[shroomgirl]

Having grown up with a large garden, do you garden now? Where do you access your fresh products?
It'd be fun to read flavor profiles of some of the funky products coming into the farmer's markets these days.
A couple of years ago I bought a buddha's hand at Ferry Plaza and had absolutely no clue what to do....well, candy it made sense but which parts just the outer rind or the massive pith core....noone had an easy answer.

Melissa's produce has a new book out.....most of there unique products in the grocery stores go unbought I'd dare say....do you play with rambatans, durians, the more obscure products?

How about resources on how to clean kidneys or other bits and pieces?

[David Joachim]

I have a small garden at my home. It will be moved this year, however, so it won't be as extensive as in previous years. I also shop at a local farmer's market and at nearby orchards, dairy farms, and roadside farmstands. I live near of Pennsylvania's richest agricultural regions.

For detailed descriptions and fascinating information on unusual produce, check out Elizabeth Schneider's Uncomon Fruits & Vegetables or her more recent Vegetable from Amaranth to Zucchini, both excellent resources. As for the buddha's hand, I would most likely candy the peel only (the flesh is often sour).

I love to seek out odd produce like rambutans, etc. Last summer, I made a litchi sherbet with crystallized ginger and lemon balm that was quite tasty.

For prep information on offal, Jacques Pepin's Complete Techniques (or La Technique) is quite reliable, as always. There's a wonderful section on buying and preparing offal (and kidneys in particular) in The River Cottage Meat Cookbook by Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall (many recipes too), and Fergus Henderson's The Whole Beast has several good recipes.

[shroomgirl]

thank you!