Market Notes
February 25th, 2021
ICE – NOT NICE
We are actually talking about water. We know what you’re thinking but no, really, we are talking about frozen water and lots of it. We warned everybody last week thinking there would be a big thaw but that turned out to be a big lie (there we go again, and again) or just not big enough of a thaw. Unless you were a truck, it was a horrible week for transportation. Not only were there double-digit carrier misses, not seemed to care saying well…ice. Ice on the runways, ice on the planes, ice on the boxes waiting for claims. Box separation one delivers one’s lost. Then they cancelled covering claims so we eat the cost. Enough with the cadence, it was a rough week but we do expect to be caught up by tomorrow. Weather is not expected to be prohibitive so overnight will mean overnight once again. While these were situations that were completely out of our control, we did our level best to track and keep our customers informed and we thank you for your patience. Hopefully this was the worst of the season.
TDE
We are only going to tell you this twice. Today, and then again in two weeks just before the pack to order, 4–6-week season begins. UC Davis developed a triple cross tangerine. The TDE is a hybrid with Temple tangor, and Dancy and Encore mandarins. There are 4 TDE hybrids each using the same fruits with different percentages in each cross. You might be familiar with some of the names such as Shasta, Tango and Yosemite and they ripen at different times from September through March. Our grower simply calls them TDE’s and they are simply the finest citrus fruit of the season. Forget that they are organic and brushed clean with horsehair brushed, forget that they are seedless and have a zipper skin. It is the memorable complexity of flavor that will compel you to eat two more. Grown in Porterville for FOB pick up there or add $95.00 for LA consolidation. TDE’s are packed in half cases (108 per pallet) or full cases (54 per pallet). They are packed to order so allow some time to prepare. There is no citrus fruit we know of that we can recommend more highly than the TDE’s grown in Porterville. Even if you don’t get them for us, GET THEM!!!
SOME (NOT ALL) THINGS TOMATO
Heirloom tomatoes are in good supply. Great prices on 10# large and 12-pint rainbow cherry organic out of Mexico. Del Cabo has a good supply of organic cherry tomatoes with all the above loading in LA. Beautiful conventional large heirloom tomato assortments from Guatemala loading out of Pompano and good supply of organic grape tomatoes in Tampa. Teardrop tomatoes that were abundant a few weeks ago have become scarce. Yellow slicers from Northern Florida are available but not abundant.
NEW PRODUCE QUIZ – WHO AM I
Grown in hot regions all over the world, I am the most popular of all tropical fruits. Carib Indians hung me either whole or a crown of my leaves above the entrance to their huts as a sign of welcome and a promise of food and drink. I am native to the lowlands of Brazil, and spread throughout the world easily propagated by cuttings. I have dwarf siblings whose core is completely edible and I have monster parents who weigh over eleven pounds each. If you want me to be sweet, you better pick me ripe because I have no reserve of starch to convert to sugar. I can be used fresh, sautéed, broiled, grilled, frozen, chunked, rung, or juiced. I am famous as a cake but you would have to stand on your head to see me. I have also been used as a sore throat remedy and a meat tenderizer.
The answer to last weeks quiz was…WOODEAR MUSHROOMS…Congrats to all winners
Call 908-789-4700 –Lisa or Richard– Fax 908-789-4702 Visit us at www.culinaryproduce.com “like” us @ Culinary Specialty Produce on Facebook© Culinary Specialty Produce, Inc., 2020