Plumsicle™ Ice Cream!

If you’ve tasted our proprietary HMC Farms® Plumsicle™, you already know that the flavor is unlike any other piece of fruit. The taste reminds us of a frozen treat from the ice cream truck on a hot summer day, and we were inspired to create our own version of that creamy, frosty goodness in our farm kitchen to get us through this heat wave. We know it’s hard not to eat Plumsicles when they’re right in front of you, so grab an extra bag to snack on while you make this Plumsicle ice cream.

 

We used our home ice cream maker for this recipe. You may need to adjust the portions depending on the size of your ice cream maker.

Ingredients: two bottles of milk, bowl of cut plums, 3 brown eggs, bowl of sugar, bowl of vanilla, salt grinder on white marble surface

Ingredients:

  • 1 bag of HMC Farms Plumsicle, pits removed (about 2lbs)
  • Half and half – ¼ gallon + 1 cup
  • 1 cup sugar
  • Splash of vanilla
  • Pinch of salt

 

Start by rinsing off your Plumsicles and carefully remove the pits. We like to leave the skin on for little pockets of extra Plumsicle flavor, but if you can’t come to terms with the skin in your ice cream it’s okay to remove it. Place all of the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. If you want some Plumsicle chunks, try blending all of the other ingredients first, and then adding Plumsicle and using the pulse blend option to leave some chunks. Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and use the manufacturer’s instructions. That’s it! An easy path to homemade Plumsicle ice cream that will make you look like a seasoned confectioner.

Waffle bowl containing two scoops of pink ice cream on multi-colored striped background, purple towel and 3 plums in frame

Watch us make this recipe here.

 

Don’t have an ice cream maker, or looking for a dairy-free option? Check out this recipe for Plumsicle ice pops and wine pops from The Produce Moms!

For more information on Plumsicle, visit our dedicated website!

Winter charcuterie inspiration

With so many holidays throughout the month of December, we find ourselves snacking constantly, and there’s no snack we love more than… well basically anything served on a board. Why do snacks taste so much better from a board? Honestly, it’s a mystery, but even our kids love a good snack board so we’ve rounded up some charcuterie board ideas from the HMC Farm Kitchen to get you through the holidays and into the new year. 

 

Board #1: The winter classic

This is one of our favorite winter charcuterie boards. We started with HMC Farms red seedless grapes (of course), and added local almonds, pistachios, pomegranates, and salami—in fact, nearly everything on this board is grown or made in California. What we love most about this board is that it balances the sweetness of in-season fruit with the saltiness of salami and nuts and the bold flavor of our favorite cheeses. It’s a crowd-pleaser, and our go-to when hosting a small gathering or cocktails over Zoom.

Tabla de embutidos con uvas, salami, queso, granada, galletas y frutos secos

What we used for the winter classic:

  • HMC Farms red seedless grapes
  • Pomegranates from the Central Valley
  • Almonds from the Central Valley
  • California pistachios
  • Two kinds of salami from Busseto Foods
  • Rainforest Crisps
  • Dubliner cheese from Kerrygold
  • Habanero and jalapeño cheddar from Yancey’s Fancy

Board #2: The vegetarian board

FYI: meat is not required for a delicious board of snacks. We said it. Honestly, why should meat eaters have all the fun? Whether you are a vegetarian, shifting toward a more plant-based diet, or simply not eating processed meats (hello, pregnant ladies!), this board is a great option to enjoy your board sans-meat (you can also ditch the cheese or swap for vegan cheese to make this a vegan board). Honestly, even if you’re an omnivore, you might not even notice the salami is missing—we didn’t!

Charcuterie board with fruit, nuts, cheese, and crackers

What we used for the vegetarian board:

  • HMC Farms red seedless grapes
  • Oranges and pomegranates from the Central Valley
  • Red walnuts from the Central Valley
  • California pistachios
  • Marcona almonds
  • Brie cheese
  • Manchego cheese
  • Dubliner cheese from Kerrygold
  • Red wine cheese
  • Mini crisps
  • Rosemary from our backyard for garnish

Board #3: The charcuterie wreath

It took us a minute to get on board with the charcuterie wreath trend. It seemed like a waste to leave a giant gap where there should be a pile of yummy snack foods. However, with the holidays upon us, we concede that a charcuterie wreath is cute for Christmas gatherings. If you’ve got a plate so cute you don’t want to cover it up, or if your famous artichoke dip needs a home on your charcuterie board, this might be the perfect fit for you.

Plate that says Happy Holidays with grapes, cheese, nuts, and a salami rose. Greenery, crackers, and a kitchen towel around the plate.

What we used for the charcuterie wreath:

  • HMC Farms red seedless grapes
  • California almonds
  • Salami
  • Manchego cheese
  • Cranberry white cheddar cheese
  • Served with a side of mini crisps

Board #4: The jarcuterie

This portable pint-sized snack is a promising pick when plating your preferences isn’t pleasant. (We are trying to compete with Peter Piper and his peppers here). A jarcuterie is an adorable way to refer to all of your favorite charcuterie board items served in jars. Why do we love jarcuteries? They remind us of Christmas stockings. There are layers of fun surprises, and you honestly never know what you’ll find at the bottom. You can easily customize jarcuteries for people with food allergies or dietary preferences that would make different foods overlapping on a board a bad idea. This is also a great way to prevent people from touching (or breathing on) all of the treats, and it’s pretty easy to make these little guys look just as adorable as a full spread. As a fun bonus, your uncle can’t hog all of the HMC Farms grapes if everyone gets their own portion.

Three jars filled with nute, grapes, cheese, peas, an crackers.

What we used for the jarcuterie:

  • HMC Farms red seedless grapes
  • Salami
  • Marcona almonds
  • Cranberry habanero white cheddar
  • Manchego wedges
  • Rosemary crackers
  • Sugar snap peas
  • Cookies from Life’s a Batch

Obtenga la fruta de hueso que desee en los servicios de compra de comestibles

Si alguna vez has dudado a la hora de pedir productos a través de un servicio de compra como Instacart o de la recogida en la acera de tu supermercado local, ¡no eres el único! Intentar calcular el número de libras de melocotones que necesitas para una tarta o el jengibre que necesitas para una receta es complicado; una vez acabamos con una bolsa gigante de jengibre en nuestra recogida en el supermercado porque media libra de jengibre es mucho más de lo que crees. Ya sea que quiera obtener la cantidad correcta de fruta, o simplemente comunicar su preferencia de fruta blanda frente a la firme con su comprador, ¡estamos aquí para ayudar!

añadir notas: diga a su comprador si prefiere los melocotones blandos o firmes, e incluso puede pedir la fruta sin verde en el tallo bien

Añade notas.

Algunos servicios de compra, como Instacart, permiten a los compradores añadir comentarios o instrucciones para cada artículo. Aquí puedes decirle a tu comprador si prefieres los melocotones blandos o firmes, e incluso puedes pedir fruta sin verde en el tallo.

Planifica la cantidad de fruta que necesitas: Tarta de melocotón: 5-6 piezas, Cobbler de fruta de hueso: 6-8 piezas, Galette de fruta de hueso: 6-8 piezas, Salsa de melocotón/nectarina: 3 piezas. Almacene la fruta adecuadamente. Los melocotones, las ciruelas y las nectarinas se conservan mejor en la encimera a temperatura ambiente hasta que alcanzan el nivel de blandura deseado. ¿Necesitas acelerar el proceso de ablandamiento? Prueba a meter la fruta en una bolsa de papel. Comprueba la fruta a diario y, cuando esté lista, disfrútala de inmediato o métela en el frigorífico para alargar su vida útil. 

Planifica lo que necesitas.

¿Comiendo nectarinas como tentempié? ¿Usar melocotones en una receta? Pide la cantidad adecuada de fruta con un poco de planificación. Aquí tienes una guía de cantidades para algunas de nuestras recetas favoritas:

Tarta de melocotón: 5-6 piezas

Tarta de fruta de hueso: 6-8 piezas

Galette de fruta de hueso: 6-8 piezas

Salsa de melocotón/nectarina: 3 piezas

 

Almacene la fruta adecuadamente.

Los melocotones, las ciruelas y las nectarinas se conservan mejor en la encimera a temperatura ambiente hasta que alcanzan el nivel de ablandamiento deseado. ¿Necesitas acelerar el proceso de ablandamiento? Prueba a meter la fruta en una bolsa de papel. Comprueba la fruta a diario y, cuando esté lista, disfrútala de inmediato o métela en el frigorífico para prolongar su vida útil.

Tenga un plan de respaldo. Pruebe a utilizar la fruta sobrante en un batido o a congelarla para utilizarla más tarde.

Tenga un plan de respaldo.

Si te has quedado con más fruta de la que querías, o si tus planes han cambiado y tienes fruta que está en las últimas, prueba a hacer un batido o a congelar la fruta para usarla como ingrediente en el futuro. En nuestro blog hay varias recetas que ofrecen usos alternativos para la fruta que acaba de pasar su mejor momento.

Receta de magdalenas de melocotón y avena

Receta de paleta de melocotón a la vainilla

Receta de galleta de fruta de hueso