Eat This Now—Tuesday 03/02/10

Mar 01
2010
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Best if Used By 03/08/10

Eat This Now for Tuesday March 2, 2010 features: Red Grapefruit, Asparagus, Gold Pineapples, Premium Winter Apples, and Romaine Hearts.

1. Red Grapefruit

Need a ray of sunshine this week?  Refresh yourself with Red Grapefruit.  “But Produce Geek, Grapefruit take too much work to eat, plus – aren’t they sour?”  Good Grapefruit are sour… AND sweet.  Add sugar to peak of the season Grapefruit? – that’s like adding sugar to Frosted Flakes.  Nature has ‘em all sweetened up for you when the crop is at it’s best.  Right now Organic and Conventional Red Flame and Dark Red Grapefruit varieties from Florida are about as good as they come.  Texas Rio Star Grapefruit are high quality too.  Skin scars and blemishes do not impact flavor, so choose your Red Grapefruit by what feels heavy for it’s size to get ones packed with juice.

Red Grapefruit

You’re right, Grapefruit are indeed tedious to cut and section, especially if you’re an impatient fruitivore like me.  Here are some videos of methods some folks use to get at the juicy goodness post-haste:

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2. Asparagus

Great price, great quality – why not go for it!  Give yourself a preview of Spring.  New crop Green Asparagus is abundant from Mexico right now and just begging to be steamed, sauteed, boiled, grilled or baked into your favorite casserole.  Organic Asparagus will be about as low priced as it ever gets in the next two weeks.

Asparagus

P.S. Garlic and Lemons totally dig hangin’ out with Asparagus in tasty recipes.

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3. Gold Pineapples

Last call!  Super Sweet variety Gold Pineapples will be shorter in supply in coming weeks due to light supplies.  So why highlight them?  Well, there are still decent amounts of XL and Jumbo Gold Pineapples in the pipeline this week and lots of hot advertised specials in major supermarket chains to promote them.  Grab one or two before the price goes up.

Gold Pineapples

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4. Premium Winter Apples

Got hooked on Honeycrisp, but not sure what apple to buy now since they are done for the season?  Time to try something new, but not sacrifice on flavor and texture.  Here are four premium winter varieties you might find in that spot where the Honeycrisps used to be at your supermarket:

  • Ambrosia: Fine-textured flesh, aromatic, very sweet – think Golden Delicious meets a marshmallow. (though crop is finishing soon)
    Ambrosia Apples

     

  • Jazz: Hard and crunchy, tart yet still quite sweet – interesting.
    Jazz Apples

     

  • Pacific Rose: Crisp, lightly sweet, juicy crunch – almost floral.
    Pacific Rose Apples

     

  • Pinata: Crisp, clean flesh, old-time apple flavor with tropical undertones.
    Pinata Apples

Hate mealy apples? Vote for your favorite Non-Mushy Apple below:

Campaign Against Mushy Apples – Who likes mushy apples? Exactly. Vote for your favorite NON-Mushy apple variety available in Winter, and Yes, there are some major varieties missing that can be way too inconsistent on texture this time of year. P.S. Alas, Honeycrisp are done for the season. And, yo – Gala and Granny Smith, you’re both on my mushy-watchlist this time of the year.

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5. Romaine Hearts

Take advantage of heavy harvests and discounted pricing this week on Organic and Conventional Romaine Hearts.  Hearts are sweeter and crisper than the dark green outer leaves of Romaine.  Romaine Hearts usually hold up well in your refrigerator, but I do recommend that you use what you buy quickly this week.  These Romaine Hearts were subjected to lots of rain earlier in their growing cycle, loading them with water.  Excess water can turn to rib-rust or pick ribbing several days after the lettuce has been harvested, so don’t dilly-dally – fresh is best anyway!

Romaine Hearts

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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: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Eat This Now—Tuesday 12/22/09

Dec 22
2009
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Best if Used By 12/28/09

Eat This Now for Tuesday December 22, 2009 features: Gold Pineapples, Sweet Potatoes, Asparagus, Pacific Rose Apples, and Organic Navel Oranges.

1. Gold Pineapples

Super sweet, super special.  What better way to celebrate the holidays than with the symbol of welcome – fresh Gold Pineapples!  Fresh Pineapples can be cored into rings to dress up your holiday ham.  You can carve them up and serve them on toothpicks as an appetizer.  Add them to a fresh fruit salad.  You can bring one to a gathering as a host gift.  Cube them for a delicious snack for friends and family that “graze” in your kitchen.  Or just enjoy one by yourself – mmm!

Gold Pineapples

Sometimes supplies get tight around Christmas, but this year fresh inventories from Central America are bountiful.  Stores are promoting super-sweet variety Gold Pineapples at great prices this week.  Organic Super Sweet Pineapples are in good supply and high quality right now too!  Organic “Pines” tend to have a greener skin and whiter flesh, but the sugar content of the flesh is outstanding!

Here are a few notes on choosing your Gold Pineapple. No waiting is necessary, Gold Pineapples are expertly harvested as ripe and do not really ripen after harvest. Sure, the color on the shell may darken or become less green, but the fruit is just getting older and less fresh. Cut it shortly after buying. Don’t let it sit on your counter forever hoping it turns yellow, it could end up black, brown and overripe, yuck! At the store, green versus gold shell color does not always indicate ripeness or sugar content, so pick one that is fresh looking, is firm and has a healthy crown. Pineapples are tropical fruit, store at room temperature, then refrigerate only after cutting.  An easy way to cut your Gold Pineapple is to slice the crown off about 1/2″ from the top and also cut the bottom 1/2″ off. Next, slice it quarters or eighths vertically. Cut off the woody core, then trim off the shell. Chop the spears into bite-sized chunks.

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2. Sweet Potatoes

Awesome anytime in the fall and winter, Sweet Potatoes are extra special around the holidays.  Common orange-fleshed Yams, which are actually a type of Sweet Potato, should find their way into your shopping cart (fresh, no cans here) and onto your Christmas table this week.  Kiln-dried (to help them last longer) Sweet Potatoes from the fall crop are shipping from NC, LA, MS and CA.  The best reason to buy this week is because they are likely on sale at your store -stock up!  Organic Jewel and Garnet Yams from California are particularly nice right now too.

Sweet Potatoes

Check out www.ncsweetpotatoes.com or www.sweetpotato.org for great recipe ideas.

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3. Asparagus

Need a great vegetable for the holiday dinner?  Fresh Asparagus has been nice out of Peru, buy some!  Look for advertised specials on Green and White Asparagus this week.  White Asparagus must be peeled before steaming, but is awesome served with butter.  Captain Obvious says, “Avoid Asparagus that has a bad odor or slime on the tips.”  Fresh Asparagus will be crisp, have tight tips and no aroma.

Asparagus

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4. Pacific Rose Apples

Still in search of the perfect apple – one with crunchy texture AND really sweet taste?  Or do you just want to mix it up a little bit to take a break from the ol’ standbys?  With delicate rosy pink to to red skin, Pacific Rose Apples pack a crispy crunch inside.  Not only is their texture good, Pacific Rose Apples are extremely sweet.

Pacific Rose Apples

This relatively new variety is a cross between Gala and Splendor apples.  The new crop of Organic and Conventional Pacific Rose Apples from Washington is available at some premium retailers and commands a premium price.  Find some and snack away!

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5. Organic Navel Oranges

Seedless, sweet, flavorful AND grown without pesticides or synthetic compounds!  Prices are dropping as volume is increasing on Organic Navel Oranges from California.  Quality from most growers has been solid, so it is a great time to try some.

Organic Navel Oranges

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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: , , , , , , , , ,

UPDATES on all of your Holiday Favorites

Dec 22
2009
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Curious about the fresh ingredients that are on your holiday shopping list?  Based on what I’m hearing from growers and retailers, and seeing on the dock, this is what you can expect at the supermarket Christmas week:

  • Clementines: Take advantage of great pricing with ad features on 5lb Gift Boxes of seedless, easy-peeling Clementines from Spain and Morocco.  Yummm!  In January ads on Clementines will not be as hot and quality will start to wane just a bit.  Satsuma Mandarins from California are an outstanding Made in the USA alternative (even sweeter than Clementines, based on what I’ve tasted the past month).
  • California Navel Oranges: Great quality, pricing and availability on all sizes!  Buy some, enjoy them, give some away for other to enjoy.  Juicy, sweet and healthy!
  • Sweet Potatoes (Yams): See this week’s Eat This Now.
  • Lettuces: Lettuces remain expensive.  Supplies and quality on Iceberg, Romaine, Romaine Hearts, Red Leaf and Green Leaf have improved slightly versus last month.
  • Bagged Salads: Quality has improved with the input product for Bagged Salads so most will hold up well to their expiration date.  But the major snow storm that rocked the East Coast and beyond this past weekend has caused significant disruptions to the supply chain.  Some parts of the country, especially the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic may experience some out-of-stocks on their favorite salads due to trucks with lettuce raw product not making it to the processing facilities in time which has a ripple effect on produce warehouses and the supermarkets they supply.
  • Cranberries: Caution.  All Fresh Cranberries are now actually storage Cranberries from earlier in the fall.  Quality is suspect.  Inspect your bags for soft and decayed berries.  Firm berries are perfectly fine.  It is a store’s goal to be out of Cranberries immediately after Christmas.  Freeze your Cranberries if you want to extend your enjoyment.
  • Green Beans: Quality from Florida has been good on Green Beans, but cold weather has put the brakes on supply this week.
  • Celery: Weather has caused a serious shortage on celery right now and prices have shot through roof!  What’s put on the shelf is good, but this is just not very much celery ready to be harvested in the fields.  Many supermarkets planned their ads weeks in advance and put celery at a discount, so go ahead and take advantage if you can.  If not on ad, celery and celery hearts are almost double the average price.
  • Broccoli and Broccoli Crowns: Quality is just OK.  The crown size has been a bit small and pricing firm, but if they look good – buy.
  • Cauliflower: OK quality, pricing will be higher than usual.
  • Romanesco: This specialty vegetable looks like a Christmas tree green cauliflower.  If you find it – buy it.  Steam and serve with butter.
  • Brussels Sprouts: Delicious flavor, solid quality.  Try some holiday – roasted or blanched then sauteed!
  • Asparagus: See this week’s Eat This Now.
  • Red, Gold, Idaho, White Potatoes: Quality and appearance on Red and Gold Potatoes is awesome!  For best affordability, choose Idaho Russets (best for mashing) and White Potatoes.
  • Spanish Yellow Onions: Great quality. Great pricing.  Get cookin’!
  • Carrots/Baby Carrots: Baby Peeled and Bagged Carrots have decent quality with affordable pricing.  Bunched Carrots with tops are good too.
  • Broccoli Rabe: Nice choice this week for a bold side dish, though pricing is strong.
  • Anise (Fennel): Major shortage due to cool weather.  Product will be expensive and small.
  • Artichokes: Pricing is very high because of lack of availability due to cold weather which causes discoloration artichoke.  This discoloration is referred to as “Frost Kissed” and is said to actually improve the flavor.
  • Baking Apples: All of your favorites are good to go:  McIntosh, Empire, Cortland, Red Rome, Granny Smith and Braeburn.
  • Dessert Pears: Storage Bartletts are winding down, in fact Organic Bartletts are done for the season.  Juicy Green and Red Anjous, Crunchy Bosc and Sweet Comice (The Christmas Pear) are fantastic options.
  • Fresh Herbs: Buys some.  Fresh Herbs like bay leaves, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme make the difference for holiday recipes.
  • Italian Chestnuts: Go ahead, try out an old-fashioned recipe because quality is great.  But this is you last chance to enjoy fresh Chestnuts.  After Christmas, most stores hope to be sold out for the seasons.
  • White Mushrooms: Look for aggressive holiday promotions, especially on jumbo-sized stuffing mushrooms.
  • Baking Nuts (Pecans, Walnuts, Almonds): 2009′s crop is available in-shell.  2008′s crop shelled and ready for use.  Go nuts – bake away!
  • Cooking Greens: Conventional Collards and Kale were steady on the East Coast until this past weekend.  Prices may jump up a bit.  Organic Collards, Kale and Lacinato are expensive and tighter in supply.
  • Tomatoes: Florida round Tomatoes are still high in price but showing signs of dropping in price and improving in quality.  Grape Tomato quality is great and flavor is good.  Look for in-store specials on Grape Tomatoes.
  • Grapes: Expensive, expensive, expensive.  New crop Seedless Grapes from Chile will be coming in January.
  • Persimmons: Some growers are still promoting deals from a heavy crop, but this season is winding down.  Fuyu variety you can eat right away, but Hachiya need to be soft-ripe.
  • Pomegranates: Supplies of fresh Pomegranates are just about sold out for the season.  Quality is so-so.  Don’t worry, the juice is available bottled all year.
  • Gold Pineapple: See this week’s Eat This Now
  • Medjool Dates: Awesome flavor, sweetness and quality from California.  So delicious they deserve to be on the cookie plate.
  • Dried Figs: Black Mission and Calmyrnia varieties available dried.
Written by Produce Geek in: Announcements | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,