Maybe it’s the difference between what you see and what you taste, but white sweet potatoes seem sweeter to me than the traditional variety. They also seem to keep their shape and texture better, more like a traditional potato, but with more flavor. I’ve used it in a salad, and in a curry, but I think next I’m going to try to make french fries.

I can hear you out there, reader, complaining. The first Market Watch column in over a month, and I give you eggs? Indeed I do. Two weeks ago I picked up a dozen eggs from Bradley Farm, and they were the best eggs I’ve ever had. Rich, vibrant yolks, and clear whites that whipped up into meringue in no time flat.

A farmer’s market is the best place to go if you want to buy your food locally and organically. It’s also a great place to meet and support the farmers who grow the food. Here at Eat To Blog we are proud to announce that we are teaming up with Chef Antonio Medina from The Gastrobus to offer you a guide around farmer’s markets in Los Angeles which we call “The Organic Tour.”

Interested in joining? Want to learn more about it? Then get all the info HERE!

I first heard of the stevia plant in commercials for artificial sweeteners a few years ago, but this South American herb has been known to Western society for centuries. One leaf on the tongue doesn’t seem sweet at first, but then the unmistakable taste of Sweet & Low fills the mouth and stays there. It’s reportedly sweeter than cane sugar, but the aftertaste makes it less desirable (at least to me).

Romanesco broccoli’s dramatic appearance certainly makes it stand out at an market, let alone in the dead of winter. Its improbably fractal florets belie its ordinary flavor; it tastes just like ordinary cauliflower, and can be substituted for that vegetable. Still, you can’t beat that look as a conversation piece at your next dinner party.

After a bit of a hiatus, Market Watch is back for 2010. What better way to start off on this wintery January day than kale, one of the heartiest of winter crops? The purple variety is most often seen in gardens as an ornamental, but it is certainly edible. Not only does it survive the winter frost, but if you’ve ever seen it’s dramatic purple leaves poking up through the snow you’d swear it thrives in cold weather. My new favorite thing to do with kale is to make chips out of the leaves — strip the stems, toss the leaves with olive oil, salt and pepper, and then put into a low oven for a long time. They come out crispy and are compulsively snackable.