Produce News for October 26, 2009
PUMPKINS (October 26): Well, Halloween is this weekend so I better get you ready. You haven’t picked out your pumpkin yet, your jack-o-lantern? Well, a couple things I want you to do…first of all, when you go up to the pumpkin section - you’re probably going to go today or this week and buy pumpkins - The first thing I do is turn it over and I pat it on the bottom. Oh, boy! Actually this is called the blossom end of the pumpkin. That’s where the blossom used to be, right there. And what I want to do, I want to feel this. This is probably the most important end of the pumpkin because if there is any disease, any decay, it’s going to start right here at the blossom end. The next thing I’m going to do, I’m going to turn it right over, and I take a look at that stem. I love that stem. That’s a pretty stem, curves over. That’s pretty cool. What you want to do is grab that stem and give it just a little tug just like so. Right? Now don’t be Arnold Schwarzenegger with this thing and yank it off. Just give it a little tug. Does it stay on really firm? That’s going to be a pumpkin that’s going to hold up well. I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.
TEASE: Hey, in my next Produce Man report, you’ve got to pat the bottom of this pumpkin – I’ll tell you why.
HONEY CRISP APPLES (Tuesday, October 27): Whoever invented this apple right here, give them a Nobel prize. I don’t know what kind. Just give them a Nobel prize. Right here, come on really close. This is going to become probably one of the most popular apples around the world. It’s called a honey crisp apple. It’s actually a very gorgeous looking apple - good shape, nice color, and good background color. You’ll never guess where this was developed – The University of Minnesota! Now who would have thought Minnesota? You would have thought Washington State, maybe New York, maybe Michigan. University of Minnesota! What are they doing up there? Holy Toledo! Well, they came up with this apple, actually they started developing this apple about 40 years ago. It’s taken them this long. And I tell you what, I’m talking to grower after grower in many regions of the country, they cannot put this in fast enough. Over the next few years you’re going to see more and more of the honey crisp apple, one of the best tasting apples around. I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man. (Takes Bite) Mmmm.
TEASE: Hey, in my next Produce Man report…you will not wait to get a hold of one of these apples. It’s called a honey crisp. (Takes bite) Mmm.
MINI PUMPKINS (Wednesday, October 28): You know, we’re looking this time of year…it’s Halloween time and I know a lot of you buy the big pumpkins and I know a lot of you love these little mini pumpkins. Now they come in white or they come in orange. This was the original. It’s called “Jack be Little Mini Pumpkin”. And I know you guys love these for decorations, and they’re absolutely cute. You know the little Marks brothers, they will gather these and put them around the pool and put them on the steps and on the front porch and all kinds of things. They are very, very cute. You can’t deny that. There are many, many things you can do with them. We use them as name cards. We’ll put a little slit right in here, and we put our name cards at dinner time. You can hollow out the center and use them as a candle holder, but folks, these are far more than just fall decorations. Listen to this, Sunset magazine said this is the best tasting of all the hard winter squash. So please, use them as decorations but then gather them up and maybe make some soup or some cookies out of them. I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.
TEASE: Hey, in my next Produce Man report, they’re not just for decorations – the “Jack be Little Mini Pumpkin”.
MANGOES (Thursday, October 29): I hope over the summer I got you to fall in love with mangoes, and I know many of you out there have never tried a mango, and I brought some mangoes in and I showed you how cut them, what to do with them, so I hope you’re learning to love the mango. Now this time of year we actually start seeing mangoes from the Southern Hemisphere. We end the the major crop inMexico, and we start moving to a country in South America – Brazil! Holy Toledo, Brazil! Did you know Brazil has more above ground water than any other country in the world? So surface water, they have more than anybody else which is why they can grow so many mangoes. Over the past two decades they have been putting plantation after plantation of mangoes in so this time of year we’re starting to see these much larger mangoes come in – very, very typical from young orchards to put out these large mangoes. Now they may cost a little more because they come a little bit farther to be here, but if you’ve fallen in love with mango, grab the lime juice, it’s mango time again. I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.
TEASE: Hey, in my next Produce Man report, get out the cayenne pepper and lime juice, it’s mango time again.
ASPARAGUS (Friday, October 30): Hey, Emily Post was born on this date in 1872, so I thought I’d ask a very, very delicate etiquette question. Is it proper to eat your asparagus with your fingers? Now I would think that would be proper. Well, actually Emily Post in her Book of Etiquette would tell you it is indeed proper to eat your asparagus with your fingers unless, of course, you have the asparagus in a sauce. Then of course the Book of Etiquette tells us, from Emily Post, that you must eat the asparagus with a knife and a fork. Now we’re getting beautiful asparagus in from the Valley of Ica. I know that’s a really cool word, Ica. The Valley of Ica is near Lima, Peru, and it grows more asparagus than anyplace else in the world today, and that’s where we’re getting a lot of beautiful green and white asparagus. I love this time of year because we’re getting some good supplies. Prices are very good for this time of year, so mix up your fall vegetables and throw in some asparagus. I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.
TEASE: Hey, direct from Emily Post – is it proper to eat asparagus with your fingertips?
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