Red walnuts: new and exciting. Photo
courtesy PizzellesBakery.com.

Now, you can add red walnuts to the list.

The Sanguinetti family, farmers in California’s San Joaquin County, are growing a new and delicious variety of walnut: the red walnut. It has been named the Robert Livermore walnut in honor of a computer entrepreneur (1926-1997) and walnut grower who was interested in unusual varieties.

First cross-bred in 1991 at U.C. Davis, the walnuts were selected for commercial growing by the breeding team in 1998. The new variety was patented in 2001.

The walnuts are not genetically modified but were created using natural methods of grafting, in this case, grafting Persian red-skinned walnuts onto larger and creamier English walnuts.

The red walnut tree looks like any other walnut tree and the shell looks like any other walnut except for the bright burgundy red skin (skin) on the nut meat (kernel). The one key difference: It takes 8 to 10 years to produce a marketable crop instead of 1 to 3 years for conventional walnut trees—or 4 to 5 years if planted from seed. They continue to produce nuts for some 30 years.

Varieties of “blood walnuts” have been found growning wild in Europe since the 18th century or earlier. But these varieties tend to bear fewer nuts and blotchy nuts; hence the cross-breeding to achieve the Robert Livermore.

The delicious and healthful walnuts* are beautiful as snacks, on salads, in and on baked good and many other dishes. A bonus for those who don’t like the sharp tannins in some walnut varieties: Red walnuts are milder, with less “bite.”

Red walnuts are late-producing, so are available at the end of fall until the end of the year. Because they are so rare, supplies are limited.

*See the health benefits of walnuts.

Walnuts have long been cultivated, with evidence dating back to about 7000 B.C.E. The species is native to the mountain ranges of Central Asia: western China, parts of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and southern Kirghizia to Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, northern India and Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Iran and portions of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia and eastern Turkey.

The Romans called walnuts Juglans regia, “Jupiter’s royal acorn,” which in modern taxonomy became the genus and species of the tree.

In ancient Persia, walnuts were reserved for royalty. Thus, the walnut was often known as the Persian walnut. English merchant marines traded walnuts in ports around the world, and the nuts became known as English walnuts. (Walnuts were not grown commercially in England.)

Walnuts were cultivated in California by the Franciscan fathers in the late 1700s, and were known as “mission” walnuts. By the 1870s modern walnut production had become a commercial enterprise.

Brie with red walnuts, candied kumquats and honey. Photo courtesy CookStyleShootEat.com.

Today, California walnuts account for 99% of U.S. walnut production and 75% of the world’s walnuts. The annual harvest takes place in October.

GET YOUR RED WALNUTS

STORES: There are only a limited quantity of red walnuts from California. This year, they are being sold at retail in California, New York City/Metro (including Fresh Direct) and Texas.

ONLINE: Order red walnuts online from ShaskyFarms.com.

TREES: If walnut trees grow in your area, you can plant trees and harvest your own—in about eight years.

Beautiful beets, in a variety of colors, are in
season now. Photo courtesy Capitole Grille |
Nashville

If you see asparagus, apricots, cherries and other spring-summer foods in the market, they’re not from here. Off-season fruits and vegetables are grown in countries below the equator where the seasons are reversed.

They’re then shipped many thousands of miles to your market, giving you produce that has been sitting for weeks in shipment, and has required lots of fuel to get it to you.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), an environmental action group, wants you to eat what’s in season. They’ve created an app to show you what’s in season in your area. You can use it on the NRDC website or download it from the iTunes Store.

Is the app perfect? Well, it’s a good start, although it told us that tomatoes were in season in November in New York. Perhaps they meant dried tomatoes.

Yet, we like the app for its ability to highlight foods we should be considering. It will expand your repertoire by encouraging you to try different recipes; you’ll discover new favorites. And you’ll save mone by purchasing what’s in season.

There are other ways to find seasonal produce, of course: simply search in your browser for “fall produce,” “fall vegetables and fruits” or “seasonal produce” and your state.

 
Find our favorite vegetables and recipes in our Gourmet Vegetables section. The fruits are here.

Bagels with pumpkin cream cheese spread!

We recently devoured a whole wheat bagel with pumpkin cream cheese at Dunkin Donuts, and are now hooked on this holiday spread.

It’s easy to make, with your choice of cream cheese (regular or fat free) or fresh goat cheese. Or, substitute sour cream or yogurt for the cream cheese.

The pumpkin purée “stretches” the cream cheese so you don’t need to use as much. The result: more vitamins,* more flavor, less fat, fewer calories.

We personally don’t sweeten the recipe: The pumpkin pie spices are more than flavorful, and who needs added calories and carbs?

But if you’re of the sweeter inclination, add a tablespoon or two of brown sugar, maple syrup or agave, plus 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract.

PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE RECIPE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. BEAT softened cream cheese until creamy.

2. ADD pumpkin purée and spices; beat to incorporate.

3. CHILL for at least an hour. Can be made up to a week in advance.

4. SPREAD on bagels and toast. Yum, yum!
 
*Pumpkin is a very good source of copper, dietary fiber, manganese, potassium and vitamins A, B2 (riboflavin) and C and a good source of vitamins B1 (thiamin), B3 (niacin), B6, B9 (folate) and E plus iron, magnesium and phosphorus.

Versatile pistachio relish can be paired with
everything from crab cakes to dessert. Photo
courtesy Island Creek Oyster Bar.

Try this Pistachio Relish from Jeremy Sewall, executive chef of Boston’s Island Creek Oyster Bar. Chef Sewall follows the New England tradition of canning and preserves with house-made relishes and chutneys. They add a touch of vibrant fall flavor to savory dishes—and sweet ones, too.

He particularly enjoys this pistachio relish atop a crab cake:

PISTACHIO RELISH RECIPE

Yield: 1-2 quarts

Ingredients

Preparation

1. SWEAT garlic and onion in canola oil until translucent.

2. COMBINE the sugar and salt with the zest and juices from oranges and lemons. Simmer until the mixture has cooked down to a loose syrup. Remove from heat.

3. FOLD in the chopped pistachios.

4. COOL the mixture over an ice bath. Store in the refrigerator.

For gifting, pick up pretty jars and create a gift label with a use by date. Tell them to use the relish within 10 days, so you’ll get a thank-you call saying how delicious it is.

If you like the idea of food gifts, pick up a book of food gift recipes and ideas.

Other Uses For Pistachio Relish

This versatile pistachio relish can be used:

 
How would you use pistachio relish?
 
Find more of our favorite condiments and recipes.

We’ve gotten this question more than a few times. The answer is really simple:

Make homemade poultry seasoning from the dried herbs you already have on the shelf. You don’t need to buy pre-blended poultry seasoning.

Premixed poultry seasoning is one of those convenience spices that has emerged in the last few decades. What did Grandma and Great-Grandma use?

A mix of rosemary thyme, sage, salt and pepper. McCormick’s poultry seasoning makes things a bit more interesting by adding marjoram (a basil relative) and nutmeg.

Bell’s Seasoning, popular for use on poultry, is a mix of ginger, marjoram, oregano, pepper, rosemary, sage and thyme.

You can follow McCormick’s ingredients and add your own notes of interest, from chili and cilantro to parsley and tarragon. There is no one “right” recipe for poultry seasoning.

If you only have two herbs, that’s enough, as shown in this delicious roast rosemary chicken recipe that uses rosemary, thyme and seasoned salt.

So the next time you need to season poultry, peruse your options and simply shake them onto that bird!

Find more of our favorite poultry recipes.