LONG PROMO:   Hey, the Kentucky Derby is coming up.  That means, of course, you need some mint for your mint juleps.  Plus artichokes.  I’m going to teach you to pick out the best artichoke with your eyeballs closed.   That’s right.  Plus we have new crop kiwi fruit.  I’ll tell you about them.  Be patient with them…next week, with me, Michael Marks, Your Produce Man.

SHORT PROMO:  I’m going to be picking out the best artichoke with my eyeballs closed...next week with me, Michael Marks, Your Produce Man.
                                                                                                         
HERBS  (Monday, April 28):  Oh, I wish you could be here right this very moment.   [Sniffs] Oh, these fresh herbs!   [Sniffs]  Get a whiff of those.  Those smell so good.  You know, this time of year is a great time of year to start using fresh herbs.  You know, we’re all thinking about eating healthier.  Gotta get into those bathing suits for the summertime!  Right?  So one of the ways you can do that, start eating healthier, is put some good flavor into your cooking, salads and cooking.  One of the ways you can do that is, of course, with your fresh herbs.  Look at all the different varieties of fresh herbs that you can find in the supermarket.  Hold on.   [drinks]  Ah, that’s good.  Now one of the ways you can store your fresh herbs is get a mug of water or a glass of water.  When you get the fresh herbs home you can store them in the refrigerator just like so.  They will keep a long time, or if you buy them in plastic containers, and I know that you can find a lot of these in the plastic containers.  Just put these into the refrigerator and they will keep a long time.  They were specially designed for that.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.   

TEASE:  Hey, in my next Produce Man report, [drinks] get out your water for your fresh herbs.

MINT (Tuesday, April 29): Hey, this weekend is the first jewel of the Triple Crown – the Kentucky Derby.  And of course for the Kentucky Derby, everybody, of course, is going to have some mint juleps.  And in order to have some mint juleps drinks, you better have some good mint on hand.  Now one of the ways you can tell whether this is good mint or not – do not look at the stems.  The stems are not what you’re going to eat.  The leaves are what you’re going to eat.  You need to look at the leaves.  Now one of the things I do, just go right in here to one of these leaves right here.  Come real close.  Just take off just the very tip of one of the leaves and then [sniffs] ah, if you smell that much mint in that mint, ah, that that is good.  That’s going to be some good mint.  Now, one of the things I love about mint, this is one of the herbs that you can get your kids in the kitchen and just have your kids take off these leaves because you’re not going to chop up the stem.  You’re going to chop up the leaves.  Now what you’re going to do.  You’ re going to stack up these leaves, roll them up, and that’s when you’re going to slice them.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.  

TEASE: Hey, in my next Produce Man report…you need some mint for your mint juleps for the Kentucky Derby. 

ARTICHOKES (Wednesday, April 30):  Do not do this unless you are a professional, and I’m teaching you to be a professional artichoke picker! This is peak of the season for beautiful artichokes, and I’m going to teach you that artichokes are like one of the simplest vegetables to pick out.  And I’m going to to teach you because I’m going to do it with my eyeballs closed.  That’s right.  I’m going to close my eyeballs.  Here’s the first thing I’m looking for…I’m feeling the stem.  That’s right.  I’m feeling the stem.  The thicker stem is the fatter one.  That’ the one I want because that means there’s a good heart in here, and the heart is what I’m after.  Now the second thing I’m going to do.   Turn it over.  See my eyeballs are still closed.  Here’s what youre going to do.  Squeeze it.  Listen for this [squeezes].  Hey, did you hear that squeek?  Ah, there you go.  So if it is a fat stem and if it squeeks like really good, then that is going to be a really, really good and fresh artichoke.  By the way, this is peak of the season.  This is the best time of year for the prices.  So if you’re an artichoke lover, start squeezing.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man. [squeezes]

TEASE: Hey, in my next Produce Man report, how to pick out the best artichoke with your eyeballs closed. 

ARTICHOKES (Thursday, May 1):  You know yesterday I was talking about artichokes.  It’s the best time of year for artichokes, and I had an e-mail from a viewer about artichokes.  Is the artichoke a fruit or a vegetable?  Are you ready for this?  Okay, everybody out there raise your hand if you think the artichoke is a fruit.  Raise your hand if you think its fruit.  So raise your hand if you think this is a vegetable.  Raise your hand.  I see all those hands out there thinking this is a vegetable.  Actually it’s a trick quiestion.  The artichoke is neither a fruit nor a vegetable.  It is actually, and I’ll show you right here.  See this?  That’s a flower right in there.  It hasn’t blossomed yet, but that’s a flower.  The artichoke is actually the edible flowering bud of the Mediterranean thistle plant.  So it’s actually a flower. By the way, I cut this in half to show you something.  See the stem, see the heart right in there.  Look where the heart goes, right up into the stem.  Do not in a million years cut the stem and throw the stem away.  Peel it and eat it.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.  

TEASE:  Hey, in my next Produce Man report, is the artichoke a fruit or a vegetable?  Fruit?  Vegetable?
  
KIWI (Friday, May 2):  Man, why do they…man, oh, finally. Why do they make these plastic bags so hard to get into?  But I want to get into these because these are some beautiful kiwifruit.  Gorgeous kiwifruit.  Now this time of year we’re getting kiwi fruit from the Southern Hemisphere. Kiwifruit is a fall and winter item, so in California and the Northern Hemisphere they start harvesting in October.  Well, this is spring and moving into summer.  That is fall and winter down in the Southern Hemisphere, and we start from the country of Chile.  In fact, there it is.  Chile.  In fact, they’re about two weeks late this year, but they do have a good crop coming on.  Now, one thing you need to remember about early fruit, whether it is California…whether it is Chile…wherever…the early fruit is always going to be a bit more firm than you would like it.  So here’s what I want you to do.  Buy the kiwifruit.  Get it home, and please be patient with it.  Don’t think you can eat it today.  You’ve got to let it ripen properly – about three to four days in a brown paper bag, and then it will be ripe and ready to eat.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.   

TEASE:  Hey, in my next Produce Man report, why are the kiwifruits so firm right now?