Market Notes May 25th, 2023
MAN PLANS…GOD LAUGHS
Well, actually Mother Nature giggled. We had it all laid out perfectly. We tried a field run of what looked to be beautiful yellow fingerlings, and they were until we ran them. Tiny little nicks (often called mechanical) damaged the potatoes, so production ceased. We had hoped to run our first load this Friday, tomorrow, but that has now been changed to Tuesday May 30th . So, there will be an official four-day gap which will seem like a week. What we hoped to have ready for distribution on May 31st will now be ready for distribution on June 5th. Fortunately, it is a short week. We will be at the shed and loading dock on Tuesday to check out the load going east. We will also be setting up FOB orders and LA orders for consolidation in the market area. Next week we will have a hands on, eyes on, tasted report and from that point forward we roll. Thanks for rolling with us.A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME
And then one day it disappeared, in an unceremonious way. The lovely pink skin and creamy flesh of the Rose Finn Apple Fingerling potato (AKA Ruby Crescent) was too close to the red colored French Fingerling. People who ordered the fingerling mix complained that there were only two colors in the mix, not three. That was the first downfall. Then there was the lack of cleanliness of seed. Excessive disease and length of time to generate new, clean seed was no longer worth it. Did the purple fingerling kill the Ruby Crescent? Probably so and it is a shame. This waxy, beautifully shaped smooth tasting fingerling is now to be regulated to home gardens and Farmers Markets. She will be missed but probably not remembered. More proof we eat with our eyes, not our tongues.SOMETHING NEW FOR SKU
Something new in the world of greens. A new mix in a two-pound clamshell. Only four components in this mx including red and green oak baby lettuces and red and green baby chard. Sounds common but this mix has a hardy kick to it. It is whole head harvested. Let us explain. For many mesclun mixes the baby green varieties are all planted together. One they get to the proper length the leaves are cut so they can regrow again. It is called cut-and-come again. The new Celebrity Mix ™ is not grown this way. They are planted and harvested as single heads. The root is cut at processing, creating a stronger, longer lasting mix. Samples begin next week so give us a shout out if you would like to see a sample.NEW PRODUCE QUIZ – WHO AM I ???
We are native to India and may be 10,000 years old. The Romans loved us. Then Americans declared us only fit for cows in the late 1600’s. But today, we join the Queen for tea between slices of buttered bread. Smooth or warty, we always have glossy skin and almost white flesh. Ranging from 3 inches to 2 feet in length, generally the English are the longest, while American’s are shorter and fatter. The Chinese hang weights on us sometimes to make us grow longer and stronger. Big or small, long and firm, with seeds or not – someone wrote a book listing why we are better than a man in 100 ways. We do hang out with real climbers, who may need some guidance, constraint or support, so we don’t end up rolling on the floor or taking over the party. Peel us if we’re waxed, scrub off any spines, and gut us if you burp. Eat raw, steam or sauté. Leave us in vinegar, but not the freezer. We’re a must for Greek salads and gazpacho. Combined with yogurt, we counter Middle Eastern spices. Great with fish, dill, and tomato. A source of potassium, calcium, folate, and vitamin C, we’re fat free, cholesterol free and sodium free. We’re a diuretic, purifier, and relaxant. Use us as a cool astringent to soothe your skin. From fields and greenhouses, we come for you all year with a summer peak.The answer to last weeks quiz was….PEACH… 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., 2020