TOMATOES (Monday, June 29): Fourth of July picnics coming up this weekend. I know you’re probably planning your menu right now, and of course you’re probably going to have either a salad, maybe some burgers, hot dog…well, whatever you’re having, you’re probably going to need some beautiful summertime tomatoes. This is the time of year. Oh, my goodness! Here in the summer! Ooh hoo! We have some of the most vine-ripened tomatoes you’re going to find. Now, a couple things about tomatoes you need to know. First of all, this is a subtropical fruit. Never in a million years put it in a refrigerator. Just before your picnic like on Saturday or Sunday, make sure you keep these out at room temperature. That way they get the most flavor they’re going to have. Now, the morning of your picnic for Fourth of July, right? You’re preparing everything. You’re slicing and dicing everything. Do not slice your tomato yet. You wait for the picnic. You must take a knife with you. Take a cutting board with you, and just before you serve the burgers…just before you serve the salad, that’s when you’re going to cut your tomato and that’s when you’re going to have the most flavor. I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.

RED, WHITE, AND BLUE DESSERT (Tuesday, June 30): All right. We’re going to do a little red, white, and blue dessert here. Of course you’ve got your blue down here – some beautiful blueberries. Now this is a great dessert to get your kids or your grandkids in the kitchen. And, you know, everybody has some of this nondairy creamer that you just spray in there. Oh, my goodness. My kids just love that stuff. Now we’re just going to place set the raspberries right on in here. Now again, this is the perfect thing to get your kids in the kitchen. Make sure, for Heaven’s sake, make sure the kids wash their hands before they get in here to do this. Now of course you’re going to put another layer of whipped cream right on top and then maybe we’ll sprinkle oh just a few more blueberries right on top. There you’ve got a red, white, and blue dessert that’s really healthy. You’ve got these beautiful berries in there. It’s so simple to do even dad could do it and certainly the kids can do it. Now of course you’ve got berries, make sure you wash them just before you put them in the dessert. Don’t wash them ahead of time but just before you use them. I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.

RUSSET POTATOES (Wednesday, July 1): Hey, this week Idaho became our 43rd state back in 1890. Thank goodness for Idaho because we have beautiful Idaho Russet Burbank potatoes. Now there’s lots of regions around the country that grow Burbank Russet potatoes, but Idaho is certainly known for their great Burbank Russets. Now, a couple weeks ago I was talking about making some potato salad. Of course we have Fourth of July coming up and I know there’s a lot of people that you want to make your potato salad out of your Russet potatoes, and I talked earlier about reds and whites. You know, new potatoes are always best for your potato salads, but if you reallly want to do a Russet potato, that’s cool with me. I’m not the potato police. These are actually cheaper than everything else, so why not? So here’s the trick of doing the Russet potatoes for potato salad. Make sure when you boil this potato, do not peel it. Make sure you keep the peel as you’re boiling these potatoes, then let them cool, then peel it. Now your potato salad will out so much better with those Russets. I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.

CORN ON THE COB (Thursday, July 2): Fourth of July picnics coming up this weekend. I know you’re probably going to turn on the barbecue. Whatever you’re going to do you’re probably going to have some corn on the cob. That’s right. Oh, my goodness! Get some fresh corn on the cob going. Oh, let me do something here. I want to see if you can hear this. I’m going to take the end of this. I’m just going to pull it back. Are you ready for this? Do you hear all that squeaking going on? That is such a great sign. When you take the top of the corn on the cob and you peel it back and you hear all of that…it’s a squeak, man. It’s just…listen to that squeak. Man, it just squeaks. That is a sign that this is some really fresh corn on the cob. Now if you’re going to put this on the grill, of course what you need to do, you need to get all that silk off. Look at all that silk! Did you know that there is one silk for every kernal of corn? So there’s like 360 silks. You’ve got to get them all off before you put them on the grill or else they’ll burn. It doesn’t taste very good. By the way, put them on the grill, it melts your butter perfectly. I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man. (Takes Bite) Mmmm.

FOOD SAFETY (Friday, July 3): Fourth of July holiday picnics, oh my goodness! They’re going to be all over the place, and I know you’re probably going to have a great Fourth of July celebration as we celebrate the birth of the United States of America. Now one of the most important things…actually it is the most important thing when you’re talking about a picnic - well, menu I guess is pretty important. What you’re going to have for your Fourth of July picnic is good too. But the most important thing in my eyes – food safety. When you are out of the kitchen and you’re at like a park or someplace else, maybe out at the lake, you really have to think food safety. There are a couple things you need to remember when you’re thinking food safety. First of all, see these? Make sure all the kids, all the adults, wash their hands before they eat…even wash your hands before you start preparing your picnic. Number two – bring lots of ice. Ice is cheap. That way you can keep all the vegetables and fruit, all the cold things…you’ve got to keep them ice cold. Bring lots of ice. That way Aunt Martha and Uncle Earl won’t get sick at your Fourth of July picnic. I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.

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