Market Notes
September 15, 2016
COLORADO POTATO SEASON RAMPING UP
As we write this our SPA partners are harvesting our Fingerling potatoes that will be ready for shipping in mid-October, after a 3 to 4 week curing period. We do have some early crop organic Russian Banana and in 3 weeks we will add two more Fingerling colors to our organic selection. Staying with the organics our russet potatoes are really nice looking and we offer them in totes, bails, bulk or retail. Organic red and yellows are also available. Until that time we have product for immediate loading in Edison, California. Finally let us not forget about the wonderful, amazing and very tasty Harvest Moon potatoes, where “The Gold Is On The Inside.” More details from the San Luis Valley as the crop is ready to ship.
PAW-PAWS
We have begun shipping Paw-Paws. Oddly enough a product we promote out of the Ohio Valley is shipping out of Maryland. This means there are new growers and the popularity is growing. Soon we will see commercial crop on the west coast. This crop from Maryland is an early crop but it is clean and quite shippable. There is not large volume of fruit and this is a Fed-Ex only program. Packaging is billed as a 10# case but is usually received as 12#’s or more. There is a three case minimum, and shipping days are Tuesday and Thursday for Wednesday or Friday delivery. Case is padded with bubble wrap and each fruit is individually sleeved to avoid bruising and retard ripening. This program will last into early October where we will reach out to other growers in Ohio and Michigan. Paw-Paws are available through November unless there is an unusually early frost. Paw-Paws ripen like a banana with black lines and bruise marks developing as they ripen. When fully brown and soft the flavor is very similar to that of a Crème Brulee though you might have to put them in a clam shell to sell retail.
NEW PRODUCE QUIZ – – WHO AM I???
I taste best! I belong to a group that has over 600 genuses, and 13,000 species, so being number one is quite an achievement. My family and I have been cultivated for the past 11,000 years. Contrary to my name, my particular species originated in Central and South America. Like potatoes and maize, I was a present to Europe, not a native as so many were compelled to believe. I can be found cultivated in Mexico and Guatemala, but when I’m wild I reach for the sky. It was only after the 1500’s when the Spanish came to the New World that I was introduced to Europe and Asia. Misnamed and mispronounced seems to be my lot in life. Not even the European will partake of me, but humanoids have come to hold me in high esteem as a culinary delight. I have a rich green color with a slight bloom to my skin. I am a fast grower, so many cannot figure out why sometimes I am in short supply. I require warm soil to germinate, which can be accomplished indoors, then transplanted to warm fields. I am a self-pollinator, so I do not need a mate to keep me happy. As long as you pluck me regularly, I will continue to produce. I am a high-end alternative used in Nicoise Salad. To the palate I am silky and smooth and tender when young and can be eaten raw in salads. Otherwise I can be steamed, marinated, or pickled. Like all my relatives I am high in folic acid, potassium, iron, and magnesium. I also supply thiamin, zinc, copper, and I am a rich source of fiber and vitamin C. My price usually soars every holiday because it can. That’s what comes from being the best.
.
Answer To Last Week’s Quiz…MANGOSTEEN…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., 2015