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Category Archives: MicroGreens

Aug 05
0

Benefits of Growing Microgreens in San Diego

By | Edible Flowers, MicroGreens | 590 Comments

It really should come as no surprise that Fresh Origins, the leading grower of microgreens and related specialty produce, chooses to farm in sun-kissed Southern California, particularly San Diego County.

The area has one of the finest growing climates in the world thanks to the year-round sunny weather. Southern California is the ideal environment for Fresh Origins to grow the best and most flavorful microgreens and other specialty produce items.

According to the National Weather Service, the climate in San Diego County is the most temperate in the country – with warm winters and cool summers. San Diego is in the same latitude zone as tropical Bermuda and Casablanca in North Africa. So, with its great location and the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean, the area has one of the most temperate climates in the world, giving Fresh Origins a major quality advantage over other microgreen growers in the world. The average annual temperature is a comfortable 63 degrees and the sun shines about three of every four days. In addition, it takes far more energy to grow microgreens in the Eastern half of the country due to the harsh weather conditions and the need to heat the greenhouse. The carbon footprint of these operations is significant and is far more than the small amount used to transport these very light-weight items anywhere in the country.

With a climate such as this, Fresh Origin’s growing seasons are long and in most cases year-round. There is a major difference in quality, taste, color and shelf life with Fresh Origins microgreens. For those chefs outside of California, there really is no reason to settle for lower quality just because it is locally grown.

In addition to microgreen farming, San Diego’s climate also sets the ideal stage for growing edible flowers, which is why Fresh Origins excels at it. Thanks to the year- round growing season, Fresh Origins is able to offer their Firestix™ and many other edible flowers to specialty produce distributors 365 days a year.

Growing in such an unmatched climate, Fresh Origins has become the leading microgreen and edible flower producer in the country.

If you are interested in featuring Fresh Origins Microgreens, Edible Flowers or other unique specialty produce, as a part of your menu, please contact your specialty produce distributor.

Oct 29
0

Fresh Origins at StarChefs International Chef’s Congress 2013

By | Edible Flowers, Events, Herb & Flower Crystals™, MicroGreens | 792 Comments

Fresh Origins takes home the 2013 Innovator Award

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This year’s 8th Annual Starchefs.com International Chefs Congress in New York City proved to be again, nothing short of amazing. Each year the ICC issues four Innovative Awards, for each category: Food and Beverage, Heavy Equipment, Specialty Equipment, and Tabletop and Smallwares. These achievements are given to culinary businesses and professionals that offer the cutting-edge products on the market today that push forward the culinary frontier. Winners are determined by votes made by the symposium’s attendees.

ICC

This year we entered our Flower Crystals® Hibiscus to compete in the Food and Beverage category and we won! Luckily, many of the culinary professionals there were using our products in competitions, workshops, demonstrations and tasting segments.

Fresh Origins sponsored the Pastry Competition and a Workshop:

Workshop: Micro Greens, Macro Flavor Combinations, a Savory Wrap-up – presented by Chef Philip Foss of El IdeasImagehttp://www.starchefs.com/cook/events/icc/2013/wrap-up/savory

Philip used Fresh Origins Cucumber Blossoms, Micro Cucumber, Micro Tangerine Lace™, Petite Basil Nutmeg™, and TinyVeggies™ Radish, with leaves that can be flash fried for added texture. He proceeded to plate the ingredients two ways: using an array of Mediterranean flavors including braised octopus, Cinqo Jotas Bellota ham, and watermelon, wow!

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Here are some of the other events that featured our Microgreens:

Welcome Dinner: Chef Elizabeth Falkner’s restaurant: Corvo Bianco – Chefs had tables set up and cooked in front of guests – chef station style – they used our products, including Tod Gray, Gabriel Frasca, Alex Talbot, Aki Kamozawa, Adam Marca, Melissa Kelly, and of course Elizabeth Falkner!

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See more photos here:

http://www.starchefs.com/cook/photos/icc-2013-welcome-dinner-corvo-bianco-ny

Eat@ICC – lunch on the trade show floor included pop up restaurants, food stands and booths serving food

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http://www.starchefs.com/cook/events/icc/2013/wrap-up/eat-icc)

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See more photos here:

http://www.starchefs.com/cook/photos/icc-2013-product-fair-new-york-ny

The Vitamix Challenge – you guessed it, a food competition using vitamix blenders http://www.starchefs.com/cook/icc-sponsor/vitamix/vitamix-challenge/201

At the Main Stage, chef demos

http://www.starchefs.com/cook/events/icc/2013/wrap-up/main-stage

The Congress Cocktail – here mixologists served drinks on the trade show floor and used our products for tasting.

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We are so grateful to the many chefs and exhibitors who used our products and to all the attendees that were able to visit and vote for us at our booth – we thank you!Image

Dec 11
0

Ending the Year with New Festive Flavors – Fruit Crystals® Pumpkin Spice & Cranberry

By | Edible Flowers, Events, Herb & Flower Crystals™, MicroGreens | 1,365 Comments

2013-11-16 16.49.49

Last November we revisited the Culinary Institute of America’s Worlds of Flavor® International Conference & Festival. It was a wonderful learning experience that brought together hundreds of the world’s finest Chefs. At the World Marketplace, we showcased our two new holiday flavors, Fruit Crystals® Pumpkin Spice and Cranberry.

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During the reception each day and several food demonstrations, lunches & seminars, many of the chefs including one of our own, Chef Kelly Sasuga, enhanced their plates with our Microgreens & Edible Flowers.

One of Kelly’s dishes was a Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake with Chantilly Cream, topped with Fruit Crystals® Pumpkin Spice & Micro Basil:

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This was a huge hit! Attendees really loved the presentation, flavors and textures.

Chef Elizabeth Falkner used our products in her ISI demo!

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Here’s some other food & drink samples from the World Marketplace with our products!

2013-11-14 18.40.34 2013-11-16 16.50.01 2013-11-14 13.48.14

Up next, we will be making a scene at the New York Produce Show and Conference on December 10th – 12th. So if you are looking to try a sample of our new Fruit Crystals or looking to check out our newest microgreens be sure to come to our booth 234 and say hello!

Dec 23
0

Brightening the Holiday with What is New on the Farm!

By | Edible Flowers, Herb & Flower Crystals™, MicroGreens | 1,316 Comments

Christmas week is finally here and we at Fresh Origins would like to share with you all what’s new at the farm this season – our Micro Hibiscus and Mini Fruit Crystals® Cranberry! Our featured Winter flower is our MicroFlowers™ Lavendar. Here are a few recipes and taste profiles, surely it will hopefully help you out and spark some new ideas for your upcoming holiday recipes.

Micro HibiscusSesame Crusted Seared Rare Ahi, Wasabi Rice, Hibiscus-Orange Buerre Blanc, Sauteed Veggies

Micro Hibiscus: Sesame Crusted Seared Rare Ahi, Hibiscus-Orange Buerre Blanc, Wasabi Rice, and Sauteed Veggies

Mini Flower Crystals® Cranberry1Cranberry-Rosemary Mojito rimmed with Mini Fruit Crystals® Cranberry

Mini Fruit Crystals® Cranberry: Cranberry-Rosemary Mojito

z MicroFlower™ Micro Lavender Flower™Lavender-Vanilla Honey Custard, Apple-Pecan Crust

MicroFlowers™ Lavender Flower: Lavender-Vanilla Honey Custard, Apple-Pecan Crust

If you are interested in what is new on the farm lately and would like to try some samples, feel free to contact us!

And from all of us here at Fresh Origins, have a very Merry Christmas and a spectacular New Years!

Jan 24
0

Fresh Origin’s 2014 Trade Show Forecast

By | Edible Flowers, Events, Herb & Flower Crystals™, MicroGreens | 1,241 Comments

Now that the year has begun, we would like to share with you all the events Fresh Origins will be attending for the first quarter. We’ve provided a few links to each event, so check it out and register to attend before it is too late!

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Where to Expect Us

  • Natural Products Expo West: March 6th – 9th, Anaheim California Booth: 5774. Where business and natural products meet. Understand what retailers, distributors, health practitioners, manufacturers and suppliers are looking for. This show focuses on the newest natural trends.

  • Catesource Conference Show: March 23rd – 26th, Las Vegas Nevada, Booth: 312. A great event to learn and educate yourself on the latest culinary concepts, practices and resources. Perfect products for Caterers!

  • Nightclub and Bar Convention: March 24th – 26th, Las Vegas Nevada, Booth: 628. If you are involved in or interested in the bar, beverage, nightclub, and restaurant industry – this is the event to attend for you. See the latest and greatest inventions for cocktails.

Along with our traditional line up of unique Microgreens, we will also be highlighting a few new products at each show, such as new flavors of Crystals!

What are you waiting for? Experience what the latest and greatest culinary specialties are this 2014. Come and join us at our booths!

Mar 01
0

Fresh Origins Hits the Road: New York, Anaheim & Las Vegas (2X)!

By | Edible Flowers, Events, Herb & Flower Crystals™, MicroGreens, PetiteGreens | 779 Comments

March is finally here! This month, we’ll be attending 4 trade shows, back-to-back. Every event caters to a unique group of food professionals. We’ll be showing our Microgreens, Edible Flowers, Herb & Flower Crystals™ and other specialty items to chefs, restaurant owners, caterers, mixologists, foodservice distributors & retailers.

International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of NY:
Booth: 1456
Microgreens & Edible Flowers on Center Stage

We’re starting off at the International Restaurant & Foodservice Show: www.internationalrestaurantny.com/Show-Info/ in New York. This show is exciting and fast-paced, attracting a huge crowd of industry professionals including high-end restaurant chefs and those who supply them.

Every kind of food product and restaurant supply you can imagine will be on display at this show – from tablecloths to point-of-sale systems, from stoves to lighting. The show also features many great cooking demonstrations & sampling, chef competitions, food service education sessions, and other breakout sessions that restaurant people love.

Many of our customers attend this show, and they’re eager to see & taste our new products, such as our signature specialty Herb & Flower Crystals™. We enjoy having the chance to catch up with our friends and customers – and win some new ones too.

Natural Products Expo West:
Booth: 5758
A New Market for our Microgreens

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After New York, we’ll be traveling back to the West Coast for Natural Products Expo West: http://www.expowest.com/ew13/public/enter.aspx in Anaheim, California. It’s our first time exhibiting at this trade show, where buyers for retail stores attend to see the latest natural, and health-oriented products.

So why is Fresh Origins going to be there? We’ve seen microgreens for sale in a few retail grocery stores recently – and frankly, the quality is poor. We believe there are two reasons for this: first, we think retail store buyers are unfamiliar with quality standards for microgreens, so they don’t know what to expect – or demand. We have always sold to the nation’s top Chefs who demand great quality. Second, the quality of the microgreens is poor due to growing methods and less than ideal growing climates.

We see Natural Products Expo West as a huge opportunity for us to show retail buyers that we offer the very best, microgreens available, and demonstrate that Fresh Origins microgreens would be a great addition to their produce department.

Catersource:
Booth 2536
Microgreens, Edible Flowers & Herb Crystals™: the perfect finishing touch to Wedding Hors d’ oeuvres

Micro Mix2 copy2

During the second half of March, we’ll be attending not one, but two shows in Las Vegas. We’re old hands at Catersource [http://www.catersource.com/conference-tradeshow/attend], a fantastic show that pulls in at least 7,000 catering professionals from across the country.

Caterers have been especially aware of the benefits of using our Microgreens and Edible Flowers – for them, food has to look as good as it tastes, and taste as good as it looks. Our Microgreens and Edible Flowers are a big draw at Catersource because they are unique and attractive, perfect for special events, especially weddings. Speaking of weddings…our gorgeous Crystallized Flowers are an amazing, all natural addition for cakes & cupcakes.

We also enjoy this show because we see so many of our customers here. It’s very social for us – lively and lots of fun. We also like the fact that we really stand out at Catersource, since we’re offering such unique and beautiful products there.

Nightclub & Bar Convention:
Booth 628
Herb & Flower Crystals™ for Mixologists

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Another first-time event for us, the Nightclub & Bar Trade Show http://www.ncbshow.com/why-attend-0 is where we will introduce a new product line: our Mini Herb Crystals™ & Mini Flower Crystals™. This is a finer-grained version of our popular Fennel, Rose, Basil and Mint Crystals that chefs and caterers use as an exciting & versatile ingredient in all kinds of dishes.

We’ve met several mixologists who love the garden-fresh tastes, new textures and beautiful colors they can introduce into their drinks with our new Mini Herb & Flower Crystals™, fresh Edible Flowers and even our fresh Microgreens.

We designed our new Mini Crystals for rimming cocktail glasses. The smaller granules adhere to the glass rim better than our larger Flower and Herb Crystals™, offering mixologists a way to accent drinks with color while injecting a blast of amazing flavor and exciting crunch.

mini crystals

We’ve researched other sugared products out there, and none compare to our crystals, with their naturally pure vibrant colors, our intense flavors and crunchy texture. That’s right – we add nothing artificial to our crystals. All the color and flavor comes directly from the fresh herb or flower.

If you’re planning to be at any of these shows, we’d love to see you! Please stop by our booth, sample some of our Edible Flowers, Microgreens and our Herb and Flower Crystals. Tell us what you think! We want your feedback, and we love kicking ideas around with our Chef & foodie friends.

Dec 01
0

Asian Themed MicroGreens

By | Edible Flowers, MicroGreens, Recipes | 1,019 Comments

Many micro greens and greens are Asian in origin and can be used to give an Asian flair to many types of dishes. These Asian themed specialty products can also blend in well with American dishes, providing new and exciting flavors.

With more than 350 products, Fresh Origins has all of the Asian micro greens you will need to add zest to your dishes.

Here is just a few that are available. There is Micro Chinese Cabbage, which can be used to spice up lettuce and spinach salads; and Micro Thai Basil which has an unusual licorice flavor that also blends well with Asian or fusion cuisine. 

Pictured: Petite Asian Mix

Micro Red Shiso has dark red, uniquely flavored leaves, and is a great topping for sushi rolls and nigiri.

Micro Tatsoi, first cultivated in Japan, is popular for use in both European and Asian foods. It is dark green in color and a member of the broccoli family. It goes well with salads and sandwiches. It has a taste that echoes that of mustard greens.

Another Asian microgreen is the Daikon Radish, which comes in purple or green. The word Daikon means “large root” in Japanese, and the vegetable has a crisp texture and a spicy flavor and can really perk up salads or side dishes.

Mitsuba, Japanese parsley is another microgreen that is a common in Asian dishes. It has an earthy parsley-like flavor and can make a great addition to salads, and stir fry. Nice for floating on miso soup!

Micro Cilantro is a common element in Thai cooking and can be used in salads, chutneys and salsas. It has a very fresh and strong flavor for such a small herb!

Here’s a recipe using our Asian microgreens!

Kobe Beef and Prawn Udon Soup

with Micro Asian Mix

Ingredients:

Fresh Origins Micro Asian Mix

½ lb Large fresh uncooked prawns

½ lb Kobe beef

1 package Udon noodles

2 stalks of Green Onions

1 clove Garlic

½ Onion

3 Pak Choy leaf stalks

Handful of Enoki Mushrooms

1 cup Chicken Broth

Splash of Hot Sauce

2 tbsp Soy Sauce

Handful of Shitaki Mushrooms

2 tbsp Dried Seaweed

1 tbsp Rice Wine

Handful of Soy Beans

Salt, Pepper

Directions:

In a pot, bring water to a boil, drop in noodles and simmer until cooked. In a separate pot, combine chicken stock, garlic (diced), onions (diced), hot sauce, shitaki mushrooms (diced), soy sauce, seaweed, rice wine, soy beans, salt and pepper and simmer. Slice kobe beef into small thin slices, season with salt and pepper, and sear quickly on both sides in olive oil in a pan. Set aside. Do the same with the shrimp. Set aside. Cook enoki mushrooms in broth.  Blanch Pak Choy quickly in broth until leaves get wilted. Set aside. Serve noodles, add broth, pak choy, green onions, shrimp, and beef.  Garnish with Fresh Origins Micro Asian Mix.

Other examples of Asian-style garnishes!

Mustard Flowers

Shiso Bicolor Leaves

Radish Flowers

Dec 07
0

LA Food Wine Festival!

By | Edible Flowers, Events, MicroGreens | 940 Comments

Fresh Origins was proud to be a sponsor of the First Annual Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival in October 2011! The creators and producers of the premier epicurean lifestyle event on the West Coast proudly presented the next great culinary and live entertainment playground, where celebrity met celebrity chef. There were 58 Different events and 141 Chefs that participated! Some of the nation’s Top Chefs used our Microgreens & Edible Flowers on their dishes! Some of the Chefs included: Bradley Ogden, Daniel Boulud, Sam Choy, Roy Yamaguchi, Elizabeth Falkner, Johnny Iuzzini, Wolfgang Puck, Michael Mina, & Masaharu Morimoto.

http://www.lafw.com

Masaharu Morimoto with Julie Sasuga of Fresh Origins

 Clam Chowder Congee, oyster cracker, Fresh Origins Micro Celery

LEXUS GRAND TASTING – SUNDAY 10/16 12:00-3:00PM

Chef Masaharu Morimoto—known to millions as the star of Iron Chefand Iron Chef America—has garnered critical and popular acclaim for his seamless integration of Western andJapanese ingredients.  He has effectively created a signature cuisine that has gained worldwide appeal and positioned him as one of the foremost chefs today.  Morimoto is executive chef at Morimoto Philadelphia,Morimoto New York, and Wasabi by Morimoto.  In July 2010, chef Morimoto opened his first West Coast restaurant, Morimoto Napa, in downtown Napa’s new Riverfront development, followed by the fall 2010 debut of Morimoto Waikiki in Waikiki EDITION, the new luxury lifestyle hotel developed by Ian Schrager and Marriott.

Sam Choy of Sam Choy’s, Hawaii with David & Julie Sasuga of Fresh Origins

Island Style Poke, Fresh Origins Micro Intensity Mix™

RED CARPET PREMIERE THURSDAY 10/13  7:00-10:00PM

Sam Choy’s colorful personality and welcoming smile have drawn customers to his multiple restaurants over the last 30 years, but it is his award-winning cooking that keeps them coming back.For the last 16 years, Sam has appeared on his weekly cooking show, Sam Choy’s Kitchen, on the Hawaiian Island’s local NBC affiliate. He has authored 16 cookbooks, has a frozen food line with a major international distributor, has his personal recipe sauces and dressings available in national food store chains and has designed first and business class menus for American’s Airlines International Flights. Choy is a four-time nominee for the James Beard Best Pacific Regional chef award, winning in 2004. He is often credited as the “Godfather of Poke” and the Culinary Ambassador of the Big Island. Sam also enjoys catering for private events and donates his time to support multiple charities.

Elizabeth Faulkner of Citizen Cake & Soma SF with David Sasuga of Fresh Origins

Baby summer squash, fig, uni, lemon olive oil, Fresh Origins Micro Basil

RED CARPET PREMIERE THURSDAY  10/13  7:00-10:00PM

With her spiky platinum hair and unstoppable creativity, Elizabeth Falkner has become one of the most recognizable faces of the Bay Area culinary world on Bravo, Food Network and beyond. She has been a frequent contestant, judge, and guest on Top Chef Masters, Top Chef, Iron Chef America, Sugar Rush, Tyler’s Ultimate with Tyler Florence, Rachael Ray’s $40 a Day, Martha Stewart Living, and more.

Falkner is the owner and Chef of two Michelin recommended restaurants in San Francisco. Citizen Cake patisserie, restaurant and bar in Pacific Heights, along with the popular SOMA restaurant bar and lounge Orson. Once known as the go-to for all things pastry, Elizabeth’s expertise is now widely acknowledged to have bridged the gap between sweet and savory.

Johnny Iuzzini of Jean-Georges, New York

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake, Curry Mayo, Chocolate dirt, Fresh Origins Micro Sorrel

DECADENCE HOSTED BY SHERRY YARD   SATURDAY 10/15  10:00-2:00AM

Johnny Iuzzini, Executive Pastry Chef at award winning Restaurant Jean-Georges and café Nougatine in New York City, hails from the Catskills in upstate New York. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America with twenty years of kitchen experience since the age of 15, he boasts a heavy list of experience at highly lauded dining locations such as The River Café in Brooklyn, NY, Daniel, Payard and Café Boulud in New York City.  His enrichment continued during a journey around the world in 1998 as well as to study pastry at some of the finest patisseries in France including LaDuree under Pierre Herme.

Chef Iuzzini was deemed “Outstanding Pastry Chef of the Year” by the James Beard Foundation in 2006, followed by accolades such as “10 Most Influential Pastry Chefs in America” by Forbes Magazine, “Best New Pastry Chef” by New York Magazine, and named one of the “Top Ten Pastry Chefs in America” two years in a row by Pastry Arts and Design Magazine. Iuzzini is the head judge of Bravo’s new culinary competition series “Top Chef Just Desserts” and the author of Dessert Fourplay: Sweet Quartets From A Four-Star Pastry Chef.

Roy Yamaguchi, Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion Restaurant

Main Lobster Dim Sum, chantarele mushroom, lobster foam, Fresh Origins Tiny Veggies™ Radish & Petite Shiso Red

LEXUS GRAND TASTING – SUNDAY SUNDAY 10/16  12:00-3:00PM

Based on childhood memories of the feelings and flavors of Hawaii, Roy invented what he refers to as “Hawaiian Fusion® Cuisine” — a tempting combination of exotic flavors and spices mixed with the freshest of local ingredients, always with an emphasis on seafood. Thusly inspired, he graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in New York at the age of 19, where, after several years of intense training, he became a Master Chef.

Yamaguchi is now regarded as a pioneer who mastered a distinctive style, which brought his cooking to the forefront of contemporary gastronomy. As testimony to his success, there are now 31 Roy’s, including 23 in the Continental U.S., 6 in Hawaii, 1 in Japan and 1 in Guam.

Honored early in his career with the prestigious James Beard “Best Pacific Northwest Chef” Award, Yamaguchi has hosted six seasons of the PBS-TV show, Hawaii Cooks with Roy Yamaguchi seen on more than 300 stations in all 50 states, as well as in over 60 countries. Equally notable, he was a featured chef on the acclaimed TV Food Network program, My Country, My Kitchen which takes viewers back to his roots in Japan.

Apr 18
0

Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival

By | Edible Flowers, Events, MicroGreens | 1,307 Comments

San Diego California – April 17, 2012 – Fresh Origins shines in epicurean paradise at Pebble Beach Food & Wine 2012

Fresh Origins products were prominently featured throughout the West Coast’s premier epicurean lifestyle event; Pebble Beach Food & Wine 2012.  75 Celebrity chefs matched with 250 acclaimed wineries created an extraordinary four- day destination on one of the most breathtaking coastline resorts in the world.  Throughout the weekend, guests enjoyed intimate access to the pinnacle of culinary and wine talent at wine tastings, cooking demos, and some of the most exclusive, unique dining experiences in the world.

Working feverishly for weeks prior to the event, Fresh Origins and PBF&W Culinary Liaison, Dorothy Maras developed strategic master plan to provide some of the world’s most talented and demanding culinary geniuses with everything from Micro Tangerine Lace™ to Oyster Leaf from an amazing array of dazzling Microgreens, Tiny Veggies™  and Edible Flowers for their exclusive menus.

“It is an honor to see our products truly come to life in the hands of the best chefs in the world!” said David Sasuga, founder of Fresh Origins.

Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud, Masaharu Morimoto, Jacques Pepin, and Roy Yamaguchi are a few of the world class chefs bringing their inspired culinary tour de force to the exclusive Pebble Beach resort.  Fresh Origins products were found on nearly every dish at the event.