Produce recently spotted at The Market
Produce Briefs...
Jack Fruit
The largest of all tree-borne fruits, jack fruit is oval-shaped and knobbly-skinned. This fruit can weigh up to eighty or ninety pounds.
Lobster Mushrooms
The Lobster mushroom is actually a parasitic hybrid of the fluorescent red-orange fungal parasite, Hypomyces lactifluorum, and the brittle white mushroom, Russula brevipes.
Description/Taste
Pansy flowers offer velvety-textured slightly sweet flavor similar to wintergreen. The Pansy flower blooms in a wide array of vibrant colors. Having a broad color spectrum for an annual, flowers can be yellow, white, red, orange, purple, pink, lavender, mahogany, blue, apricot or bronze. The flowers may be just a single color or can have two or three colors.
Seasons/Availability
Pansie's are available year-round, with a peak season in the spring.
Current Facts
Along with violets, pansies are a member of the genus Viola and part of the Violaceae family. There are over 400 species in the genus Viola, most of which have asymmetrical flowers.
Applications
Pansies make an attractive addition to fruit, green and grain salads. They can be floated atop cold soups, added to salsa and chutney or minced and incorporated into butter or cream cheeses to make an attractive spread. Pansies can be used to add color and a subtle mint flavor to cocktails and teas. Most commonly they are used for ornamental purposed and can be used both candied and fresh atop ice cream, crème brule, tarts, cakes and other delicate pastries.
Geography/History
Members of the Viola genus including pansies are especially favored and cultivated in Europe. "Pansy" is derived from the French word "pensee" meaning thought or remembrance. The pansy plant we are familiar with today is said to have had its beginning in Iver, Buckinghamshire, England. Making their way to North America in the late 1800s, pansies quickly gained popularity.
Featured Restaurants
Restaurants currently purchasing this product as an ingredient for their menu.
| Sugar and Scribe | La Jolla CA | 858-274-1733 |
| Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe | Rancho Santa Fe CA | 858-759-6063 |
| Shelter / Saloon | Encinitas CA | 858-382-4047 |
| Sheraton Harbor Island | San Diego CA | 619-692-2265 |
| LPM Master Tenant, LLC- Crafted&Scooped | San Diego CA | 619-522-6890 |
| Extraordinary Desserts | San Diego CA | 619-294-2132 |
| Farmers Bottega | San Diego CA | 619-458-9929 |
| The Cork and Craft | San Diego CA | 858-618-2463 |
| West Steak and Seafood | Carlsbad CA | 760-930-9100 |
| Mimmos Italian Village | San Diego CA | 619-239-3710 |
| Cardiff Seaside Market | Cardiff CA | 760-753-5445 |
| Jake's Del Mar | Del Mar CA | 858-755-2002 |
| Venissimo Cheese Liberty Station | San Diego CA | 619-719-5359 |
| Union Kitchen & Tap Bar (Encinitas) | Encinitas CA | 760-230-2337 |
| Florent | San Diego CA | 619-308-6500 |
Recipe Ideas
Recipes that include Pansy Flowers. One
is easiest, three is harder.| She Knows |
|
Pansy Herb Salad |
| Sprinkle Bakes |
|
Spring Flower Lollipops |
