A prime time for snappy picks
Just in
Green beans: It may seem funny to highlight green beans as a seasonal specialty because they always seem to be around. But the beans that are coming into the market now are so much better than the run of the mill. These are beans with character and snap. They can be roughly divided into two categories. Round beans are those such as Blue Lake, yellow wax and French filet or haricots verts. Cook them quickly to preserve their deep green flavor and crisp texture. Flat beans, such as Romanos, have hulls that are more fibrous. These take well to long, gentle cooking.
Several vendors, average $3 a pound.
Peak season
Lettuce: Because California has such varied growing areas and because salad greens are such a staple, lettuce also is always in the market. But right now is when you get the best selection from the widest assortment of farmers. We’re in the full flush of the last of the winter plantings from warmer areas and the cooler areas are just coming on. Be sure to try varieties you may not have tasted before: Lolla Rossa, with its frilly, deeply curled leaves; Perella, an Italian heirloom with a delicate butterhead texture; or Vulcan, with its bright red, crisp leaf.
Several vendors, average $1.50 a bunch.
Last chance
Beets: Cooks love beets because they add a bit of color at a time of year when that is sadly lacking. Farmers love them because they thrive in cool, damp growing conditions. As the weather continues to warm, neither of those things count for as much as they used to, and beets get pushed aside for flashier vegetables like eggplant, or tomatoes. Now is the perfect time to grab the last taste of their sweetness before they’re gone. Roast beets by wrapping them in aluminum foil and cooking them on a jellyroll pan in a 400-degree oven. It’ll take about an hour for them to get tender enough to pierce easily with a knife. Let them cool, then slip off the skins and slice them before dressing them with a simple vinaigrette.
Several vendors, average $1.50 a bunch.
-- Russ Parsons