Market Notes
December 15, 2016

 

IT’S ALL GOOD….ALMOST

Yuma has decided to cooperate with its patterns of the past which is both unusual this year and a good thing. What this means that the warm days and the cool nights have returned. This creates optimum conditions for growth. Arugula and spinach are readily available once again. There was no price increase and there is no longer a need for allocation, orders will be filled completely. There does, however, remain one slow grower, and that is full size kale. Kale is a slow grower anyway and as a full grown green it is very hardy so it takes a bit longer to catch up. Baby lettuces, frisee, all mixes, and components are back on and ready to roll. Bring it!

HOLIDAY SCHEDULE

This is the way America works. If there is a holiday on a weekend there still must be a closed business day to celebrate it. For some companies who can get away with it they take the advantage at both ends. So, while some will be closed both Friday and Monday, the majority of the country is taking Monday 12-26-2016 and Monday 1-2-2017 as holiday celebration days and will be closed. For the most part, Culinary will follow this lead. As there is no holiday or occasion where our global specialty emergency line is closed, we remain available, always! As far as office hours are concerned we have learned from the past that there is action on the day after New Year’s so we will maintain limited office hours on Monday 1-2-2017. If you don’t call, we’ll go home.

HOLIDAY TRAVEL

This is going to be a tough season for flights. The traffic and backups have varied over the years where there were no system clogs at all and the season seemed to go by almost unnoticed. Not this year. Be it passenger, mail, parcel, fewer flights, lower rates, or Santa needing more space, the clogs have already begun. Airline Hubs in Houston, Atlanta, Denver, San Francisco, are all backed up and scheduled cargo is being bumped without a second thought. Single digits in the Chicago area challenge the two hour recovery unless insulated. Advance booking have become restricted, and last minute mail still takes a priority over most other cargo. So, quick air shots are not likely to get and scheduling is already 4 to 5 days out. We have been able to sneak in “EH” containers here and there but LD2’s and LD3’s are a challenge. If you depend on air freight for regular receiving we recommend you forecast through the first and book way ahead.

NEW PRODUCE QUIZ – – WHO AM I???

We were used by the Romans to flavor sauces and vinegar. Over two thousand years old, we are a native to the Mediterranean region where we were also considered an aphrodisiac. We are both annual and perennial, thriving in the winter months as well as the long days of summer. Although the exact amount varies from cousin to cousin, we are all rich in carvacrol and thymol. Used in the curing of salami we are also a component of that de Provence thing, but we often have to compete for that honor. We are very popular in flavoring all sorts of legumes, (probably due to the fact that we counteract flatulence), and we have even been used as a salt substitute. We go all out with our peppery flavor, but save us for the end as overcooking renders us very bitter. We bring life to any stuffing, our leaves are used for making tea, we are signature soup, and we never met a sausage we didn’t like. Primarily culinary, we also have excellent medicinal values. We can be quite effective in improving digestion, increasing perspiration, stimulating the uterus and nervous system as well as relieving menstrual disorders and soothing sore throats. We do not get to play with expectant mothers, as time has shown we are just too much for them.

Answer To Last Week’s Quiz…PANSIES…Congrats To All Winners
Call 908-789-4700 –Lisa or Richard– Fax 908-789-4702

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Culinary Specialty Produce, Inc., 2015