Market Notes
May 7, 2015
ANDY’S ORCHARDS 2015
We are pleased to provide a pre-season update for the best stone fruit on the planet. At the end of this month Andy’s Orchards will begin packing their first cherries of the season. These groves never produce tremendous volumes of cherries due to the rains or late winter winds. This year the crop is short due to the very warm winter. Much of the fruit did not set. What did set will be typical of Andy’s quality. The very first variety is the Brooks. Quickly followed by many other varieties we can offer, Bing, Rainer, Black Republican and Black Tartarian cherries. These cherries can be packed in a 5# or ten pound case. For the ten pound case we can divide it into four sections so you can get 2.5#’s of each variety as a cherry sampler. Many of these varieties are simply not available for fresh market so this is a great opportunity to try something new. Like everything with Andy’s, quantities are very limited so please let us know as soon as possible if you are interested in this brief but sublime cherry program. We will also have the first apricots of the season to travel with the cherries. The Nicole apricots are the first variety from Andy’s Orchards and they will be packing along with the cherries.
MAYBE SOMETHING NEW??
Not many people really know about the wonderful attributes of jicama. Where cotton usurped hemp, potatoes usurped jicama. For those who play with both tubers, they know the truth. Fry some matchsticked jicama and taste test it with fried potatoes and you will know the truth as well. So we have come across a year round supplier of top quality jicama (third generation growers) who can provide cured skins all year long. But here is something that we think is really cool. They also grow a baby jicama. This is also a cured tuber so the skin will not slip off. Often used to fill authentic piñatas this baby jicama will be available in both foodservice and retail. This program starts in about 6 weeks and we are excited to send out samples to potential users. We believe that jicama is an underused vegetable that has tremendous potential. Its ease of use, versatility, and sweetness make it a prime candidate for 15 minutes of fame. We can also load hot peppers and tomatillos at the same stop.
BABY LETTUCE REVISITED
We have been talking about this for a while but we are not sure that anyone believes us so we will refresh your memories from time to time. We supply baby lettuce from many sources, off-shore, domestic, hydroponic and field grown. We handle most varieties and can meet large orders when requested and in many cases can even arrange delivery. The single best baby lettuce offer we have is our BMX out of Watsonville, CA. While the individual varieties vary in price throughout the planet the pack size is usually 2-3 pounds or just a 24 count. Our BMX out of Watsonville, CA. contains 3 varieties of red lettuce and 3 varieties of green lettuce. It is a minimum 6 pound box and sells for the same price as the individual varieties do. That’s twice the volume for the same FOB. This is a deal seriously worth considering. There is not a better baby lettuce deal out there. It is also a year round deal. Please check with your Culinary rep for details and samples.
NEW PRODUCE QUIZ- WHO AM I ???
My first recorded use was in China on or about 2700 BC. Originally I was used medicinally as a powerful laxative, and a known cure for venereal diseases. It was not until the eighteenth century that my stalks became part of the food supply. As a family we are almost indestructible as a perennial with stalks growing up to 24 inches long. My leaves contain oxalic acid and are lethally toxic if ingested in any quantity. You will find us in frolicking in the fields from late winter to early summer and hothouse grown all year. While our indoor relatives have all the good looks and cleanliness, we’ve got the flavor. Although I am used as a fruit, I am actually a member of the buckwheat family. Often combined with strawberries or ginger, I’m great in a fruit soup, fruit pie, as a sauce for meats, jams, sorbet, ice-cream, and have even been seen fried or poached. In a pinch I can probably be used in sword fights.
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY
Answer To Last Quiz….FIDDLEHEAD FERNS……Congrats To All Winners
Call 908-789-4700 –Lisa, Mark or Richard– Fax 908-789-4702
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Culinary Specialty Produce, Inc., 2015