What's in season at the farmers market this week:
- Watermelon
- Dragonfruit
- Passion fruit
"I have a huge passion for the essence of every ingredient," says chef Avanthi Dev of Grá, who has studied sustainable farming. In addition to the sourdough pizza served at the Historic Filipinotown spot, Dev incorporates seasonal produce into her dishes. She tells farmers market correspondent Gillian Ferguson that she compresses watermelons from Munak Ranch into fermented tomato water, bringing out the melons' flavor. Placed on whipped feta and adorned with mustard frill and mint, it makes for a fresh summer side.
In addition to the summer fruit that continues to roll into the market, fall produce is beginning to make an appearance. Nick Brown of Rincon del Mar Ranch in Carpinteria returns to the market after a brief hiatus. With the area reaching temperatures above 100 degrees for several days in a row, he says his avocados were hit the hardest by the heatwave. But his subtropical fruits, like passion fruit and dragonfruit, thrived.
Native to South America, dragonfruit also grows well in Asia and Mexico, Brown says. Growing like a cactus and a vine, the plant snakes up tree trunks and sprouts tendril roots to receive water and nutrients. The plant flowers throughout the year and does well on a trellis. The heatwave actually encouraged more fruit production.
Chef Avanthi Dev compressed watermelon and tomato water for a dish which includes whipped feta, mustard frill, and mint. Photo by Avanthi Dev.
With multiple varieties, the dragonfruit has a juicy, pear-shaped exterior from which little phalanges shoot out and look like scales. As it ripens, it turns from green to red and gives the appearance of a fiery heart. Inside, the texture is kiwi-like with small, black seeds. The flesh can vary from pink to white or yellow.
Brown says the dragonfruit at grocery stores may have come from Asia, spending weeks if not months in refrigeration which will sap out its flavor. The dragonfruits at his stall were picked two days earlier. Come fall, Brown will be bringing cherimoyas to market. His produce is available nationwide through Rincon Tropics.