So, as noted a couple of times before, we’re working on including more seasonal locally grown fruit and produce.  It’s really a matter of flavor- the closer the farm, the longer the produce can stay on the vine/bush/tree, and it’s nice to support local farms when we can.  I will say, we’re kind of jealous of Tom Douglass too- having a farm like his in Prosser, to provide fruit and vegetables for your business would be outstanding. 

Digressing - in terms of local fruit, if you buy seasonally, or read food news/blogs for this region, you’ll know that we’ve been in the midst of strawberry season.  While we’re nearing the end of it, there are still some great local berries available, and in the last couple of weeks, one of our vendors, Rosella’s, helped us find a large amount of berries from Sakuma Brothers farm in Mt. Vernon.  I’m still learning about local berries and produce, so it was surprising to me to see that the berries are red completely through- no white pith at all.  Apparently this is common with several varities here. 

Besides tasting great, they look fantastic on a shortcake.  However, the main reason we got them though is this:

Yep…we are bringing back jam this year.  The first variety is strawberry.  There will be others (I saw pineapple and vanilla bean, and while not a local fruit, it’s a darn tasty blend). 

They won’t be coming out right away- Chef wants to have more varieties finished before putting them out on the shelves. 

Meanwhile, we still believe it’s summer, which means we still have gelato on macarons, and now as chocolate dipped pops! 

Have a great weekend everyone!