Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Green almonds

There's a chance you've followed along in the blog in previous years and thought "hey, where can I get that stuff?" - so I thought I'd point out some things currently in season:

Ramps

Green almonds (currently in their first stage, the one you can eat raw/whole)

Stinging nettles

There are other places selling some or all of these things - I've pointed you to the places where I buy them, there's no affiliate fee or free stuff or anything involved for me. My experience is that you often get the best deal on eBay or Local Harvest, if only because online stores tend to require overnight shipping, and generally I think the much cheaper Priority Mail is perfectly fine.

I recommend all these things, though green almonds are too expensive by mail order to be worth it except as a "try it once" sort of thing, unless you turn out to really love them. If you live somewhere where green markets or farmer's markets might carry these things, or maaaaybe a Whole Foods or the like, give it a shot - there are reasons why they're not commonly carried, though. (Ramps and nettles aren't domesticated; nettles are possibly impossible to carry in a normal American store for liability reasons; green almonds are highly perishable and have a very short shelf life since they continue to harden after they're picked.) Farmers markets are your best bet if you live where these things grow.

Bizarrely, I don't seem to have a post on ramps, one of my kitchen staples. I'll rectify that this year. Here are my posts on green almonds and nettles.

These things have brief seasons, so get a move on if you're interested in any of them. Likewise, if you buy them, plan your next few meals around them or preserve them right away, because they're not things you can leave in your fridge for a few weeks.

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