Produce Briefs...
White Corn
White corn is a sweet corn variety. Its ears are wrapped in tightly layered pale lime green to white husks. One ear of corn can contain up to 400 kernels growing in rows lengthwise.
Cantaloupe Melon
The cantaloupe is defined by two elements: its roughly netted stone and green colored skin and its aromatic orange-coral colored flesh. When perfectly ripe, the flesh is juicy, unctuous and sweet.
Seasons/Availability
Mitsuba makes sporadic appearances in the marketplace year round.
Current Facts
Not exactly a new herb, mitsuba is a recently discovered culinary treasure for those of us living in North America.
Description/Taste
Entirely edible, mitsuba has a very distinct appearance and characteristic fragrance. Three plain parsley-like leaves grow on each long slender white stalk. Producing light green cress-like leaves that darken as they grow larger and mature, the attractive tiny star-shaped flowers quickly turn to seed. Even though it is not related to either, this fine herb's subtle flavor is reminiscent to that of a blend of celery leaves, Italian parsley and angelica. Some say it offers a hint of clove and has somewhat of the sharpness of sorrel. Very agreeable to the palate, mitsuba is also known as Japanese wild parsley, white chervil and trefoil.
Nutritional Value
This delicate herb is high in carotene and vitamin C.
Applications
Add mitsuba, fresh or cooked, to soups, rice, salads, casseroles, stir fries, sashimi and custards. Experiment with all parts of the plant as the leaves, stems, seeds and even the roots are edible. Mitsuba turns bitter when cooked more than a few minutes, so cook this herb very lightly to preserve its flavor or add it to dishes just before serving.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
Considered a classic seasoning, mitsuba is as popular in Asian cuisine just as Italian and curly parsley are favored in Western dishes. Japanese chefs like to use a trio of leaves as an elegant garnish for their special dishes. Pretty mitsuba is commonly used as a garnish for nabe, a variety of communal one-pot meals. Not only preferred by the Japanese, Native Americans once gathered the related wild honewort, a woodland perennial that flourishes from Manitoba to New Brunswick and even way down south to Georgia, which they used as both a vegetable and as a seasoning.
Geography/History
Also known as Japanese wild parsley, mitsuba grows wild in the mountains of Japan and covers the land with beautiful light purple blossoms in early spring. Also cultivated in Korea and China, this herb is actually a member of the carrot family, Apiaceae-Umbelliferae. Mitsuba is one of the very few herbs that actually prefer partial shade to flourish.
Mitsuba makes sporadic appearances in the marketplace year round.
Current Facts
Not exactly a new herb, mitsuba is a recently discovered culinary treasure for those of us living in North America.
Description/Taste
Entirely edible, mitsuba has a very distinct appearance and characteristic fragrance. Three plain parsley-like leaves grow on each long slender white stalk. Producing light green cress-like leaves that darken as they grow larger and mature, the attractive tiny star-shaped flowers quickly turn to seed. Even though it is not related to either, this fine herb's subtle flavor is reminiscent to that of a blend of celery leaves, Italian parsley and angelica. Some say it offers a hint of clove and has somewhat of the sharpness of sorrel. Very agreeable to the palate, mitsuba is also known as Japanese wild parsley, white chervil and trefoil.
Nutritional Value
This delicate herb is high in carotene and vitamin C.
Applications
Add mitsuba, fresh or cooked, to soups, rice, salads, casseroles, stir fries, sashimi and custards. Experiment with all parts of the plant as the leaves, stems, seeds and even the roots are edible. Mitsuba turns bitter when cooked more than a few minutes, so cook this herb very lightly to preserve its flavor or add it to dishes just before serving.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
Considered a classic seasoning, mitsuba is as popular in Asian cuisine just as Italian and curly parsley are favored in Western dishes. Japanese chefs like to use a trio of leaves as an elegant garnish for their special dishes. Pretty mitsuba is commonly used as a garnish for nabe, a variety of communal one-pot meals. Not only preferred by the Japanese, Native Americans once gathered the related wild honewort, a woodland perennial that flourishes from Manitoba to New Brunswick and even way down south to Georgia, which they used as both a vegetable and as a seasoning.
Geography/History
Also known as Japanese wild parsley, mitsuba grows wild in the mountains of Japan and covers the land with beautiful light purple blossoms in early spring. Also cultivated in Korea and China, this herb is actually a member of the carrot family, Apiaceae-Umbelliferae. Mitsuba is one of the very few herbs that actually prefer partial shade to flourish.
