LONG PROMO:   Hey, we’re going to have a lot of fun next week because it happens to be National Women’s Health Week so we’re going to talk about one of the healthiest things women can eat.  What?  Avacodos, that’s right.  And another one - Iceberg Lettuce?  That’s right. We’re going to be bringing Iceberg back.  Plus we’re going to be talking about Watermelon and Cantaloupe…next week, with me, Michael Marks, Your Produce Man.

SHORT PROMO:  One of the healthiest vegetables for women – Iceberg Lettuce…next week with me, Michael Marks, Your Produce Man.
                                                                                                         
AVOCADOS (Monday, April 14):  This week happens to be National Women’s Nutrition Week, so I thought I’d talk about very muey importante vegetables and fruits when it comes to women.  Here’s the first one I’m talking about.  Avocados.  What?  Mike, avocados are loaded with fat!  Come on!  Oh, no.  Avocados also are loaded with vitamin E and vitamin A.  It’s loaded with folate.  It’s loaded with antioxidants called and xutein, and lutein, and xenothian.  Oh, my goodness!  This is like a powerhouse.  It’s like a big vitamin pill in an avocado form.  So here’s what I want you to do.  If you’re pregnant, like I told my wife, I want you to eat avocado every day ‘cause what does folate do?  That’s right.  It helps prevent birth defects.  Now, avocados this time of year - new crop avocados from California.   Be patient with them.  Buy them well in advance until you need them so you can properly ripen them.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.   

TEASE:  Hey, in my next Produce Man report, women you’re going to love this – one of the healthiest things you can eat.

ICEBERG LETTUCE (Tuesday, April 15):   You know, this week happens  to be National Women’s Nutrition Week, so I thought I’d talk about a couple items that you probably wouldn’t think of as being really healthy for women.  Well, yesterday we talked about avocados.  I bet there are a lot of women out there so happy today.  Well, here is another one.  Iceberg Lettuce!  I know, Iceberg Lettuce has been getting a rap for the last several years as being a waste of nutrition.  No, siree.   Iceberg Lettuce.  Let me show you something.  Iceberg Lettuce has one of the highest concentrations of vitamin K.  That’s right, women, you heard me right.  Vitamin K.  What’s that good for?  It’s good for your bones. You need vitamin K, lots of vitamin K for the health of and proper bone maintenance.  So you want to get back to proper bone maintenance?  Here we go.  Iceberg Lettuce.  You know those wedges of Iceberg Lettuce that your grandmother used to eat?  She was pretty smart wasn’t she?  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.  

TEASE: Hey, ladies.  You’re going to love this.  Iceberg Lettuce – it’s back in. 

CANTALOUPES PART I (Wednesday, April 16):  Hey, I wanted to show you something.  I”ve got some cantaloupe there.  I’ve got some cantaloupe here.  Would you take a look at those.  Yes, cantaloupe like a lot of different fruits will come in different sizes.  That’s why sometimes you see an add like, you know, “two for a dollar” of cantaloupes.  Well, you know they’re not giving you the Big Bertha  two for a dollar.  It’s probably the smaller cantaloupes that they’re doing.  Now, this time of year we’re starting to see peak supplies from what we call off shore suppolies.  That’s places like Costa Rica, Guatamala, and Honduras.   Now, I know the FDA had a recall on some Honduran cantaloupe, so one of the things you need to remember – of course, cantaloupes grow in dirt just like a lot of melons, okay.  All of these little nooks and crannies in the netting will hold bacteria if there is any bacteria in the dirt.  So before you cut your cantaloupe, you’ve got ot make sure you wash it first, and don’t just wash it, scrub it with a scrub brush.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.  

TEASE:  Hey, in my next Produce Man report, they’re finally starting to see some good supplies of cantaloupe.

WATERMELONS (Thursday, April 17):  Oh, my goodness!  This time of year we start getting watermelons, you know, from more northern growing regions.  And boy, these little, tiny watermelons have really become so popular, haven’t they?  Because we’ve started getting watermelon from more northern growing regions like Northern Mexico.  Then we start moving to Southern Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and Southern California.    That means the prices start coming down because there’s less shipping costs.  Right?  Because they’re not coming from as far away.  Now, one of the things I wanted to point out about these small melons...these are as big as they get.  They get four to seven pounds.  That’s as big as they get.  But one of the things you have to watch for, because this has such a very thin skin, it will dehydrate very easily, so one of the first things I do when I go up to a big bin of these small watermelons, I’ll put my hands around it and I’ll squeeze it.  If there’s any give in that watermelon at all, that means that watermelon’s been around a while, and it’s dehydrated and most likely will be mushy inside.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.   

TEASE:  Hey, in my next Produce Man report, I want you to squeeze those watermelons.

CANTALOUPES PART II (Friday, April 18):  Oh, man!  Those smell good.  I’m getting out the orange sherbet.  Hey, Pope Benedict XVI turns 81 years old this week, and so I thought I’d talk about a fruit that was actually first grown for the early popes.  You know most melons originated in Persia, what we call Iran today.  Oh, a lot of melons - watermelons, honeydew melons, musk melons…all the different melons. In early part of the centuries like in the 12th century, some of the monasteries…the gardeners at the monasteries knew that the early popes loved this particular melon from Persia.   It’s a netted melon, part of the musk melon family.  Oh, let’s cut this one open.  Oh, yes, get out the orange sherbet for this. Now, these early gardeners knew that the popes would come to this little monastery outside Rome every summer for summer vacation, so they were the first to cultivate these melons.  What was the name of that town?  Cantalupo, which is why we call these cantaloupes.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.

TEASE:  Hey, the first cantaloupes were first grown for the popes.