Farmers' Market Goodies

We had plenty of raw components to our dinner tonight, thanks to the Civic Center farmers' market.

These are Barhi dates (pronounced "bar high"), which is the only date I know of which is eaten fresh off the vine. Unlike the various chewy, sugary dried dates which are available year round, these are only available during late summer and early fall. They are crisp and airy, a little on the dry side, and have a slight honey flavor. As they ripen, barhi dates will soften and lose their slight tannic quality (think unripe bananas or those little white strings that cling to a banana after you peel it) and become more sugary. The point at which they are best for eating is purely subjective, just like how some people like green bananas and others like bananas speckled with black dots.

Green figs, very ripe and juicy. Everyone makes a big fuss about purple Mission figs, but I think these are so much better. They have a thinner skin, the skin doesn't taste like grape peel, and it doesn't seem like as many green figs have dry inedible centers. To me, they're just a safer bet.

And finally, heirloom tomatoes! I have been lusting after cheap heirloom tomatoes ever since my trip to Andy's in Sebastopol. Today, I found these for the bargain basement price of $1.50. I had to dig through a large pile to find two that weren't at least partially mushy, but they were well worth it. These were so good, I should have just gotten some mushy ones to make into salsa or tomato sauce. Maybe I'll be equally lucky next week!