Market Notes
September 3, 2015
CALIFORNIA HEATWAVE COLLAPSES
It is finally getting better. Warm days and cool nights have returned. There are still some issues but for the most part things are growing as they should. Here’s what we know. Spring mix has come on strong since the heat reduction. There is abundant product, allocations are over and prices should drop for next week loading. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the spinach. The intense heat seemed to put the spinach in some dormant/hibernation state where in order to save itself it stops growing. Maybe Sleepy Spinach is a new product but it is very limited. Frisee is becoming more abundant and we can now take orders again. Kale and arugula both have increased volume but both are showing occasional yellowing from heat damage. This happens on the road and cannot be seen when run. Further south the heat issues have eased as well. Root veggies have clean strong tops but baby turnips are scarce as a result of heat damage from the past. Romanesco has also disappeared due to infestation. It’s out for six weeks but that has nothing to with the heat.
FALL SHROOMS ARE STARTING!!!
North of the drought plagued fields of California is the Pacific Northwest where most of our best foraged product originates. Things there are looking good! The Fall lineup of foraged mushrooms is beginning to make itself shown. Fresh out of the woods are the Lobster Mushroom! This meaty delicacy is a Fall variety favored as much for its solid structure as its delicate flavor. Coming on line soon are the Cauliflower Mushroom, White Chanterelles and the elusive but awesome Blue Chanterelle. Around the corner are the Domestic Black and White Truffles, as well!! Please stay tuned and we at Culinary will keep you posted as these luscious Fall varietals gather momentum.
LABOR DAY
Culinary Specialty Produce will be closed for basic operations on Monday, September 7th, 2015 in celebration of Labor Day. We will retain our 24/7 Culinary Emergency Services through our Global switchboard at 908-789-4700. We will continue to follow orders and track trucks throughout the holiday until normal operations resume on Tuesday, September 8th, 2015. From us and ours to your and yours we wish you a Healthy, Happy and Safe, holiday weekend. Eat Fingerlings, squeeze Fingerlimes.
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NEW PRODUCE QUIZ – – WHO AM I
I am never alone. Wanting to be pure and simple my whole life, but it was just not meant to be. I guess my first association was Greek. Then I went wild and since then I have been associated with Italians, Mexicans, golden showy, beautiful, wooly white, and happy hills. While I might be as old as the hills, that flavor won’t make you happy unless you want something scentless, tasteless and green. Keep that in your medicine cabinet to make poultices help with your everyday scorpion bites, sore muscles, and hair loss. The Greeks and the Romans discovered me first and I was considered a medicine by many, including Pliny and Dioscorides. Then the colonists brought me to America for their gardens, but I escaped, becoming wild once again. Free in the new land, I searched for good ground. Along the way I meet and fell in love with the tomato, a relationship that has been nurtured ever since. I also flirted a lot with zucchini, and was often the toast of the cucina. Then I met my sister (so they tell me) Marge and the confusion began again. Will it be her green leaves or my white flowers? Coarse rigini from Greece, or dried for a sprinkle? Her sweet oil, or my intense concentrated oil? Did you know it takes 200 pound of my leaves to produce a single pound of my oil? Anyway, no matter what I end up being called, I am essential in pizza, pasta, and many chili powders. I am popular in blossom, in fresh green leaf, or dried. I am often used as a healing tea. My nutrients include calcium, potassium, vitamin A, magnesium, phosphorus, and iron. Don’t carry me in a baggie or you’ll be suspect.
Answer To Last Quiz….Sugar Cane……Congrats To All Winners
Call 908-789-4700 –Lisa, Mark or Richard– Fax 908-789-4702
Visit us at www.culinaryproduce.com
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Culinary Specialty Produce, Inc., 2015