Market Notes
January 11th , 2024
FRENCH FINGERLING HEARTS
It might be a little bit early to sell promotions for Valentine’s Day, but this will take a bit to get into people’s heads. This is primarily for foodservice although a lot of retail does prepared foods so maybe it will cross over. Here is our super cool, mega easy, very inexpensive pitch. We have a slug of jumbo French fingerling potatoes in Oregon that can be picked up there, dropped in San Francisco or Los Angeles Markets and surrounding areas, and for forward distribution on the east coast. The quality is great, and the price is as well. The French fingerling is a red skin potato with vibrant gold flesh that is streaked with red. In a word, striking food art! Because of the shape of this particular crop a crevice can be made lengthwise across the top of the potato easily with the end of a carrot peeler. Then, just slice by hand, on a slicer, or a mandolin for a perfectly shaped red heart as thick as you desire. Perfect for holiday apps (the edible kind), salads, stuffed, or for three star plating. As the search for everything red begins soon, this is a unique opportunity to offer something really special. The right potato at the right time. Our country needs this, do you?
AND SPEAKING OF HOLIDAYS
Martin Luther King’s birthday, which is this coming Monday, is celebrated every year on the third Monday of January. President’s Day is celebrated on the third Monday in February. Both are Federal holidays. That means the government, the Post Office, Wall Street, and banks are closed. But this does not apply in the world of produce where not touching still means handling. This Monday, January 15, 2024, the New York, Philadelphia, and Washington DC markets will be closed in commemoration of MLK’s birthday. The Los Angeles and San Francisco Markets are open. Five weeks later it flips. For President’s Day, the Los Angeles and San Francisco Markets are closed and the three markets on the east coast will be open. Our guess is that this is all union stuff and that is all to be said about that. To sum up, the Hunts Point Market will be closed for receiving and loading Sunday 1-14-2024 and will reopen late Monday evening 1-15-2024.
NEW PRODUCE QUIZ – WHO AM I ???
Related to cabbage and mustard family, I was the main game in Europe until the potato took my number one spot. Often considered a poor man’s vegetable, as I am easy to grow. I do well in poor soil, ripen quickly, and I keep relatively well. I can be shaped like a carrot or a basketball. As a cruciferous vegetable I can weigh up to 40 pounds or be the size of a golf ball. My colors range from black to white including yellow, green, red, and purple, but my innards are always white. As a baby I am delicate and sweet but as I grow my sulphur content increases which gives me a coarse, woody texture and a tangy, peppery taste. I contain trace amounts of arsenic, and I’m a fair source of vitamin C. My tops are often used for spring greens while my bulb is usually peeled, boiled, and served with butter, salt and pepper. I am a great ingredient in mashed potatoes. I can be boiled, steamed, mashed, or pureed, stir-fried, cubed, poached, braised, or used raw in salads. I can even be deep fried for chips. Several people claim to have just fallen off my truck, but I’ve never seen this, and I’ve been around!
The answer to the 12-14-2023 quiz was…Monkey Orange…Congrats to all winners.
Call 908-789-4700 –Lisa, Matty, or Richard– Fax 908-789-4702
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© Culinary Specialty Produce, Inc., 2023