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Bloomin’ Favorites for Spring

By | Edible Flowers, Mixology, Recipes | No Comments

Everyone knows that flowers are the essence of Spring time! Not only do they brighten fields, farms and tables, they excite and charm all that come in their path! Edible Flowers provide more than just a visual infatuation; they are also colorful, flavorful, versatile and aromatic. They add elegance to meals just as decorative flowers do a room! 

We grow a full rainbow of colors and a spectrum of flavors here on the Fresh Origins Farm! To show you the outstanding qualities and varieties of these edible flowers, we have picked our favorite bright, fragrant, versatile and flavorful blooms; all of which embody the nature of Spring and are perfect for your plating and cocktail enhancing needsReady, set, bloom! 

BRIGHT BLOOMS 

Edible Flowers Cosmos are lovely, large pink, red and white Edible Flowers with a mild carrot flavor. They embody the bright, playful nature of spring and add color as well as charm and a fresh flavor to any entree!

Our most colorful Edible Flower, hands down is our Pansy! With a combination of beautiful bright multi-colored purple, orange, yellow, blue and red colors, they are sure to add excitement with any application! They have a mild, tangy flavor and a soft, velvety texture. 

With incredible colors of yellow, red, pink and white the Snapdragon is another bloom, perfect for Spring time theming! This edible flower has an intensely sweet flavor and pairs well with just about every dish. Imagine it atop a cocktail or dessert, what a way to impress!

FLAVORFUL BLOOMS 

Pleasantly tart and juicy, the Begonia Flower Mix ia combination of bright pink and pure white flowers with pink stems. They add fresh citrus flavor to desserts, seafood, cocktails and can be used to embellish fruit cocktails!

Our Chives Blossom is another favorite for Spring! These tiny, lilac-colored flowers are delicate in appearance, but don’t let that fool you. They also have a bold chive flavor that is perfect for enhancing salads, savory meats and poultry dishes. This edible flower brings great beauty and spice to any plate! 

Another small, yet powerful bloom is the Garlic Flower. This Edible Flower has to be named the most flavorful bloom on the farm, hands down! The potent garlic flavor is so powerful you can expect it to give as much taste as you would fresh garlic!

VERSATILE BLOOMS 

Our Sage Flower Monet Pink is a wonder of beauty and versatility! Because of its unique shape and size, these blossoms are perfect for cocktails, soups, salads and desserts alike! They have a mild, sweet flavor that can complement these bites without overpowering your dish! 

It’s safe to say, the most luring edible flowers are our Firestix, Firestix Mix and Micro Firestix! Like fireworks, they are striking and colorful with a flame-like tipsStanthem tall in a champagne flute or lay flat on the plate. These blooms are brilliant and fun! 

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FRAGRANT BLOOMS 

An extremely fragrant edible flower is, undoubtedlyour Basil Blossom. Deep purple in color with a soft velvet-like essence, this bloom is as aromatic as it gets – one touch and this blossom will engage your senses!  Try stripping the Basil Blossom into cocktails or letting them float for a unique basil flavor infusion. 

Fresh Origins Lavender Flowers are beautiful, soft and delicate. These blooms have a long green stem and taste just like they smell! Fresh Lavender instills a calming aroma on the plate, providing a sophisticated touch.

Whether you are looking to add surprising flavor to your plate, brilliance to your cocktail, or create an aromatic and elegant experience, edible flowers are sure to satisfy! With more colors, and flavors comes more creativity, more inspiration and more chances to create a lasting impression!

Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to snag our new Spring Flyer and for more exciting Fresh Origins product updates! 

 

A Cornucopia of Fresh Flavor – Spicy, Peppery, Earthy, and Ocean-like

By | Edible Flowers, Herb & Flower Crystals™, MicroGreens, PetiteGreens, Recipes | No Comments

Here at Fresh Origins, we pride ourselves on having the most extensive variety of MicrogreensPetite® GreensEdible Flowers and Specialty Items available! Not only are our products exceptional in color, bursting with flavor with a great shelf-life, they are also of a higher quality, and that is due to the care and attention we give to our growing, harvesting and packing methods. Our flavors are as potent as can be because we grow in the right climate and each item is harvested daily, to order, at the peak of freshness!   

Looking for something different than those Sweet & Sour, Salty & Savory and Floral microgreens and edible flowers?  Well, our varieties do not end there. Earthy, spicy, peppery and ocean-like flavors are just as prominent on the farm because we want you to have it all! 

FLAVORS OF THE OCEAN

One of the advantages of growing microgreens in San Diego, is the sunny and warm beach-worthy weather.  Because the ocean is never far from our mind, we have compiled a list of refreshing, juicy and salty Microgreens inspired by the Sea!  Micro Iceplant, Micro Sea Beans™ Petite Sea Grass, Ice Bud™ and Oyster Flower are just a few items that remind us of the ocean. 

Glistening with brilliant sparkling beads of water, our Ice Bud™ instantly enhances seafood dishes with its crisp ocean flavors! These unique flower buds are succulent, juicy and salty like seawater – sure to surprise and excite taste buds!

An edible flower, fresh and salty like our Oyster Floweris perfect atop your seafood plates with its unique blue and pink, bell-shaped buds. With its fresh oyster taste, it is sure to add an unexpected experience to your meal!

 

EARTHY 

Earthy flavors like those found in our Micro Kale Tuscan™ and Cheese Leaf™ are paired well with soups, pastas and meat dishes. The Cheese Leaf™ is pungent, sturdy and versatile with a bold cheese flavor!  Because of its sturdiness, it can be manipulated and used in many ways to mimic a cheese-like flavor and texture. Check out how Chef Mikel Anthony blends our Cheese Leaf™ into his agnolotti filling and then finishes the dish by laying another leaf on top for a beautiful presentation. 

 
SPICY & PEPPERY 
Some of our most potent items on the farm are those with strong peppery and spicy notes. Our Herb Crystals® Habanero, Micro Wasabi™, Micro Radish Daikon, Kinome Leaf and Micro Cress Pepper are some popular examples. Chef Mikel Anthony incorporates our Micro Wasabi™ into a puree for his dish by combining it with fish fumet, soy sauce and lime juice. Watch how he blends and aerates the Micro Wasabi puree, elegantly emulsified with the Vitamix Aer™ Disc.  Such a great way to make use of this ultra-flavorful microgreen! 

Fresh Origins Microgreens don’t just look the part, they bring a numerous amount of bold, sweet, salty and savory flavors to your plate, giving way for new ideas and techniques. We are here to elevate your plate and heighten the experience of your culinary creations, one microgreen at a time!

TELL US WHY YOU LOVE US!   
Have any questions, comments, or suggestions? We’d love to hear from you!  Connect with us through Instagram or Facebook or drop a few lines here!

St. Patrick’s Day Inspirations

By | Flower Crystals®, Fruit Crystals®, Herb Crystals®, MicroGreens, Mini Flower Crystals®, Mini Fruit Crystals®, Mini Herb Crystals®, Mixology, PetiteGreens, Recipes | No Comments

In remembrance of Saint Patrick, we honor the day of his death with a widely celebrated holiday deemed St. Patrick’s Day. This holiday is ingrained with many great Irish traditions and cultural sentiments; and where there are traditions, there will be food and drinks to carry them out! This is why St. Patrick’s Day is one of the few holidays where double-fisting beers is widely accepted and parading through festivals will remain a long-standing tradition.

Every year, celebrations continue where patrons are frequenting restaurants and bars for the best specials and a great time! This March 17th, the call for St. Patrick’s Day themed food and drinks is knocking at your door. Use these lucky items to ring in the spirit of the holiday while soaking in the little-known facts of this historic day.

Of the many ways to get creative for this holiday, you can show off the best Shamrocks in town with the Petite® Lucky Shamrock Mix™! As Saint Patrick embarked on his journey to spread Christianity throughout Ireland, he used the Shamrock to tell the story of the Holy Trinity. These magnificent Shamrocks have an extra burst of color and could very well bring your guests a bit of luck! Their mild and slightly tart flavor makes them the perfect addition to any dish and this Luck of the Irish Martini.

A fun way to continue the holiday traditions is to take a chance on our Petites! Petite® Sorrel Green Apple™ and Petite® Sorrel Meadow Mix™ are three-leafed clovers packed with a hearty punch of flavor and bright green colors. While there are many myths behind why we wear green, since the beginning of time, wearing or having something green on St. Patrick’s Day means you won’t get pinched by a fairy or leprechaun! These sour sorrels have an extremely tart bite that pairs with seafood, especially salmon (and will keep the mischiefs away and the guests coming!).

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In Mixology:
For an outrageous day of libations to the sound of bagpipes and fiddles, stock up on these Mini Crystals! Add an upgrade to your beer selection and rim those glasses with fresh flavors like Mint, Cilantro, Habanero, or Ginger. There’s no better way to add a tiny burst of flavor and a light crunchy texture to a delicious stout or add a twist to the classic Ginger beer! Guinness is an extremely popular stout that was born and brewed as a shining product of Ireland. Having a pint (or two, or more) of Guinness is the perfect way for you and your guests to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!

Cultural holidays like St. Patrick’s Day lend great reason for chefs to cook up many memorable foods and create a unique dining experience around many deep-rooted traditions. What will you do for your guests this St. Patrick’s Day? Tag us on Instagram (@freshoriginsmicrogreens) and show us your creativity using our products!

A Cornucopia of Fresh Flavor – Sweet & Sour, Salty & Savory, and Floral

By | Edible Flowers, Herb & Flower Crystals™, MicroGreens, Mixology, PetiteGreens, Recipes | No Comments

Have you ever tasted an edible flower? How about one with the bold flavor of licorice? Or a microgreen as spicy as wasabi or Dijon mustard? Fresh Origins products deliver an intense range of surprising flavors like fresh garlic, sour green apple and fresh oysters, that are sure to drive your taste buds wild! Our MicrogreensPetite® GreensEdible Flowers and Specialty Items provide chefs and mixologists with distinctive and extraordinary flavors that heighten the dining experience every time! 

Our wide variety of products continue to inspire chefs and mixologists to experiment with different cooking techniques and applications that highlight every unique flavor. Whether potent or mild, delicious flavors of sweet, sour, savory, and spicy can all be found on our farm and they’re ready to impress! 

SWEET & SOUR 

Sweet flavor profiles are present in many different types of our products. Stevia Tops, Pineapple Bud™ and Jasmine Flower, for example, are just a select few of our sweet varieties. By simply tossing a sweet Jasmine Flower into a salad you can add a delightfully sweet bite and a striking pop of white color, providing contrast with the rest of the dish. Various sweet mint products like our Micro Mint Lemon™, Micro Mint Licorice™ and Micro Mint Lime™ can be muddled to extract a sweet/minty note for an enriched craft cocktail. 

Along with some sour and tart alternatives like the Sorrel Butterfly Purple™ and Hibiscus Leaf™, these products add a unique, mouth-watering taste and presentation to desserts and are easily the perfect finishing touch to craft cocktails.

Other surprisingly tart items like our Petite® Sorrel Green Apple™, Begonia Flower and Micro White Mum™ can be used to complement salads and seafood dishes while also providing contrasting flavors to the dish itself.
 
FLORAL 

Floral flavor notes are also very apparent in many of our Micros, Petite Greens and Edible Flowers, such as our Micro Mint Lavender™, Petite® Herbes de Provence Mix™, Basil Blossom, Fennel Flower, Marigold, Elder Flower and Rose products.  Even a sweet floral crunch can be experienced with our Flower Crystals® Fennel, Hibiscus and Rose! Each of these products can be used to enhance soups, flavor teas, brighten cocktails, sweeten baked goods and confections and even provide a dish with an enticing floral aroma! 


Fresh Origins Flower Crystals Rose

 

SALTY & SAVORY 

Numerous varieties of salty and savory microgreens grow in abundance here on the Fresh Origins Farm.  Savory flavors like our Micro Mustard Dijon™, Micro Oregano, Petite® Thyme and Garlic Flower provide dishes with potent flavor, making for a bold and lasting impression.

The vibrant, purple Garlic Flower and Garlic Flower Gold Crown™ are full of exceptional fresh garlic flavor!  Very pungent, they provide an unexpected burst of garlic flavor and are a great way to add a fresh touch to and seafood, meats and poultry dishes. 

Former Top Chef Nicholas Elmi adds contrast to his dish with the striking flavor and color of Fresh Origins’ Garlic Flower.

No matter the type of dish or cuisine, you can always count on there to be a microgreen or edible flower that will complement and enhance your menu! We continue to develop and grow new and exciting varieties, ensuring that the possibilities for culinary excellence are endless! 

What are your favorite microgreens and edible flowers? Drop a few lines here, we’d love to hear from you! 

For more inspiration, check out our favorite spicy, peppery, earthy and ocean-like products and follow us on Instagram or Facebook.

The Power of the Rose…Crystals!

By | Edible Flowers, Flower Crystals®, Fruit Crystals®, Herb Crystals®, Mixology, Recipes, Uncategorized | No Comments

The countdown to Valentine’s Day has officially started. This highly anticipated holiday adds more hustle and bustle to everything around us, especially at our farm! The days leading up to this heartfelt occasion are undoubtedly one of the busiest times for us. But we’re not complaining! As restaurants everywhere are also busy planning menus for one of their busiest days of the year, we’re making sure we meet the needs of the chefs at the forefront of the madness.  

For the single patrons or the affectionate lovebirds, crafting an endearing experience for restaurant goers is a MUST! But have no fear, lending a helping hand in finding ways to make your menu special is part of our forte. We posed the question of how to make this particular Valentine staple (or truly the classic symbol of adoration) into something even more amazing…and sparkly. That’s right, we’re talking about reimagining the flower power of the Rose that we all know and love! Giving your guests something new to experience is a no brainer. Giving them something to remember by forging a recipe that bears many indulging elements of this special day, now that’s genius. 

So this Valentine’s Day, explore the potential of Rose Flower Crystals on any dish, pastry, or celebratory cocktail. How can one enjoy the sensual aromas of the Rose? How does one begin to fathom the taste of the Rose? The answer is in the Crystals! All the fundamentals of this classic flower from smell, to taste, to color, have been taken apart and reassembled into tiny, dazzling, and sparkly Crystals, just waiting to expose its magic to your mouth! Of the many surprising flavors of Crystals we’ve come up with to date, the Rose is a true crowd-pleaser. 

Chef Robert Danhi says, “I love flavors such as rose…and when I tasted the Rose Flower Crystals, my heart swooned. They have figured a way to blend just two ingredients into a new form, and now I can twist open and sprinkle Fresh Origins Rose Crystals to create a flavor opportunity like no other.”  

Using real rose petals, we take advantage of their natural bold pigments and fresh fragrance and combine them with cane sugar to create a romantically sweet treat; and we did this without any added  colors, flavors, or preservatives! For taste, it’s safe to say they taste exactly like the scent of the rose. Not only do they add pretty pink accents to delectable desserts and gourmet meals, but they also add incredible texture and deliver flavor in an exciting and crunchy way. These characteristics are a game-changer when it comes to thinking up fun and innovative ways to elevate your Valentines creations. Quinn Adkins, Menu Development Director of Culver’s, says, “Small points of differentiation are crucial [in menu planning], and elements like Crystals make that goal easier.” 

If you can’t give diamonds, Crystals are the next best thing. Watch them dance in this rosé champagne and check out how you can shake things up in mixology with our glass rimmers: Mini Crystals

If you need to see, taste, and experience the magic of the Crystals for yourself, please contact us and we’d be happy to send you a small sample.

Inspiring, Creating, and Exciting with Edible Flowers

By | Edible Flowers, Mixology, Recipes | No Comments

Edible flowers, served up on any dish or cocktail, are guaranteed to make a lasting impression. Discovering that we can eat and taste so many varieties of fresh edible flowers always evokes an exciting feeling! Their patterns, colors, shapes, and sizes inspire us in the best ways, especially the visionary chefs and mixologists. Bringing fresh edible blooms into the kitchen and finding a home for them on all types of food and drink make it all the more compelling. 

Food is more delicious, more desirable, and certainly more Instagram-worthy when the right edible flowers make their debut. They incite our sense of connection to food by adding appeal to what’s in front of our eyes, opening up our appetite, and enriching the entire eating experience. Culinarians are always striving to create a significant dining experience for their guests and edible flowers do just that! That’s why we’ve perfected the craft of growing and nurturing many varieties of edible flowers to add to the experience. 

In addition to growing countless top-shelf microgreens, We harvest an array of year-round blooms and seasonal offerings on the daily! No matter what color, taste, or appearance is needed, our bountiful production of fresh and diverse flowers are bound to have a perfect match for any menu pairing.
Edible flowers possess incredible aesthetics and bear the most surprising flavors. On top of beauty and flavor, variety and consistency are all important factors when creating and cooking with edible flowers. We’ve worked hard to provide chefs with their favorite products whenever it’s needed; like the Squash Blossom. This extremely delicate flower grows best on the Fresh Origins farm, even in the Winter season, when it’s most fragile. 

Similarly, as many flowers cannot withstand extreme heat during the hot summer months, our Broccoli Flower blooms beautifully all year. Its beautiful white petals provide amazing bright white accents on any plating with unbelievably fresh broccoli flavor. 

For more inspiration, the incredible Oyster Flower tastes just like fresh oysters with an added experience of the ocean! You can even add a French feel with the sweet Sage Flower Monet Pink™, inspired by the renowned French artist Claude Monet himself. For a micro touch with large impact, the charming and dainty Micro Princess Flower is perfect for adding just a hint of royalty. While there are many ways to inspire, edible flowers also encourage mixologists to get extra crafty with their cocktails. Products like the colorful Firestix™ or vibrant Hibiscus Flower help make a bold visual statement. To complement with flavor, Micro Marigold™ steals the show with its citrus notes and pretty petals. And we can’t forget the lovely Buzz Button! This fun edible flower adds a bit of spice and a lot of tingle!In the many ways that edible flowers add life to any component, they also turn the cogwheels and inspire us get creative, outside the box! Check out these inspirational ideas for dishes with Edible Flowers.

TELL US WHY YOU LOVE US! 
Have any questions, comments, or suggestions? We’d love to hear from you!  Connect with us through Instagram or Facebook or drop a few lines here!

Looking Back: 2018 on the Farm

By | Edible Flowers, Events, Herb & Flower Crystals™, MicroGreens, Mixology, PetiteGreens | No Comments

Here we are about to ring in the new year; but before we welcome 2019, we thought we would share with you some of our favorite moments of 2018! 

While our farm is busy growing quality microgreens and cultivating new products, we also make it a priority to connect, meet and inspire Chefs. We participate in culinary events and tradeshows around the country, showcasing our large variety of products and welcoming chefs to interact with them. At these events, we can personally show you Fresh Origins’ gold standard of quality as well as entice your sense of smell and taste. This is so important because each item is more than just its beautiful appearance.  Microgreens and Edible Flowers elevate your plate and heighten the experience of your culinary creations by adding unprecedented flavors, fragrances and textures!  Featuring our products at tradeshows and chef events like Starchefs’ International Chefs Congress and Rising Stars gives us the opportunity to demonstrate and educate culinarians, mixologists and caterers on the uses, flavors and presentation power of the Microgreen. 

StarChefs International Chefs Congress 

This past October, the Fresh Origins team journeyed to Brooklyn for Starchefs’ International Chefs Congress for the 10th straight year! This show was a widely inspiring and engaging experience for chefs, mixologists and foodservice professionals from all over the world. Each chef integrated Fresh Origins Microgreens into their dishes, cocktails and desserts, filling the Brooklyn Expo Center with so much color, inspiration and flavor! Some of the influential chefs we had the pleasure of working with include: Bryan Voltaggio of VOLT, Nicole Gajadhar of Saxon and Parole, Ray Garcia of Broken Spanish, Chris Scott of Butterfunk Kitchen, and Nicholas Elmi of Laurel. Take a look at some of their masterpieces in our highlights below:  

 

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NEW TO THE FARM 

Thanks to our gorgeous California weather, we enjoy the best climate in the world for growing Microgreens. We are constantly innovating and growing new Microgreens, Petite Greens and Edible Flowers and 2018 was no exception!  The San Diego sun provides the ideal environment to produce strong, healthy, highly flavorful and unique microgreens that are Honestly Grown™ in the right climate.  

In case you missed them, here are some of the newest additions to the Fresh Origins Farm:

Micro Huacatay™ 
Huacatay is an herb that comes from the ancient Inca empire, used vastly among indigenous people from Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Bolivia and Paraguay. Now in Microgreen form, the soft lacy leaves are highly aromatic with flavors of citrus, mint and tropical fruit.  It is used like Cilantro for ceviche, chicken, fish, potatoes, soups and stews. 

 
Micro Huauzontle 
Huauzontle is a native Mexican plant that has established itself as a prized herb during the ancient Aztec rule. Now, a brand new Microgreen, Micro Huauzontle™ is tender with lavender-pink and green leaves. As a close relative of Quinoa, Amaranth and Epazote, it possesses pleasant earthy flavors with subtle peppery and nutty notes, adding great texture to many traditional Mexican cuisines.  Add a captivating twist to the classic Tortas de Huauzontle or include this savory Microgreen on top of Enchiladas or Menudo soup!  

Micro Quinoa™ 
Introducing the first ever Micro Quinoa™!  A revered staple of the Inca civilization, this ancient grain is indigenous to the Andes Mountains of South America. Now in a new form, this Microgreen has a nutty, salty and savory flavor and is related to spinach and chard. The small succulent leaves add the perfect texture to seafood, fresh salads, and meat entrees.  

 
Petite® Lucky Shamrock Red™ 
Our magnificent Shamrocks are now available in a new bold color! Petite® Lucky Shamrock Red™ boasts a warm and luscious shade of maroon flushed throughout its soft leaves while rocking a lively green center. These three-leafed clovers have a mild and refreshing clover flavor, making it a pleasant addition to any dish, dessert or drink!  

 
Garlic Flower Gold Crown™ 
A traditional edible flower favorite with a unique new color. Garlic Flower Gold Crown™ is a delightful lavender/purple flower with a bright golden-yellow crown at its center. This little flower is beautiful, but also very potent in flavor and can be used to add excitement to pasta, meat, salad or soups. 

 

Diving Deeper in Mixology 

Don’t forget about the ever-enticing craft cocktails! One of our top goals is to inspire mixologists and bartenders by showing the range of our products and how to best use them. These videos showcase the remarkable appeal, flair and versatility of our unique items. We show you how easy it is to use our Mini Herb, Flower, Fruit Crystals® for glass rimming and provide you with a few distinct ways to use our Edible Flowers, Herb Tops and Specialty items to upscale your cocktail. Click an image below to get inspired!




TELL US WHY YOU LOVE US! 

Have any questions, comments, or suggestions? We’d love to hear from you!  Connect with us through Instagram or Facebook.  
From all of us at Fresh Origins, we wish you a Happy New Year. May each day bring you inspiration, happiness and more microgreens!

5 Inspirational Dishes with Edible Flowers

By | Edible Flowers | No Comments

Edible Flowers have played a vital part in our food experiences dating back to the times of the Greeks, Romans, and Ancient Chinese. Edible Flowers have been used in table decorations and as part of our meals. These flowers not only impact our visual and olfactory senses, but, are also used to tantalize our taste buds. The vibrant colors provided by flowers can be either visually subtle or brilliant in color, which can help to elevate or complete the presentation of your plate. In most cases, Edible Flowers are used to complement your food. One can simply place a Basil Blossom Flower or Kale Blue Flower on a dish or add sugar-coated roses or pansies to desserts for additional flare.

Edible Flowers not only add beauty to your presentation but can add flavor profile to your dish.  Below you will find 5 inspirational dishes using Edible Flowers.

1.Apricot Tartines with Violas: Violas add an element of voila to this appetizer. The subtle flavors of the bloom enhance the sweetness in the apricots on garlic and cheese topped tartine. (picture supplied by Brit+CO)

apricottartines

2. Crystalized Rose Petals (sometimes called candied): Here’s one thing we know for sure. Flowers make the best dessert decoration, and when they are crystalized, they take dessert over the top!

crystalized Rose petals

 

3. Orange Ginger Seared Scallops: Instead of your typical herbs, top these citrus-flavored scallops with fresh flowers.

orange gibne

 

4. Asparagus and Goat Cheese: We can’t decide which of this dish’s three components tastes best: The fresh spring asparagus, the fruity orange vinaigrette or the sweetened up goat cheese mixed with fresh edible flowers. (picture supplied by Brit+CO)

aspargus and goat cheese

 

5. Squash Blossom Pesto: This savory spread gets tons of veggie flavor from fresh squash blossoms. It goes a long way on pizza, sandwiches or pasta.

squash

 

 

A Great MicroGreen Recipe for Easter

By | Herb & Flower Crystals™, MicroGreens, Recipes | No Comments
Seared Scallops over MicroGreens with Orange Tarragon Vinaigrette with Butter Poached Lobster
Looking for something unique and delicious for Easter? Look no further, try this recipe with some of our premium MicroGreens.
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Vinagrette
  1. 1 cup fresh orange juice
  2. 1 big sprig fresh tarragon
  3. 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  4. 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  5. 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
  6. 1/2 cup grapeseed oil
  7. Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Gastrique
  1. 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  2. 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  3. Salt
  4. 1/2 fresh mango
Lobster
  1. 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  2. 2 lobster tails
  3. 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
  4. 1 clove garlic, minced
  5. 1 shallot, minced
  6. Salt
Crostini
  1. 1 clove garlic
  2. 8 slices baguette, sliced diagonally about 1/4-inch thick
  3. 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  4. 1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
  5. Salt
Assembly
  1. 4 large scallops
  2. Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  3. Grapeseed oil
  4. 1 1/2 cups microgreens of your choosing
  5. 8 MicroGreens Micro Chives
For the vinaigrette
  1. In a small pot, add the orange juice and tarragon sprig. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and reduce the juice by half. When reduced, remove the tarragon sprig and chill the juice in the refrigerator. When cooled, add the white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Whisk together. Slowly drizzle the grapeseed oil while whisking until you get an equal balance of oil to juice. Taste, then adjust the seasoning if necessary. Put aside
For the gastrique
  1. In a small pot, add the sugar, apple cider vinegar, and some salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the mango, and simmer for 15 minutes. Use an immersion blender, blender or even a hand mixer to blend well. Then strain through a fine mesh sieve. (If you don't have a fine sieve, you can use a regular strainer lined with cheese cloth or a clean dish towel.) You want to remove any little bits of mango that the blender missed. Put in the refrigerator to cool. For the lobster: Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the white vinegar. Drop in the lobster tails and simmer them until they just begin to turn bright orange/red. Let cool and remove the lobster meat from the shell. Chop the meat into pieces, just smaller than bite size. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the garlic and shallots. Saute until translucent. Add the remaining butter and melt. Add a good pinch of salt. Add the lobster and stir to coat with the butter. Simmer for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and keep warm.
For the crostini
  1. Preheat the oven broiler. Cut a clove of garlic in half, and rub both sides of the bread with the cut sides of the garlic. Brush one side of the bread with olive oil, and sprinkle very lightly with herbes de Provence and salt. (If you don't have HDP, you can use a mixture of dried thyme, basil, rosemary, marjoram, sage, savory and fennel seeds, or any one of those herbs you happen to have.)
  2. Lay the bread on a cookie sheet and reserve.
To assemble
  1. Start with the scallops. Pat your scallops dry with paper towels. They MUST be dry in order to get a nice sear and crust on the outside. (If you don't, you'll have a scallop just steeping in its own liquid, getting mushy, with no color, sear or flavor.) With a paring knife, score the top of the scallops with a crisscross. You want to just score the outer layer, 1/16-inch deep. Sprinkle the scallops with salt and pepper. In a scorching hot pan with grapeseed oil, put your scallops in scored-side down. Grapeseed oil has a very high smoke point, which allows you to cook at higher temperatures for longer before it starts to smoke and burn. The scallops will tell you when it's ok to lift them and take a peek at your sear. When you're able to pick the scallops up with no resistance at all, you can then take a peek to see if you're ready to flip it. You want a nice rich golden brown color on your scallop. Once you've achieved the proper color, flip your scallops and remove the pan from the heat.
  2. Put your crostini in the oven to toast. Add the vinaigrette to your greens a little at a time. You want to just cover the greens with the vinaigrette, we don't want to drown it. Think light.
  3. Now on each serving plate, place a silver-dollar-size portion of the dressed MicroGreens in the center of the plate. MicroGreens to try: Micro Arugula, Micro Broccoli, Micro Cucumber or create your own creation with MicroGreens. Take a teaspoon of the mango gastrique, and put it on the plate in front of the greens. Then with the back side of the spoon, run it through the middle of the sauce. Take 3 or 4 pieces of the lobster, blot them on a paper towel, then place them in the center of your gastrique schmear. Place your scallop on top of your MicroGreens. Place 2 crostinis off to the side of the scallop. Then cross 2 micro chives over each plate and you're done.
Fresh Origins MicroGreens https://freshorigins.com

Enhance your Cuisine with Specialty Produce

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The art of Plate Presentation is essential to the success of a dish as its taste and flavor.  The appearance of how food is plated is truly an art and can strongly influence our desire to want to taste it. It can be the deciding factor for your guest  to try your cuisine or not. So how do you create this experience for your guest? The answer is quite simple, by creating a fusion of colors, textures and interesting visual elements on a plate.

Specialty produce such as  MicroGreens, Greens, and related Specialty Items offer a delicate, gorgeous appearance and vibrant colors, which will add visual appeal and flavor to any plate. With  hundreds of varieties on our farm, we offer some of the most unique specialty produce available, many of which cannot be found at other farms. These varieties will definitely add the appeal and set you apart from other chefs:

Amaranth Carnival Mix™ is perfect for all seasons and a festive addition. Consisting of four different highly colored Amaranth leaves, that are vibrant in colors; pink, orange, red and yellow. Add to any plate to make an extravagant and exceptional statement.

 Amaranth Carnival Mix™

Hearts on Fire™ add spunk to any salads, a great highlight for cocktails or make a stunning presentation as a bed for meats. The leaf itself possesses a unique pattern with vibrant green and red coloring. This Green is sure to be a crowd-pleaser, and has topped many specialty produce distributors list.

Hearts on Fire

Ice Bud™ is one of our favorite specialty items at Fresh Origins. The flower buds, glisten with brilliant sparkling beads of water, not only are they ascetically pleasing but also add an unexpected crunch and burst of salt water on the palate. Enhance seafood dishes such as oysters, ceviche or any fish. Top a chilled cucumber soup, or replace the olive in a cocktail.

Ice Bud Shola Revised

These are three of many varieties that can help enhance the presentation, flavor profile and uniqueness of your dish.  To learn more, visit our “Products” section on our website or contact your specialty produce distributor for more information.