Last week’s Your ProducePuzzler dealt with Spring produce: In the early part of the 20th century, how did Asparagus growers heat up their fields of asparagus? We had a lot of terrific guesses at this one.  Most people guessed black plastic on the furrows.  The black plastic is actually a fairly new practice.  Actually, at the turn of the 20th century, Asparagus growers in the Delta used…underground oil-filled pipes.  These pipes kept the crowns warmer.  Warmer crowns meant earlier Asparagus production. High cost of maintenance and environmental concerns caused the pipes to be removed. This week’s YPM ProducePuzzler deals with fruit:  Some fruits are best ripened after it has been picked.  What fruit cannot be picked from the tree when it is ripe?  See next week’s Fresh Tips for the answer.

LONG PROMO:   Oh, you should be thrilled to death.  New crop corn is now in the supermarkets.  I love it.  Can’t wait to have some.  Plus, Bell Peppers.  This is the worst time of year for Bell Peppers.  I’ll tell you what to look for.  Lettuce also.  We’re transitioning growing regions.  Plus new crop Vidalia Onions are coming in.  Plus, are your spuds…sprouting…next week with me, Michael Marks, Your Produce Man.

SHORT PROMO:  Are your spuds sprouting…next week with me, Michael Marks, Your Produce Man.
                                                                                                         
CORN (Monday, April 23):  Just like a newborn baby, you want to show them off.  Well, new born babies…new sweet corn.  New crop summer sweet corn is now coming into the supermarkets.  I’ve got to show them off.  Beautiful summer sweet corn, but one of the things you need to know is that the first of the season corn always tend to be a little shorter in length, usually only around 6” in length as opposed to 8”.  Don’t worry about it.  They are still super sweet.  Now one of the things I want you to do, when you get your corn home, here’s what I want you to do.  Put the groceries down on the counter…grab the corn.  First thing you get out of the grocery bag…grab the corn and get it into the refrigerator.  Let me tell you something.  For every hour your corn is left unrefrigerated, you’re losing sugar content.  Isn’t that why people buy sweet summer corn?  They want the sugar, they want that sweet flavor.  So…summer sweet corn is here.  Ohhh, get out the butter.  It’s BBQ season, get out the butter.  You’ve got sweet corn here.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.  (Takes bite)  Mmmm.

TEASE:  Heh, in my next Produce Man report, I’m showing off new crop summer sweet corn.  (Takes bite)  Mmmm.

BELL PEPPERS (Tuesday, April 24):  If you love Bell Peppers, then it’s a bummer…especially this time of year.  This is like one of the worst times of the year for Bell Peppers.  The old crop from Mexico and Florida are kind of hanging on, but the crop’s not looking that good.  New crop Bell Peppers out of California, Arizona, Texas or Georgia really haven’t come on yet.  So, we are right in between, and when you’re in between, you end up with problems.  So here’s what you need to look for right now.  A lot of times, the older Bell Peppers start shriveling up very, very easily.  That’s because the walls on these Bells are very, very thin.  When the walls are thin, that means the Bell Peppers will dehydrate very quickly.  So, when you are in the supermarket, what you can do is take two Bell Peppers…put them together just like this, and rub them together.  Do you hear any squeaking noise?  They should squeak if they are really fresh.  If they don’t squeak, they won’t be nearly as fresh.  So what you want to do if they don’t squeak, just be sure to use them right away.  By the way, store them in the refrigerator in a plastic bag.  That’ll help.  I’m Michael Marks, Your Produce Man.  

TEASE: Heh, in my next Produce Man report, do your Bell Peppers squeak?

LETTUCE (Wednesday, April 25):  Have you ever heard of a “transition?”  There are all kinds of transitions in all walks of life.  But there is also a transition in the produce department.  We start moving from southern growing regions to northern growing regions, and it really has an impact on row crop vegetables like lettuce, row crop lettuce.  We are moving form Yuma, Arizona, which is the main growing region in the winter, to Salinas, Californa, which is the more northern growing region.  That’s where we will take our grocery cart for lettuce supplies in the summer and fall seasons.  But what this means, during this transition, we end up with a roller coaster affect on not only supply, but also quality and pricing.  During the 4 – 5 week period, we are right in the very middle of it, of this transition period.  That’s when you can have the roller coaster.  You’ll walk into the store one week, “Man, that lettuce looks absolutely fantastic,” and the price will be great too.  The next week, you’ll walk in and look at the lettuce, “Man, that’s ugly.  What’s going on?”  It’s called transition.  I’m Michael Marks, Your Produce Man.  

TEASE: Heh, in my next Produce Man report, did you know it’s transition time…for your lettuce?

VIDALIA ONIONS (Thursday, April 26):  Heh, Ulysses S. Grant was born on this date, 1822.  What in the world does he have to do with produce?  Well, when he was general of the Union army during the Civil War, he would not move his troops, to chase the rebels.  President Lincoln said, “Why don’t you move your trooops?  Chase those confederates.”  General Grant said, “I will not move my troops until yo send me a load of Onions.”  That’s right.  Onions.  He wanted Onions for his troops.  How in the world do you have fried Potatoes without Onions?  Oh, my goodness, onions are so important.  Now this time of year, we are getting two main types.  This is called a “gran-o” type.  It’s round, like a globe.  And we’re also getting beautiful  Vidalia Onions.  Do you notice that they are flatter?  This is called a “gran-x” type of onion.  So you’ve got the gran-x type, which is flat, and the gran-o type, which is round.  Both of them, sweet right now.  This is time for Spring Sweet Onions.  It’s time for a Cucumber and Onion Sandwich.  Mmm.  I’m Michael Marks, Your Produce Man.

TEASE:  Heh, in my next Produce Man report, Vidalia Onions, right in here. 
   
POTATOES (Friday, April 27):  You know, when I first started in the produce industry 30 years ago, I worked in a grocery store.  Every night, we would close at 8:00.  And there was one section in the produce department we actually had to cover every night with black plastic, and then we would cover that with burlap sacks.  One section, and one section only.  That section was…Potatoes.  That’s right.  Potatoes had to be covered up, especially in the Spring time, because the Potato will start to re-grow.  The Potato is a tuber.  It has a natural dormancy cycle.  That’s when they “sleep” during the winter, right?  Now, when that dormancy cycle breaks, it starts re-growing a new plant for a new season.  So you have what we call little “peepers.”  Little sprouts starting to grow.   That’s very normal.  That actually means you have a healthy potato.  Also, this time of year, you see more storage cracks, particularly on the ends of the Potatoes.  Don’t worry about it.  That is only an appearance issue.  It does not affect the quality.  But do check out those cracks, but that is where mold or decay can begin.  So this time of year, keep your Potatoes cool and covered…in the dark.  I’m Michael Marks, Your Produce Man. 

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