PRODUCT INFO Broccoli consists of flowering heads that are harvested when the buds are unopened, small, and still green. The heads average 10 to 20 centimeters in diameter and grow on thick, fibrous stalks, emerging from a covering of large, leathery, dark green leaves. Broccoli heads are generally green, sometimes flushed with dark purple depending on the variety, and contain tiny, unopened buds attached to branching stems. The branching, segmented stems with the flower buds are known as florets, which connect into a larger, central, thick, and fibrous, pale green stem. The unopened buds have a crisp and tender consistency when raw, and if left to mature, the buds would produce bright yellow, four-petaled flowers. The thick, raw stems also have a crisp, crunchy, slightly chewy texture, and the leaves are edible but often contain a bitter, fibrous nature. When cooked, Broccoli develops a soft, semi-crunchy consistency and has vegetal, herbaceous, and earthy flavors with grassy, bittersweet nuances. Broccoli is a versatile ingredient well-suited for both raw and cooked applications, including steaming, boiling, roasting, baking, frying, and sauteing. The heads, stems, and leaves are all edible and will contain varying textures and flavors. The heads and stems are the most common portion of the plant consumed and can be chopped and tossed fresh into salads, mixed with other ingredients into slaws, or served on appetizer plates with creamy sauces and dips. Broccoli can also be battered and fried into tempura, lightly cooked and mixed into grain bowls, tossed into pasta, stir-fried with other vegetables, steamed and served as a tender side dish, or blanched and combined into rice and noodle dishes. In addition to using the heads in larger pieces, cooked Broccoli florets can be pureed into soups, stirred into risotto, or baked into quiches. The thick stems can also be used in any preparation calling for Broccoli. Some chefs choose to peel the stems to develop a more tender consistency when cooked. USES Broccoli leaves are also edible but may contain a bitter flavor. The leaves can be prepared similarly to kale or Swiss chard. Broccoli pairs well with zucchini, cauliflower, bell pepper, mushrooms, roasted meats, including poultry, turkey, beef, and fish, other seafood, sauces such as oyster, soy, creamy dressing, and vinaigrettes, and cheeses such as parmesan, cheddar, feta, and goat. Unwashed, raw Broccoli will keep 4 to 7 days when stored in the refrigerator, and once cooked, it will keep up to 5 days. It can also be frozen for 6 to 8 months. Season Broccoli is available year-round, with a peak season in the late fall through early spring.
PRODUCT INFO Finger grass is a branching herb comprised of straight, hollow stems and elongated lanceolate to elliptical leaves that grow in an opposite formation around the cylindrical stems. The leaves are slender, tapering to a point, and average 2 to 6 centimeters in length and .5 to 1 centimeter in width. The grey-green leaves are also smooth to the touch, thin, and pliable with finely serrated edges. The stems are thick in appearance but have a hollow center, creating a smooth, crisp, and watery texture. The pale green stems also have a light, succulent, and spongy consistency, lightly coated in fine hairs. Finger grass emits a refreshing, citrus, and herbal aroma and the stems and leaves have a vegetal, citrusy, and earthy, spice-filled flavor. Some consumers recognize the leaves as having a bright and acidic quality, filled with undertones of sweet cumin and curry flavor mixed with notes of lemon and dill. In addition to the leaves and stems, Finger grass seasonally produces tubular flowers that showcase pale pink, purple, to light blue hues. USES Finger grass has a bright, complex flavoring mainly used as a fresh finishing element on savory main dishes. The leaves should be washed and gently torn, chopped, or crushed to release their flavor, and they can be sprinkled into salads, minced into dips and marinades, or used as an edible garnish for roasted meats, light sauces, or grain dishes. In Southeast Asia, finger grass is frequently used in Vietnamese cuisine and Cambodian and Thai cuisine on a smaller scale. The leaves are traditionally served fresh in the center of the dinner table, along with other herbs and raw vegetables. These accompaniments are added to curries, stews, and soups such as pho, and each guest can determine how much of each herb is incorporated into their dish for custom flavor combinations. Finger grass can also be sauteed or steamed as a simple side dish or the stems can be roughly chopped and added to stir-fries. While more untraditional, some mixologists in Southeast Asia have begun muddling finger grass into a refreshing cocktail to modernize the herb. In Cambodia, finger grass is placed on the roof of houses and dehydrated for extended use as a dried herb. Finger grass pairs well with meats including poultry, beef, pork, and fish, other herbs such as lemongrass, basil, and mint, steamed rice, lemon, lime, bell peppers, peas, broccoli, water spinach, carrots, and peanuts. Whole, unwashed Finger grass is highly perishable and will only keep for a few days in the refrigerator when loosely wrapped in plastic or a damp paper towel. The herb should be used immediately for the best quality and flavor. Season Finger grass are available year-round in Southeast Asia.
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.
SKU: 364115376135191 Green okra has a torpedo-shaped pod ranging in length of five to six inches when harvested mature. The pods are pale lime to lime green color, their exterior has furrowed lengthwise grooves. The skin can often be fuzzy to prickly, which can cause an allergic reaction to sensitive skin. The flesh bears a tender spongy membrane with many small white seeds. Okra is known less for its lean flavor and more for its sticky sap that creates the flesh's gelatinous texture. PRODUCT INFO Green Okra is a member of the mallow family along with cotton, cocoa and hibiscus. The okra plant produces broad oak-shaped leaves with bold yellow and white hibiscus-like blossoms. The fruits sprout in vertical patterns from the plant's stems. The sign of a plant flowering indicates fruits will develop quickly within 3-5 days. Young fruits must be harvested daily as the fruits are known to grow so fast you can almost see them growing in front of your eyes. One plant can produce up to 100 okra. Okra left on the stem too long will become tough and essentially unfit for use. Okra is grown for fresh-eating but it also has many other purposes. Okra plants are grown commercially for pickling and canning alone or as a canned soup ingredient, while the seeds are also harvested for making oil and in some cultures are ground and used as a coffee substitute or supplement. USES With okra, harvesting young tender fruits and knowledge of how to cook it are two key ingredients. Okra is historically not eaten alone, rather paired in a multitude of recipes alongside ingredients with bold, complex flavors and varying textures. Okra is most often used as a soup or stew ingredient, though its textures and flavors are truly enhanced when fried and grilled. Okra pairs well with basil, bacon, beet greens, butter, cream, garlic, ham, lemon, kale, onions, parsley, olive oil, pickled vegetables, chile peppers and peppercorns, paprika, tomatoes and turnips. SEASONS Okra is available year-round
PRODUCT INFO Pea eggplant are small and round, about the size of a pea and one centimeter in diameter. These tiny fruits are arranged in clusters of ten to fifteen bunched together in a fashion similar to grapes and as the fruits ripen their thin skin will turn from light green to yellow. The fruits grow on shrubs that can reach up to sixteen feet in height. The stems and leaves of the pea eggplant are covered in fine hairs, and small hooked thorns and the flowers of the plant are most often white. Each fruit can contain up to two hundred tiny, flat, brown, and edible seeds. pea eggplant range in flavor from bitter to tart when raw, and their texture is exceptionally crunchy. Once cooked they will take on a soft quality and the bitter flavor is minimized. USES Pea eggplant are used in both raw and cooked preparations. When fresh they are popularly used in nam prik kapee, a chili and shrimp paste blend commonly made in Thailand. They can also be pickled, dried, or served raw with dipping sauces. Pea eggplant can be grilled, braised, added to curries, soups, and stews, or tossed whole or chopped into stir-fries. To cut the bitterness, Pea eggplant can be boiled briefly before use. Pea eggplant pair well with mint, turmeric, cumin, cardamom, curry paste, rice, yams, and meats such as poultry and beef. Pea eggplant will keep up to three days when stored in a cool and dry place. SEASONS Pea eggplants are available year-round with peak season during the summer months.
PRODUCT INFO Ivy gourd is a local vegetable with very high nutritional value. and what you see will be pleasing A health lover for sure is that ivy gourds contain beta-carotene. that reduces the rate risk of developing cancer and ischemic heart disease also provide calcium as well For those who have problems driving It's worth trying to eat because gourds contain fiber that helps the digestive system work well. Young shoots and young leaves of ivy gourds It is blanched and steamed as a dipping sauce with chili paste and used to cook as curry, vegetable soup. Some local villagers bring the young fruit of ivy gourds to pickle and eat it with chili paste or cook it as a curry. The young shoots of ivy gourds are a popular vegetable that Thai people eat. Available in fresh markets in every region of Thailand. USES The ivy gourds are also useful as follows: leaves, quenching heat poisoning, neutralizing fever, relieving heat, quenching boils, relieving burning pain, relieving itching, flowers, relieving itching, seeds, pounding mixed with coconut oil to cure scabies, vines, use the juice from the vine to drop the eyes to cure hay fever, red eyes, bruised eyes, watery eyes, eye inflammation. Detoxification, anti-inflammatory, brew with dizzy glass drinking water, roots, quench all poisons, cure blemish eyes, reduce fever, cure vomiting, latex, stem, leaf, root Cure diabetes, headache, eliminate all toxins SEASON Ivy gourd is available year-round.
PRODUCT INFO Yardlong bean should be picked young while it is at its most crisp, sweet and tender. Young beans develop within sixty days of cultivation, and the long pods grow in pairs from the stem. Known for their extraordinary length beans can grow up to thirty inches in length but for best flavor and texture should be harvested when between twelve and eighteen inches. The bean pods have a spindly, cylindrical form with a smooth, grooved, firm texture and green-colored shell. The bean pod's flesh contains succulent, pale, lime green peas (the plant's seeds) with eyes similar in shape to black eyed peas. If beans are allowed to fully mature, they can be shelled and the seeds used as other shelled beans and peas. The flavor of China Long beans is grassy and slightly sweet with a more intense bean flavor than traditional green beans. Of all the China Long bean varieties the green is known to be the sweetest and most tender. Yardlong bean are an incredible vegetarian source for nutrition. They are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, protein, fiber, folate, magnesium, thiamin, potassium, and iron. USES Yardlong bean should be very fresh when purchased. When young and tender they can be used raw and are a welcome addition to green and grain salads. Unlike conventional green beans China Long beans tend to get waterlogged when boiled or steamed so when preparing in this method be sure to only do so for a short duration. Their texture will be most favorable when they are stir-fried, sauted, grilled, dry-fried, or deep-fried. China Long beans can also be preserved and pickled. Pair with soy sauce, garlic, ginger, bitter or spicy Asian greens, Sichuan peppercorns, black bean sauce, hot peppers, oyster sauce, curry spice, beef, pork and chicken. China Long beans will keep, dry and refrigerated. For best flavor and texture use within three to four days before beans become wilted and floppy. SEASON Yardlong beans are available year-round with a peak season in the summer and fall months.
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.
PRODUCT INFO Lotus root is an oblong, tubular rhizome or stem that grows underground in bodies of water, averaging 5-10 centimeters in diameter and 10-20 centimeters in length. Appearing like underwater sausage links, the rhizomes are connected to other rhizomes via smaller roots creating groupings of 3 to 5 and can grow to be over one meter in length as a whole. When young, Lotus root has a firm texture with light purple to white skin that transforms into a brown-beige hue with darker brown speckling when mature. Underneath the thin skin, the flesh ranges in color from ivory to white and is crisp, light, and starchy. There are also numerous, symmetrical, air pockets patterned into a pinwheel shape in the flesh that extend the entire length of the rhizome. Lotus root has a dense and crunchy texture with a nutty and sweet flavor, similar to that of a water chestnut or taro root. The younger roots are more tender and used for fresh culinary purposes, whereas mature roots are used in extended cooking applications to develop a tender, potato-like texture. Considered a good source of energy as it is high in carbohydrates. It also contains vitamin C, manganese, zinc, iron, copper, vitamin B, potassium, and magnesium. USES Lotus root is best suited for cooked applications such as steaming, frying, braising, stir-frying, and boiling. After peeling the root, it should be immersed in acidulated water using vinegar or citrus to prevent discoloration. Lotus root can be blanched just slightly to remove any bitterness, cooled, and added to salads or crudite. It can also be sliced and braised until tender in soups, stir-fried, battered and fried into tempura, or thinly sliced and baked into chips. In India, Lotus root is boiled, mashed, and added to vegetarian kofta, which is a dumpling dish paired with spicy sauces. A traditional Korean dessert also utilizes Lotus root with soy sauce, honey, and sesame seeds called yeongun bokkum. Lotus roots pair well with mushrooms, peppers, snap peas, snow peas, asparagus, corn, celery, cucumber, oyster sauce, peanuts, red beans, and sesame seeds. Lotus root will keep up to two weeks when stored whole, wrapped in damp paper towels, and placed in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Sliced Lotus root can be stored in an acidulated water solution for a couple of days, or it can be frozen for long-term storage. SEASON Lotus root is available year-round, with a peak season in the fall.
