Eat This Now for the Week of 08/16/10

Aug 16
2010
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Best if Used By 08/23/10

Eat This Now for the week of August 16th, 2010 features: Honeydew, California Cantaloupes, Cauliflower, Plums, and Variety Peppers.

1. Honeydew

Sweet, juicy, luscious… If you eat one Honeydew all year – make sure to do it between now and early September because the season’s peak is upon us!  And when Honeydew Melons are at their best even non-melon-eaters can love them – they’re just that awesome.

End of the summer harvests in California net large, sweet Honeydew – no crunchy, cucumber tasting fruit here.  For maximum deliciousness, allow you Honeydew to ripen at room temperature until the skin color fades to show a bit of light tan/yellow color.  It will also start to feel waxy, smell sweet and give just slightly to thumb pressure.  Do not be afraid of a few hard brown vein-looking things on the outside as they’re often an indication of high sugar contents.  I hope you’re blown away!

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2.  California Cantaloupes

Need a color compliment for that crazy-yummy Honeydew in your melon bowl?  California Cantaloupes will fit the bill.  They taste good, have firm, dense flesh and are extremely plentiful – and plentiful equates to Ad Prices and cheap in-store specials the next two weeks.  Just in time too, because Athena-style Cantaloupes from the Mid-Atlantic and Mid-West are on the wane from their peak run.  California Organic Cantaloupes are available too – at a higher price.

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3.  Cauliflower

Look for deals on Organic and Conventional Cauliflower right now.  There’s plenty of supply on quality product, but not much demand.  So if you need a break from Sweet Corn (no way!) or something flavorful to add to your veggie – Cauliflower is the way to go this week.

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4.  Plums

Are you a fan of fresh Plums?  Well, go get your Plum on, because there is a flush of jumbo-sized, juicy Red and Black Plums from California hitting stores and markets across the country.  “Red” and “Black” refer to the skin color, the flesh will be yellow with tinges of pink on most varieties this week.  Prices will be affordable and quality is nice.  If Plums just aren’t consistently sweet enough for you, upgrade to Pluots.

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5.  Variety Peppers

Peak of the local season is here for many parts of the country on Variety Peppers – what better time to enjoy old favorites and experiment with new ones than now! How well do you know your Chili’s?  Here are some you might find at your local market:

  • Cubanelle: aka Frying Peppers, crooked-cone shaped, lime green, thin-walled and mild – great for stuffing and frying
  • Banana: sweet, yellow-green – make sure they’re sweet banana instead of hot yellow wax
  • Poblano: aka Pasilla, dark green, wide-flat cone shape, mild, great for Tex-Mex and stuffing
  • Anaheim: green, red when mature, shape = Chili’s restaurant symbol, mild to medium heat, ideal in Southwest cooking and salsa
  • Long Hots: long, slender, crooked, dark green, medium heat but hot when you get to the seeds (these were served whole, raw to me at a business lunch with Italian Hoagies in NYC once – I’ve been a fan ever since)
  • Hungarian: aka Yellow Wax, hot stuff
  • Jalapeno: small, dark green, immediately spicy; perfect for salsa, pico de gallo and kicking anything up a notch
  • Serrano: like Jalapeno’s, except lighter green, thinner and hotter
  • Scotch Bonnet and Habanero: Holy Cow! you better know what you are doing with these green, red or orange little gnarled-cone shaped mega-hot peppers – Watch out!

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

The Produce Geek,

Jonathan K. Steffy

Written by Produce Geek in: Eat This Now | Tags: , , , ,

Eat This Now—Tuesday 01/19/10

Jan 18
2010
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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

Written by Produce Geek in: Eat This Now | Tags: , , , ,