TRANSITION

    The traditional transition for Central and Southern California growers from their home fields to a more southern exposure, primarily Yuma and other warmer climates. As the cooler weather and rains kick in, the central coast and the southern valleys do not perform as well and points southeast provide better yields. After we set our clocks on Sunday we need to look ahead one week because for many growers next week will be the last week to load in the Salinas Valley area for this year.  By Wednesday, November 10, 2021, we will need all orders that would be loading Friday 11-12, Saturday 11-13, and Monday 11-15. Saturday, 11-13-2012 will be the last day of  Salinas Valley loading for a few of our baby greens growers.  This makes Monday 11-15-2021 hell day for loading.  We will encourage all our Monday loaders to switch to Tuesday 11-16-2021, which may happen anyway.  We will work closely with our loaders and your trucks to minimize delays and our goal, as always is 100% fill.  For some reason it is always much more difficult moving south as compared to the return home in the spring. Fortunately, at this point, there is no catastrophic weather so as far as the raw product goes, we are in good shape. As long as the equipment works and the people show up, what could possibly go wrong? It’s just the week for Thanksgiving loading. Oh yeah, your trucks have to show up too.  Gear up, plan ahead, and buckle in!  

HIDDEN ROSE® APPLE

    Another seasonal tradition that is much tastier than the transition mentioned above, is the arrival of the Hidden Rose® Apple.  The Hidden Rose® Apple is grown only organically and offered exclusively by Dragonberry Produce.  They are grown in the Pacific Northwest where the warm days and cool nights are a requirement for this tricky to grow apple.  The original tree, from which all other trees originate,  grows the Newell-Kimzey variety, named after the current and previous landowners, and marketed as the Hidden Rose®. The big surprise of the Hidden Rose® is the color. Once you cut into the reddish/yellow skin, the color inside resembles that of a red rose, hence the name.  Tart and sweet this apple does not lose its color when it is cooked, giving it rock star status wherever it is used. In pies, tarts, as juice or just eaten out of hand the strawberry/lemonade flavor and red color stand out. Sliced thin on a cheese platter or in a Waldorf salad  will make the Hidden Rose® apple stand out but due to its combination of tart and sweet the Hidden Rose® Apple can be used in almost any application.  The Hidden Rose®  Apple is packed in single layer flats that weigh in at 8 to 10 pounds with an average of 18 to 24 pieces per box.  We are currently loading out of the LA market, but larger orders can load direct. This program usually runs through the first of the year, but if demand is high, they can disappear sooner.  Please contact your Culinary Rep for more details.  

NEW PRODUCE QUIZ – WHO AM I ???

Long ago and far away, you may have picked me up along the roadside or maybe stumbled across me as you haunted the dark winding cemetery paths.  I was so like my bright white cousin with her closely drawn veil, but instead, you chose me with my tan skin.  And, the darker my skin, the more beautiful you found me, even with my torn or missing veil.  You called to me in Italian and ignored my older sisters who were flaunting their dark gills nearby.  Cultivated on a huge scale since the time of France’s Louis XIV, I may be the best known of my kind in the western world.   My ring is partially upturned and quite small and you may get a faint red stain from caressing my head or neck.  I have a heartier, richer flavor than my perfect white cousin.  Ready any time and nearly any place, I can couple with most cuisine, but you’d do best to marry me well with beef, wild game, and vegetable dishes.  Just wipe me clean and enjoy low calories and high fiber.   I may not be the Prince of my family, nor do they compare me to filet mignon, but call me a baby of my big sister, and I’ll fetch a premium market price.