LONG PROMO:   Heh, it may be spring time here, we’re almost getting into summer, but guess what?  In the Southern Hemisphere, it is fall time.  And that means it is apple time.  That’s right, they are growing new crop apples in New Zealand, Australia and in Chile.  And guess what?  We’re going to Chile to check out the new crop apples.  Oh man, they are so good.  That’s next week with me, Michael Marks, Your Produce Man.

SHORT PROMO:  Heh, we’re going to Chile…to check out their new crop apples…all next week with me, Michael Marks, Your Produce Man.
                                                                                                         
CHILE APPLES - IRRIGATION (Monday, May 21):  Chilean farmers know that you not only have to have great climate, you have to have great soil, but you also have to invest in better technologies.  One of the things the Chileans have done…we’re in a Red Delicious Apple orchard, and I want you to take a look at…the irrigation.  No, no, not up there.  Down a little bit further.  Come right down here.  Take a look at this.  They are irrigating…not drip irrigation, but it’s irrigation about a foot above the ground.  Now they use to irrigate in these long furrows.  That’s what everybody did five years ago.  They would flood the fields, but what that did was very uneaven irrigation to the trees.  It was a waste of natural resources, a waste of water.  By going to this system, much more even irrigation for these trees.  Much less use of natural resource water…they’re saving water.  But the best thing…these trees love it.  Let me show you.  Take a look at this.  Look at the size of this fruit.  Not only bigger fruit, but better fruit.  Oh, man…take a look at that…thanks to better irrigation.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.

TEASE:  Heh, in my next Produce Man report from Chile, you’ve got to see how they are irrigating these apples.

CHILE APPLES – HARVEST I (Tuesday, May 22):  Heh, I’ve come to the Maule Valley.  It’s about two and a half hours south of Santiago, Chile.  I’ve come here, because this is the premier apple growing region in Chile, for some of the best apples grown anywhere on planet earth.  One of the main reasons.  Beautiful sunny, warm days.  And the night times, oh my goodness, they get picture perfect cold night temperatures for beautiful Red Delicious Apples.  Take a look at these.  Now, how do you know when a Red Delicious Apple is ready to be picked?  A couple of things they are looking for.  They are going to look at the background color.  They’re going to do a brix test, which is kind of like sugar.  They will cut one in half and put iodine on the flesh.  If the iodine changes to a blue color, that means there is too much starch in here.  You don’t want starch in an apple.  You want sugar content.  They do a pressure test to make sure it’s really nice a crisp.  They do an ethylene test.  Lots of high tech tests the Chileans do, very scientific, to make sure these apples are going to be picture perfect…and tickle your taste buds, too.  I’m Michael Marks, Your Produce Man.  (Takes Bite)  Mmmmm.

TEASE: Heh, in my next Produce Man report, how do you know when this apple is ready to harvest?
 

CHILE APPLES – HARVEST II (Wednesday, May 23):  Alright, Alameto has been teaching me how to pick apples here in Chile, but I’ve got to have this hat in order to do it right.  I’ve got my gabacho…that’s my “fruit bag.”  So let’s see about harvesting these Granny Smith Apples.  Oh I love a Granny.  Get out your pie recipes.  Oh  my goodness.  Well, there are certain ways they teach the harvesters to pick a Granny Smith.  You have to use your thumb, and you have to take your hand and twist it.  Let’s see if I can do this right?  Now, the reason you have to use your thumb is you don’t want to take the stem off.  You want to leave it attached.  Let’s see if I can do it right.  Oh, look at that.  The stem is still on.  I did good Alameto.  Are you proud of me?  Will you hire me?  Now, you take this apple and put it in my little fruit bag here.  Now, you don’t drop it.  Oh no.  Never in a million years would you drop the apple in my gabacho, my fruit bag.  You hand place it into the bag.  Now, we are not done yet.  By the way, my bag has a very soft bottom.  Really cool.  Now, we’re not done yet.  We have to get these apples to the fruit bins.  I’ll tell you what we do there coming up.  I’m Michael Marks, Your Produce Man.  

TEASE: Heh, in my next Produce Man report, there’s a very special way to harvest these apples.  And I didn’t do that one very good.  Bummer. 

CHILE APPLES – HARVEST III (Thursday, May 24):    OK, we’re done filling my fruit bag.  Now we have to go to the field bins, and there are some special things you have to do there.  Follow me over here.  This bag is a little bit heavy, but not too bad.  Now, one of the keys here, this fruit bag is plastic.  You don’t want this plastic touching these apples.  You know why?  The bag will bruise the apples.  So here is what they designed.  This is really cool.  You disentage these straps, yeah, and I hold the fruit bag.  Now, watch this.  Gently, oh, oh, oh…Gently let the fruit out…with out this plastic bag touching any of the fruit…for food safety reasons too.  So, very, very gently.  ALAMETO:  Miguel.  Bien.  YPM:  Oh, muey bien.  I did it.  I might to work down here in Chile.  This is fun.  But a lot of work goes into making sure these apples are not bruised.  I’m Michael Marks, Your Produce Man.

TEASE:  Heh, in my next Produce Man report, there is a very special way in getting these apples into this bin…without bruising them. 
 
CHILE APPLES - PRUNING (Friday, May 25):  Heh, take a look at these apple trees here in Chile.  Do you see anything different about these trees?  How they are pruned?  The guys name is Jean Marie LaSpana.  He’s from France, the Bordeaux region of France.  He developed a system of pruning in France.  It’s called “solaxie.”  The word means “bring down.”  So, look at these strings they actually have on the branches.  It brings the branches down.  Let me show you what that actually does.  Oh, my goodness.  Oh, look at this.  It does a couple of things.  First, it stresses out the tree a little bit.  So the tree thinks, “Oh, I have to put out more blossoms.”  More blossoms mean more fruit.  And look at the size of the fruit.  You see, when this branch is down, it is exposed to more sunlight.  More sunlight…you know what that means?  More food production in the leaves, and that means bigger fruit.  Now, to show the difference, look at all the fruit here.  Take a look at that.  Now, look up there where the branches are not bending down.  Very small amount of fruit, and the apples are smaller up there.  Again, it’s one of the ways the Chileans are using new technology…in an old crop.  I’m Michael Marks, Your Produce Man. 

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