MR. GREENS "FRESH TIPS"
October 27, 2000
Our last MR. GREEN'S PUZZZZLE dealt with Fall favorites: Most citrus originated in China. Where did today's Grapefruit originate? Up until just a few years ago, it was generally understood that most citrus, including Grapefruit, originated in China. However, Prof. Fred Gmitter from the University of Florida's Citrus Research Center in Lake Alfred, has uncovered evidence that Grapefruit actually originated in the Western Hemisphere. Using sophisticated DNA technology and leaf chromosome tests, Gmitter believes that today's Grapefruit is the first generation hybrid between a Pomelo and a sweet orange. And, he believes, this hybrid began in the Caribbean, in the back jungles of St. Lucia island. This week's PUZZZZLE deals with the most popular eating orange in the world, the Navel: Where can you find one of the original Navel Orange trees grown in the United States? See the answer in next week's "Fresh Tips."
CELERY: You might find a quick jump in prices, and it has nothing to do with rain in California. Actually, this time of year, you start ending production in a couple of main summer growing regions, primarily New York, New Jersey and Michigan. With these supplies ending, East Coast buyers then begin looking back to California, mainly Salinas and Santa Maria. This time of year, colder night and day temperatures in Salinas will slow growth and slow production. Besides, there's more demand this time of year as we start making more soups and stews for the Fall season. Cooler growing temperatures also mean sweeter celery. Quality should be fine and supplies should be adequate to handle holiday demand. Look for the lighter colored Celery. Squeeze it. A fresh celery will squeak!
NOVEMBER 2000
| American Indian Heritage Month | Aviation History Month |
| Charles Dickens Holiday Season | General Election |
| Good Nutrition Month | Great American Smokeout (16th) |
| Holiday Celebrations | Holiday Charity Events |
| International Drum Month | Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (23rd) |
| National Adoption Month | National Alsheimer's Disease Month |
| National Diabetes Month | National Georgia Pecan Month |
| National Fall Harvest Month | National Family Caregivers Month |
| National Fig Week | National Lifewriting Month |
| National Marrow Awareness Month | National Split Pea Soup Week (5-11) |
| Peanut Butter Lovers' Month | Random Act of Kindness Week (6-12) |
| Thanksgiving | "The Grinch" opens in theatres (17th) |
| Veteran's Day | Victorian Christmas Season |
| Winter Festival of Lights | Winterfest |
 STRAWBERRIES: As inclimate weather descends upon Northern California strawberry fields in Watsonville, supplies will quickly diminish. Already, growers in Watsonville are picking less and less each day. The berries are smaller in size, which is normal for this time of year, and the berries will be softer, which will definitely affect shelf life. As long as rain stays away from the fields, growers will continue to harvest, but once daily rains start up, growers will call it quits. Florida fields around Plant City won't be in harvest until early December. That means that for most of November, strawberry supplies and quality will be a roller coaster and quite volatile. If you have to use Strawberries, buy them just before you need them.
 ORANGES: So far, late season Valencias from California groves have been excellent, both in quality and sugar content. We have noticed very little dry cell, a condition that causes pithiness to the orange, usually late in the season or because of a freeze. Navel oranges have begun in some groves throughout warmer regions on the San Joaquin Valley. However, these early Navels will have to be "conditioned" for color. These early Navels will be very pale in color, almost yellow like a lemon, and the sugar content will be at its bare minimum. As the night temperatures get colder, that will trigger not only better color in the outside peel, but also better sugar content in the fruit. You see, sugar acts like "anti-freeze" in citrus. When the temperatures get cold, the tree kind says to itself, "Heh, it's cold. We need to protect the fruit from frostbite, so let's get more sugar." So the tree produces more sugar, sends it to the fruit. That's why generally the sweetest Navels come right after the first light frost. Right now, the Valencia orange will be the best value for quality and price. Let the early Navels get in and out, then you can start with some sweeter Navel Oranges. California's Central Valley grows about 85% of the Navel Oranges produced in California. Growers there say they expect to see the overall crop down about 10 - 15%. Last year's crop was so late, about 4 weeks late, that it delayed the trees from "rejuvenating" during blossom time. It's kind of like running a marathon, and then turning right around and sprint a 440. The trees were "stressed," so fruit set was less. Depending on demand, prices could be stiffer.
GRAPES: Even though the Fall crop is quite large this year from California, that doesn't necessarily mean exceptional quality. You see, there are a lot of grapes still on the vines, but lower temperatures and less sun during daylight hours, will mean the grapes will have a difficult time reaching full sugar. The grapes may look great and fresh, but sugar may be a little lighter. Also, with clusters still on the vines, if rain hits those vineyards, we could see more mold, mildew or decay set into the grapes. CLICK HERE this week's Grape and Pear Salad |