Thailand. It is grown and eaten everywhere. Thai people will eat Sweet Green Mango on its own, as a snack fruit, although they usually prefer to eat unripe or bitter Mango this way. Predominantly Green Sweet Mango are used as a cooking ingredient. Sweet Mangoes are extremely healthy to eat, they contain far less sugar content than a ripe mango does, and they are also high in fibre. SEASON The peak season for this fruit remains Thailand's "hot season" between March to May.
PRODUCT INFO Pineapple (Supparod) is an incredibly delicious, healthy tropical fruit. It's packed with nutrients, antioxidants, and other helpful compounds, such as enzymes that can protect against inflammation and disease. It's commonly eaten baked, grilled, or freshly cut. USES Pineapple and its compounds are linked to several health benefits, including improvements in digestion, immunity, and recovery from surgery. SEASON Pineapple is available between April - June / December - January.
PRODUCT INFO Star fruit is a sweet and sour fruit that has the shape of a five-point star. The skin is edible and the flesh has a mild, sour flavor that makes it popular in a number of dishes. The star fruit is yellow or green in color. It comes in two main types: a smaller, sour variety and a larger, sweeter one. USES The entire fruit is edible, usually raw, and may be cooked or made into relishes, preserves, garnish, and juices. SEASON Star Fruit is available between July - Nov each year.
PRODUCT INFO Sweet Tamarind (Makam Wan) is a tropical fruit that comes from the Tamarind tree. The fruit grows in seed pods. When fresh out of the pod, tamarind exists as a sticky pulp. This pulp is high in tartaric acid, which gives it a range of sweet and sour taste. The taste of the tamarind fruit ranges from sweet and tangy to a sour and tarty flavour. The wide range in taste is owed to how ripe the tamarind. Sweet Tamarind may be used as a condiment or to add tartness to dishes like curry or soup. There are many different ways to prepare tamarind, including making a paste or sauce by boiling it down with sugar and salt. Tamarind can be also be dried into tamarind candies. SEASON Sweet Tamarind is available between Nov - Feb.
PRODUCT INFO Yam Bean is a legume. The appearance of the yam tree is a creeping vine. The plump head extends from the taproot. solid conan Square shape, flattened, 1 yam, with only one head. The part used to eat is the tapioca root. USES The head of the yam bean part used for eating Appearance is light brown, inside is white. When chewed, it feels crispy like a fresh pear fruit. It also has a flour-like flavor but is sweet. It is generally eaten fresh. or dipped in salt and pepper It can also be used to cook both savory and sweet dishes as well, such as kaeng som, wild curry, sweet and sour stir-fry, and egg stir-fry. It is a mixture of steamed buns. and Ruby Krob. SEASON Yam beans are available year-round.
PRODUCT INFO Sadao leaves are small to medium in size and are elongated and oval to lanceolate in shape. The green leaves are thin and tear easily and have a smooth texture. The edges of the leaf can vary with some jagged spots mixed with flat sides. The leaves grow on small, but thick stems and each stem can grow 5-15 leaflets. Sadao leaves are tender and have a very bitter taste. The sadao plant also bears fragrant white flowers that are edible and offer a bitter, green flavor when cooked. Sadao leaves are an excellent source of antioxidants such as rutin and quercetin. USES Sadao leaves are best suited for cooked applications such as boiling, sauteing or stir-frying. The young leaves are often parboiled or pickled and eaten as an accompaniment to other dishes. Sadao leaves are also traditionally served with Nam Pla Wan, which is a Thai dipping sauce that uses tamarind juice, fish sauce, dried chilis, shallots, and palm sugar. This sweet sauce helps cut the bitterness of the Sadao leaves to create a sweet and sour, savory combination. Sadao leaves pair well with meats such as chicken, pork, beef, and white fish, tomatoes, aromatics such as garlic, ginger, and onions, fish sauce, and other sweet dipping sauces. Sadao leaves will keep up to a week when stored fresh in the refrigerator. SEASON Young neem plant are available year-round.
PRODUCT INFO Peteh beans (sator seed) it flat edible beans with bright green seeds the size and shape of plump almonds which have a rather peculiar smell, similar to, but stronger than that of the shiitake mushroom, due to sulfur-containing compounds also found in shiitake, truffles and cabbage. In Thailand it is called sah-taw look like broad beans. Like mature broad beans, they may have to be peeled before cooking. Peteh bean has earned its nickname 'stink bean' because its strong smell is very pervasive. It lingers in the mouth and body. Like asparagus, it contains certain amino acids that give a strong smell to one's urine, an effect that can be noticed up to two days after consumption. Like other beans, their complex carbohydrates can also cause strong-smelling flatulence. USES Peteh beans (sator seed) are best when combined with other strong flavoured foods such as garlic, chilli peppers, and dried shrimp, as in sambal petai or added to a Thai curry such as Thai Green Curry of Duck. When young the pods are flat because the seeds have not yet developed, and they hang like a bunch of slightly twisted ribbons, pale green, almost translucent. At this stage they may be eaten raw, fried or pickled. Young tender pods with undeveloped beans can be used whole in stir fried dishes. In North-eastern India, the seeds or the bean as a whole are eaten by preparing a local delicacy call Iromba or Yongchak singju. Seeds are also dried and seasoned for later consumption. When dried the seeds turn black. In Indonesia, petai is very popular in the highlands of Java. SEASON Peteh beans (sator seed) are available between Jun - Jul each year.
PRODUCT INFO Yellow Sesbania Flowers (Dok Sanoh) are small oval blooms, averaging 2 to 8 centimeters in length, and have a curved, broad, and flat shape. The flowers appear in groupings of 2 to 8 blooms on the end of slender green stems and are nestled between branches of straight, smooth, and oval pinnate leaves ranging 1 to 2 centimeters in length. These leaves fold in on each other, closing at night, and reopen when the run rises following the sunâ??s path throughout the day. The flower petals are bright yellow and have a delicate, velvety, and soft texture. Sesbania flowers have a slight crunch and a succulent, tender quality when consumed raw, releasing a mild, sweet, and subtly green flavoring. Some consumers note their similarity in taste to a sweet pea. When cooked, the flowers soften and take on the other flavors in the dish, contributing added texture and a faint floral taste. USES Yellow Sesbania Flowers (Dok Sanoh) are a source of fiber to stimulate the digestive tract, antioxidants to guard the cells against free radical damage, and calcium and phosphorus to protect bones and teeth. The flowers also provide some iron to develop the protein hemoglobin for oxygen transport through the bloodstream and lower amounts of vitamins A and C, magnesium, and B vitamins. In India, Sesbania flowers and leaves are used in poultices. They are customarily used to soothe internal ailments and are said to have inflammatory and antibacterial properties. Season Sesbania flowers are available year-round.
PRODUCT INFO Golden Mushroom are very small in size and grow in bouquets of tightly packed, long stems topped with petite, convex caps. The snow-white caps are tender, smooth, delicate, and are connected to matching white stems that are thin and can grow up to twelve centimeters in length. Golden Mushroom are crisp and firm with a crunchy bite and a mild, fruity flavor. Golden Mushroom contain dietary fiber, niacin, calcium, potassium, selenium, copper, phosphorus, and iron. They are also known to have anti-inflammatory properties and are excellent immune system boosters. USES Golden Mushroom are best suited for both raw and cooked applications such as simmering, blanching, and boiling. Before consuming, the ends should be trimmed, the mushrooms should be washed, and any slimy stems should be discarded. The delicate, crunchy texture of Golden Mushroom can be served fresh in salads, lightly sauteed and added into stir-fries and noodle dishes, mixed into omelets, risottos, curries, sushi, or even in spring rolls. They are most commonly used in hot pot soups, added in for texture, but they can also be blanched in a soy sauce-based mixture and served as a main dish. Golden Mushroom pair well with soba noodles, vermicelli, soy sauce, miso, garlic, onion, scallions, seaweed, kale, ginger, bacon, seafood such as crab, lobster, or shrimp, lemongrass, fresh herbs, long beans, carrots, celery, snap peas, bell pepper, and water chestnuts. They will keep up to one week when stored in a paper bag in the refrigerator. Season Golden Mushroom are available year-round.
PRODUCT INFO Puffball mushrooms range from small to very large in size, averaging 10-70 centimeters in diameter, and are round, oblong, to oval in shape. Some species are small, golf-ball sized, while others can grow as large as soccer balls. The white fruiting body can be smooth or bear some small scales, warts, or spines and is firm, airy, and spongy. There is also a protective coating that helps keep debris and dirt from entering the flesh. When sliced, the flesh should be pure white and never have any color. Puffball mushrooms are white when young and transition to a yellow-brown when mature and are rendered inedible when they reach this state. There are little to non-existent stems, and the spores are produced internally in the fruiting body. When young, Puffball mushrooms have a mild, nutty, and earthy flavor. Puffball mushrooms contain some phosphorus, manganese, selenium, and clavacin. USES Puffball mushrooms are best suited for cooked applications such as sauteing, pan-frying, and baking. Referred to as the �¢??breakfast mushroom" Puffball mushrooms pair well with egg dishes and are enhanced when sauteing and browned in simple ingredients such as garlic and butter. They can be sliced thinly and rolled with meat and vegetables, chopped into stir-fries, or grilled with marinades. They can also be cut into slices, battered, and fried, sliced and used as noodles in lasagna or ravioli, used as the dough in pizza, chopped into croquettes, blended into hummus, pureed into gravies, or dried and ground into a powder to use as a flavoring agent. The rotund mushrooms can be substituted for tofu or eggplant in many recipes. The flesh readily absorbs accompanying flavors so oil should be used sparingly. Puffball mushrooms pair well with tomatoes, broccoli, beets, rutabagas, radishes, turnips, parmesan cheese, garlic, poultry, scallops, crab meat, and tuna. They do not store well and should be used immediately after harvest. They can also be frozen between sheets of plastic and stored for extended use. Season Puffball mushrooms are available in the late summer through fall.
PRODUCT INFO Asparagus grow to about 22 centimeters in length and 16 millimeters in diameter. Its deep pistachio-green stalks are tender at the tip and slightly woody and thick towards the end, and a slight purple blush often occurs around the stalk and throughout the conical tip. Asparagus' mildly grassy and sweet flavor matches that of its larger and smaller counterparts. Asparagus, botanically known as Asparagus officinalis, is a member of the Liliaceae family. Considered a perennial herb, asparagus has an underground rhizome from which its edible young stems, known as spears, emerge during the spring and summer months. Asparagus plants are either male or female, the females volunteer seeds while males do not. Having less energy spent on producing seeds creates a thicker, more flavorful stalk, driving higher demand for male asparagus. This demand for male asparagus has put new cultivars on the market bred to produce only male plants. These cultivars include Jersey Giant, Jersey Supreme and Jersey Knight and all are cost efficient. Season Asparagus is available year-round, with a peak season in spring.
PRODUCT INFO The Zucchini squash has a uniformly cylindrical shape with little to no taper from its stem to blossom end. It can be harvested when it is at its baby stage or when more mature at up to six to eight inches long. Many growers and chefs note that Zucchini will be at its peak flavor and texture when five to six inches in length. The exterior glossy skin of the Zucchini is vibrant to dark green in color and delicate enough to consume. Summer squash such as Zucchini are harvested when immature for best flavor, as a result their skin is delicate and prone to easily bruising and scratching. Its flesh is creamy white in color with a spongy yet firm texture and faint traces of edible seeds. It offers a sweet summer squash flavor with nuances of black peppercorn and nutty undertones. In addition to the fruit of the Zucchini plant the flower blossoms of Zucchini are also edible and offer a mild, squash like flavor. Zucchini squash are a low caloric food and are nearly 94% water. Additionally they offer some vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium and iron. USES Zucchini squash are mild in flavor, extremely versatile and can be prepared in sweet or savory recipes. Grate Zucchini and add squash to muffin or bread batter, or use to make vegetable pancakes and fritters. Thinly sliced Zucchini works well in salads or as part of a fresh (raw) appetizer such as vegetarian carpaccio. When sliced thinly lengthwise Zucchini squash can be an excellent substitute for conventional noodles in pasta preparations. Sliced Zucchini squash can be grilled, steamed, sauteed or battered and fried. Larger more mature squashes are perfectly sized for hollowing and baking when stuffed with meats, cheeses and grains. The Zucchini blossoms additionally can be stuffed with soft cheeses and herbs then battered and fried. The flavor and texture of Zucchini will complement a variety of ingredients such as tomatoes, garlic, corn, eggplant, fresh herbs such as parsley, basil and oregano, olive oil, pine nuts, eggs, citrus juice, sausage, roasted chicken and cheeses such as ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan. Zucchini squash will keep best when kept dry and refrigerated, for one to two weeks. Season Originally grown as a summer vegetable, Zucchini squash is suitable to forced cultivation in temperate climates and is available for harvest year-round.
- Native to the Mediterranean region and cultivated over three thousand years, celery is a biennial, herbaceous plant of the Umbelliferae, botanically named Apium graveolens. A member of the carrot family and related to anise, parsley and parsnips, celery was first recorded as a food plant in France in 1623. - Baby celery is hydroponically grown, with long, thin stalks and mature, full leaves. Similar in size to cilantro or parsley, baby celery has an intense celery flavor that is much stronger than that mature celery heads. The strong celery flavor is concentrated in the leaves, though the entire plant is edible. - Baby celery is not typically used as a substitute for mature celery because the stalks are small and thin. Use celery leaves in pestos, sauces, soups, salads or as an herb. Pair with carrots, mushrooms, asian vegetables, citrus, tomatoes, garlic and onion. Baby celery stalks may be used as an aromatic or chopped and combined with the leaves in cooked preparations. Refrigerate baby celery, keeping dry and well wrapped until ready to use. - Hydroponically grown baby celery is harvested year-round.