Market Notes
April 24th, 2024
FINAL PEAK WEEK WITH A TWEEK
Yes, there are an abundance of ramps in the field. Yes, we have all the pickers we need. Yes, all the pickers are in the right places. Yes, there was frost last night. No, we cannot pick ramps when they are limp because they stay that way when picked. Yes, there is expected rain this weekend. Yes, at times the rain is expected to be very heavy. No, we will most likely not be picking on Monday. Yes, this could shorten or possibly abruptly end the fresh ramp season. Yes, even in the best of situations, the hipster Allum season is two or three weeks away from ramping off. Yes, eastern fiddlehead ferns should begin next week. No, we do not have any western fiddlehead ferns in stock because no one will buy them the western fiddleheads when the eastern fiddleheads are in stock. Yes, there are now domestic morel mushrooms. All in stock items are available for overnight delivery. Orders weighing more than seventy pounds can be shipped more efficiently via commercial airlines.
FANTASTIC FINGERLING FIND
A few weeks ago, while assessing the fingerling market, we wrote about extra fingerlings toward seasons end and deals and discounts these older unsold inventories would bring. Well, some of that has already begun, and let’s face it the earlier we get into these deals the better. The price might be better down the road, but the spuds are just that much older. We expected this to begin in late May, but we have an early opportunity now on three color fingerling potato assortment. This is Los Angeles FOB deal with local drayage available. These fine quality fingerlings are going for what might be half price depending on where you get your potatoes. There is not an endless supply, a few loads would clean this up, so if you need a few pallets at a stupid price for excellent quality, we have ‘em, and so can you!
NEW PRODUCE QUIZ – WHO AM I ???
A native of southeastern China, I am also very common in Vietnam and central Asia. My Chinese name means eight points. Late in the sixteenth century, Europeans actually used me widely as bait in mousetraps, leading to my Latin name “Illicium,” meaning lure or bait. I grow on an evergreen tree of the magnolia family and my pretty reddish-brown woody fruit is picked prior to ripening, then sun-dried. Each of my fruits’ points contains an oval seed with longitudinal ridges. Chewing my seeds freshens your breath with a licorice-like taste. In addition to being used in oriental cuisine, I flavor liqueurs, chewing gum, and confections. I’m very familiar in a famous spice mixture — ground-up with four other spices, specifically foggara, cinnamon or cassia, fennel seeds and cloves, along with cardamom, dried ginger, or licorice root — where my pungent, sweet flavor dominates the powder. I am said to be diuretic, carminative, stomachic, antispasmodic, digestive, and expectorant, and a stimulant, so use me to tone up the heart, stimulate digestion, combat flatulence, and soothe coughs and asthma. My essential oil contains anethole, a substance also found in fennel (whose seeds taste similar to mine). Thousands of years old, I am, perhaps best recognized for my shape, but there’s never been a sidewalk ceremony for me.
The answer to last weeks quiz is…WOOD EAR MUSHROOMS….Congrats to all winners
Call 908-789-4700 –Lisa, Matty, or Richard– Fax 908-789-4702
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