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Produce News for December 14-18, 2009

 

SATSUMA MANDARINS (Monday, December 14):  You know the South Pole was discovered on this date in 1911. Have you yet discovered the Satsuma mandarin?  I’m going to pull these right down here.  I want to show you something.  These are both Satsuma mandarins. Now you’re going to start seeing a difference over the next few years in your Satsuma mandarins.  See when the trees are young they put out Satsuma mandarins looking very much like this, and this is really what we have seen like over the past decade.  As the trees mature, however, they start producing mandarins, Satsuma mandarins, that are very typical of what the Japanese believe are Satsuma mandarin – these little babies right here.  Now the trick with these – they’re still so super, super sweet, but they’re far more tender.  That’s right.  That’s why…oh, man the Japanese love them because they’re so much more tender.  Plus they’re also so much sweeter and they’re very, very juicy.  So depending on the look tells you how old the tree is.  Hey, either way, man, these Satsumas are fantastic. I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man. 
 

 

LEEKS (Tuesday, December 15):   Have you made it?  Oh, man this time of year I get some French bread, get the leek and potato soup going on the stove.  You smell it all day, and then around four or five o’clock, it’s getting dark, you know, and you bring it out and bring out that bread…oh, my goodness!  Now leeks – I love leaks this time…well, I love leeks anytime of year, but this time of year you tend to find some really, really good leaks.  Now when I say really good leeks, here’s what I’m looking for:  I’m looking for the white.  See, the more white you have on the leek…look at all this white. Man, it goes all the way up to here.  You are able to use all of that as the leek.  Now, on these smaller ones, take a look at this.  See the white part down here?  Much less.  You’re still able to use a little bit more, but that’s what you’re looking for.  The more white on the leek, man, the more you are getting for your money.  And this is a lot what I’m finding especially this time of year, very typical.  So get out your best recipe, leek potato soup.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.
 

 

FRESH CUT PRODUCE (Wednesday, December 16):  What’s in your refrigerator right this very moment?  See William “The Refrigerator” Perry is turning 47 today, big old football player.  That’s his nickname – the Refrigerator.  He was huge.  So it got me thinking, what’s in my refrigerator?  So I went and took a look, and of course in Your Produce Man’s refrigerator you will find a lot of fresh cut fruits and vegetables.   Now the reason I have fresh cut fruits and vegetables, and…I get my melons home, the first thing I do I cut them up.  I put them in the Tupperware so everything’s fresh cut in there.  You know why?  When the little Marks brothers get a little bit hungry, there’s a rule in our house – you never ever in a million years have to ask permission if you want to eat a fruit or a vegetable.  It doesn’t matter what time of day, night.  It doesn’t matter. They don’t have to ask permission.  Fruit or vegetable.  And so if I…look, if I have them all cut in there ready for them to eat, guess what they’re going to eat?  That’s right.  The fresh fruits and vegetables.  Very healthy.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.  (Takes Bite)
 
CLEMENTINES (Thursday, December 17):    Oh, my darling Clementine.  Look at these cuties.  Oh yes, they are indeed cuties.  In fact, they call them Cuties.  And take a look at this.  It says E-Z peeel and seedless.  Let’s check this out.  Let’s see if this is actually really easy peeling.  You go from the stem end and that’s where you’re going to start. And actually these are very, very simple.  One of the things I love about the Satsumas or these Clementines, you give a whole bunch to your little…your kids and just say go out on the back porch and start peeling some tangerines.  There you go.  You got it made.  One of the things I love about this…see this white peel?  You leave very little of the white pith on there.  That’s the bitter part.  Now the Clementines, oh my goodness!  One of the reasons that Clementines are so popular throughout Western Europe is these have among the least amount of acid content of any of the tangerines which means they taste super sweet and they don’t have that little bite to them.  Oh, man.  That’s why my kids love them so much I guess.  Easy to peel. Seedless. And sweet.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.  (Take bite) Mmm.

  
SHALLOTS (Friday, December 18):  All right.  I want you to come close and take a look at these things.  Maybe this is the first time you’ve seen these.  Maybe you’ve passed them a hundred times in the produce department.  You know, they’re in the onion section.  These are called shallots.  It’s actually a French hybrid shallot.  A true shallot is very small and very difficult to work with, so this is actually a hybrid shallot. But, oh my goodness, if you want true flavor in your Christmas meals coming up, may I suggest whatever the recipe calls for when it comes to onions, take one quarter of that and replace it with shallots.  Now shallots is to French cooking what the Big Mac is to McDonald’s.  It’s like everything, right?  So if you’ve never tried a shallot, may I suggest this year for the very first time shall you try a shallot and just replace it with your onions in your stuffing, in your side dishes.  They’re easy to work with.  You just slice them up and dice them just like you would a regular onion.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.