Where is the fruit?

A little disappointment settled in when we realized that we would not be able to eat as much fruit if we stuck with our commitment to buy mostly local, seasonal foods. Although we might face weakness in the bleak months of winter when we walk through the produce section at Whole Foods (e.g., when we see the kiwi or pineapple), for now, disappointment has been replaced with the awesome realization that citrus fruits are plentiful during this time here in Texas. The past couple of weekends we have walked out of the farmers market with bags of these orange-like fruits from Orange Blossom Farm that are so sweet and delicious, even our daughter, who has never really liked oranges, eats two or more a day. I can't remember the varieties we bought but I promise that two weekends from now I will post the variety.

For now, I am including here a link to a favorite ice cream recipe. In my versions, I usually replace the mint with lavender, sage, or rosemary (see the lavender ice cream picture to the right) and the dairy with coconut milk since I am lactose intolerant. Today, I took a leap of faith and replaced the herb with left-over peel from all the citrus fruit we have been eating. The result was a creamy ice cream with a very good, yet subtle orange flavor:

Mint Ice Cream