Market Notes
March 7th, 2024
COLORADO ORGANIC SPECIALTY SPUDS
Organic potatoes from Colorado will begin to show their age within the next few weeks. This is a very tricky game of timing. Most of the San Luis Valley potatoes are dug, suberized, and stored by the end of September. Some products are put into deep storage and cooler closed until spring, while other are just kept cooler and regularly drawn from for packaging. Either way by late March or early April the stored potatoes begin to show signs of age with spots and minor wrinkling. When the deep cooler storage units are opened the temperature change often wakes the potatoes up and then sprouting begins. Clove oil is all that can be used to kill the sprouts leaving a clove smell not related to potatoes and a small black mark where the sprout was removed. The real gnarly potatoes can be sorted out, but you can’t use the clove oil until the sprouts appear. Moving forward, we will switch to conventional fingerlings (You never knew the others were organic because we did not promote them that way, but they were.) meaning we will sprout nip the organic potatoes, thereby making them conventional. Currently we have no problem with our west coast producers who regularly sprout nip and have product that should run through April. So, organic buyers beware, the 2024 crop is coming back to life and want to go in the ground, not your truck. Early June brings new organic potatoes in many areas.
SPRING THINGS
Less than two weeks away, with what appears to be a relatively warm winter, foraged goodies are popping up everywhere. Ramps are the question of the day, and while good ole’ Mother nature can change things in an hour, we anticipate some baby ramps as early as next week, and volume to follow two weeks after that. Morel mushrooms that used to be a sign of Spring and are now on the cusp of year round availability, are domestically available in what is known as the orchard variety. They are sandy and a bit grungy, not the most desirable of the conical wonders. The product you want is three weeks away. Himalayan morels remain available but there is nothing new about that. On the green side, nettles and wild onions are available now, and next week should begin the Western fiddlehead fern season. These would be the gray ones the green ones that appear a few months later on the East Coast. Cattail shoots, miners’ lettuce (Claytonia) are also expected to break ground in the next few weeks. The quicker the thaw, the sooner the forage, but as of today the game is definitely afoot.
NEW PRODUCE QUIZ – WHO AM I ???
I am an ancient cultivar that had been found in the Moluccas, an east Indonesian archipelago. I was primarily cultivated in Indonesia, the Malayan peninsula, the Philippines, and parts of New Guinea historically influenced by Malay culture before it was brought to other countries. I have hundreds of species, but only one exudes the tantalizing fragrance you love. The scent of my elongated, spear like, glossy deep-green blades is elusive, but imagine the melding of toasted rice, freshly mown grass, and jasmine, and that might give you a hint. My leaves are commonly pulverized to produce an emerald-green extract. Some say we have a flavor similar to vanilla, but I am much more sophisticated than that. I thrive in both sweet and savory dishes. I am very chummy with coconut, turmeric, and rice. I am often infused into simple syrup or my leaves rest with a spirit for a few days, both for amazing bar drinks that use rum or coconut. My leaves are also steeped in vodka, gin, and tequila for the addition of herbal tones. I am a major part of a famous chiffon cake that melts in your mouth. I make pancakes fluorescent. I can be used in many forms, including fresh, frozen, juiced (not from hanging out in the rum or vodka) powdered, or reduced to an extract. I am an excellent source of vitamins and antioxidants to help boost the immune system and prevent conditions like cancer, heart disease diabetes. I am a good source of Beta-carotene.
The answer to last weeks quiz is…SORREL….Congrats to all winners
Call 908-789-4700 –Lisa, Matty, or Richard– Fax 908-789-4702
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