Eat This Now—Tuesday 01/19/10

Jan 18
2010

Best if Used By 01/25/10

Eat This Now for Tuesday January 19, 2010 features: Blueberries, Honey Dew, Cantaloupe, Organic Romaine Hearts, and Organic Baby Greens.

1. Blueberries

Got winter blues?  Good for you!  I’m referring, of course, to Winter Blueberries.  It’s actually summertime down in Chile; and in spite of a crop that is falling short of original pre-season estimates, now through mid-February looks to be an excellent time to enjoy some fresh Blueberries.  For the first time, most Chilean blueberry growers will be packing much of their fruit during the peak of the season in full pint clamshells.  Yes! – you’ll get enough fruit for more than just one bowl of cereal.  Look for full pints this week for around $4 to $6.  Some stores may continue to sell the smaller 6oz containers to keep a lower price point, some may carry both sizes.  Either way, fresh Blueberries are worth a taste.  Berry size has been large on the lots I’ve seen this week and flavor has been delicious (6oz Organic Blueberries tasted phenomenal).  All of the other kinds of berries are really expensive right now so grab a couple packs of Blueberries this week – yummy and healthy, what a combo!

Blueberries

If you need any more convincing on the dynamite health attributes of Blueberries, or if you dig finding cool new recipes – visit http://www.blueberrycouncil.org/about-winter.php.  Check out their Winter Blueberry video while you’re there to see how berries are picked and packed.

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2.  Honeydew

“Honeydew, That’s the money melon” – though this week you should not have to spend a ton of money to buy one.  There are plenty of good honeydew loads arriving from Central America right now and shippers are moving them at a discount.  It is typically harder to find a good ‘n sweet Honeydew in the dead of winter, but you’re chances are much better this week.  Select a melon with creamy skin color and expect a tropical aroma when they’re ripe for cutting.  If you don’t like what you see on the shelf – skip it, but hopefully you’ll find a nice Honeydew and it will cost you less than $3.

Honeydew

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3.  Cantaloupe

There have been some decent Cantaloupes from Guatemala and Honduras the past several weeks, but the samples I just tasted from two loads of Costa Rican fruit were exceptional for winter off-shore lopes.  The skin has a green cast and the flesh is firm, so it may surprise you how sweet the cantaloupe actually tastes.  Now, don’t go expecting local summertime quality, because you won’t get it.  Still, tons of stores across the US are advertising XL and Jumbo Cantaloupes this week, so it’s a good buy – and probably a particularly satisfying one if you find Costa Rican fruit.

Cantaloupe

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4.  Organic Romaine Hearts

A large organic vegetable grower in California had extra production last week on Organic Romaine Hearts, which may translate into an in-store special where you shop for produce.  The heart size is running on the small side, but after a stretch of high prices it’s nice to see some deals on fresh, crisp and juicy Organic Romaine Hearts.

Organic Romaine Hearts

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5.  Organic Baby Greens

Since I’m sure you’re sticking to your Resolutions, you’re probably eating lots of salads, right?  Well, even if you’re not, this is a great week to buy a container or bag or three of Organic Baby Greens (basically spring mix).  Tender in texture, bold and nutty in flavor, Baby Greens can be the start of all kinds of exciting salads.  I am not a scientist, just a Produce Geek with a Netbook, but it’s easy to imagine that baby lettuces are something that would soak up pesticides.  Go organic this week with Organic Baby Greens – hey, they might on sale too.

Organic Baby Greens

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Forward this to a friend if you think they’ll like it – Here’s to fresh produce!

The Produce Geek,
Jonathan K. Steffy

Our Tweets of the Week 2009-12-04

Dec 04
2009
Every week we tweet a lot of interesting stuff highlighting great Fruit and Vegetable content that we come across during our daily activities at work. We share these tid bits of knowledge with those of you interested on Twitter.

The best way to keep track of our tweets is simply to follow us on Twitter, however, in case you missed some here’s a quick and useful compilation of the tweets that we sent out this past week.

To keep up to date with all the cool links, simply follow us @TheProduceGeek

  • Eat This Now: Comice Pears, Blueberries, Seedless Cucumbers, Star Grapefruit, Baby Peeled Carrots. http://bit.ly/69jdt5
  • What pear is commonly used in gourmet holiday fruit baskets for it’s exquisite flavor? Comice! read more… http://bit.ly/6VIbH5
  • What pear is commonly used in gourmet holiday fruit baskets for it’s exquisite flavor? Comice! read more… http://bit.ly/6VIbH5
  • Give gift of Fresh! Make your own Fruit Baskets this holiday season with Comice Pears. http://bit.ly/8BRKT2
  • It is late spring in Argentina & Chile which means fresh crop Blueberries! Watch for ads at your store. http://bit.ly/7CaXSo
  • Try some delicious Comice this week. www.producegeek.com RT @USApears: December is National Pear Month! http://bit.ly/8C5NUG
  • Blueberries linked to digestive/eye/brain health, may protect against cancers. http://bit.ly/79TdDv
  • Blueberries are among the world’s healthiest superfoods! BUT still cannot protect against a Chuck Norris roundhouse.
  • Long Seedless Cucumbers go by many names, some not so endearing. Forget names… http://bit.ly/6eHYN8
  • Tasted Ghost Pepper Salsa today – Hottest Pepper around. Good flavor, but feels like a coffee burn on my tongue & heat is still building!
  • Produce Box Labels that crack us up! Vote for your favorite on the site – http://bit.ly/6Xr3IK #

Eat This Now—Tuesday 12/01/09

Nov 30
2009

Best if Used By 12/07/09

Eat This Now for Tuesday December 01, 2009 features: Comice Pears, Blueberries, Long Seedless Cucumbers, Star Grapefruit, and Baby Peeled Carrots.

1.  Comice Pears

On Black Friday a Christmas catalog came in the mail from Harry & David, the Oregon-based Gourmet Gift Basket company that is famous for their prized Royal Riviera Pears.  The pears are large, super-juicy, creamy in texture and luxuriously sweet.  Harry & David’s slogan reads, “So big and juicy, you eat them with a spoon.”  Who wouldn’t want to receive a gift basket full of fancy crackers, nuts, cheeses, candies – and exquisite pears!

Wondering how you can find pears that good for yourself?  The Royal Riviera Pears registered to Harry & David’s are actually a type of Comice Pear.  Comice Pears originated in France, were introduced to the Pacific Northwest in the 1890s and have come to be known as the Christmas Pear since they are so often used in gourmet fruit baskets.  These pears are round with a short neck and have green skin that is sometimes cheeked with red blush.  You know they are ripe when the neck gives to gentle pressure from your thumb.  Get ready for some juiciness!

Comice Pears

Organic and Conventional Comice Pears can be found at most grocery stores right now and the crop is cleaner this year from the appearance standpoint.  Though don’t be scared away from skin scars since they do not detract from the sweet taste.  Buy some this week to try.  If you like them, and you WILL, try making your own Pear Gift Basket this year for a friend.  (Go to www.usapears.com for tips.)  Or just buy more Comice Pears to gift yourself.

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2.  Blueberries

Healthy AND Tasty… but often Pricey and out of season.  There’s good news, Blueberry fans!  It’s late spring in the Southern Hemisphere.  So Blueberries ARE in season in Argentina and Chile and import volumes are promotable for supermarkets right now.  Keep an eye out for $2.99, 2/$5.00 and even Buy One/Get One FREE promotions this month on 4.4oz and 6oz containers at your store.  Quality has been nice – sweet and plump, perfect for your yogurt, cereal, pancakes or as an antioxidant-packed fresh snack!

Blueberries

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3.  Long Seedless Cucumbers

Mild flavor, crisp flesh, very few seeds (and even those are barely noticeable), consistent and straight for easy slicing; Long Seedless Cucumbers are worth the higher price if those attributes make sense to you.  Excellent for veggie trays, salads, sandwiches, julienning or plain old crunchy snacking; Long Seedless Cucumbers are sold individually wrapped.  Called Hothouse Cucumbers, Greenhouse Cucumbers, Cello Cucumbers, Euro Cucumbers and English Cucumbers, by any name they are good right now.  Both Canadian and Mexican greenhouses are in production so prices are reasonable and quality is good.

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4.  Star Grapefruit

Looking for Red Grapefruit with full-flavor, full-sweetness and full-red flesh color?  Look for Star variety grapefruit: Star Ruby from Florida and Rio Star from Texas are some of the highest quality grapefruit out there right now.  Check the fine print on the PLU sticker or bag, read the signage or ask your produce clerk if they carry Rio Star or Star Ruby Grapefruit.

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5. Baby Peeled Carrots

Did you know that Baby Peeled Carrots are not grown as Baby Carrots?  These convenient, healthy, tasty carrots are, in fact, regular carrots that are cut into sections and tumbled in peeler tanks to remove the skin and smooth them into the snack size pieces you’ve come to love.  The process is amazing – from the field to the bag less than a day.  And the popularity of Baby Carrots has turned them into a Produce Department staple.

OK, ChallengeBefore the next round of holiday feasts, replace your Achilles-heal salty snack of choice with Organic or Conventional Baby Carrots as a sweet and crunchy way to improve your diet.  Go for it!

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Forward this to a friend if you think they’ll like it – Here’s to fresh produce!

The Produce Geek,
Jonathan K. Steffy

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