Market Notes October 6th, 2022
TWO COOL APPLES
As summer days fade away, the air gets crisper and our culinary cravings modify. It is apple season indeed, and along with the multitude of new crosses, hybrids, and even crisper apples made by CRSPR, we offer two wonderful specialty varieties that will be in the Los Angeles produce market next week. The Lucy™ Rose apple is a cross between a Honeycrisp and the Airlie Red (AKA Hidden Rose). The cross yields a crunchy sweet/tart flavor with stunning red flesh. They are also very juicy and exceptional for baking. The second apple is the Lucy™ Glo apple is a tasty and tart apple with a hint of sweetness. It has a blushing gold skin and is naturally red on the inside. Lucy™ Glo Apples are tasty in salads, eaten fresh as a snack, or try juicing them for a vibrant pink beverage. Both of these varieties are grown in Washington State and are packed in 27# Euro boxes. The size is a 60 count and there are 60 cases per pallet. Volume and ad pricing is available. It’s about a ten week season. Bring it!
TWO COOL TATERS
Now that the fingerling pipeline is full and price is more important than availability, we move on to two of our seasonal favorites. The Masquerade™ potato is the definition of food art. The skin is a swirl of purple and gold that reveals a mellow gold flesh. Perfect for potato salads, baked potatoes, stuffed potato skins, or any application the shows off the skin. The second is the Harvest Moon™ potato. We have been talking about this spud for years, and it is hands down the tastiest round potato we have ever eaten. Difficult to market a blinding bright yellow flesh potato when it is wrapped in purple skin, but that is our challenge, and we challenge you! If you are seriously willing to do a taste test, we will provide the spuds. This year’s crop yields are predominantly size A for the Masquerade™ and size B for the Harvest Moon™. Both these varieties are sorted and washed at our Colorado facility where they can be packed in totes, 50#, 20#, or retail bags for FOB pick up or pre-ordered for distribution at either one of our coastal forward distribution facilities. Please reach out to your culinary rep for details. NEW PRODUCE QUIZ – WHO AM I ??? I grow on a drought and frost resistant, deciduous tree, a relative of a tree that produces turpentine. I can live in a natural state for hundreds of years. Just shake me down and gather me up. I know that you will be surprised to learn that I am actually a fruit. Actually I am an ovoid drupe, but unlike a peach, it’s my pit, not my hull that you eat. Since ancient biblical times, as early as 7,000 BC, my treasure has fueled many peoples. The Queen of Sheba is said to have hoarded us for royal consumption only. Today, as migratory nomads travel with herds across the northern parts of the Middle East, they depend on my kernels growing in the wild. Legend claims that good fortune comes to lovers on a moonlit night when they hear my shell crack as it ripens on my tree. Iranians call my open shell “laughing.” This mature split is unique and allows us to be processed in our own “package.” Neither migratory nomads nor the Queen ever found us dressed in red – dyed to cover the harvesting stains and appear more attractive to consumers. Historically imported, or a rare domestic luxury in the United States, families stained their fingers each holiday season to enjoy our chlorophyll-colored, expensive treats. In the 1970’s California commercially produced us on a larger scale in our natural-colored birthday suits, making us a lot more available and much more reasonably priced. Whole, ground, chopped, with or without salt, enjoy us as a snack; love us in ice cream and other dessert confections. Our unique, delicate, almost sweet, taste is packed with potassium, protein, carbohydrates, and dietary fiber.
Answer to last quiz….GUAVA…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