After living awhile in San Francisco, it's easy to forget that other parts of the country- like the tiny Missouri town where my grandparents live- don't have access to year-round local produce, super-freshly roasted coffee, and other SF luxuries. Every winter I pack my suitcase with cold-weather gear and as much fruit & coffee as I can carry...
- The local citrus is amazing right now, especially satsumas, clementines, and Meyer lemons. Nothing helps balance rich holiday food and winter storms like a little burst of sunshine.
- Many local markets like Bi-Rite sporadically carry intriguing citrus fruits such as Buddha's hands, sweet limes, and bergamots.
- The persimmons are out of control around here, and are rarely seen in many small-town markets (in my experience).
- Locally grown pomegranates are gorgeous, sturdy enough to travel with, and often hard-to-find.
- Put those sweaters to use! All the fruit I've traveled with has arrived unscathed. I put them in a plastic bag (just in case!) and then wrap the bags in sweaters in my suitcase.
- Tell your local produce expert when you need the fruit to be ripe, and they'll help you pick out the perfect specimen.
- You can usually buy coffee beans that were roasted, like, yesterday, so they'll be fresh throughout your holiday travels.
- I always put the bags of coffee in large ziplock bags so my clothes don't smell like coffee. Of course, that wouldn't be entirely bad!
The best part is that you'll have plenty of room in your suitcase to fill with local specialties for the trip back to San Francisco. I've returned home with gorgeous dried squash, cheerful branches of bittersweet, Amish bread, and my grandma's cookies. (Note! Please see the Department of Agriculture's guidelines for what you can & cannot bring into California.)
Image: Tess Wilson
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You might also want to google around and look for local coffee companies in the region you'll be visiting. It'd be nice to try them.
Love that coffee label-- where did it come from?
@farybekk: It looks like Blue Bottle to me.
I'm going on vacation to San Francisco right after Christmas. Any suggestions for non-Starbucks coffeeshops that still have flavored coffees?
We regularly exchange food with our out of state family. In two weeks, we'll be loading a cooler with fresh caught seafood right before our Oregon-to-Montana drive and will return with a cooler full of game! We trade blackberries for huckleberries, coffee for maple syrup, cheese for baked goods...
It's so easy to take for granted the items that are easy to find in your region and to overlook how special they are to others. Plus, pulling out the bottle of maple syrup can make you feel a little closer to your sister in Vermont. Regional grocery goods make excellent gifts!
Peachpear- what a beautiful way to put it. Thank you!
HenNowTex- Flavored coffees are definitely hard-to-find around here, but the Philz Coffee shops make very interesting & delicious drinks. The Philharmonic is made with cardamom, and the Ecstatic Iced contains fresh mint!
Jonas- good eye!
If you can find halfway decent avocados and are heading northward, bring some with you! That's what I always ask my Sacramento-area parents to bring with them when they visit Seattle-area me. We have so much wonderful produce around here, but good avocados are super hard to find.
Isn't it illegal to ship/bring California fruit across the state line?
(or at least frowned upon???)
Yes it is frowned upon l to bring fruit and plants- especially bittersweet which is a invasive weed!!!
It's illegal, when you cross from Oregon they will take your produce away.
It's especially illegal to bring any fruits INTO California. Has something to do with fruit fly bugs, doesn't it?