Eat This Now for the Week of 12/19/11

Best if Used By 01/01/12

Eat This Now for the week of December 19th, 2011 features:
Blueberries, Sweet Potatoes, Clementines, Green Peppers, Organic Baby Carrots

1. Blueberries:

PEAK SEASON | BEST FLAVOR | VALUE PRICED

Peak season for Blueberries? At Christmas? Well, yeah… just not in this hemisphere. Summer is only beginning in Chile, a country with several prolific Blueberry growing regions. Fresh Organic and Conventional Blueberries are arriving from Chile via vessels into US ports with increasing volume right now, making this delicious and healthy berry a great fruit choice in produce departments here in late December and into January. The tart, first of the season Chilean fruit and most of the softer, late Argentina crop is through the supply pipeline, making way for the plump, firm, sweet and flavorful peak season Blueberries from Chile. Expect reasonable pricing and enticing sales the next two months on a variety of pack size, especially 6oz and full pint (11oz) containers.

Blue Christmas.

When the eating quality is good, like right now – whoa, what a treat! Kids dig ‘em too. I rinsed a full pint container of Blueberries on Sunday and in less than 10 minutes my pre-schoolers had housed the whole pack! Antioxidant rich Blueberries are fantastic for adding to salads, cereal, yogurt, smoothies, and of course, for plain ol’ snacking. Recipes are really starting to evolve with fresh Blueberries. How do you like to use Blueberries?

INSIDER TIP: When selecting fresh Blueberries inspect the top and bottom of the package to avoid shrivelled, smashed-together or wet berries. Seek out Blueberries with the silver, powdery “bloom” on them. Bloom is a naturally occurring wax that forms a protective layer on the fruit while it is growing and is a tell-tale sign of freshness!

2. Sweet Potatoes:

PEAK SEASON | BEST FLAVOR | VALUE PRICED

‘Tis the season for sweet things. Why not use potatoes that are sweet… and loaded with Beta Carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Manganese. Whip up your best holiday recipes or make some baked Sweet Potato Fries for game-day snacking. Sweet Potatoes, which are often referred to as Yams, have enjoyed great quality from all major growing areas – NC, MS, LA and CA. Expect sale pricing for Christmas …Yes! Organic Sweet Potatoes from California are also in excellent supply with beautiful appearance and flavor.

Sweet Potato with Dates and Pecans.

Inspired by a friend’s suggestion, I experimented with a dish this weekend that pairs two of my favorites – Sweet Potatoes and Medjool Dates. I peeled and chopped 3lb of Sweet Potatoes into even 1″ chunks, tossed them in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and seasoned them with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, coarse salt and cracked black pepper. Next, I placed them in a 8″x8″ casserole dish, covered the dish with foil and baked them at 450 degrees for 20 minutes. While they cooked, I pitted and diced 10 Medjool Dates and chopped 1/2 a cup of Pecans. Pulling the Sweet Potatoes out of the oven, I added the Date and Pecan pieces across the top, and then placed them back in oven to roast for 10 more minutes uncovered (or until the Sweet Potatoes could be easily pierced with a fork). It was tasty!

3. Clementines:

PEAK SEASON | BEST FLAVOR | VALUE PRICED

We’re talkin’ Clementines once again here in December! But why shouldn’t we? These seedless, snackable citrus fruits are at the peak of their season from Spain and California, plus many stores are featuring the 5lb Gift Boxes at low prices for Christmas. The “Cuties” brand of Clementines from California is widely being promoted too. Peak season Clementines peel easier and simply taste better than any other time of the year. You may also find Organically grown Clementines from California at natural foods stores and organic markets here in late December and into January. Sweet!

Cutie the SnowMan with POM Bottle, his SnowMan buddy.

Question of the Week: What is the most amount of Clementines you’ve eaten in one sitting?

4. Green Peppers:

PEAK SEASON | VALUE PRICED

Florida growers are picking some outstanding Green Bell Peppers right now. Sizing is big, the walls are thick, the color is deep green and the flavor is fresh and bright. Totally stuffable, carvable and sliceable – you can do some fun things with Green Peppers for your holiday parties. And because there is such a great supply of Green Bell Peppers, prices are lower. Cool!

Big Bell Peps!

Organic Pick of the Week
5. Organic Baby Carrots:

BEST FLAVOR | VALUE PRICED

Gotta keep some Baby Peeled Carrots in the fridge for the holidays, right? You never know when you’ll need ‘em – for side dishes, afternoon snacking, late night healthy snacking, veggie trays and more. Stores will be promoting Organic Baby Carrots from California, making them a fine choice this week keep things crunchy and healthy.

A “must have” this holiday season.

Merry Christmas! and Happy New Year!
- from your friends at ProduceGeek.com – Justin and Jonathan

A fresh new edition will be out on Monday 01/02/2012.
The Produce Geek, Jonathan K. Steffy