Last week’s YOUR PRODUCE MAN’S PRODUCE PUZZZZLER still dealt with winter citrus: Who planted the first Navel Orange in the U.S.? The navel orange is a bud-sport of the sweet orange. The mutation happened in a garden at a monastery in Bahia, Brazil around 1820. This particular mutation caused a doubling of the berry. Navel orange flowers produce little viable pollen; they do not need pollination to set the hesperidia. Seeds never develop and the ovary becomes a second rudimentary berry found within the orange at the apical end where the blossom was attached--the "navel" in the orange. Originated as a Latin American mutation of a variety from the Iberian Peninsula, the Washington Navel orange was first brought to California in the 1870’s and soon became a major catalyst to the eventual development of California's Citrus Industry. But, the story goes back much further…According to Ingersoll's Century Annals of San Bernardino County, covering the period from 1769 to 1904, Anson Van Leuven brought the first orange trees, six in number, to San Bernardino Valley from San Gabriel Valley in 1857. In 1869, Lewis F. Cram was given the opportunity to buy 500 trees, but opted to purchase only enough rootstock to plant 1 ¾ acres. By 1887, he showed a net profit of $1,757 on this meager planting, over $1,100 net per acre; a good fortune in those days. But it’s the Navel Orange tree we are interested in here. The Navel Orange is the premier eating orange in the world. In 1873, the U.S. Department of Agriculture sent two original orange trees to California, and were given to Eliza Tibbets as a gift from State Agricultural Commissioner William Saunders. After five years, the Tibbets' are harvesting their first crop. The tree's seedless oranges won awards at major expositions for their superior quality and taste, and Ms. Tibbets soon had a booming business selling buds from her celebrated stock. As word spread about their sweet, seedless oranges, bud stock from the Tibbets amazing trees began selling for $5 a bud! By 1910, one year before the National Orange Show began, at least 100,000 acres in the state were planted with the progeny of her trees, and California navel orange sales had reached $200 million. Today, one of Tibbet’s original Navel Orange trees, is still alive and producing fruit. It is protected by an iron fence. This week’s YOUR PRODUCE MAN’S PRODUCE PUZZZZLER still deals with winter citrus: Who planted the first citrus trees in California? See next week’s Fresh Tips for the answer.

IT’S CHINESE NEW YEAR WEEK: Happy New Year. Chinese New Year beings Thursday, January 22. It’s the year 4702, the Year of the Monkey. If you live in an area that has a Chinatown, chances are that at some point you've watched the Chinese New Year celebrations. However, the Chinese New Year season (also called the Spring Festival) doesn't begin and end on a single weekend. Instead, it runs from the middle of the last month of the previous year (based on the Chinese calendar) to the middle of the first month of the New Year. By the time the New Year arrives, families have already spent several days preparing for the big event; cleaning the house, buying gifts, and cooking festive foods. People often wonder why the date for Chinese New Year changes each year. The Chinese calendar is a combination solar/lunar calendar, based on a number of rather complex astronomical calculations, including the longitude of the sun. Chinese New Year falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice (all months begin with a new moon). How did Chinese New Year come to be celebrated? According to an ancient legend, people were once tormented by a beast called a Nian - a ferocious creature with an extremely large mouth, capable of swallowing several people in a single bite. Relief from the Nian came only when an old man tricked the beast into disappearing. In reality, New Years festivities probably evolved from a desire to celebrate the end of winter and the fertility and rebirth that come with the spring, much like the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia. Today, New Years is about family reunions and wishing everyone good fortune in the coming year. Here are some of the ways you can celebrate Chinese New Year:

• Clean House - Before the New Year arrives, the Chinese consider it very important to give the house a thorough cleaning, sweeping away any bad luck that may have accumulated over the past year.
• Decorate! - Doors and window panes are also often painted red, considered to be a lucky color. In addition, people like to hang paper cuts on doors and windows. (Paper cutting is an ancient Chinese art form dating back to the Han dynasty).
• Don't clean for the first few days of the New Year - if you do any sweeping during this time, you risk sweeping away your good luck.
• Offer a Sacrifice to the Kitchen God - Many families have a poster of the Kitchen God in their kitchen. The custom is to offer a ceremonial sacrifice to the Kitchen God, to make sure that he gives a good report on the family's behavior when he returns to heaven. Sticky Cake (Neen Gow) is popular, or children may rub honey on him.
• Give out money packets - On New Years day, children receive leisee - red packets decorated with gold symbols and filled with "lucky money".
• Serve festive foods - Throughout the New Years season, certain foods are served because they symbolize abundance and good fortune. Besides preparing special dishes, tangerines and oranges are often passed out to children and guests, as they symbolize wealth and good luck.· Prepare a Tray of Togetherness - This is a circular tray with eight compartments, each containing symbolic foods such as lotus seeds and lychee nuts, which provides a sweet beginning to the New Year.

Napa Cabbage: The King of Asian Vegetables.

NAPA CABBAGE (Monday, Jan. 19): Napa Cabbage is the most popular family of Chinese cabbages seen in the supermarkets on the West and Orient. The plant forms a head with leaves and petioles when matured. This heading vegetable is very tender and delicious. There are many varieties developed for various climates and areas. While several types of Chinese cabbage exist, the variety we most commonly associate with Chinese cabbage is Napa Cabbage, the large-headed cabbage with the firmly packed, pale green leaves that you'll usually find next to Bok Choy in western supermarkets. It is also known as Peking Cabbage and celery cabbage. Napa has crispy, fibrous leaves, which is why it is often called "celery cabbage". Napa’s mild flavor is similar to a cross between cabbage, iceberg lettuce, and celery. It is a versatile cabbage, which can be eaten raw or cooked and is used in stir-fry and soups. It is also enjoyed pickled with salt and chilies to make "Kim Chee". More healthful than western cabbages, Napa Cabbage is rich in Vitamin C and other nutrients. Look for firm green leaves that are not wilted or eaten by bugs. Store in a plastic bag in the crisper section of the refrigerator. Like tofu, Napa Cabbage absorbs the flavors of the foods around it. It is eaten raw in salads, and often added to stir-fries and soups in the last stages of cooking. Cooking Tip - Lining a bamboo steamer with Napa Cabbage helps prevent food from sticking to the bottom. This Chinese cabbage variety, which forms a tight, oblong head, has pale-green to white leaves with frilled edges. A modest source of vitamin C, fiber, and folate (folic acid), Napa also contains cancer-fighting phytochemical compounds called indoles. Napa is delicious either raw--in the crispest cole slaw ever--or cooked, in stir-fries or soups. Most Napa cabbages form elongated heads, like Romaine lettuce, while others grow in rounded shapes. A head of Napa cabbage should be tightly furled and heavy, the edges of the leaves crisp and moist. Large heads of Napa cabbage are sometimes cut in half lengthwise, wrapped in plastic wrap, and offered for sale, but it's best not to buy them, because the vitamin C content begins to diminish as soon as the head is cut. Keep unwashed Napa cabbage in a loosely closed plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to four days--it's more perishable than green cabbage. Use Napa either raw or cooked.
Raw: Raw Napa, shredded and tossed with julienned carrots and red bell pepper, lightly dressed in your favorite dressing, makes a delicious cole slaw.
Sauteing or Stir-Frying: Heat a small amount of oil or broth in a large nonstick skillet. Add garlic and chopped fresh ginger and cook one minute. Add sliced Napa and saute until crisp tender, about five minutes. If you like, cook other vegetables such as shiitake mushrooms, bell peppers, or thinly-sliced carrots along with the Napa. Serve as a side dish. It can also be sauteed along with bacon and potatoes for an unusual take on the Irish dish colcannon.
Simmering: Drop sliced or shredded Napa into a pot of simmering broth along with other vegetables and pasta to make a substantial soup. Drop Napa into the pot during the final three minutes of cooking time.
Steaming: Slice Napa and place in a steamer over a pan of simmering water. Cook three to five minutes until crisp tender.

Bok Choy: The Secret Ingredient to Asian Recipes.

BOK CHOY (Tuesday, Jan. 20): Go Bok and forth. Time for Bok Choy. Here’s a secret ingredient to Asian cooking. If you are in a vegetable rut, look no further. This is the most widely grown Pak Choi, also known as Chinese Mustard. Bok Choy, sometimes called Chinese white cabbage, has been grown in China since the fifth century A.D. and in Europe since the 1700s. Mild flavored leaves and crispy stalks (petioles) are used extensively in many Chinese dishes. In many regions of China, this vegetable after harvested is also dried and stored for later use in cooking. Chinese Cabbages of this group have gloss, intensely dark blue-green leaves with long, large white stalks. They are generally called Full Size White Pak Choy in the markets. These varieties grow best in mild and slightly cold climates, suitable for fall crops. They may go into the pre-matured flowering in heat conditions. Pak Choy is used extensively in Cantonese cooking. Many varieties can grow up to 20 inches high. Bok Choy is an Asian member of the cabbage family that has a mild flavor. You should have no trouble finding Bok Choy at the market all year round. Look for a plant with firm stalks that is free of brown spots. Wrapped in paper towels and stored in the vegetable crisper section of the refrigerator, Bok Choy should keep for up to a week. Bok Choy is a familiar vegetable in Chinese restaurants, where it appears in won ton soup and many stir-fried dishes. Chop off enough of the base of the Bok Choy plant before washing so that stalks can be cleaned individually. Rinse stalks and leaves under running water, using a vegetable brush if they are especially dirty at the base of the stalk. By adding Bok Choy to your diet, you’ll be getting a healthy dose of compounds called indoles. According to research, these compounds may inhibit cancer, particularly breast cancer. Bok Choy stalks can be consumed raw with dip, or chopped and used in salads. Bok Choy has a high water content and becomes limp very quickly upon cooking. It should be cooked very quickly over high temperature so that the leaves become tender and the stalks stay crisp. In Chinese stir-fried dishes and soups, Bok Choy is added toward the end of the cooking process. Since the leaves cook much more quickly than the stalks, it’s a good idea to add the stalks first and then the leaves about a minute later. Cut the stalks into 1/2-inch (1.25cm) pieces before cooking. Bok Choy goes well with the flavors of soy sauce, hot peppers, and toasted sesame oil. With its sweet flavor and crisp texture, Bok Choy works well with a variety of foods. Feel free to experiment and use it as a substitute for cabbage in other dishes. It's versatile, too. In fact, if you think about it, with Bok Choy, you're getting two for the price of one--the juicy mild-flavored stalks and the more cabbagey leaves.
Boil: Cook stems in salted water for four minutes and leaves for two to three minutes.
Steam: Allow pieces to steam for about six minutes, or until tender-crisp.
Stir-Fry: Stir-fry the stalks over high heat for about six minutes and the leaves for about three minutes, until stalks are tender-crisp and leaves are just wilted.

Ginger Root flavors your Asian recipes.

Ginger should not be shriveled. That would show a loss of oil content. Oil is flavor.

If you’ve never seen a Ginger plant, here it is.

the United States, India, China, and the West Indies, although it is also grown in many other parts of the world including Jamaica, India, and Africa. About half of the world’s supply does indeed come from India. Ginger is a gnarled and knobby root that has a tan skin and a pale yellow-green to ivory flesh. Ginger Root is also used in baking, confectionery and the making of certain liqueurs. Ginger is the flavor of popular beverages like Ginger Ale and Ginger Beer. It is delicious in many savory dishes such as soups, curries and meats and is indispensable in the making of sweets such as Gingerbread, Gingersnaps and many spice cookies. When selecting Ginger, choose mature Ginger with a smooth skin. Avoid wrinkled skin as it may sometimes indicate the root is dry and somewhat older. Ginger should have a spicy and fresh fragrance. Fresh un-peeled Ginger can be refrigerated for up to a week and frozen up to 2 months if tightly wrapped. To use frozen Ginger, simply slice off a piece of the unthawed root. Place peeled Ginger in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Ginger is delicious fresh, whether sliced thinly and added to meat and vegetable stir-fry dishes, added to marinades, or pickled and served with sushi and other Asian dishes. Peel fresh ginger before using. It is best kept between 45-50 degrees F, and is susceptible to chill damage. It may become damp and begin to mold, however, this is most often simply brushed off. Cover with dry sherry and refrigerate up to 3 weeks. Most supplies come from Hawaii, but we do import from Brazil, Taiwan, Fiji, the Philippines, and Costa Rica. In ancient China, Ginger Root was used for many medicinal purposes. The most common was to calm nausea. How does Ginger work in the digestive system? It helps protect the gastric system by increasing the pH of stomach acid, reducing its acidity, thereby lower the rate of gastric secretions, and increasing digestive enzyme activity. Rather than blocking the feelings of nausea in the brain, it acts directly on the stomach and liver to reduce nausea and vomiting.

Cilantro: Not just for your Mexican recipes.

A Cilantro field in California, which grows about 90% of the nation’s supply.

CILANTRO (Thursday, Jan. 22): Cilantro is the leaf of the young coriander plant, Coriandrum sativum, an herb in the parsley family, similar to anise. Cilantro is traditionally used in Middle Eastern, Mexican, and Asian cooking. Cilantro's taste is a fragrant mix of parsley and citrus. The world is divided into two very different types of people: those who love cilantro and those who hate it. I fall into the cilantro-loving category along with all those who tout its citrusy, biting tang, and can't imagine a spicy, Mexican salsa or a full flavored Asian recipe without its perky addition. Although not native to Latin American cuisine, cilantro now plays a quintessential role, adding its distinctive flavor to many dishes such as ceviche, the light and refreshing acid cooked fish dish, and many sauces and stews. Simple, but rich and zesty, it was traditionally served over fish or wild game but is now most often served over chicken. Most dishes, even if they don't list cilantro as one of the ingredients will call for it as a garnish to add that final touch of piquancy. Chinese, Thai, and Indonesian cuisines are well known for their use of both cilantro and coriander. Chopped, the leaves, as well as the more pungent roots, add zest to most Thai curries, and the ground seeds (called coriander) also give depth to the flavors. India curry powders owe a lot of their aromatic, citrus quality to ground coriander. The Chinese, quite accurately, call cilantro "fragrant greens," adding it to stir fries and sauces to enliven them and add a fresh, pungent taste. The whole plant, roots and all, is often boiled and eaten as a vegetable. Cilantro is a fairly recent arrivals to the American kitchen. Although cilantro is most often associated with the cuisines of Mexico and Asia, the herb originated in the southern reaches of the Mediterranean. Coriander has been found in Egyptian tombs dating back 3000 years. It is even mentioned in the Bible in Exodus 16:31, where manna is described as "small round and white like coriander seed." The ancient Hebrews originally used cilantro root as the bitter herb in the symbolic Passover meal. Thanks to the Romans and their conquests, cilantro's use and legend spread to Europe and Asia, where it appeared in recipes for potions used as aphrodisiacs in China during the Han dynasty (207 BC-200 AD). The Romans themselves used coriander with cumin and vinegar as a preservative that they rubbed into meat. In literature, coriander is mentioned as an aphrodisiac in The Tales of the Arabian Nights. And those famous sugarplums, which fill children’s dreams at Christmas time, were originally sugar coated coriander, a treat that offered a sweet start and then a spicy burst of flavor. Later the recipe included small bits of fruit and became the confection we know today. Despite all the bad press, cilantro and coriander are still an integral part of many cuisines throughout the world, and gaining popularity all the time. So, if you or a friend are still not cilantro lovers, give it another try. A whole world of taste awaits! Coriander is probably one of the first herbs to be used by mankind, perhaps going back as far back as 5000 BC. It is mentioned in early Sanskrit writings dating from about 1500 BC. The Romans spread it throughout Europe, and it was one of the first spices to arrive in America. Before it is used, Cilantro should be crushed, either by hand or with a mortar and pestle. Cilantro is a perfect addition to Mexican dishes; add Cilantro to salsas and bean dips. Mix crushed Cilantro into sour cream and use it as a topping for chili, tacos, or enchiladas. Sprinkle Cilantro over stir-fried vegetables for color and Asian flavor. Add Cilantro to sesame-ginger dressing when making Chinese chicken salad.

Jicama: Perfect substitute for Water Chestnuts

JICAMA (Friday, Jan. 23): With a lot of Asian recipes, you will find Water Chestnuts. Usually found in cans only, rarely fresh. But there is a fresh ingredient you can use to replace the Water Chestnut in the recipe. Jicama. Quite simply, it has the crunch, juiciness and somewhat sweet flavor as a Water Chestnut. And besides, it’s cheaper. Jicama is a tuber grown in the southern deserts of Mexico. It soaks up all of the moisture in the dry desert soil, which is why it is so juicy. Simply peel the Jicama, cut it into ½” slabs, then cut into ½” squares. Then add it into your stir-fries. Cool replacement for Water Chestnuts.