Market Notes May 27th, 2021
KENNEBEC DRECK
One of the favorite potatoes for frying is the Kennebec. Globally there is not a more finicky potato than the Kennebec. If there can be such a thing it is an unstable potato. It is very difficult to remove the internal heat from this spud and it is often not detected until it is too late. Cold storage and suberization does not always do the trick. Currently there is gap while we wait for new crop to ship late next week. The product we have now is new with skinning with heat problems. There is also storage product that is heavily bruised. California product has issues due to the heat. Best time of the year for the Kennebec is August, September and October. Best growing areas are Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Colorado. With all that said there is still a strong demand for this “hot potato.” We would like to offer another option which is historically the original deal; the potato that started it all, the Bintje. Bred in the Netherlands and stolen by France (yes stolen, deal with it) for the famous Pommes Frittes. Bintje are seasonally grown in Colorado and are available for domestic shipping from September through May. If you’re tired of the Hollywood hype, maybe it’s time to try the real deal.MOREL MADNESS
From ramps to fiddleheads, the spring forage season was somewhere between delayed and non-existent this year. An abbreviated season is certainly better than nothing so a late morel mushroom season is also better than nothing. Domestic morels are in, but like the beginning of every morel season, they are a fortune. As the forage increases, which we hope will happen, the price will drop and that can happen very quickly. With a fluctuation in price from the mid-forties to the mid-twenties that can happen almost overnight we say “buyers beware.” We strongly recommend that you buy morel mushrooms only as you need (have orders) for them. We understand that buying as needed does not offer the best volume discounts in logistics but that is better than getting caught with product in a market that dropped 20 dollars per pound. When the price becomes reasonable it will be more stable. Please contact your Culinary rep for the hourly price.MEMORIAL DAY IS MONDAY
Culinary Specialty Produce will be closed on Monday 5-31-2021 in celebration of Memorial Day. The global Culinary help desk remains open 24/7/365 for tracking, orders and updates but most or our domestic docks and grower offices will be closed so information will be limited. From us and ours to you and yours we wish you a safe, happy and healthy holiday weekend. Normal operations resume Tuesday, June 1, 2021.NEW PRODUCE QUIZ – WHO AM I ???
From my tree that can grow over 20 feet high, I am the largest of the citrus fruits. Originally from Asia, where I have been grown for over 4000 years, today I am also cultivated in Israel, California, Florida and other tropical and subtropical regions. I can be as big as a human’s head weighing up to 13 pounds. My thick, coarse, yellow/green/pink skin peels easily and depending on my variety I may be sweet, bitter, full of flavor or tasteless. My Chandler variety (popular in the Unites States) is very sweet and has pink flesh. I have two names; one is common while the other is a captain’s name from East India who left our seeds in Barbados on his journey back to England. I am very popular with the Vietnamese because of my significance to their New Year’s festivities. I have been considered by many to be one of the parents of the grapefruit, the other being a sweet orange tree. I have been candied, used in marmalade, added to fruit salads, cooked into a sauce, or simply eaten out of hand. I am a good source of vitamin C and potassium. I am also considered a stomachic, known to stimulate the appetite and to facilitate digestion.The answer to last weeks quiz was..SEA KALE..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