In Season: Stone Fruits & Salad Greens

By Barbara Kobsar | Illustrations by Charmaine Koehler-Lodge

 

It’s stone fruit season, and excitement is high at our local farmers’ markets and u-pick farms for all those luscious cherries, apricots, peaches, nectarines, and plums. To get the best tree-ripened fruits, many stone fruit lovers head to Brentwood, where more than 60 farms offer some or many varieties of stone fruit along with many other types of produce and value-added farm products. Finding the farms is easy with the Harvest Time Farm Trail map or the interactive map at harvestforyou.com.

Brentwood excitement begins with the short six-week May-to-June cherry season. My favorite farms for cherries are Maggiore Ranch, Pease Ranch, Rancho Zaragoza, and Nunn Better Farms. When I return to pick peaches, nectarines, and plums, I’ll be likely to head for Wolfe Ranch, Mike’s U-Pick and Moffatt Ranch.

You may have heard that stone fruits are sometimes called drupe fruits, but it may be a surprise that this group also includes some types of nuts and berries. Almonds, when hanging on the tree, look like hard green peaches, and walnuts, pecans, pistachios, and cashews also look like fruits. It’s the kernels inside the pits that we consume. Raspberries, blackberries, and mulberries are drupes with compound constructions: Each berry is made up of many small drupelets with tiny seeds inside.

Did you know that California produces almost 100% of the nation’s apricots? These fruits originated in China around 6,000 years ago but didn’t reach Europe until the 16^th century. Commercial production in the New World began in the late 1700s shortly after Spanish missionaries brought apricots to the fertile Santa Clara Valley, the same California region now known as Silicon Valley.

If you have ever noticed that supermarket apricots often need several days sitting at room temperature on your kitchen counter before they are soft and ripe enough to eat, there’s a reason. It’s because the large commercial apricot growers are unable to handle these delicate fruits at their peak ripeness, so they harvest them when they are mature but still quite firm. For making my Cottage Kitchen apricot jams, I’ll always go to Brentwood to pick fully tree-ripened apricots, which have the most exquisite flavors and aromas. They are also quite fragile, so I’ll pack them carefully for the ride home. On my first Brentwood visit in May, I’ll pick Poppy and Castlebrite apricots. In June, I’ll be back for Golden Sweet, Patterson, and the Royal Blenheim (my favorite).

Summertime is salad time, but many salad greens actually prefer the cooler months. Two varieties that tolerate summer heat are red oak leaf and romaine. One loose-leaf romaine to keep your eyes open for is Giant Caesar, which is usually harvested young when it offers a buttery, sweet flavor. Another salad green to watch for is Malabar spinach, a climbing vine that grows rapidly in the heat. Its tender young leaves and stems work well in salads, and they’re also good steamed, boiled, or added to stir fry. Mustard greens add a peppery taste to salads, but cooking mellows their flavor and brings out some sweetness. Blanched mustard greens can be used in place of basil when you’re making a pesto or pasta sauce. ♦

Veteran journalist and cookbook author Barbara Kobsar focuses on traditional home-cooked meals using local produce. Find her at the Walnut Creek and San Ramon farmers’ markets selling her Cottage Kitchen jams and jellies.

Artist Charmaine Koehler-Lodge grows most of her family’s food in their large home garden.

 

Summer Greens & Stone Fruit Salad

Serves 4

• 4 cups mixed greens
• 1 cup sliced fresh apricots
• ½ cup cherries, pitted and sliced in half (optional)
• ¼ cup crumbled goat cheese (or feta)
• 1 cup toasted pecans or almonds*, coarsely chopped
• 3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
• 2 tablespoons apricot jam
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Combine mixed greens, apricots, cherries, cheese, and nuts in a large bowl. In a small bowl whisk together vinegar and apricot jam. Slowly whisk in oil until it blends smoothly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over greens and toss to coat well.

*Toasting nuts draws natural oils to the surface, making them richer tasting and crunchier. Place nuts in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast in a preheated 350°F oven for 5 to 8 minutes until the nuts are fragrant and slightly browned. Cool before using.