Market Notes Oct. 22, 2020

 

FIRE

We are pleased to report there have been no new major incidents and all Cal Fire incidents are either contained or close to being so.  There are seven fires that are not Cal Fire incidents and they appear to be under control as well. So far in 2020 there have been over four million acres burned, over eighty-five wildfires, thirty-one fatalities, and over nine-thousand structures damaged or destroyed. Forest sweepers aside, the Federal government and the State government needs more funding, greater cooperation and better plans to control it.  As more and more of our leaders agree that climate warming is real and we do things to control what we emit into our atmosphere, control of these wildfires will become more manageable. We will complete the weekly fire update with this writing and resume if and when flames become threatening to lives and agriculture.

FUNGUS & TUBERS & SEABEANS – OH MY!

One of our favorite mushroom varieties, the Lobster mushroom is now available. We think they are the meatiest mushroom we have ever worked with. They put the Portobello to shame in terms of flavor and texture. The red color is striking as well.  Delicate Black Trumpet mushrooms are now in the market and due to lack of rain, they are reasonably firm. Chanterelles are available in two colors, yellow and white, and they are both domestic forage. Lions Main, a stunning white mushroom that cooks down to nothing (Use ‘em fresh, add to soups or sauté briefly), are available and that is something we do not see very often.  On the truffle side we are shipping the fall burgundy Truffles, and the “if you have to ask the price you don’t want ‘em” European white Alba truffles arrive next week. While most of the foraged greens are gone we do have wild seabeans that are on the young side so the center isn’t tough. All the above items are easily for overnight delivery and can combine with the exotic cultivated mushrooms such as Maitake, Shitake and several Shimeji varieties.  Chef mixes and organic mushrooms available as well.

WINTER CITRUS UPDATE

Don’t know if we have mentioned it before but our premier potato grower is also a winter citrus grower in season, and the season is just beginning. Organic finger limes are now shipping and we can offer them bulk, in clamshells or red mesh bags. Next week we begin packing our navel oranges both conventional and organic.  Following that we will be picking blood oranges, cara-cara oranges and we finish off the season with Valencia oranges. There are always new trees coming so we can expect some tangelo and mandarin varieties and the season progresses. Please check with your Culinary rep for prices and pack size.  Product can load in Edison or Los Angeles California.

                     NEW PRODUCE QUIZ – WHO AM I???

   I wish they could get my name straight.  From Callaloo to Inca Wheat to love-lies-bleeding, it’s all me but in many different forms.  Even my primary name origin is confusing. It is derived from the Greek meaning unfading love flower.  Found throughout the world but mostly in the tropics, I am an ornamental plant, a grain and an edible leaf.  We also do food coloring, but that’s another quiz.  My value as an ornamental is made quite obvious by my long clusters of beautiful red flowers and fiery red leaves.  My plant grows up to 36 inches and each one of us can contain as many as 500,000 seeds.  As a grain I am a historical staple.  This changed when conquistador Hernando Cortés, in reaction to the Aztec’s donation of me in religious related rituals, ordered my field’s destroyed and removed by the hands of any farmers who planted me.  So my humble Mexican beginnings were halted but not eliminated.   My resistance to drought, ease of growth, and nutritional benefits prevailed and today I am popped, sprouted, used as a cereal, or moist and sweet (yet unlevening) flour.  As a green, I can be green, red, gold, or any combination of the three. My colorful tasty green is often substituted for spinach in soups, pasta dishes or vegetable dishes.  Fry, steam or boil me briefly, as I do not require much heat to become tender.  My amino acids are very well balanced (they don’t even wobble).  I am rich in lysine, methionine and tryptophan, and provide an excellent source of magnesium, iron, phosphorus, copper and zinc.

THE ANSWER TO LAST WEEK’S QUIZ WAS …SNOW PEAS.…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