Market Notes June 4, 2020
MELON MANIA
As the winter citrus winds down the pickings remain sweet with the arrival of California melons. Although an imported Korean melon, the Asaki, might take the gold for the sweetest there are still excellent choices and flavors among the domestic crop. The selection includes Orange Honeydew, Hami, Canary, Crenshaw, Galia and Santa Claus. Most of these are packed in a 4-6 count case. Even the 12# Asaki melon is about a 5 count. We also have orange and yellow watermelon in 4 count cases. Highest brix so far is the Asaki at 16.5. We can give you brix updates at time of order. So, while we eagerly await the Charentais melons, our personal favorite these varieties will do just fine for coulis, fruit salads, inter-mezzo, or table art. They will also make great vessels for fruit salad, buffet displays, soups, and assorted desserts. Please check with your Culinary Rep for great deals.COLORADO POTATO DEAL WINDS DOWN
California winds up and Colorado winds down. We are pleased to announce that we moved the Bintje we have been begging you to try, and our three color round potato was a hit. We started that program at the end of the season and after customers got a taste of the three incredible varieties, the demand increased and of course we ran out. But we are primed to start this off early next season. Fingerlings, coming out of late storage are looking really good due to improved cooling facilities and we hope to remain shipping these into late July. Organic russets are done are most other colors and sizes. We still have a few of the Harvest Moon purple potatoes with yellow flesh available but that is only for another three to four weeks. Planting is in process as we write this and early harvest should be late August. We will shift to northern Colorado and California loading for a few weeks during this gap.NEW PRODUCE QUIZ – – WHAT AM I??
In China I am dialect of record and the language spoken by government officials. But throughout the rest of the world I am the proud name of the largest group of edible citrus. Most consumers think of me as a single fruit, but there is actually a category that totally devoted to me. Within that category we vary greatly. We have many different textures, some of us are seeded, some of us are not, and our trees have few similarities. One thing we do have in common is our “slip-skins”. We strip down real easy which makes us popular at bars and one quick weekend getaways, but we can really be enjoyed anytime. Dancy is the one who most likely started the deal. From there we have been divided into four categories ranging in location from Japan to the Mediterranean basin and from Indonesia to the commons everywhere else. Incest runs rampant in our groups and you can see the foreplay while we are waiting in line for our shot at cross-pollination. Our flavor is popular worldwide but it remains with the Japanese for the title of growth and consumption. It’s always cool to be young, but adolescent heat makes us very, very sweet. We love to hang around the hot desert sun, waiting to be picked, packed and shipped, and slurped. We are best eaten out of hand, but we can also be used for sweet and sour sauces, and salads of rice, chicken, or fruit, or with seafood. We have also been spotted decorating cakes, hiding in bavarian creams, and on special occasions, chocolate fondue. Obviously we are an excellent source of vitamin C, but we also supply potassium, vitamin A, and folic acid.THE ANSWER TO LAST WEEK’S QUIZ WAS …SAPODILLA or NESPARO.…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., 2015