LONG PROMO:   Heh, there is a very famous actor.  He’s now a state governor.  I’ve got his favorite fruit or vegetable right up here.  Which one is it?   Plus, Summer Berries.  This is the time of year for Summer Berries.  Plus, take a look at this quirky looking thing.  Yeh, it’s called a Gold Kiwifruit.  Oh, my goodness, you have got to try one of these.  I’m going to tell you about it…next week with me, Michael Marks, Your Produce Man.

SHORT PROMO:  You know it’s summer…when there are summer berries.  Next week with me, Michael Marks, Your Produce Man.
                                                                                                         
TOMATOES (Monday, July 30):  Alright, he’s turning 60 years old today.  Famous actor, now the governor of California.  Arnold Schwarzenegger.  Now, growing up in Austria, he grew up eating, that’s right, a lot of Tomatoes.  That is indeed, his favorite vegetable.  I hate to tell the governor, the Terminator, these are not really a vegetable.  These are actually, botanically speaking, a fruit, but I’m not telling him…and I suggest you don’t tell him either.  Now when you get your Tomatoes…by the way, this is peak of the season for summer Tomatoes.  Absolutely gorgeous Tomatoes, whether they are on the vine, off the vine, Roma Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Grape Tomatoes…but the regular slicing Tomato…here’s what I want you to do.  You take that home, I want you to set it out on the counter top, but cover them with a newspaper.   Now when you set them out on the countertop, do not set it with the stem end down.  No way.  Never in a million years.  Because, see, this is called the crown of the Tomato, and the crown is actually the weakest part of the fruit.  So when you store your Tomatoes, always store them just like so, with the stem end up.  That way, it won’t soften.  That way, when you go to cut it, this end won’t be all mushy.  It will still be nice and firm.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.   

TEASE:  Heh, in my next Produce Man report, The Terminator…he loves Tomatoes.   

GOLD KIWIFRUIT (Tuesday, July 31):  Holy Toledo.  Joanne is in gold.  Joanne…JK Rowling.  She turns 42 years old this week.  The new Harry Potter movie is out…another blockbuster movie.  Her final Harry Potter book is out, oh man, breaking all records for single day sales, single week sales.  Unbelieveable.  She’s like gold right now, right?  So, I thought I’d talk about a little gold in the produce department right now.  Gold Kiwifruit.  Oh, if you could smell these.  These Gold Kiwifruit has such a rich flavor and such a rich aroma to them.  They are unbelievable.  Now, they look a little bit different than a regular Kiwifruit.  You will notice first of all…NO fuzz.  Now, I like that part.  That’s really cool.  Now, look at the top.  It has this cute little beak on top.  The best part is right inside.  Take a look at that.  It’s gold inside.  Like a regular Kiwifruit, it still has that ring of seeds, kind of looks like the universe.  But the color.  It is so golden.  You know what you can do with these?  Make an absolutely great Golden Salsa.  Put it over you Salmon.  Oh, man, that sounds so good.  My wife just loves eating them whole like this.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.  (Takes Bite)  Mmmm.

BANANAS (Wednesday, August 1):  Heh, Tom Brady turns 39 years old today.  The quarterback for the New England Patriots.  NFL training camps are opening, and that means there will be a ton of bananas in the training rooms.  That’s right.  Tom Brady loves Bananas.  Most athletes, football players love bananas.  In fact, they’ll probably down a dozen of them a day, especially during training camps.  Now, why bananas?  Well, here’s why.  I call this…a Potassium stick.  That’s right.  This is like loaded with Potatassium.  It’s one of the few fruits that has, like all of the Potassium that you need for a whole day, is right in here.  Now, why is Potassium good for our bodies?  Well, Potassium helps regulate your blood, so when you are working out, especially with those leg muscles here.  And when you are working out, the muscles tighten up.  And when they tighten up, it restricts blood flow.  And when you restrict blood flow, that’s when you get leg cramps.  Well, athletes don’t want that.  So that’s why you need a lot of Potassium, especially when you are working out.  It helps reduce leg cramps.  That’s why football players love these Potassium sticks. 
I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man. (Takes Bite)  Mmmm.

TEASE: Heh, in my next Produce Man report, have you had your Potassium Stick today?

BERRIES (Thursday, August 2):    Heh, you know Martha Stewart is having a birthday this week.  And like with a lot of chefs, especially in the summertime, when they make fruit tarts, especially this time of year…berry tarts.  Oh, look at all the berries you are seeing in the supermarket.  Take a look at these gorgeous berries.  You have Raspberries, Blackberries, Strawberries, and of course, the Blue of them all, the Big Blueberry.  Now, one of the things about berries that you need to know.  First of all, they are very delicate.  They are the smallest of all the fruit, right?  So the tiniest of anything is going to be the most delicate.  That’s one of the reasons growers put berries in these clamshells…to protect them.  Now, when you get these home, do not bang them around, and put them in the refrigerator immediately.  And, never in a million years should you wash your berries…until just before you use them.  So, get out the Vanilla Ice Cream.  Drizzle it with berries.  With blackberries, blueberries and raspberries.  Oh, man.  I’m Michael Marks.  Summer is here.  I’m Your Produce Man.

TEASE:  Heh, in my next Produce Man report, summer berries are here…including the Thimbleberry.  Well, we call them Raspberries.      
  
FRESH-CUT SALADS (Friday, August 3):  You know, on these Hot August Nights, who wants to cook?  That’s when it is time to get out the fresh-cut Salads.  But let’s say there is just two of you tonight, and you’re not going to use the whole bag.  Let’s say you’ll just use half of the salad.  Now, what in the world are you going to do with this, the left over salad in the bag?  Now, that’s a problem, huh?  How do you store that?  Do you just throw it in the refrigerator like that?  No.  Here’s what you are going to do.  Here’s what I used to tell chefs.  When chefs buy them, they are in big 5 pound bags.  I would always teach them, when you have some left over, what you are going to do is first gently squeeze as much air out of the bag as possible.  Take it just like so, and you are going to gently push out all of the air.  In fact, the very first vacuum sealers in Salinas were these…hands.  That’s right.  Workers would push air out of each bag before sealing the bag.  That was the first vacuum sealer for salads back in the early 1990s.  Now, what you are going to do is to twist the top, put a rubber band on it to hold it.  Now, see, all of the pressure is right on the twist.  Now, take it and put it upside down, with all the pressure on the closed twist end, helping to keep air out of the bag.  So, this lettuce in the bag will last a whole lot longer for you.  Next time, when you go to use it, it will still be good.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man. 

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