Category Archives: Fruit

A Farm in Silicon Valley? You Betcha

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Orchards and farms have all but disappeared from the Valley of Heart’s Delight.

But look closely, beyond the chips and wafers that now grow in the Santa Clara Valley, and you’ll still find a few, including the inspiring Full Circle Farm, an 11-acre, organic, educational farm designed to supply fresh produce to Santa Clara Unified School District cafeterias.

Last year, the farm grew more than 40,000 pounds of fruits and veggies, 10,000 pounds of which were donated to local food banks and shelters. The farm also supplied weekly produce to 55 community sponsored agriculture share holders and operated a year-round farm stand on its grounds. Moreover, it provided fresh vegetables to the school district’s children’s lunch program, where nearly half the students qualify for free or reduced-price meals.

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Rumba Ice Creams Cause a Delicious Rumble

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Laly Protzel may have spent a decade as an interior architecture designer.

But one taste of her new Rumba Desserts makes you realize this is one woman who knows and loves fine ice creams.

What really sets Protzel’s ice creams apart is that they are made with natural fruits grown exclusively in her native Peru.

I had a chance to try a few samples recently of her preservative-free, egg-free, all natural ice creams, which are made in Sunnyvale and are available at Whole Foods, Draeger’s, Zanotto’s and Sigona’s Market. A pint sells for about $7.99.

The Maracuya (yellow passion fruit)  tastes like a tropical island. It’s a nice blend of sweet-tart.

The Banana Cinnamon tastes like bananas flambé with a nice dose of warm cinnamon.

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Garden Creamery Sorbets Taste Fresh-Picked

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Sorbet flavored not only with raspberries, but red peppers.

I love a good, fruity, virtuous sorbet. But truth be told, it’s usually not quite as swoon-satisfying as a sinful scoop of bonafide full-fat ice cream, if you know what I mean.

That is until I tried samples of Garden Creamery sorbets.

These sorbets — made with agave nectar, as well as organic fruits, veggies and herbs, and no stabilizers or emulsifiers — are something else.

They taste high-end, as if a talented pastry chef at a four-star restaurant had spent the morning churning them, using the best ingredients in winning combinations.

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Hello, Limoncello

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Hello, my citrusy , boozy friend that looks like summer sunshine in a glass.

Have you made the acquaintance of everyone else out there? Allow me to make the introductions.

Everyone: Say “hello” or rather “hellocello” to Limoncello di Sonoma, which landed in my mail box recently as a sample.

This traditional, artisan Italian liqueur is home-grown from Sonoma. It’s made from organic lemons, organic agave syrup, and grappa.

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Kickin’ with Kiwi

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Kiwi is the secret ingredient in this tasty flatbread wrap.

When life gives you kiwi, make kiwi raita, of course.

More precisely, when Zespri, the largest marketer of kiwifruit, sends yours truly a case of the brown furry fruit to try, that’s just what I get a hankering for.

Especially when this twist on a traditional Indian condiment comes from pioneering Florida chef, Norman Van Aken.

The easiest way to eat a kiwi? Cut in half, then scoop the flesh out with a spoon.

With kiwi in this cool, creamy yogurt sauce, you don’t get the crunch you would from using the traditional cucumber. What you get is a subtle sweetness instead, a counterpoint to the warm spices of cumin, coriander and black mustard seeds.

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