MR. GREENS "FRESH TIPS"
October 19, 2001
Our last PRODUCE MAN PUZZZZLE dealt with Avocados: Do you pronounce the "Hass" avocado like "pass" or like "toss?" Many people pronounce the Hass Avocado as "toss." However, the Hass avocado is named after Rudolph Haas, a La habra Heights postal worker who patented the variety in 1935. This variety accounts for about 85% of the avocados grown in California. If you noticed, Rudolph's name is spelled "Haas," however most people spell the avocado variety with two "s's" and not two "a's." Since you now know the correct spelling, you can most likely guess that it is pronounced the way his name is pronounced: as in "pass." This week's PUZZZZLE deals with Sweet Potatoes: What is the difference between a Sweet Potato and a Yam? See next week's "Fresh Tips" for the answer.
CANTALOUPES: The largest growing region in the country is finished for the season. Production is now moving to Arizona and mostly Mexico. Hurricane Juliette will greatly diminish the melon production from Hermosillo in northern Mexico. Expect to see a bumpy ride with supplies and quality. Remember, Fall cantaloupes tend to have more green tinge to the rind color.
OCTOBER IS NATIONAL APPLE MONTH
Did we happen to tell you that October is National Apple Month? Well, my good friend Ann Veneman, secretary of the USDA, wants me to remind you that October is indeed National Apple Month. HereÕs a hot apple idea: Turn your Fujis into Fries. Peel and core your Fuji apples. Then julienne cut them to look like French Fries. Saute them like Fries, season them, and then serve them with a little pork medallion. Fuji Fries! It's another fresh and fun idea...from Your Produce Man.
BANANAS: They are one of the most handled fruit on the face of the planet, and they are one of the most misunderstood. From time of harvest to the time you use them, they can be handled as many as 10 times. Palletizing at the plantation and shipping in refrigerated containers have helped reduce the amount of handling. Bananas are one of the few fruits that cannot be picked ripe off the plant. You will never find a "tree-ripened" banana. They must be picked when fully green and then ripened. The process to ripen bananas requires the introduction of ethylene gas into vacuum-controlled ripening rooms. Ethylene gas is a very natural gas put off by all fruits that ripen. From an apple to avocados, from a banana to a tomato, all fruits that ripen, discharge this ripening gas. So in order to induce these fruits into ripening, you introduce a little heat and a little ethylene. This triggers the ripening process. Now the fruit can ripen on its own. As a banana ripens, it changes color, from full green to full yellow. As the color changes and the fruit ripens, the banana also gets softer. The riper the fruit, the softer the fruit. And the more susceptible to bruising. Fruit that is at a "4 color" stage or more, can easily be bruised, even if it is handled gently. When you buy bananas, do not refrigerate them. Leave them out, but sometimes, your kitchen may get chilly at night, and may cause some slight "chill damage" to the fruit, turning the outside skin a grayish color. This makes the fruit unsightly, however, the fruit inside is still edible. Once a banana is fully ripened, you can refrigerate them. It will turn the outside peel black, but the inside fruit is fine. Over-ripe fruit can be peeled and placed in a ziploc baggie and then frozen. Bring them out later and chop them into your smoothies.
HANDLING TIPS FOR BANANAS
- It is best to buy fruit on the greener side and then finish the ripening process in your back room.
- Do not refrigerate unless the fruit is fully ripened.
- Handle like fine china. Do not drop them.