LONG PROMO:   Man, Lemon prices are high, aren’t they?  Well, I’m not going to let you sour on those high prices.  I’m going to tell you why prices are high, and most important, when those prices will come back down.  Plus, Blueberries.  Do you check your Blueberries every single day?  Plus, get out your knife and your melon baller for your Cucumbers.  We’re going to make a cool appetizer with those…next week with me, Michael Marks, Your Produce Man.

SHORT PROMO:  Heh, Lemons are sour.  So are the prices…next week with me, Michael Marks, Your Produce Man.
                                                                                                         
CUCUMBERS (Monday, August 6):  I’m as cool as the inner seed of a Cucumber.  Oh, I love Cucumbers, especially in the summer time.  They are so cool…and so juicy.  Here’s what I want you to do.  You’re going to cut off one side.  Then turn it over and slice off another side…very thinly.  Then turn it over and slice off another side.  All four sides, very thinly shaved off.  So, that’s what you’ve got so far.  Now, you are going to cut these into cubes.  You with me so far?  It doesn’t take rocket science to figure this out.  It’s not that difficult yet.  Now, you’re going to turn these over and get out the melon baller.  In the meantime, somebody else is going to be chopping up some Tomatoes, Red Onion and you’re going to get some Feta Cheese.  So, now you can take the melon baller and basically, you’re going to scoop out a little pocket here in the seed cavity.  Take a look at that.  See that so far?  You don’t want the seeds anyway.  You know, it’s the seeds that make people, um, burp.  So you don’t want the seeds.  Now, you’ve got this nice little bowl in there, and in there you’re going to put this little confetti of Red Onions, Tomatoes, Feta Cheese and then right over the top, you’re going to drizzle some Balsamic Vinaigrette.  Now you’ve got some cool Cucumber appetizers.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.   

TEASE:  Heh, in my next Produce Man report, turning the cool Cucumber into a cool summer appetizer.   

GOLD KIWIFRUIT (Tuesday, August 7):  I know.  I know.  You’re walking into the produce department, over to the Lemon section.  “What?”  “That price for those Lemons?” you shout.  “I’m going to rethink my Tea today or my Lemon for the Salmon today.”  You’re probably going to get one of those plastic Lemons.  Don’t do that.  Still buy some fresh Lemons.  Why are they so expensive?  Well, remember that freeze California had… Remember, I always say that Mother Nature always determines what we buy…and how much it will cost.  A freeze in California waaaay back in January is what is causing us these really, really high prices of Lemons today.  We are starting to get some imports from places like Mexico and Spain and Chile and South Africa.  So we are starting to see some imports, and that indeed is helping.  But it is that freeze…in fact, the next district we will be getting Lemons from is the desert of California and Arizona.  Growers there tell me they have 50% fewer Lemons hanging on the tree than normal.  That means Lemon prices will stay high right on into the Fall season.  Ouch.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.  (Takes Bite)  Mmmm.

TEASE: Heh, in my next Produce Man report, It’s really going to cost you more to get that juice out of this Lemon.  I’ll tell you why.

BANANAS (Wednesday, August 8):  You know, last week, I did a report on Bananas.  You know, Tom Brady loves bananas…the NFL…Potassium stick and all of that.  I got a letter from a viewer who asked, “Mike, this time of year, how in the world can I keep my Bananas from over ripening so quickly?”  Well, there are a couple things you can do.  First of all, when you buy your Bananas at the grocery store, buy them a little bit more on the green side.  Now, actually, I would buy my Bananas even a little greener than this.  This is called a “green tip” Banana, where it is green at this tip and green at this tip.  We call them “green tip”…aren’t we brilliant in the produce industry?  So I would actually buy my Bananas when they are only half ripe.  That means they are half green, half yellow.  That way, they will last longer.  Also, I’m going to store my bananas like this…upside down with most of  the weight on the stem, not on the fruit.  That way, they will ripen up better and they will not bruise.  If you lay them with the stem end up, all of the weight is resting on the back side, the weakest part of the fruit.  So, set them with the stem end down.  Now, finally, don’t worry if you do get some over ripe Bananas.  Don’t worry.  Just peel them when they are fully ripe, OK?  And put that Banana into a ziplock plastic bag, single layer.  Throw that in the freezer.  Now, when you want frozen bananas for your smoothies, you’ve got them.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.

TEASE: Heh, in my next Produce Man report, how in the world do you keep your Bananas from over ripening in the summer time?

BLUEBERRIES (Thursday, August 9):    Hold on, I’m checking here.  Oh, Hi.  How often do you check your Blueberries?  Everyday.  That’s right.  Every single day, pull your Blueberries out and check them out.  Now, why should you check them?  Well, today, if you happen to have a soft Blueberry, starting to go bad…I don’t see any yet.  I’m checking.  I’m looking here.  If you have one decayed Blueberry today, tomorrow, guess how many you’ll have?  You’ll have six.  The day after that, how many are you going to have?  Eighteen.  I mean, it like quadruples, exponitially.  It’s unbelievable.  So every day, what I want you to do, is to get out your Blueberries…you don’t have to be this silly about it.  But I want you to get your Blueberries out and look all around here, and I want you to check to make sure there are no bab Blueberries in there.  Don’t give your Blues the blues…with rotten Blueberries.  So check them every day.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.

TEASE:  Heh, in my next Produce Man report, how often do you check…your Blues?      
  
FRESH-CUT SALADS (Friday, August 10):  Heh, Rush Hour, that’s right “Rush Hour 3” comes out today in movie theaters.  Well, I don’t know about you, but Rush Hour around my house is just before lunch or dinner.  What are we going to cook?  You know, there are three children in the house, three mouths that are really hungry.  Well, one of the things I love about the fresh-cut Salad section these days…there are tons of salads to choose from.  There are so many different varieties.  They even have a Salsa Ensalada Supreme, Asian Supreme.  They’ve got entrée salads.  These actually even have the meat right in there.  Take a look at this one.  Yeah.  This is a Chef’s Salad, and look, it has everything you need.  Cheese.  It has the meat.  Everything you need for a Chef’s Salad.  So, when it’s Rush Hour at your home, don’t fret.  Rush over to the store first of all and go to the Salad section.  I remember when the salads first came out, there was like a five foot section of Salads.  Now look at them.  Now, how many feet are they?  They’re like 20 or 25 feet in length, filled with all kinds of Salads.    And there’s like 30 different varieties of Salads.  So Rush Hour…is Salad Hour at my home.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man. 

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