King Louis VIII of France dined on Mache; now add an “M” to your BLT.

Todd Koons, the Johnny Appleseed of Spring Mix, now brings us Mache.

MACHE (Monday, Nov. 3): Today is Sandwich Day, honoring the birth of John Montague in 1718. His title was the 4th Earl of Sandwich and is credited with creating the very first sandwich. Actually, he was simply trying to find a faster way of eating while gambling. A sandwich allowed him to continue gambling without stopping to dine with a plate and fork. One of the all-time great sandwiches is the all-American BLT! Today, we’re going to kick the “L” out of the BLT and replace it with an “M.” Mache. I introduced this green to you about a year ago. It is the sweetest of all the greens, sweeter than even Spinach or Chard. You may have heard of “lamb’s lettuce” or “corn salad.” The French gave it name of “Mache.” Just a few years ago, only the finest chefs in America would order Mache, and they would have to get it from France or Italy. Not any more. The Johnny Appleseed of spring mix is Todd Koons. He was the first to commercially grow spring mix way back in 1988. Today, it’s a $2 billion industry. Koons has become the man of la Mache. The variety he is growing in Salinas is centuries old. In fact, the kings of England and France dined on this same variety centuries ago. Thomas Jefferson grew Mache in Monticello. It’s very difficult to grow and even more difficult to harvest, which is why it may have a $3.49 - $3.99 price tag per bag. Mache is the sweetest of all the greens, and absolutely packed with nutrition, loaded with Vit. A, C, iron, folic acid and calcium. Use it raw in salads, or any way you use spinach, use Mache. Or as today, kick the “L” out of your BLT and replace it…with Mache.

Arnold and Maria Schwarzenegger at victory rally in Los Angeles

GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (Tuesday, Nov. 4): He was the youngest world champion body builder, and now he becomes California’s healthiest Governor, once he is sworn in office this month. Arnold Schwarzenegger was part of the President’s Council for Physical Fitness and Sports in the early 1990s. Health and nutrition are very important to Arnold. Your Produce Man found out his favorite fruits and vegetables: California Peaches and Apples, Spinach and Tomatoes. “Growing up in Austria,” he told us, “we ate a lot of Spinach and Tomatoes.” Perhaps California’s healthiest Governor can also persuade more kids to get healthier and fit, by eating more fruits and vegetables.

Chilean Hass Avocados have begun

AVOCADO (Wednesday, Nov. 5): California Hass Avocados have been hanging on the trees for about 46 weeks now. That simply means that oil content is certainly at its highest, and that the fruit will ripen very fast. Because of the high oil content, the fruit is also less susceptible to chill damage, which means you can keep it a little longer than normal in refrigeration without them turning black inside. Chilean Hass Avocados have already started coming in on boats, with the heaviest volumes coming in now. Vessels are arriving about every 7 days or so with fresh Avocados from Chile. With California's crop about 95% finished, and prices starting to rise, there shouldn't be any major supply gap between California and Chilean fruit. Even though orchards in Chile are mature, early fruit still tends to have less oil content and more water content. This will make these early Chilean Hass Avocados more susceptible to chill damage and blackening of the fruit. It is best to plan your purchasing. You may want to buy fruit a few days in advance and keep them at room temperature to ensure the fruit is ripe when you need it. Although early Chilean fruit tends to have less oil content than current California supplies, this year’s Chilean fruit has been looking exceptionally nice. Chilean fruit is also less expensive than the California Hass for this time of year. Again, it will take longer to ripen, so buy in advance.

Fall Cantaloupes may taste good, but will have some green rinds.

CANTALOUPE (Thursday, Nov. 6): This time of year, most local melon deals are finished, and we end up getting our supplies from the desert regions of California, Arizona and New Mexico. These varieties are grown specifically for this time of year, and that is why you may find some slightly greener tinge to the rinds. During the middle of summer, those rinds have a beautiful yellow-to-orange background color. Don’t expect to find that right now. However, you will be surprised that these Fall Cantaloupe have good sugar content and excellent flavor. Ask the produce manager at your store to cut one in half. You’ll see that the color is great, and you’ll want to get out your vanilla ice cream.

Is your Kiwi firm or hard? It all depends on where it’s grown.

KIWIFRUIT (Friday, Nov. 7): New crop California fruit is just beginning to be harvested from Fresno in the south to Gridley in the north. Right now, there are still some old crop Kiwifruit from New Zealand and Chile available, but those supplies are ending very quickly. You will notice a very big difference between the old crop and tne new crop. Ripeness. Old crop Kiwifrruit from the Southern hemisphere is very mature and ripe. In fact, if you try to keep it too long, it will over ripen very quickly. New crop Kiwifruit, however, from California will be quite firm, and will need a little extra time for ripening. Don’t expect to order Kiwifruit and serve it immediately. You will need to allow extra time for ripening. If you serve unripe Kiwifruit, it will be quite pale in color and may be a bit tart. You can ripen your Kiwifruit by leaving it at room temperature, unrefrigerated, and covered in a brown paper bag. Once they begin to ripen, you can then refrigerate them. Kiwifruit is the most nutrient dense fruit grown on earth. It’s a vitamin pill…with fuzz.