Produce News for October 6, 2008

LONG PROMO:   I love this time of year.  Oh, my goodness!  We’re getting…our sweet potato crop is coming, and I’m going to tell you how good the sweet potato crop is.  Plus, oh my goodness!  You need to know how to properly cut your cauliflower, and one last thing – oh, don’t go away!  I’m going to show you the newest apple in the apple bin…next week, with me, Michael Marks, Your Produce Man.  (Takes Bite)  Mmm.

SHORT PROMO:  It is the newest apple in the apple bin.  I’ve got to show you what this is like…next week with me, Michael Marks, Your Produce Man.

                                                                                                         

SWEET POTATOES (PART I) (Monday, October 6):  Okay, I’ve talked to them.  I’ve talked to the growers in North Carolina.  I’ve talked to the growers in Louisiana.  Between those two states, they grow about 80% of our sweet potato crop in the United States.  Did they miss all the hurricanes?  Yes, they did.  In fact, some of those hurricanes gave some much needed rain to the sweet potato crop, and it is a gorgeous sweet potato crop.  I am told from the growers in Louisiana, Mississippi, and North Carolina, and it going to be just gorgeous.  Now these are just one variety of sweet potatoes.  Many, many varieties of sweet potatoes.  I prefer the ones that have some color.  Now, where do you store these when you get these home?  Please, never in a million years should you put this in your refrigerator.  Let me tell you what it does.  If you put this in your refrigerator, it causes all those sugars in there to turn back to starch and it gets what we call hard core in the very center of the sweet potato.  You don’t want that.  Just keep them out at room temperature with the other potatoes.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.   

TEASE:  Hey, in my next Produce Man report, where in the world do you store your sweet potatoes?

SWEET POTATOES (PART II) (Tuesday, October 7)  It is a very, very good question to ask this time of year.  Are your sweet potatoes cured?  That’s right, cured.  What?  You didn’t even know they were sick.  No, I know what you’re thinking, “Martha, look!  Michael’s saying that the sweet potatoes are sick.”  No, they’re not sick.  In fact, it is a fantastic crop.  Right now North Carolina and Louisiana – they’re almost done harvesting their sweet potatoes.  But, over the next six weeks they will then be cured.  Once you dig a sweet potato out of the crop you’re not done with them.  You don’t just put them in storage.  They actually have to cure them, kind of like putting clay into a big kiln, you know, to cure the clay and harden it.  Same thing – what it does to a sweet potato.  It hardens the skin so it will take the storage.  That’s why sweet potatoes can last so long.  Also well, what curing will do…let me show you this.  Well, I can’t show you, but I will tell you.  It makes them sweeter. That’s right.  It makes the sweet potato taste sweeter.  So sweet potatoes right now may not taste as sweet, but in about four weeks, they will be so sweet!  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.   

TEASE: Hey, in my next Produce Man report…are these sweet potatoes cured?    

CAULIFLOWER (PART I) (Wednesday, October 8):  October is the number one month for cauliflower, and I love cauliflower.  Now, you walk up to the cauliflower, and there’s probably a lot of cauliflower there.  How do you pick out the best cauliflower?  Things I want you to look for.  First of all, I want you to look at the white curd.  It should be snow white.  Now this time of year, yeah, look at that.  It’s beautiful snow white.  Next thing I want you to do.  Just turn it over.  I want you to look at those leaves.  See how fresh those leaves look.  There’s no brown in them.  There’s no decay in them.  They are fresh.  In fact, oh, man, that’s very fresh.  Then what I want you to do.  I just want you to hold it in your hand.  Oh, ho!  Doesn’t that feel good.  Actually what you’re doing is you’re feeling how heavy it is.  See the heavier the head of cauliflower, the more yield you’re going to get and the better it’s going to cook up.  Now when you get this home, here’s what I want you to do.  You’re going to put it in your refrigerator, but turn it upside down like this very gently.  That way if there’s any moisture in the heart, it comes out.  That way it doesn’t decay.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.  

TEASE:  Hey, in my next Produce Man report, how’s your head of cauliflower?

CAULIFLOWER (PART II) (Thursday, October 9):  How do you cut your cauliflower?  There is a very special way you need to cut your cauliflower.  First of all I get a nice sharp knife.  I actually will leave the plastic on because it just makes it one less thing you have to do.  So what I’m doing, I’m cutting right through the plastic and right into the core because I want to get part of the core out.  By the way, the core is actually called the heart of the cauliflower.  It’s totally edible.  Just peel it, julienne cut it, and put it into your salads.  Also, by the way, these leaves are totally edible.  Slice them and use them just as you would bok choy in your soups or stir fry.   Now, how do you cut this?  First of all, you do not take your knife and cut it all the way through because if you do you will cut through the cell structure of the curd so when you go to cook it whether you’re baking it or steaming it, it’s going to turn slimy.  Here’s what you do.  Watch very closely right?  You’re going to cut halfway down and break it off.  Wasn’t that simple?  Cut halfway down and break it off.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.  

TEASE:  Hey, in my next Produce Man report, I need to teach you how to properly cut your cauliflower.

  

HONEY CRISP APPLES (Friday, October 10):  Thank you, University of Minnesota.  1991 was the year they were born.  Right here.  Take a look at these.  It’s the newest apple in the apple bin.  These are called honey crisp apples.   Oh, ho!  What?  You’ve never seen…you’ve never tried a honey crisp apple?  They’re actually a gorgeous apple.  Let me tell you a little about this apple - developed in the University of Minnesota in 1991, and it got its name because it tastes as sweet as honey.  It is so good and crisp.  Honey crisp, right?  Crisp. It is one of the crispiest apples you will eat in your life.  If you are trying to get your kids to eat more fruits and vegetables, I guarantee you, just bring home a basket or bagful of honey crisp apples and slice them up, and you’re kids will say, “Whoa!  That is one fantastic apple!”  Probably one of the best tasting apples in my opinion that’s come along in a lot of years.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.  (Takes bite) Mmm.

TEASE:  Hey, in my next Produce Man report, I have got to introduce you to the honey crisp apple.