Winter Squash

This selection of winter squash includes, starting from the the upper left corner and moving clockwise, a dumpling, a white pumpkin, two delicata squash and a weird, horned variety that the farm worker running the market stand called "crazy squash."  It is so light it must be hollow and is presumably usable only as an ornamental.  These are from Phil McGrath's farm in Ventura County.

Price: $1 a pound.

Japanese ' Pear- Apples' (top)
and Fuyu Persimmons 

I'm not a big fan of persimmons, but since I've just added some persimmon recipes to this Web site, I figured I should buy and test these fuyus (front).  The  Japanese pear-apples (I prefer to call them by their Japanese name, nashi) include the pear-shaped Yali and the round, spotted Shenseikei.  All of the fruit is from Alex and Vilma Causey's Brier Patch Farm near Dinuba in California's Central Valley..

Price:  $1.50 a pound or 5 lbs. for $5

Lipstick Peppers

The sweetest peppers I've ever had are lipsticks.  My teenaged daughters agree.  They'll snack on a plate of sliced lipsticks as if they were potato chips. A dozen or more varieties of peppers are in the market today.  I don't suspect they'll be around much longer so I pick up these lipsticks and throw in a couple of sweet Hungarians (below), even though I still have some left in the refrigerator (which are holding up well) from a major pepper purchase last week.

Price: $1.50 lb. for both lipsticks and Hungarians

Hungarian (front) and Lipstick Peppers