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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! 

 

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!