Market Notes
March 1, 2018
EASTER AD’S
Never too early to start, even though it is a month away. This year our offers have grown. While we still would love to highlight the Harvest Moon potato we also have opportunities for creamers, marbles and purple pee-wee. Organic russet should be abundant with some deals to be made. Yellow fingerlings and fingerling assortments are readily available but the red and yellow pee-wee potatoes we have access to are spoken for. Jumbo Russian Banana fingerlings are also tight and not available for ad pricing. Please contact your Culinary Rep too discuss any deal we can set up for you.
OK, SO THE DOG BARKED
With the celebrations now complete the Year Of The Dog is underway, and the markets remain stocked with beautiful product and some great deals. Chinese ginger and sunchokes are up in price and both are expected to continue to rise. Chinese peeled garlic is cheap but nowhere near the quality of the more expensive California product. Chinese chives (nira) are looking really beautiful and we have them with blossoms as well. Finally there are great deals to be had on gai lan and Shanghai baby bok choy. Both are packed in thirty pound wire bound and quality is museum. Call for deals.
SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST
As the citrus season winds down, two of the finest fruits await harvest and they are arguably the best. Pixie Mandarins from the Ojai Valley are late this year but expected to hit the LA market by weeks end. Then, under a variety of names come the triple cross tangerines. These fruits are among the juiciest fruits you will ever want. These fruits tend to go more for the farmers markets due to their perishability and relatively short season. If you are a citrus specialist you will need these and we can help you get them. Say no more.
NEW PRODUCE QUIZ – – WHAT AM I??
I am the first seasoning whose use was ever recorded. I date back as far as 3000- BC Assyria. There is some confusion about my actual origin. While some believe it was Africa, others insist on India. Frankly, I don’t care, I’m just proud to be number one. I have been used in China for over 200 years but I never made it to the inner circles and I’m considered a foreigner there. My arrival in America is attributed to African Slaves and this is why I was initially very popular in southern cooking. I am an annual who grows tall and straight with deeply veined egg-shaped leaves and lovely pink or white flowers. I get plucked when I’m green (doesn’t everyone?) to avoid bruising. I am popular all over the world where I am regularly used in sweet and savory foods. My latest fad is to be blackened, but you can still find me in white and brown. More intense when toasted, I impart a slightly sweet, nutty flavor essential in specific types of bagels, breads, pastes, halvah, noodles, meats, fish, and oil. In fact I am 50% oil, so be careful, if you keep me too warm I’ll turn rancid. Best to keep me in an airtight container and my bedroom cool and dark. In this condition I’ll give you a good three months, in the icebox I’ll hold up for six months, and I can go a whole year in your freezer. My fat is largely unsaturated and when dried I provide magnesium, potassium, iron, calcium, phosphorus, zinc and copper as well as dietary fiber and riboflavin. I help calm your nervous system and ease your bowels and make fine massage oil. Although my name is often used to “open” doors. I’ve never actually seen it work.
Answer To Last Week’s Quiz:…KIWI…Congrats To All Winners
Call 908-789-4700 –Lisa or Richard– Fax 908-789-4702
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Culinary Specialty Produce, Inc., 2015