About Karen Beverlin, The Produce Hunter

Karen Beverlin is the Vice President of Specialty Sales for The Produce Hunter. The Produce Hunter curates the Farmers’ Markets, and works with small, local family farmers committed to sustainable agriculture, responsible production, and propagation and promotion of fruit and vegetables with exceptional flavor. Follow her as she finds the best of the Santa Monica Farmers Market every week with on Instagram (@fpproducehunter).

Elephant Heart Plum

A home orchard favorite, the Elephant Heart plum is as big on taste as its name suggests. Heart shaped, its yellow-green exterior hides watermelon red flesh that is firm, juicy and bursting with sweetness. It can be enjoyed fresh as a perfect snack and is a beautiful, rosy addition to compotes and tarts. Cooking adds…

FM Flavor Grenade Pluot

Over 100 years ago, Luther Burbank began to experiment with the interspecific breeding of stonefruit. Today we have the Plumcot, Aprium and the Pluot, and the fruit world has never been the same. The newest delicious development is the Flavor Grenade Pluot. Aptly named, the sweet fruit flavor of the Flavor Grenade explodes onto the…

Flavor Queen Pluot

These Pluots have the Midas touch. Gold inside and out, Flavor Queen Pluots are another beautiful example of what happens when a grower crosses an Apricot with a Plum. Flavorful and sweet, Flavor Queen’s unusual color provides welcome contrast to the more common red and black Plums (and Pluots). Great for eating out of hand,…

FM Flavorosa Pluot *L*

Fruit juice blends are hot, so why not serve the ‘ real’ thing? This plum apricot hybrid is characteristically more plum than apricot, and is more luscious than either of its parents. Dark purple skin and red flesh richly flavored and bursting with juice is what makes the Flavorosa one of the most popular members…

FM Flavorella Pluot *L*

Plum and apricot hybrids are popping up all over the place. Some look like plums (Flavorosa pluots), some look like Apricots (Apriums), and these have the shape of a Plum, the color of an apricot, and a matte-finish skin (thanks to the barest hint of fuzz). These Golden Plumcots combine beautiful color and very sweet…

FM Greengage Plum

Wild Greengage Plums were probably introduced to Britain by the Romans, but disappeared from cultivation until Sir Thomas Gage brought them from France in the eighteenth century (and gave them his name). In France, they are known as Reine-Claude after the wife of Francois I, who adored their sweet flavor. These small members of the…

Italian Prune Plum

Plum varieties seem to be coming out of the woodwork, but all of them can be divided into two main categories: Japanese and European. ITALIAN PRUNE PLUMS are considered a European variety. Italians are the main European variety and are smaller, firmer, sweeter, and less juicy than the Japanese varieties (i.e. Friar, simka and Sant…

Wild Northwest Plum

We have finally figured out why so many growers are crossing plums and apricots like crazy. They are trying to capture the flavor of Wild Northwest Plums. Each one of these little gems have a distinct, exotic flavor. A little tropical, very sweet, and very small. They look like small cherry tomatoes of three different…

Amandine Fingerling Potato

AMANDINE FINGERLING POTATOES are virtually unknown to North American cooks, but Weiser Family Farms plans to change that! These lovely fingerlings have smooth, yellow skin with shallow eyes and rich, yellow flesh. AMANDINE FINGERLING POTATOES’ consistant shape and smooth exterior makes them perfect for wedges and slicing.

Butterfinger Fingerling Potato

BUTTERFINGER FINGERLING POTATOES have yellow to brownish skin with a true yellow flesh, even after baking. This fingerling variety has a crescent shape and is small to medium in size. Butterfinger fingerlings have a nutty flavor with a smooth texture. They hold up well in salads and are especially good when lightly steamed or boiled…

Cranberry Potato

And you thought you’d seen everything! How ’bout a pink-fleshed potato? CRANBERRY POTATOES are colorful through and through, from their magenta skin to their lovely pink flesh. Their looks overshadow their flavor however…the potato is on the bland side. That pretty pink flesh is waxy and quite moist, making the CRANBERRY POTATO an excellent candidate…

German Butterball Potato *L*S*

GERMAN BUTTERBALL POTATOES are European in heritage, and these are real beauties. They have smooth golden skin with a yellow flesh, and a great, rich flavor…and the awards to prove it! Medium round to oblong tubers, GERMAN BUTTERBALLS are great for boiling, baking and mashing, and they produce wonderful hash browns. These potatoes are grown…

La Ratte Fingerling Potato *L*S*

Considered the very best of the French Fingerling Potatoes, La Ratte Fingerling Potatoes are appreciated for their creamy, pale gold flesh that tastes of hazelnuts and chestnuts. An all-purpose potato, the La Ratte is wonderful when sauteed, gratineed, mashed or used in salads. In France, these favorites are grown beyond fingerlings to fairly generous sizes…

Mixed Marble Potato *L*S*

Hats off to the family farmer! Across the country family farms are being purchased by huge agricultural conglomerates…but that’ s mainly in the Mid-West, and those farms are growing wheat, corn, etc. Here in California the family farmer is king thanks to their innovation and responsiveness. One of our most talented family farmers is digging…