Last week’s Your ProducePuzzler dealt with Spring produce: In the early part of the 20th century, how did Asparagus growers heat up their fields of asparagus? We had a lot of terrific guesses at this one.  Most people guessed black plastic on the furrows.  The black plastic is actually a fairly new practice.  Actually, at the turn of the 20th century, Asparagus growers in the Delta used…underground oil-filled pipes.  These pipes kept the crowns warmer.  Warmer crowns meant earlier Asparagus production. High cost of maintenance and environmental concerns caused the pipes to be removed. This week’s YPM ProducePuzzler deals with fruit:  Some fruits are best ripened after it has been picked.  What fruit cannot be picked from the tree when it is ripe?  See next week’s Fresh Tips for the answer.

LONG PROMO:   Man, some of the sweetest Grapefruit of the season is happening right now, plus, is your Napa Cabbage bolting?  I’ll tell you what that means.  Plus, Cantaloupe and the Pope.  There is a connection.  Plus Onions, new crop versus old crop Onions.  Plus I have Queen Elizabeth II’s favorite fruit…next week with me, Michael Marks, Your Produce Man.

SHORT PROMO:  There is a connection between Cantaloupe…and the Pope…next week with me, Michael Marks, Your Produce Man.

CANTALOUPE (Monday, April 16):  Heh, you know Pope Benedict XVI turns 80 years old today.  There is a connection between the Pope…and Cantaloupe.  Other than they rhyme.  I know they rhyme.  There is some beautiful Cantaloupe starting to come in from Guatemala and also from Hermosillo, Mexico.  That’s northern Mexico in the beautiful state of Sonora.  So we are finally starting to see some much better supplies of Cantaloupe, and actually some good quality Cantaloupe.  Now, most melons, like the muskmelon, including the Cantaloupe, originated in old Persia, what we call Iran today.  The world trade routes took the melon up north into Italy.  Now, what happens, in a little tiny town outside Rome, in a place where the early Popes would go and vacation in the summertime.  The gardeners at the monastery knew that the early Popes loved this particular melon.  Well, the melon had a real long Persian name, so they re-named it after the little town the monastery was in, the little town that the Pope would vacation in during the summer…the tiny town of…Cantalupo, Italy.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.  

TEASE:  Heh, in my next Produce Man report, the connection between Cantaloupe…and the Pope.

ONIONS (Tuesday, April 17):  Are your Onions new crop Onions, or are they old crop Onions?  Let me show you the difference, and you actually need to know the difference between the two, because it’ll tell you what to check for.  This time of year, we are starting to get new crop Onions, the Rio Grande Valley, Texas, the Vidalia Onion from Georgia.  The Imperial Valley in California is a little bit slow in the start of their season, so they will be late.  Now, if you can take a look at the difference here.  These are two yellow onions.  One is old crop.  One is new crop.  Which is which?  This onion is old crop, what we call “storage” onion.  Look how dark the outside skin is.  And actually, the skin is also thick.  Now, if you look at the new crop onions, look, the skin is papery thin and see how light in color it is.  So this is new crop Onions.  New crop onions, you have to treat very gently, like a newborn baby, because the cell structure is so large and full of water.  They will bruise easily.  Now for old crop Onions, you must check the neck.  Right around the neck is where that onion will start to decay first, and get moldy.  So, check the neck…if it’s old crop Onions.  I’m Michael Marks, Your Produce Man.  

TEASE: Heh, in my next Produce Man report, which one of these is old and new crop Onions?

GRAPEFRUIT (Wednesday, April 18):  They are so super sweet.  I love this time of year.  We start getting some good Cantaloupe in, and we start…oh look at this.  We start getting some beautiful Mint in.  And of course, also this time of year, it is some of the best and sweetest Grapefruit found on the face of the planet.  Whether it is Florida, Arizona, California, Texas, of course, they’re beautiful.  Let me cut one open.  Texas Grapefruit growers produce…the other red meat.  Beautiful red Grapefruit.  Look at that.  Look at it glisten with all of that juice and sugar and flavor.  But, folks, this time of year, right now, the Grapefruit can start getting a little but puffy in the peel, and you start to feel it and say, “Oh, what’s wrong with that?”  There’s nothing wrong with that.  It’s normal for this time of year, so don’t worry about that.  What you do need to know is that on the inside…juice, flavor, sugar, the best tasting Grapefruit of the season.  I’m Michael Marks, Your Produce Man.  

TEASE: Heh, in my next Produce Man report, take a look at this.

NAPA CABBAGE (Thursday, April 19):  You know every year at Spring time, the Irises pop up out of the groud, and the Tulips and the Daffodils.  It’s what we call “bolting,” rapid Spring growth.  Well, we also have bolting with some vegetables, like the Napa Cabbage.  That’s right, it can bolt, so here in the Spring time, we really have to pay close attention to the Napa Cabbage to see whether it is going to seed.  The way you can tell is to lift up the Napa Cabbage.  Lift it up.  It should not feel heavy like a rock.  If it feels really heavy, then I want you to gently squeeze it, like this.  If it feels like there is a rock on the inside, it’s probably bolting.  Now the final way you can tell is to turn it right on over to the end.  Take a peek in there.  Now be gentle.  Don’t be rough with it.  Just take a look.  No, I don’t see any flowering, a sign that it is bolting.  Now the reason you don’t want bolting Napa Cabbage is because about a third of the Napa Cabbage, you’d have to throw away.  That’s a waste of your money.  I’m Michael Marks, Your Produce Man.

TEASE:  Heh, in my next Produce Man report, is your Napa Cabbage bolting? 
   
STRAWBERRIES (Friday, April 20):  Heh Happy Birthday Queen Elizabeth II.  She turns…heh, are we allowed to say how old she is?  Yeah, 81.  She’s turning 81.  Happy Birthday Queen Elizabeth II.  Her favorite fruit, actually her favorite dessert…oh my goodness.  In England, of course, it’s Devonshire.  We call it cream.  Strawberries and Cream.  In England, it’s Strawberries and Devonshire.  In just a couple of months, we will have Wimbledon Tennis, and of course, the official food of Wimbledon is Strawberries and Cream.  Queen Elizabeth, here you go.  Look how shiny those are.  Take a look at the calyx.  That’s the little green hat on top.  The official term is, we call it the calyx.  See how that looks?  When the calyx looks fresh, you know the Strawberries will be fresh.  Now, of course, the best test is of course the bite test, sooo…  (Takes bite.)  Mmmmm.  Melt-in-your-mouth sweet.  I’m Michael Marks, Your Produce Man. 

TEASE:  Heh, in my next Produce Man report, Queen Elizabeth has the Devonshire cream.  I’ve got the Strawberries.

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