Produce News for November 17, 2008

FRESH HERBS (Monday, November 17):  Oh, we’re going to have fun all this week, because we’re getting you ready for Thanksgiving.  I know that’s next week, but we want to prepare you all this week.  And what we’re going to do – we’re going to turn your Thanksgiving dinner into a feast, and there are some things you can do that are going to turn it into a feast.  And the very first thing we’re going to do…you are going to go to the store, and you are going to get some fresh herbs, beautiful fresh herbs, and the one’s you’re going to want to buy – of course, some parsley.  You’re going to want some rosemary, some thyme.  Of course, how can you have a turkey without sage?  Oh, my goodness!  So you’re going to buy all those.  Now you can buy them fresh just like this.  In fact, that’s a lot of times that’s how they come.  In fact when you get these home, here’s what I want you to do.  I want you to get a mug of water, and I want you to take a sip.   (Takes drink)  Aah.  Then I want you to put your herbs right in there, and then that goes in the refrigerator.  Those fresh herbs are going to keep a long time.  Now a lot of times you’ll find fresh herbs in packages just like so and that’s just fine.  Just go ahead and keep them in the package in the refrigerator.  So if you use fresh herbs, I guarantee you your turkey dinner will taste like a feast.

SHALLOTS (Tuesday, November 18)  We are turning your Thanksgiving dinner into a feast.  You know, sometimes you walk into a really nice restaurant, a white tablecloth restaurant, and you walk out and say,  “Whoa!  That was a fantastic meal.  That was a feast.”  Well, we want you to turn your Thanksgiving dinner into a feast, and here’s one of the reasons you’re going to do that.  You are going to go to the onion section.  I know you see those yellow, red, and white onions but then you see these little tiny brown things.  You say, “What in the world are those?”  I guarantee you, every great chef in the United States is using these.  These are called shallots.  They are the best cooking onion you could possibly find.  And what you’re going to do in your stuffing…you’re simply going to dice these up just like you would any onion, and then you’re going to put them right into your stuffing.  Oh, my goodness!  A shallot.  You’ve never tried a shallot?  Folks, you’ve got to get a shallot.  Put them into your stuffing.  Put them into your…whatever recipe calls for onions.  Add shallots.  I guarantee you.  Your guests at Thanksgiving are going to say, “Wow!  What a feast!”

GREEN BEANS (Wednesday, November 19):  Oh, my goodness!  We are going to pay higher prices for green beans, unfortunately, for Thanksgiving.  (Gasp)  I know, Thanksgiving…You can’t have Thanksgiving meal without making it a feast without green beans.  You’ve got to have green beans.  We’re paying higher prices because they had cold and rain in Georgia and Florida kind of ruined their early crop, and that’s right at Thanksgiving.  And also Mexico.  They had to go back in and replant.  We’re going to have a little bit out of the desert region of California, but that’s going to be about it.  So green beans – one of the things I love about green beans – it gets the family together.   You know, we call little Landon, little Lincoln, and little Claire into the kitchen.  And guess what their job is?  Right.  Their job is to take the ends off and then put it in the colander and then they get to rinse it off.  What a great way of getting your kids or your grandkids into the kitchen to help you out with your Thanksgiving meal and turning your Thanksgiving into a feast.  By the way, green beans will always taste best if you buy them the day before Thanksgiving.  They’ll be the best.

SWEET POTATOES (Thursday, November 20):  All this week we’re having so much fun because we are going to turn your Thanksgiving meal into a feast, and we’re having fun doing it. Today I want to talk sweet potatos/yams.   Now if you are going to use sweet potatoes or yams just as an ingredient into a recipe, let’s say a casserole dish or mashed sweet potatoes,  then what I want you to do - I want you to go out and buy what’s called jumbo sweet potatoes.  They’re going to be the cheapest and by far the best value.  You’re just going to peel them and cut them up anyway.  But if you’re going to bake your sweet potatoes, which we often do, and we’re going to have a little bit of butter and we’re going to have some cinnamon and brown sugar on the table for us.  Then what I want you to do, I want you to buy sweet potatoes or yams that have about the same diameter in its shape, because if you don’t, if you buy like this and this thing and try to put those in the oven, this thing is going to take so much longer to cook.  And basically, when you’re making a feast, you want your meal to come out all at the same time.  So make sure you buy sweet potatoes and yams about the same size and diameter.  They will come out perfectly for your Thanksgiving feast.   

BRUSSELS SPROUTS (Friday, November 21):  All this week we’ve been getting you ready for your Thanksgiving meal which is next week, and we want to turn your Thanksgiving meal into a Thanksgiving feast.  Now one of the ways you’re going to do that, of course, make sure you get plenty of pineapple because pineapple in the universal symbol of friendship and welcome.  You want to make sure you have lots of fresh pineapple on the table to feast on.  Now one of the other things, you know you have a lot to do for your Thanksgiving feast.  You’re preparing a lot of things.  You’re making the meat, the turkey, the stuffing, the side dishes, the desserts…oh, my goodness!  The desserts!  Pumpkin pie you’ve got to have.  So may I suggest to make your feast, save some time with some fresh cut lettuce.  Right?  Because you don’t have to chop up the lettuce.  It’s already precut.  It’s already washed.  In fact, they wash this like three times.  My goodness!  It’s already prewashed.  So what you can do, you can get a couple different varieties.  Mix them together in a bowl and then have a wonderful salad.   It doesn’t take you a lot of time, but it’s a feast.