Market Notes June 25, 2020
SATURDAY- JULY 4, 2020
Holidays have such a different meaning since self-preservation has become significantly more important. Add that to a Saturday holiday and the confusion grows even more. So, here’s what we know; the LA market will be closed on Saturday, July 4th in celebration of Independence Day. That said, a few consolidators might be open for a few hours Saturday morning. Several houses on the market will be closed on Friday, July 3rd and many others will be closed on Monday July 6th. There is no definitive answer so we will look at it deal per deal. We will begin deciphering the who’s, what’s, when’s and how’s next week on an individual customer basis and determine what’s best for each one. In other words, if we do LA business with you, you will hear from us. Hunts Points Market, on the other side, will be open both Friday and Monday so it is business as usual there. Culinary Specialty Produce will be available with limited staff Friday, Saturday, and Monday and will be available as necessary although we may well be limited by other closures. While this, as most, holidays have important meanings and renew important memories, how we celebrate them has changed. While we always wish you and yours from us and ours a safe, happy and healthy holiday weekend, we can’t emphasize enough the wise thinking on the word “safe.” Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there.BLENHEIM APRICOTS – GET THESE NOW
Andy’s Orchards has begun the harvest of Blenheim Apricots. These are a very special variety, magically grown in Morgan Hill, California. Not only has this variety at this orchard been singularly responsible for changing attitudes on apricots it has also woken up the entire stone fruit category. This is not the dry, somewhat mealy fruit that you see in many markets; this is “change your shirt fruit.” Each case should come with a lobster type bib. Also, this year there is a great crop of Candy Cots which are just morsels of nectar from heaven. Like all great things there is a caveat, the harvest lasts about two weeks. So find Andy’s on line, go to the Orchard in Brooklyn, get to the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market, call Get Fresh in Vegas, or call Culinary direct. In a year when we need sunshine and joy to relieve some of the boredom of self-induced captivity, my friends, here comes the sun. Don’t miss out.NEW PRODUCE QUIZ – – WHAT AM I??
I’m sure you know me, but do you love me? I am an ancient and perennial survivor, from Europe, North Africa, northern Asia, and North America. Tiptoe amongst us, and then trim away our young leaves for a tangy, chewy treat. Before we flower, collect our buds to marinate or deep-fry. Take an early morning walk and wade through fresh flowers lopping off our heads. Weave our stems to make a crown, and then collect our manes to add our petals to favorite dishes or make my nostalgic and beatific brew. As the colder nights settle in, enjoy my leaves from your greenhouse, a bit longer, paler and milder than from the wild, but just as good. Try them fresh or wilted with a hot strong dressing, maybe a bit southern with salt pork and garlic as well. Or try a Pennsylvania Dutch sweet-sour recipe. Cook me, just a bit, to soften my texture and mellow my flavor, but don’t cook me too long like some other bitter greens. Enjoy a coffee-like brew from my root, or perhaps, open a vintage fermentation. Okay, so you’re not a romantic — you’ll prefer the story that snickers at the French loving our bitter greens and naming us “lion’s tooth” because of our jagged leaves. You’ll belittle chefs turning us couture. Amused that we’ve become cultivated and harvested by hand or foraged from the wild, you’ll never fall in love with us; you’ll fertilize and dig us out of your perfect lawn. You’ll find our sticky milk irritating your sensitive skin. You’ll moan when we grow back where you’re sure you’ve killed us. You’ll never know how well we aid appetite and work as a diuretic and laxative, but you’ll love the nickname Pissabed, since to you we’re just a weed. If you ever do try us for our calcium, potassium and vitamins A and C, you can buy us year round, with April and May being our heyday. Just avoid us at the side of the road or where chemicals are used. Are you sure you don’t love us a little bit? You really never blew our seed puffs across the wind or read Sci-Fi writer Ray’s book?THE ANSWER TO LAST WEEK’S QUIZ WAS …CHANTERELLE MUSHROOM.…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