Remember yesterday? Man, seems like a long time ago, huh? I asked for guesses on what was in my breakfast (other than the obvious cereal yogurt, flax):
Well, it wasn’t sweet and sour sauce or ketchup, but this gem I picked up on Monday and I went with my bestie Cara on a day trip to Julian (a super-cute town about an hour away, most famous for apple pie orchards):
I love the Julian Cider Mill and always make it a point to stop in there when I go to Julian. They sell all kinds of candies, nuts, dried fruit, and my favorite, locally produced jams and preserves in fun flavors I can’t find anywhere else. It’s kinda pricey, but it’s a once-a-year(ish) treat and I feel like I’m supporting my local businesses.
Last year I bought this amazing strawberry fig jam, but I realized this time that it’s made with corn syrup, so I stuck to the “sugar-free” section this time around. (Although, is it really any better to get something that’s sweetened with grape juice versus corn syrup? You’d think it is but I’ve also read that sugar is sugar. Oh well.)
I had never tried rhubarb anything before, and I really liked it! The preserves kind of have a sweet-tart flavor that works really well with the cereal and yogurt combo. I’m “trying” to have my breakfasts a tad less sweet. I think an overly sweet AM meal sets me up to crave sweets the rest of the day, does anyone feel that too?
And the other mystery component to my breakfast was persimmon! I’ve started getting these in my CSA and I’ve noticed them popping up on other blogs as well. In fact, Gina wrote a post the other day about her less-than-stellar experience with the fruit.
When I first saw the persimmon, I knew what it was but had no idea what to do with it, so I did what anyone with Internet access would do: hit up the Google for some answers. Unfortunately, Google did not help, because I learned that depending on the kind I had, my persimmon could either be delicious eaten raw or it would be disgusting eaten raw (and I’d need to bake with it, once it got super-ripe…umm ok). Well, how was I supposed to know which type I had?
I guess I could have just taken a big bite and figured it out, but that’s not my style. I don’t do surprises. Instead, I emailed the people at the CSA and asked for their advice. (Reason 13673 to buy local, from the farm if you can: you can ask the experts about their crops!). Here’s the email I received:
Hi Hallie, the persimmon is Fuyu. It can be consumed immediately. It is crisp, lightly sweet and crunchy, like a Fuji apple. I do not recommend you to cook it unless the Hachiya. The Fuyu can be soften but take long time and it never turns super soft as Hachiya.
Once I knew I was good to go, I cut that bad boy up and tried my very first persimmon. Verdict? YUMMY! I mean, I don’t think I’ve yet to meet a fruit I dislike, but these were really good. In addition to adding to my yogurt bowl, I enjoyed persimmons “marinated” in lime juice for a few hours so they softened a bit.
I’m glad I did my persimmon research, because now I have a new fruit find! I’ve said it a million times before, but if you want to try new fruits and veggies, join a CSA or at least shop at your local farmer’s market. It may be a little more money (or not, depending) but it’s so worth it! This morning I had some delicious scrambled eggs with Swiss chard and I never would have had that in the pre-CSA days.
What’s your newest food finds? You just read about mine!
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You know, I’ve never tried anything rhubarb before either! Which is strange, because my mom has giant rhubarb plants in her backyard. Jam sounds like the perfect introduction to it
I also thought the persimmon was cantaloupe the first time you showed the picture, I didn’t even bat an eye at it! But if it’s apple-ish then chances are I’d love it too. I’ve never met a fruit I didn’t like either – unfortunately there are some that don’t like me :\ (I’m looking at you pineapple…)
Oh, and newest food find is Scottish oatmeal! Who knew there were so many cuts and varieties of oats…
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i wanted to go to julian when i was in san diego, but it did seem a little out of the way….another year! glad you liked the persimmon – i love them.
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omg I love Julian! The pies are soo soo good!
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You are so right, local is the way to go. I’m glad you experience was much better than mine. I’m not that patient!
I will have to try them again, and look for the Fuyu. But, at the grocery store they don’t label the type either! Can I call the “Kroger” farmers? haha, probably not.
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I am in complete agreement about the sweet breakfast. I find that when I have eggs, I’m content until lunch. When I have something like sweet oatmeal, I am ready for a snack immediately afterwards.
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