Produce Briefs...
Maui Onions
Two characteristics set the Maui onion apart from other yellow onions: the high sugar and high moisture content of its flesh.
Rainbow Swiss Chard
Rainbow chard, also known a 5-color silverbeet, is a tender chard variety with multi-colored stalks of yellow, white, orange pink and red.
Seasons/Availability
Mescal is a rare item and available only sporadically. Check for availability.
Description/Taste
The cooked, fermented and distilled hearts of the blue agave, like the one pictured above, are the flavor bases of spirits. Mescal, pronounced mehs-KAL, is a liquor distilled from agave which is also known as the century plant. Mescal, in contrast to tequila which is made only from blue agave by law, is made from many different agaves in many different parts of Mexico. Poisonous raw, the agave heart offers a mild and sweet flavor when made into a syrup or baked. Certain varieties are used in making the mescal beverage. Often the bitter-almond liquor is sold with an agave worm in the bottle.
Applications
Definitely ideal for a change of pace taste to add sweet pizzazz to a variety of beverages. For a delicious drink, combine with fresh oranges and limes. Turkey, chicken and pork recipes welcome the spunky addition of mescal. Give a surprising and unique flavor twist to favorite mole sauces. The hearts may be baked. To store, refrigerate.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
The agave and maguey plants make the best-known drinks of Mexico. Mescal was first made by the Spanish in the 1500's when they introduced the art of distilling to the New World.
Geography/History
It is not known exactly when Native Americans of central Mexico learned to brew "pulque", the first spirit to be produced from the agave. By the time of the Aztecs, pulque was commonly consumed. Mescal is also a beverage made from the agave by the process much the same that produces tequila. The notable difference between mescal and tequila is that, by law, tequila can only be made from the blue agave that grows primarily in Jalisco and areas in surrounding states in Mexico. The best agave for making mescal comes from Oaxaca. Preferring arid, well-drained, subtropical terrain, there are more than four hundred known agave species. The usual English spelling is "mezcal" and is made from numerous types of agaves. Different growing conditions change the flavor of the agave and affect the taste of the beverage. Mescal de Tequila is best known and is usually called just tequila. The better mescals can be favorable drinks but often lack the depth of rich flavor and smoothness found in quality tequilas. Members of the Agavaceae family, scientific names include Agave palmerii, A. parryi, A. americana and A. sisalana.
Mescal is a rare item and available only sporadically. Check for availability.
Description/Taste
The cooked, fermented and distilled hearts of the blue agave, like the one pictured above, are the flavor bases of spirits. Mescal, pronounced mehs-KAL, is a liquor distilled from agave which is also known as the century plant. Mescal, in contrast to tequila which is made only from blue agave by law, is made from many different agaves in many different parts of Mexico. Poisonous raw, the agave heart offers a mild and sweet flavor when made into a syrup or baked. Certain varieties are used in making the mescal beverage. Often the bitter-almond liquor is sold with an agave worm in the bottle.
Applications
Definitely ideal for a change of pace taste to add sweet pizzazz to a variety of beverages. For a delicious drink, combine with fresh oranges and limes. Turkey, chicken and pork recipes welcome the spunky addition of mescal. Give a surprising and unique flavor twist to favorite mole sauces. The hearts may be baked. To store, refrigerate.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
The agave and maguey plants make the best-known drinks of Mexico. Mescal was first made by the Spanish in the 1500's when they introduced the art of distilling to the New World.
Geography/History
It is not known exactly when Native Americans of central Mexico learned to brew "pulque", the first spirit to be produced from the agave. By the time of the Aztecs, pulque was commonly consumed. Mescal is also a beverage made from the agave by the process much the same that produces tequila. The notable difference between mescal and tequila is that, by law, tequila can only be made from the blue agave that grows primarily in Jalisco and areas in surrounding states in Mexico. The best agave for making mescal comes from Oaxaca. Preferring arid, well-drained, subtropical terrain, there are more than four hundred known agave species. The usual English spelling is "mezcal" and is made from numerous types of agaves. Different growing conditions change the flavor of the agave and affect the taste of the beverage. Mescal de Tequila is best known and is usually called just tequila. The better mescals can be favorable drinks but often lack the depth of rich flavor and smoothness found in quality tequilas. Members of the Agavaceae family, scientific names include Agave palmerii, A. parryi, A. americana and A. sisalana.
