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).

Mini Pumpkin

Cool autumn nights, harvest moons and pumpkins are signs that autumn has arrived. Mini pumpkins have long been used in decorative table arrangements symbolizing a bountiful harvest, but new tasty varieties have now been developed that are a delicious accompaniment to traditional autumn fare. Approximately the size of a flattened orange, the mini pumpkins have…

Moroccan Pumpkin *L*S*O*

The hard squash family, which includes pumpkins, is fascinating and extensive. The many varieties exhibit a wide range in color, texture (from superfine to stringy), and degree of sweetness. McGrath Family Farms is growing MOROCCAN PUMPKINS. Due to their bumpy exterior the easiest way to get to their sweet, orange flesh is to bake the…

Musque de Provence Pumpkin *L*S*

This magnificent heirloom pumpkin variety was originally grown in southern France but ours are organically grown on California’s central coast. The Musque de Provence is heavily lobed and beautifully colored with amazingly thick walls of deep orange flesh. The flesh has a fine texture and rich flavor, and when cooked, weeps very little and holds…

Pie Pan Pumpkin

Also known as the ” Pumpkin Patch Pumpkin,” this variety of winter Squash is bright orange and substantially smaller than the carving pumpkins that stare at us with candlelit smiles on Halloween night. The flesh of the Pie Pan Pumpkin is sweet and nutty, and never as bland as the flesh of the larger Pumpkin…

Pumpkin with Stem

Elegant additions to any holiday décor, Baby Pam pumpkins with stem are also very highly rated for use in pumpkin pies. They are considered a “small pie” pumpkin variety, and are usually 5 to 8 inches in diameter and weigh around 2 pounds. To serve a main course soup or ragout in individual pumpkin ramekins,…

Oaxacan Radish

On the evening of December 23, in the year 1897, the mayor of Oaxaca, Mexico, inaugurated the first Noche de los Rabanos, the Night of the Radishes. The festival honors Mexico’s introduction to the radish by the Spaniards. OAXACAN RADISHES grow to extraordinary sizes, and three days before the festival, artists begin carving these giant…

Baby Green Scallopini Squash

BABY GREEN SCALLOPINI SQUAQSH has a beautiful dark green color and the shape of a pumped-up space ship. Closely related to Baby Green and Yellow Summer squash, this baby variety distinguishes itself with its unusual combination of color and shape. Not many growers plant this variety, and we think that’s a darned shame. BABY GREEN…

Baby Yellow Summer Squash

Specific scallop-edged BABY YELLOW SUMMER SQUASH varieties have been around since before 1860. This species, probably developed from a cross between a cucumber and a squash, was actually cultivated by Native Americans in pre-Columbian times, and is still a widely grown, highly-esteemed vegetable in the United States. It is excellent simply served with butter, but…