Last week’s Your Produce Man’s Produce Puzzzzle dealt apples: What apple is a cross between a Golden Delicious and a Kidd's Orange Pippin? This apple has become one of the most popular apples in New Zealand It's actually been around since 1939. The "Kidd" of Kidd's Orange Pippin is J.H. Kidd, a nurseryman in New Zealand. He first found this apple, but it wasn't until the Stark Brothers Nursery started promoting it in 1972 that the apple began to become popular. It is one of the first apples to be harvested in apple season, and it is one of the sweetest apples grown. It is…the Gala. Wintertime means citrus time, so this week's Your Produce Man’s Produce Puzzzzle deals with citrus: What citrus is named after civil government workers? (Here's a hint: It's not government workers in America.) See next week’s Fresh Tips for the answer.

Which of these spuds makes the perfect Mashed Potatoes?

Over whipped potatoes can become a gluey mess.

RUSSET POTATOES (Monday, November 21): Are you having Mashed Potatoes for your Thanksgiving meal? So, what potato will you use? You can break potatoes into three main categories: High Starch, Medium Starch and Low Starch. The lower starch potatoes would be your new potatoes, reds and whites. They have more sugar content rather than starch content. Medium Starch potatoes would be like the yellow-fleshed Yukon Golds. High starch spuds would be your russets. These are the best for baking and mashing. Starch cells expand and burst when put under heat. This makes the russet potato perfect for soaking up all that butter, dairy and other ingredients into your Mashed Potatoes. Have you had Mashed Potatoes that turned out to be like glue? That’s a result of the “overworking” or “over whipping” your potatoes. Because of the high starch content, if you whip the potatoes too much, all of those starch cells kind of bind together in this gooey, gluey type mess. So don’t over whip your spuds.

Serve Pineapples!

PINEAPPLE (Tuesday, November 22): Thanksgiving is here. Will there be enough Pineapples for good prices this holiday season? As a reminder, Pineapples are just now coming out of a huge supply gap, one of the most severe seen by Hawaiian growers in many years. It was about a 6 week gap of supplies, but just in time, production is up both in Hawaii and Costa Rica. If you are not in the habit of using fresh Pineapple for your holiday dinner and as decorations on your table, may I remind you that the Pineapple is the universal symbol of friendship and welcome. If you travel to New England, you will find the Pineapple carved in fenceposts, doorposts, in the kitchens. When guests come to your home for the holiday, serve Pineapple, and have an extra one out just for decorations.

Grapefruit adds pizzazz to lettuce salads.

Never stop stirring your Toasted Pecans.

GRAPEFRUIT & NUTS (Wednesday, November 23): So you’ve got your lettuce salad prepared. Can I suggest just two things to add to it that would make your guests say, “Wow.” Grapefruit. Texas Grapefruit is real red. It looks so dazzling in a green salad. Just simply cut out the Grapefruit sections and put them in. I will even line the salad bowl with the sections, or if you are serving the salad, place the sections in a nice pattern on top of the salad. Now take all the Grapefruit juice and let’s make a quick, simple dressing for the salad. Mix the juice with Olive Oil, sugar, salt and pepper. You can figure out the ratios and amounts, depending on how much juice you were able to get. You could add some poppy seed to the dressing as well. Finally, to add the final touch, add some toasted pecans. in a non-stick pan or in a pan sprayed with a non-stick cooking spray and turn the heat up to medium to medium-high. Add the pecan halves into the pan and sprinkle some brown sugar on top, enough to coat the pecans. Keep stirring this, or they will burn quickly. If your husband or wife calls for you, ignore them. When toasting nuts, a few seconds can mean the difference between perfect or ruined toasted nuts. When the nuts appear comeplety coated, and the coating is sticking to the nuts, they’re done. Take them off the heat immediately. Let them cool, then toss into your salad.

Cut the north pole and south pole of the Grapefruit, so that it will lay flat. Then peel it with a knife, section by section.

Working over a bowl to reserve the juice, cut along both sides of each dividing membrane and lift out sections from center.

Lots of packaged salads to choose; just throw the bag away before guests arrive.

PACKAGED SALADS (Thursday, November 24): There are so many freshly cut salads, why spend your time washing and cutting lettuce for a green salad, when you can spend that time on other side dishes, or perhaps spending a bit more time with your guests. This is also a great way to get your kids or grandkids into the kitchen to help. Even my little Landon, who just turned 3 years old this month, slides one of our chairs over to the counter to lend me a hand with the packaged salads. You see, I think the size of the lettuce pieces in the fresh-cut packaged salads need to be torn into smaller, bite-size pieces. If you don’t, then your guests will have to get out their knife and fork to cut the salad. A knife and fork are meant for your meat, not your salad. Well, I open the packaged salad and dump it into a very largre bowl. Landon’s job is to go through the lettuce, taking the large pieces and tearing them into smaller pieces. He actually does a very good job at. Do you think Landon will eat salad today? You bet. He’s invested his time and effort into that salad, and he’s proud of his work. Oh, by the way, do make sure that your kids wash their hands before they start working in the kitchen. They should wash their hands for 20 seconds, which is about the time it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” twice. The packaged salad craze took off a little over a decade ago. Today, it is a $3 billion industry, and you can find many varieties and mixes. When you are buying your fresh-cut salads, make sure you don’t make any stops between the store and home. Get the salads home and in the refrigerator immediately…if not sooner. When you go to prepare your salad, as soon as you open the bag, get your kids or grandkids in the kitchen, and have them tear the lettuce leaves even further, into bite-size pieces. Nothing worse than getting a plate full of lettuce that your guests have get a knife and fork out for. Why don’t you take a little extra time and make the pieces smaller. This is a gret way of getting your kids in the kitchen to help out. Just make sure they wash their hands before they help you in the kitchen. Next, I would give the lettuce an ice rinse. Don’t soak the lettuce, but rinse it with ice water. This will help perk up the lettuce. Make sure you get it dry after the rinse. Use a salad spinner, and then even pat it dry with a towel or paper towel. The reason to get it mostly dry, is so that when you pour your dressing on the salad, it won’t just roll off the water, but will actually coat the lettuce leave. This will allow you to use less dressing. Don’t tell your guests you used packaged salads. Just make sure you throw the bags away before your guests arrive.

These past few years have been among the most difficult in the life of our country. But it reminds me of the greatest treasures in life: life itself and your family. My family has grown again. Little Landon turned 3 this month, and little Lincoln is now 19 months old. Also joining our family this year is little Jacson, born just a few weeks ago to our oldest son Shaen and his dear wife, Katie. They live in Ozark, Missouria. My dear wife, Julie is a saint, taking care of the Marks boys. And our little girl, Claire, whom I affectionately call my little “Pearl” brings great joy and life to our home and family. Yes, what a great day. I will tell each one in my family how very thankful I am for them, and how they make my life worth so much more. Today, I am also so very grateful for this great nation we call the United States of America, a place where freedom rings. And where we feed a world. Yes, we have some of the finest farmers found anywhere in the world, producing some of the best and safest food and agricultural products on the face of the planet. To every farmer, “Thank you for nurturing the soil, bringing us the most bounty of food.” As you gather around the table today, express your thanks to those who have prepared the meal, and to those who have joined you around the Thanksgiving day table. Giving thanks makes Thanksgiving such a wonderful day. And be sure to have plenty of Pineapple, the universal symbol of friendship and welcome.

More people traveling for the holidays, means less room for produce on those planes.

ASPARAGUS, BERRIES (Friday, November 25): During this time of year, airlines are busy hauling people, packages and mail. The U.S. Post Office has priority with cargo space, and with a lot of holiday mail and packages being shipped, air cargo space becomes a pretty tight commodity. Also, with increased travel, people are filling the planes, and that means a lot more luggage, again putting a strain on cargo space. Fresh fruits and vegetables have a lower priority, so some may very well be left on the tarmac in Chile, New Zealand, Australia and other countries, which we import from. This will primarily affect imported air-freighted commodities such as Asparagus from Peru, berries from Chile, baby vegetables, baby beans and berries from Guatemala, gold Pineapple from Costa Rica and Hawaii, early Cherries and Apricots from Chile, Strawberries from Australia. Once the holidays are over, air cargo space will loosen up a bit and we should get back to normal supplies.

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