This week's market report from Wild Harvest features Inca aka heirloom tomatoes, St George mushrooms and Romanesco as well as a whole host of other fruit and vegetables currently in season which you can see below:
Wild Mushrooms
Morels are solid from Turkey and prices have dropped allowing liberal use. The second flush of South African cep is under way and is delivering fine specimens.
The strange micro-climate of Bulgaria has given us St George mushrooms in good time for the traditional kick off date of St George’s Day.
We are yet to see abundance but the early crop is small and firm with a unique mealy flavour.
We are now buying (albeit sporadically) the classic mousseron, or to give it its lovely Latin name Marasmius Oreades.
As crops take hold in Bulgaria prices will drop and availability will improve.
Truffles
Spring white truffles cling on and represent the strongest nose on offer from the subterranean fungal world.
Italian summer truffles are now on sale.
Whilst nose and marbling have some way to go, clever cooking and flavour pairings permit entry level on what promises to be another long and steady season.
Fruits
The inca or heirloom tomato mix offering six varieties of differing shape, colour and flavour is now coming from France.
Prices are keen and quality excellent.
We have chosen this week to boost our tomato offering with the likes of green zebra, pineapple, black de crime and San Marzano all going the party.
- Gariguette strawberries from the South of France are in excellent shape.
- Clementines cling on.
- Lemons from Nice and Southern Italy are still excellent but we are about to wrap up the blood orange season.
- We will be feeling around peach and nectarine crops.
As soon as it’s right to push the button on stone fruit we will.
Start dates depend on Spanish weather but normally sit around mid May.
Vegetables
Good weather has brought a steady flow of excellent early English green asparagus from the Wye Valley.
With a strong French white asparagus crop, and limited amounts of purple asparagus showing, we are just waiting for the first wild asparagus to hit the markets (normally by the end of April) to complete a terrific quartet.
Foraged lines are opening up with widespread wild garlic heading up the charge.
Wild garlic, wild leeks, sea beet, pennywort, sea purslane, scurvy grass, pennywort, nettles, chickweed and alexanders represent our current UK wild selection.
Please find below a snapshot of just some of the other vegetables which are floating our Springtime seasonal boat:
- Forced Yorkshire Triangle rhubarb
- Delicate champagne rhubarb from the Wye Valley
- Fresh peas and broad beans
- Jersey Royal potatoes
- Romanesco
- A variety of adult beet
- Baby carrots, turnips, fennel and leeks
- Wet garlic
As usual, this is just a small selection of what we have on offer. Call in on 020 7498 5397 to speak to the team about what other treats we have in store for you today. Visit the website here
