Colors in fresh organic produce
We often write about the
quality and flavor of fresh organic fruits and vegetables.
Our readers, based on the feedback that we get, also share
our zest for taste and quality.
But now, a new dimension
in fresh produce has entered the picture -- color. Led
by consumers like you, plus creative chefs and innovative
organic growers and distributors, there's been a color
revolution in produce over the past decade.
Today, many types of
produce are available in vibrant and unusual colors.
And this means that you can now use visually-exciting
produce to transform ordinary looking meals into visual
festivals.
With the new spring crop
now available, you will begin to see this abundance of color
in the organic produce section of your favorite market.
In fact, spring is our second favorite time of year for
using colorful organics. (So, you ask, what is the
first favorite time? It's "harvest time" later in the
season).
Spring
color
Lettuce, the foundation
of our salads, leads this revolution. We are no longer
slaves to the traditional iceberg lettuce salad.
Today, colorful (plus zesty and nutritious) salad mixes --
like Mesclun mix -- have become a staple item on the dinner
plate. It's ironic that we call the ingredients of
these new salad mixes "baby greens", because, while some are
green, many are red, purple or even white.
Other items often
associated with the spring harvest offer a surprising
variety of color, including:
Cauliflower
(in purple, orange and green),
Carrots (in red, purple and rainbow mixes),
Radishes (French breakfast, Easter egg and red).
Many of these cool
weather varieties are also available at other times of the
year.
Year-round color
Tomatoes are now
available year-round, in a splash of colors. Golden
grapes, red Sweet 100's, yellow and red pear and sugar plums
(just to name a few) improve the presentation of any plate.
And what can be better than a fresh salad with tomatoes?
Peppers are also
available now year-round, in reds, yellows and oranges.
You can find them right next to the the traditional green
pepper. (Tip: colored peppers are often much sweeter
than the good old green ones)
Did we mention potatoes
and hard shell squashes in our discussion of colorful
veggies?
Join
the color revolution
The choice is yours.
You can participate in the color revolution by selecting
colorful veggies for your meals. While the choices may
seem overwhelming at times, try some of the varieties
mentioned above. In the "new food" movement, we've
learned that presentation can be as important as flavor or
quality. And color is the key to presentation.
Let us know how it works for you.
You can find these
(and many others that we did not have room to mention)
colorful organic veggies at your local market. If not, email us
here at
newsletter@goodnessgreeness.com and we'll help you
locate them. |
