GO BEYOND FOUR SEASONS
Each fruit and vegetable has its own season, with subtle shifts that happen every day. Follow their microseasons to unlock flavor at every stage.
In season today
These are the first harvests of a variety. Not yet available in abundance or fully developed, this is the time to get inspired by new flavor combinations.
Arugula Rabe
Grower
Trini & Tim
Location
Guinda, California
Seasonality
February - March
Choi Rabe
English Peas
Fava Beans
Fava Greens
Green Garlic
Hawaiian Yellow Ginger
Pea Shoots
Pink Lemons
Red Spring Onions
Sugar Snap Peas
Three Cornered Leek
White Spring Onions
Wild Morels
EARLY
Kale Rabe
Grown by Trini & Tim in Guinda, California.
The newest addition to Trini and Tim's rabe lineup is their Kale Rabe, the bolting tops of Lacinato Kale. They harvest while the buds are still intact before the plant goes to flower. Only found for a brief window, it's a marker of the transition to warmer temperatures. Overwintered, Kale Rabe stands out for its high sugar content, which the plant produces to survive cold temperatures, alongside a prominent brassica flavor.
What is classified as waste for many growers is treasured by Trini and Tim, who recognize the pleasantly complex flavor of these tender, meaty greens during this phase. As a result of this stage of growth, primarily seen as past their prime, they are hard to access through commercial markets, making them a genuinely seasonal and special green.
Rabes thrive in the Capay Valley, with rich creek-bottom soil and intense fluctuations between extreme heat and frosts in the cooler months. Through composting, crop rotation, animal integration, and hedgerow planting, Trini and Tim nurture their ecosystem, sequestering carbon in the soil, managing pests, and providing habitats to pollinators and other wildlife. Their nutrient-dense soil is the key to standout flavor in their rabes.
PEAK
Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb
Grown by Robert in West Yorkshire, UK.
This week, Forced Rhubarb is getting into good supply from Robert. This means starting to harvest in the early morning hours - backbreaking work that involves spending hour after hour bent in half, hand-picking each stalk from the crown - and keeping through until the end of the day, when packing ramps up. It's difficult to emphasize quite how much of an act of dedication this traditional practice is - but the shrinking number of growers might indicate just how hard it is.
Rather than opt for Timperley Early, a variety that crops more easily but produces paler, more acidic shoots, Robert sticks to older varieties, starting his season with Stockbridge Harbinger. Expect elongated, fibreless stalks and a deep gradient of color that phases up from a deep red root to a paler pink tip.
The growing process for the current harvest started two years ago: it takes two summers of outdoor growth for the plants to build up a good base of nutrients and minerals and enough strength to be forced. The rhubarb must also accumulate a minimum number of cold units to trigger re-growth. This is measured by the number of days the soil temperature falls below 10 degrees — each degree below 10 representing one cold unit. The Arrow variety requires 270 cold units, more than double that of Harbinger, meaning few growers even attempt it.
Once the crowns have gathered enough cold units, they are dug up, trimmed, and transported to the dark forcing sheds. Holding them at around 53 degrees, the heat reawakens them, and a total absence of light prevents photosynthesis. Forced in this way, the stalks remain vibrantly pink and fibreless with high natural sweetness.
LATE
Valentine Pomelo
Grown by Cliff & Matthew in Orosi, California.
The Valentine Pomelo is named for its deep red heart-shaped flesh and because it tends to ripen around the middle of February. It is available for a very short window. Matt and Cliff grow these and they are just one of 200+ varieties of fruit in their orchard in Orosi, California. At this point in the season, they are tasting great, and luckily, there has been no impact from the rains.
Valentine Pomelos were first developed at the UC Lindove Research Center, just a few miles away from Matt and Cliff's citrus groves. They are a cross between tangerines, pomelos, and blood oranges, giving them their pigmentation. Expect high sugars with low acid and complex floral notes.
Go Deeper
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We exist to fix the food system.
People are more cut off from the origins of their food than ever. This makes flavor, nutrition and farming practices that protect the planet, almost impossible to find.
By working directly with growers, we create a more sustainable way forward for farming. By giving everyone the tools to understand the power of our food choices, we empower everybody to become drivers of change.
Now is the time for action. Join the food system revolution.
Go beyond four seasons
Each fruit and vegetable has its own season, with subtle shifts which happen every day. Follow their microseasons to unlock flavor at every stage.
WHAT’S IN SEASON?
Know where your food comes from
We know the name of the person behind everything we source. Recognize their growing artistry to find out exactly where your food comes from (and why that matters).
MEET THE GROWERS
Make your diet diverse
Our growers work with varieties chosen for quality and nutrition, not yield. By selecting their crops you keep heritage seeds in play, add to ecosystem biodiversity and preserve unique flavors.
GO #OFFTHEPASS
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