Produce News for April 5, 2010

PURPLE POTATOES (Monday, April 5): Hey, Barney, you know the dinosaur on PBS, started on TV actually this week, 1992. Barney’s having a birthday of sorts, so I thought it’d be fun to talk about something purple in the produce department…purple potatoes. They are often marketed as a blue Peruvian which tells you it came from Peru. That’s where Potatoes originated, and one of its original colors…just like the carrot…was purple. One of the things I love to do with them is simply slice them, and then cut that slice in half into what a chef will call a half moon. Then simply steam them. A little butter when they come out. Salt, pepper, a dash of chopped Parsley. Man that is good. They look absolutely gorgeous and add so much color to your plate. By the way, yes, moms, dads, you can actually make purple mashed potatoes with these beautiful purple potatoes. Now just like any other potato like the red or white potato, you are definitely going to want store these in the refrigerator. Don’t treat them like a Russet potato and keep them out. You want to refrigerate these.
BEETS (Tuesday, April 6): Beets are the two-for-one vegetable. You buy one vegetable, you actually get two! I love buys like that. My wife is the best. You know, she can go in any store and always find the best deals. Well, the beet is the best deal. It is indeed a “two-for-one” vegetable. You actually get two different vegetables with one purchase. You’re getting the beet greens which you can treat exactly like any other green – like mustard greens, collard greens, chard – simply sautéed or steamed. Then, of course you have the root end. When you get your Beets home, you need to cut the stems off. Leave about a half inch of stem on the Beet. You see, the stems draw moisture from the Beet root, causing the root to dehydrate and shrivel, making them pretty flabby. Once you’ve taken the greens off, the Beets can actually be stored a whole lot longer in your refrigerator. Use the greens first. They are most perishable. Simply sauté them with a little bit of salt, pepper, olive oil, and now you have your first meal. Roast or steam your Beet, and there, you have your second meal – two for one! Oh, that is fantastic!
SALAD (Wednesday, April 7): Hey, you know, today happens to be “No Housework Day”…“No Chores Day” so what are we going to do for dinner? Well, I’ve got the easiest dinner. I actually call this Zero to salad in 60 seconds or less. Are you ready for this? You can turn on your clock if you want. You’ve got these beautiful fresh cut salads; you might as well take advantage of them. Open a bag…any one…and pour the salad onto a huge platter. Now I don’t know about you, but in my pantry, I can easily find some Kidney Beans, Garbanzo Beans, some Corn, perhaps even a can of Mandarin Oranges. You see, the hardest part of this recipe…is opening the cans. Spread the beans and corn onto your salad. Add the Mandarins. If you have any left over chicken, pull the meat off and put it on your Salad. If I have any Kalamata Olives in the refrigerator, those will go on as well, along with some chopped Artichoke Hearts. Now you have an entrée salad – zero to salad 60 seconds or less. And you didn’t even have to slave in the kitchen all day.
ASPARAGUS (Thursday, April 8): Take a look at this asparagus this time of year. It’s perfect. Absolutely gorgeous. When Your Produce Man sees something like this, my mouth just starts salivating. I’m thinking of a big steak with asparagus next to it. Fantastic! But there is a controversy. Every year I get questions from viewers and readers: Which is better, the big old fat asparagus or the tiny little thin asparagus, what we call pencil asparagus? Well, let me tell you a secret about how asparagus grows. Asparagus grows in the same fields for up to 20 years. The younger fields are really strong, putting out the beautiful jumbo, fat asparagus – some of the most tender asparagus you’ll ever eat on the face of the planet. These Jumbo fat spears are whisked off to some of the finest restaurants and resorts in Switzerland, Austria and Germany. Those chefs know what is best. As those fields get older, and more tired, they start putting out the little pencil-thin asparagus. So you can like the thin if you want, but as for me and my house – we’re going fat.
STRAWBERRIES (Friday, April 9): There is a huge strawberry festival going on this weekend in Poteet, Texas. All to celebrate beautiful Spring strawberries! Take a look at Strawberries this time of year. They are huge. Go ahead and count one of the pound containers. When I first started in the produce industry in the 1970s, there were about 25 – 30 berries per container. Go ahead and count one of these. You will find 12 – 15 Strawberries per one pound container. Those are some huge strawberries! They have doubled in size. Oh, my goodness. And you know these spring strawberries this time of year the price really starts coming down because the fields are really producing very well right now. This is like almost peak production for the springtime and you get these beautiful conical shaped, beautiful red, sexy, sweet strawberries. And I’ll tell you what! Some of the strawberries this time of year – some of the sweetest you’re going to find all year. In fact, they are melt in your mouth sweet – kind of like cotton candy!