Berries
Local field-grown strawberry season is just about over – luckily we have Ichigo Farms greenhouse-grown strawberries throughout the winter. This third-generation Japanese-American family farm specializes in high-end Japanese-style strawberries with incredible flavor. We also have a new California strawberry partner coming soon, stay tuned!
Blueberries from Forbidden Fruit Orchards are here! Their coastal Lompoc microclimate allows them to produce fruit during the off-season, so expect a steady supply through early next year.
Cold, wet weather has also tightened organic raspberry and blackberry supplies. We’re offering conventional options as needed to keep these customer favorites available while the organic market recovers.
Fruit
Apple season is in full swing. Look for Ben Shogun Fuji, Gala, Sweetie, and Granny Smith apples from Cuyama, with Pink Ladies and Honeycrisps arriving soon. For something more unusual, keep an eye out for heirloom varieties from Devoto Gardens, including Arkansa Black, Rome Beauty & Black Twig. These limited varieties come and go quickly, so there’s always something new to discover.
Pomegranates are now available from Cliff McFarlin Family Farms and Blossom Bluff, one of our favorite symbols of fall.
Persimmons have arrived! We have crisp fuyus and jelly-soft Hachiyas, including T-Stem Hachiyas from Blossom Bluff that are especially well suited to making hoshigaki, a traditional Japanese dried persimmon.
We’ve reached the end of stone fruit season, with the final harvests coming from Cliff McFarlin Family Farms. We saw a much earlier season this year compared to previous years, but luckily their satsumas have arrived as citrus season begins.
Domestic grapes will run for another month or two, with most coming from the San Joaquin Valley. They still have the crunch you crave, but late-season grapes often display different color hues. Green grapes will shift from solid green to amber, while red grapes will develop more "bloom," making them look almost black. Two standout varieties right now are the Autumn Royal and Red Flame. Both are seedless and should be available through December, after which the market shifts to South American imports.
Veggies
California green beans have started back up from Terra Firma Farms. The local green bean season runs from May through November, with Mexican imports arriving (hopefully!) right around Thanksgiving.
We’re still seeing a steady supply of local zucchini from Terra Firma Farms, but other varieties of summer squash are quickly wrapping up. We’ll have a few cases here and there, but expect the last of them within the next week or two.
Lakeside has also started growing purslane (verdolagas). Though often dismissed as a garden weed in the US, purslane is widely cherished across Mediterranean, Asian, Middle Eastern, and Latin American cuisines. Crisp, juicy, and slightly sour with a lemony finish, it is fantastic eaten raw in salads or cooked into a classic Mexican dish like verdolagas con carne de puerco.
Blue House Farm has been supplying us with Jimmy Nardellos, a beloved Italian sweet pepper. Despite a long, thin, and wrinkled appearance that closely resembles a fiery cayenne, these peppers have no heat and are widely considered to be some of the best frying peppers in the world.
The last of the season's corn is now coming from the Pacific Northwest. Unlike local and desert California corn, these arrive untrimmed. You’ll notice more wet silk due to the ice used to pack them for the journey south, as well as less attractive outer leaves. It's also common to find caterpillars in PNW corn. Don't worry, they’re completely harmless! Just chop the tops off and enjoy.
Winter Squash
All Winter Squash varieties have landed at Good Eggs. Most customers know the three common ones; Butternut, Acorn and Spaghetti Squash, but have tried our other varieties?
Koginut: This Row 7 Seed Company specialty winter squash is a hybrid between two other squash. One parent variety was prized for its high dry matter, while the other was selected for its concentrated sweetness. It boasts a rich, sweet and nutty flavor with subtle notes of vanilla and citrus. It has quickly gained a cult following for it’s intensely squash-y flavor profile.
Buttercup: A dark green squash known for its squat, turban-like shape and intensely sweet, dense orange flesh. Both the Buttercup and Hokkaido offer a rich, nutty taste with delightful hints of chestnut and sweet potato.
Red Kabocha: A sweet, dense Japanese pumpkin recognized by its vibrant reddish-orange skin. Exceptionally sweet and nutty, it tends to be even sweeter and slightly lighter in texture than traditional green kabocha. These are just three of the ten different varieties of winter squash we currently carry
Tomatoes
We’re still getting the final supplies of cherry tomatoes from Oya Organics. Grab these while you can, as their season is coming to a close! Smaller farms have nearly finished harvesting local heirlooms, so we will gradually transition to Tutti Frutti Farms for our supply through the remainder of the year.
Dry Farmed Early Girl Tomatoes are undeniably a customer favorite. But what makes them so special? Young plants are watered normally until their root systems are established. After that, surface irrigation is completely shut off. Forced to seek water, the plants extend deep taproots seeking subterranean moisture. Deprived of excess surface water, the vines produce fruit with far less water volume and significantly higher concentrations of sugars and acids. Because of this low water content, the flavor is intense, rich, and incredibly sweet. Grab them while the season lasts!
Mushrooms
Matsutake mushrooms have just arrived, and they are something everyone should try at least once in their life! These highly prized wild fungi are celebrated in Japanese cuisine for their dense texture and distinct spicy, cinnamon-pine aroma. They are best prepared simply in clear soups, rice dishes, or lightly grilled over charcoal. Matsutakes have very specific growing conditions, making them extremely limited. Because they cannot be commercially cultivated, we work closely with Wine Forest, who sources them responsibly from trusted foragers. Because they’re wild foraged, our supply may be intermittent.
Wild Chanterelles continue to be in abundant supply, we love tossing these into fresh pasta with some butter and parm.
Avocados
Step Ladder avocados will last a few more weeks. Once they finish up we’ll start up with Equal Exchange’s organic and fair trade program out of Michoacan, Mexico.
Tropicals
Passionfruit from Step Ladder will last just a few more weeks. Get ‘em while they’re tart!
Kiwi season is here! These bright, tangy fruits are as tasty as they are refreshing, with a naturally tart flavor and lots of fiber. We have local green kiwis as well as their more tropical gold cousins.
Flowers
Fresh local flowers have started to dwindle. We’ll begin seeing most vendors come on with dried bunches and wreaths. In the past we’ve sold dried bunches of flowers in a bouquet style but this year we’re exploring the idea of single varieties of dried flowers.
