Wednesday, October 28, 2009

My Yuzu tree is ripe with fruit!


We all like to go to a Japanese sushi restaurant and sometimes order a dish that come with ponzu sauce. Well Yuzu is the ingredient that makes soy into ponzu! It's a citrus that originated in East Asia. The fruit looks like a small grapefruit, goes from lime green color to bright yellow when ripe. Either use the juice or zest/grate the skin for a different citrus taste to dishes.

Mine is a dwarf tree in a 15-gal. container which I transplanted in May from a 5-gal pot. The fruit started out lime green and finally last week turned yellow signaling their ripeness. This first crop is about the size of a tennis ball, with bumpy textured skin. I'm so excited and looking forward to cooking with this exotic citrus variety.



Metropulos Fine Foods Merchant-Santa Barbara




This Saturday I needed a day-trip so I drove up the coast to my favorite lunch spot before hitting the beach in Santa Barbara. Metropulos Fine Foods Merchant is just moments off the 101 freeway/Garden off-ramp. This gourmet deli counter has wonderful sandwiches, soups and salads. Great cheese, charcuteries, wine, beer and a separate wine room. Terrific gourmet food items from olive oils to slab salts to eclectic pastas all top drawer! Eat in or on the patio, or make up a picnic box and take it to the beach and enjoy! It's such a delightful and relaxing place. Great owners and staff.

Metropulos Fine Foods Merchant
216 East Yanonali Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
805.899.2300
M-F 8:30am-6:00pm
Sat. 10am-4pm
Never on Sunday