Market Notes
June 1, 2017
OFF-SHORE
The holiday has ended and it is reflected in prices. French beans have already hit their late summer low and you won’t find better price or quality at any other time. Baby peeled carrots are also being priced very aggressively. Snap peas remain tight but even with that the price is down a few bucks. Snow peas are abundant, beautiful, and also down a few bucks. Baby green zucchini is the best buy in the baby squash category with the baby patty pans almost twice the price. Yellow French beans are available and we have English peas both shelled and unshelled. The asparagus market has dropped and now there is availability in all sizes for green and white. You will have to go west to get purple. Finally, blackberries are at a silly low price and will ship well.
AND SPEAKING OF HOLIDAYS…
If we relate a month to a holiday, the month of May is all about Memorial Day and the opening of the summer beach season. June is all about graduations and weddings, and July is all about Independence Day. So with more than enough notice we would like to let you know that July 4th, coincides with our peak of production on fingerling potatoes. Weather conventional or organic we’ve got you covered for this celebration. Either straight pack or assorted, our red, yellow, pink or purple fingerlings (purple conventional only) are ready to go. We offer numerous options for retail packaging and two sizes for food service, fifty and twenty pound bulk. We will also have a limited supply of the Harvest Moon ™ for the best fries and chips you’ve ever tasted. Because this is our prime time we would like to reach out and offer ad deals for the holiday pull. If this is something you are interested in please give us a call. We can create a very dynamic program that will increase your sales and impress your customers. As vegetables become more center plate replacing meat, check out our spuds, we’ve got the beat!
FORAGED FINALE
The ramps are gone, but we are offering the ramp bulbs both bulk and packaged. There is red miner’s lettuce and some fiddlehead ferns that won’t last long. While the greens are fading the mushrooms are soaring. Porcini, morels, chanterelles, and more are in stock and ready to ship. Please check with your Culinary Rep for details on all foraged products. Next up, but about six weeks away, is the very hard to ship Paw Paws. Can’t wait for that.
NEW PRODUCE QUIZ – – WHO AM I??
My name in Malawi translates to “Buttocks-of-the-wife-of-a-chief”. There was a time when I was widely enjoyed, but today I have fallen into neglect. Originating in India or Persia I spread quickly (via seed, not via ground cover) to Europe and America. Once said to be eaten by “French men and pigs when they can get nothing else”, I am considered a common weed and nuisance to gardeners. I am a ground hugging fleshy, fat leaved plant growing no higher than four inches and easily found in both hemispheres. I have over forty relatives and while most are green, a few are as good as gold. My stems are a rubbery pinkish-red and can grow twelve inches, spread out in a network like flat vines. I can be picked before maturity and will continue to flower and see post-harvest. I have a slight acidic and peppery taste and can be cooked or used fresh. I am a great textural addition to fresh salads or I can simply be boiled, salted and served with butter or oil. The thickness of my leaves makes me a tasty addition to gumbos, soups, and stews. In the Middle East I am an important ingredient to a fattuoch salad. My stalks and leaves can be marinated in vinegar, blended into mayonnaise, or chopped into omelets. I am a good source of potassium, magnesium, and Vitamin A. I also supply Vitamin C, Calcium, and Iron. I contain mucilages and antioxidants. As a pharmafood I make a good diuretic, intestinal cleaner, and emollient.
Answer To Last Week’s Quiz…MONSTERA…Congrats To All Winners
Call 908-789-4700 –Lisa or Richard– Fax 908-789-4702
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Culinary Specialty Produce, Inc., 2015