Mar­ket Report

What’s a sip of mojito or slice of key lime pie with­out the bright­ness of fresh lime juice? Lack­ing for starters.

Lucky then that limes are avail­able year round to impart their aro­matic, tangy good­ness.

Under­stand­ing the vari­etal dif­fer­ences in limes might be use­ful for the best choices in culi­nary appli­ca­tions.

Although there are other cit­rus species that are referred to as “limes”, the Per­sian lime is the most widely cul­ti­vated lime species com­mer­cially grown. It accounts for the largest share of the fruits sold as limes.

Extremely fla­vor­ful, Per­sian limes are a key ingre­di­ent in regional cuisines world­wide. Also known as Tahit­ian or Bearss, Per­sian limes deliver an intensely tart fla­vor to your dishes and cock­tails. Typ­i­cally sold while still dark green, they become light green to a mild yel­low as they ripen.

Cal­i­for­nia pear farm­ing areas are arguably in some of the most desir­able and beau­ti­ful places in the state.

The beauty of his­toric pear orchards con­tributes sig­nif­i­cantly to the appeal of com­mu­ni­ties such as Court­land and Clarks­burg, located in the Sacra­mento River Delta grow­ing region.

Lake­port and Kelseyville rep­re­sent the Lake County pear grow­ing dis­trict. Ukiah, in the Men­do­cino grow­ing dis­trict, rounds out the real estate.

Together these grow­ing areas pro­duce approx­i­mately 150,000 tons of pears each year. The vol­ume of pears pro­duced in Cal­i­for­nia has declined in recent years, as has the num­ber of pear farm­ers.

Even so, the Cal­i­for­nia pear indus­try remains a lead­ing sup­plier of pears to the world.

Any kind of sum­mer sur­plus should be met with com­plete culi­nary abandonment.

Fresh herbs in par­tic­u­lar have a way of ele­vat­ing most cre­ations. Don’t let their sheer abun­dance go to waste.

Trans­form those “tried and true” old dishes into some­thing extra­or­di­nary. Herbs have an unfor­get­table bright­ness that cat­a­pults ho-​hum up to OMG!

Clas­sic sal­ads are reju­ve­nated with an addi­tion of chopped green herbs. Cilantro, mint and Ital­ian pars­ley perk up any green, pasta or potato salad. Com­bine a cou­ple to deliver a new take on favored Cae­sar, Cobb and Chopped versions.

Herbed but­ters and herb-​infused oils are largely irre­sistible with grilled meats and veg­eta­bles. Finely minced tar­ragon, pars­ley, oregano or basil beg for a chance with soft­ened but­ter and gar­lic for breads, pasta, seafood and fish.

Steamy sum­mer days make it tough to stay cool. Stay­ing hydrated is another mat­ter altogether.

Drink­ing enough water or other flu­ids is a tall order for some. It can require a delib­er­ate action plan. This is par­tic­u­larly true when it comes to seniors, chil­dren and athletes.

Ade­quate hydra­tion can pre­vent cramps, heat exhaus­tion, dizzi­ness, low blood pres­sure and heat stroke.

The aver­age per­son can lose as many as ten cups of fluid from daily activ­i­ties and exer­cise. This may be stag­ger­ing on extremely hot days with severe con­se­quences. Fre­quent hydra­tion is essential.

There are plenty of tricks to boost smart hydra­tion. Visual cues are help­ful reminders to stay replen­ished through­out the day. Set up a hydra­tion sta­tion in plain sight.