Olive It

Miner's Lettuce

by McEvoy Ranch on McEvoy Ranch - Tuesday, January 31, 2012

In perfect time for Valentine's Day, Miner's Lettuce, one of our favorite heart-shaped greens, is coming into season.

Claytonia perfoliata (aka Miner's lettuce, Winter purslane, Spring Beauty or Indian lettuce) is a fleshy annual plant native to the western mountain and coastal regions of North America and very common throughout the Bay Area.

Miner's lettuce prefers cool, damp conditions and usually begins to pop up in late winter or early spring. It first appears in sunlit areas after the first heavy rains, but the best of the greens are found in shaded areas, especially in the uplands, into early summer.

The common name Miner's lettuce is reference to the California Gold Rush miners who ate the vitamin c-rich green to prevent scurvy. Similar in taste and texture to spinach, Miner's lettuce can be eaten as a leaf vegetable, raw in salads or boiled, steamed or cooked in the same manner as any other green.

We'll be foraging this delicious wild green at the ranch for the next few weeks and sending it down to our San Francisco Ferry Building shop when available. Try it with a little salt and our extra virgin olive oil. Let us know what you think!

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Fresh from the Ranch 1/27/2012

by McEvoy Ranch on McEvoy Ranch - Thursday, January 26, 2012

Freshly harvested winter delights from our Petaluma ranch! Stock up in our SF Ferry Building shop tomorrow at noon:

edible flower bunches
mixed herb bunches
rosemary bunches
tuscan dino kale
red russian kale
red mustard greens
sorrel
rainbow chard
assorted lettuces
baby zefa fino fennel
chiogga beet bunches
parsnips
lisbon lemons
meyer lemons
BABY GREENS: arugula, pea greens, chiogga & bull's blood beet greens

Enjoy!

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Fresh From the Ranch 1/24/2012

by McEvoy Ranch on McEvoy Ranch - Monday, January 23, 2012

Tuesday's delivery will be here earlier than usual due to a much antisipated visit from Tom Mueller. Mr. Mueller will be discussing and signing his latest book Extra Virginity from 1pm to 3pm tomorrow afternoon.

edible flower bunches
mixed herb bunches
rosemary bunches
spearmint bunches
tuscan dino kale
assorted lettuces
radicchio
baby zefa fino fennel
chinese cabbage
brussel sprouts
la ratte fingerling & all blue potatoes
rutabagas
lisbon lemons
meyer lemons
buddha's hands
BABY GREENS: arugula and mizuna

Enjoy!

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Fresh from the Ranch 1/20/2012

by McEvoy Ranch on McEvoy Ranch - Thursday, January 19, 2012

Cold weather calls for warm soup! We're sending bunches and bunches of hearty greens (all perfect for a long, slow simmer) from our Petaluma gardens to San Francisco tomorrow. Stop by our Ferry Plaza shop at noon for first dibs!

Organic Escarole, Kale and Curly Mustard

edible flower bunches

mixed herb bunches

rosemary bunches

spearmint bunches

red bor kale

red russian kale

silverado swiss chard

red mustard greens

radicchio

assorted lettuces

parsnips

baby zefa fino fennel

chinese cabbage

Enjoy!

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Fresh From the Ranch 1/17/2012

by McEvoy Ranch on McEvoy Ranch - Monday, January 16, 2012

Here's a sneak peek at what's in season this week in Petaluma and headed to our San Francisco Ferry Building shop tomorrow at noon:

mixed herb bunches
edible flowers
rosemary bunches
tuscan dino kale
assorted lettuces
radicchio
baby chiogga beet bunches
veronica romanesco broccoli
brussel sprouts
baby zefa fino fennel
lisbon lemons
meyer lemons
bearss seedless limes
BABY GREENS: mizuna

Enjoy!

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Fresh from the Ranch 1/13/2012

by McEvoy Ranch on McEvoy Ranch - Thursday, January 12, 2012

Here's what is coming in the delivery tomorrow:

mixed herb bunches
edible flowers
rosemary and spearmint bunches
tuscan dino kale
red russian kale
veronica romanesco
la ratte and all blue potatoes
lisbon lemons
meyer lemons
buddha's hands
BABY GREENS: mizuna, arugula and spinach

Enjoy!

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Book Signing with Tom Mueller

by McEvoy Ranch on McEvoy Ranch - Wednesday, January 11, 2012

We're thrilled to announce that journalist and author, Tom Mueller, will be at our San Francisco Ferry Building shop, Tuesday, January 24th from 1pm-3pm. We'll be doing an Olio Nuovo tasting and Q & A session in the first hour, followed by a book signing.

Mueller's newly-released, "Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Extra Virgin Olive Oil" grew out of his 2007 article in the New Yorker, "Slippery Business," in which he explores the fraudulent practices throughout the olive oil industry that are undercutting honest producers and cheating consumers. His new book delves deeper into the deception, weaving in the rich history of the sacred substance and ultimately teaching consumers to question what's in their cupboards and learn how to find true "extra virgin" olive oil.

If you haven't picked up your copy, they'll be available in our shop beginning next Tuesday, January 17th.

And here's a little snippet to whet your whistle:

The sacred history and profane present of a substance long seen as the essence of health and civilization.

For millennia, fresh olive oil has been one of life’s necessities-not just as food but also as medicine, a beauty aid, and a vital element of religious ritual. Today’s researchers are continuing to confirm the remarkable, life-giving properties of true extra-virgin, and “extra-virgin Italian” has become the highest standard of quality.

But what if this symbol of purity has become deeply corrupt? Starting with an explosive article in The New Yorker, Tom Mueller has become one of the world’s authorities on olive oil and olive oil fraud-a story of globalization, deception, and crime in the food industry from ancient times to the present, and a powerful indictment of today’s lax protections against fake and even toxic food products in the United States. A rich and deliciously readable narrative, Extra Virginity is also an inspiring account of the artisanal producers, chemical analysts, chefs, and food activists who are defending the extraordinary oils that truly deserve the name “extra-virgin.”

We hope to see you all on the 24th!

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