Last week’s Your Produce Man’s Produce Puzzzzle dealt with a fall fruit: Is the Pumpkin a fruit or a vegetable? The simple definition of a fruit is: It has seeds and it ripens. The Pumpkin has seeds (as do zucchini squash and cucumbers), but does it ripen? The pumpkin does change color, but is there a ripening process that changes starches into sugar? That's where the controversy lies. Some say, "Yes, the pumpkin does ripen." Others say, No. Officially, according to the USDA and UC Davis, the pumpkin is a gourd, part of the...vegetable family. This week's Your Produce Man’s Produce Puzzzzle deals with a fall vegetable: What is the difference between a Sweet Potato and a Yam? See next week’s Fresh Tips for the answer.

Mushrooms are loaded with Selenium, which helps reduce the risk of Prostate Cancer in men.

Spitzenburg: the dad of the Jonathan

JONATHAN APPLE (Monday, September 26): I love this time of year. You walk into the produce department, and just about every week, another new variety of apple is coming into harvest. We started with new crop Gala apples in August, then Gravensteins, and now, the first red apple available in the Fall, one of my very favorite apples…the Jonathan. What? You have never heard of a Jonathan? You must try them. Thomas Jefferson loved apples. His very favorite apple was the Esopus Spitzenburg. Some growers affectionately call it simply…Spitzenburg. Even today, in taste tests around the world, the Spitzenburg wins, every time! It’s not commercially grown any more. You can find them at some farmer’s markets in some parts of the country. The Esopus Spitzenburg, however, does have offspring. The first generation from the Spitzenburg is…you guessed it…the Jonathan. It’s the closest thing we have to the Spitzenburg. The initial fame of Woodstock, New York, in Ulster County. That’s where the Jonathan variety was discovered as a chance seedling in the 1820s. It received its name from the man who found it and first promoted it. This crimson apple (with touches of green) has a spicy tang that blends well with other varieties in sauces and ciders. Also an excellent general eating apple. The skin of the Jonathan is thinner than some other varieties, so it’s great for your little kids in school, especially those little ones who have some loose teeth.

A rare photo of the original McIntosh apple tree. This was taken in 1890, with Allen McIntosh, the son of John.

MCINTOSH APPLES (Tuesday, September 27): If you are from New York, chances are your avorite apple…is the McIntosh. In fact, the Mac is indeed the official apple of New York State and the New York City Marathon. John McIntosh was born in 1777. McIntosh's parents emigrated from Inverness, Scotland to the Mohawk Valley, N.Y. John McIntosh was a teenager when he had an argument with his parents. John wanted to remain loyal to England, even after the Revolutionary War was won by America. So John left for Canada. McIntosh spent time on the frontier before settling in Dundas County, Ontario, Canada, in 1796. The town where he settled was later called McIntosh's Corners, and is now called Dundela. In 1811, McIntosh swapped his home for some farmland owned by his brother-in-law. While clearing some undergrowth on that land, McIntosh discovered about 20 young apple trees. Since apples were important to pioneers, he carefully transplanted the trees to a garden area near his pioneer home he had built on the property. One of those trees produced a particularly red, sweet-tasting, crisp apple. By 1830, only one of the originally 20 trees, was still alive. John originally called this apple “Granny’s Apple,” affectionately after his dear wife. These Granny’s Apples were enjoyed by friends and neighbors, but no one knew how to reproduce a tree like that one, a situation that challenged John’s son, Allen, born in 1815 as the ninth child in a family of 13. He learned that planting the seed from the core would not produce the same fruit nor could bees carrying pollen. While still young, Allen became a weekend Methodist preacher or circuit rider, preaching in and around Dundela and nearby communities. As his reputation grew, he was invited by homesteaders in more distant settlements to preach to them. Invariably he packed not only religious tracts but also homegrown apples. This led to discussions about apple trees and rumours that there were itinerant Yankees roaming the countryside who knew how to grow good trees. By chance a farmhand hired at the McIntosh homestead in 1835 was one of them, and Allen, discovering this, quickly put him to work. He carefully watched him cut small tree branches called scions and tightly tie or graft them to another apple tree. The farm hand also showed him a second method — budding — in which he could remove a bud from the host tree and insert it into another branch of an entirely separate tree. By 1836, the original “Granny’s Apple” was being propagated throughout Ontario. Stemming from that one tree, there are now several million McIntosh trees. Allen McIntosh combined his own name with the colour of the fruit, and called the tree the "McIntosh Red". From the time the tree was first transplanted it produced an abundance of tasty apples. In 1895, the McIntosh house caught fire and the tree, located just 15 feet from the house, was badly burned along one side. However, the healthy side continued to produce apples until 1908. Since McIntosh still had family in New York, the tree was grafted there as well. Today, throughout New England, the Mac is King. In fact, the Mac is the official apple of New York State, and is the official apple of the New York City Marathon. The Mac is the Big Apple. It has a white, juicy flesh with a fairly thin skin. In fact, the McIntosh bruises easier than most other apples because of that thin skin, so treat them like a newborn baby. Nothing quite compares with Mac for fresh-eating. The crispy, juicy and tangy, firm, yet tender white flesh is perfumed and spicy in a way that no other variety can match. Mac is a good kitchen apple, although it doesn't hold shape when cooked. True McIntosh fans won't consider any other variety and eat them all winter. They do get softer in storage, but the flavor holds up very well. McIntosh offspring include Cortland, Macoun, Empire, Spartan, Jonamac, possibly Paula Red, Jersey Mac, and many others. Nothing evokes Fall better than the aromatic fragrance of McIntosh apples. McIntosh is a semi-tart apple. It works well in most cooked dishes, and is an excellent accent for pies, apple tarts, and cobblers. They add zing to cider and real pucker power to apple sauce. If using it for a pie, add a thickener to the mix. The flesh will cook down very quickly. McIntosh apples must be harvested quickly and stored in a cool place. Even when these conditions are met, McIntosh do not stay firm for long. Eat them quickly, or use them in a cooked dish or dry them for a delightful winter treat. Put a Mac in your hand. Don’t squeeze it with your thumb. You’ll bruise it. It should feel solid and heavy, not soft and light.

Reggie Jackson may be “Mr. October” in baseball, but Cauliflower is “Mr. October” in the produce department.

CAULIFLOWER - SELECTION (Wednesday, September 28): October is one of the best months for Cauliflower. More Cauliflower is harvested in October than any other month of the year. So now is the time for all good men to eat their Cauliflower. It’s part of the cabbage family. In fact, Mark Twain once said that “Cauliflower is nothing more than cabbage with an education.” The plant looks like a tall stalk, which is where the name comes from. In Latin, “Caulis” means stalk and “floris” means flower. There are also green and purple Cauliflower, but the main one sold is the Snow White Cauliflower. Thought to be native to Asia Minor, Cauliflower was mainly available in Italy until the sixteenth century when it finally made its way to the tables in France and eventually was taken to other European countries, where it found great acceptance and popularity. In the late 1600s, cauliflower was introduced into North America. The oldest record of cauliflower dates back to the 6th century B.C. Pliny wrote about it in the 2nd century after Christ. In the 12th century three varieties were described in Spain as introductions from Syria, where it had doubtless been grown for more than a thousand years. European writers mentioned cauliflower in Turkey and Egypt in the 16th century, but it had been certainly known in those places for 1,500 to 2,000 years or more. In England in 1586 cauliflower was referred to as "Cyprus coleworts," suggesting recent introduction from the island of Cyprus. For some time thereafter, Cyprus was mentioned as the source of seed for planting in England.

Here’s one of the last Cauliflower fields in Salinas to be harvested this fall. More Cauliflower is harvested in October than any other month.

Cauliflower was an item on the London vegetable market as early as 1619. It was grown in France around 1600. A fussy and finicky vegetable when compared to others in its growing habits, Cauliflower absolutely loves frequent irrigation, never seeming to get too much. Last year, when water was short in California, growers withheld some of the irrigation, causing the heads to become tender and brittle, causing more bruising. This vegetable also prefers a heavy soil that retains moisture for its moisture-loving habit. Ninety percent of the cauliflower consumed is the white variety. In the United States, California is the leading producer followed by Arizona. New York, Michigan, Oregon and Texas also contribute to the supply. Some cauliflower is imported from Canada and Mexico, but mainly for processing for frozen foods. When you’re looking for the best head, look for a tightly packed head. Those tiny little flowers are actually called “curd.” Make sure the head is very heavy for its size. The leaves should be crisp, not limp, with no yellowing to those leaves. How does the Cauliflower get the snow white color? Well, in its early growth stages, it resembles Broccoli, which happens to also be the Cauliflower’s nearest relative. While Broccoli opens outward to sprout bunches of green florets, Cauliflower forms a compact head of undeveloped white flower buds. Those heavy green leaves that surround the head, protect the flower buds from the sunlight. In fact, growers will take this very tall “stalks” and bunch them together with a rubber band. This further protects the head from sunlight and from water damage. The lack of exposure to sunlight does not allow chlorophyll to develop. Therefore, color is not produced, and the head remains a white color.

Did you know that Cauliflower is 100% edible?

CAULIFLOWER - PREPARING (Thursday, September 29): Did you know that Cauliflower is 100% edible? The leaves look like Bok Choy, don’t they? So use them as you would Bok Choy, in soups or stir fries. The core is actually called the “heart,” and is very tender and has a great flavor when jullienned and added into a green lettuce salad. Cauliflower is loaded with Vitamin C and Iron. You really shouldn’t keep Cauliflower for more than five days in the refrigerator. The best time to eat Cauliflower is when you bring it home. The fresher the Cauliflower, the sweeter the flavor. As you are preparing your Cauliflower, don’t cut it up the same way you cut up Broccoli. With Broccoli, you can cut throught the florette. With Cauliflower, if you cut through the florette, you end up cutting through cell structure and damaging the cells. When you cook this Cauliflower, it becomes mushy. Nobody likes mushy Cauliflower. Many a child has been turned off to Cauliflower because it was mushy. When you cut the florette from the stem end, simply take your knife halfway into the florette, then snap the florette in half. This way, you are breaking the florette around its natural cell structure.

CAULIFLOWER - COOKING (Friday, September 30): Do not cook cauliflower in an aluminum or iron pot. The chemical compounds in cauliflower will react with the aluminum and turn the vegetable yellow. While in an iron pot, it will turn a brown or blue-green color. Oh, when you are steaming or boiling your Cauliflower florets, add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice into the water. That will help keep the nice snow white color. Raise your hand if you have every overcooked the Cauliflower. I see those hands. My hand is raised as well. So, what do you do when you overcook the Cauliflower? Here’s what you do. First, don’t tell anyone you overcooked the Cauliflower. Keep it a secret. Simply take the Cauliflower and mash it up with a potato masher. Add some salt and pepper. Place the mashed Cauliflower into a very fancy serving dish that can also be put into the oven. Next, shave some fresh Parmasean Cheese right on top and put it under the broiler for a few minutes, just to brown the cheese on top. Now, you can take it to the table and say, “I found a new recipe. It’s called Cauliflower Fantasia. I hope you like it.” Chances are, they will.

Top of page