LONG PROMO:   Have you ever wonedered how the tangerine got its name?  I’ve got a fun story on how that happened.  Plus, right down here.  Down through history there have been many great pairs – Louis and Clark, Antony and Cleopatra…but what about the Bosque and the D’Angou and the Comice?  I’ll share all about the winter pears…next week, with me, Michael Marks, Your Produce Man.

SHORT PROMO:  Hey, down through history there have been many great pears – like the Bosque and many others…next week with me, Michael Marks, Your Produce Man.
                                                                                                         
TANGERINES (Monday, November 26):  Hey, you like the movie Casablanca?  Oh, I love the movie Casablanca!  Morocco.  When most people think of Morocco, they think of Casablanca.  Well, the next time you see Casablanca or you think of the movie Casablanca, I also want you to think of tangerines.  That’s right - tangerines.  We get the name tangerine from the port city north of Morocco, north of Casablanca, which is called Tangiers.  That’s right.  These originally came from China.  They were called mandarins, and they were first exported from the port of Tangiers in Morocco to the rest of the world, so that’s why we have the name tangerines.  By the way, there are many different varieties of tangerines, but they are all mandarins.  The small mandarins are called tangerine.  The large mandarins are called tangelos.  For me, I love these small mandarins called the Satsuma.  Oh, they’re to die for.  So go out and get your tangerines.  Now you know even how they got their name.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.   

TEASE:  Oh, man!  I love a tangerine, but how did it get its name? Huh!  In my next Produce Man report, I’ll tell you.  (Takes Bite)  Mmmm.

D’ANJOU PEARS (Tuesday, November 27):  Right here – it’s the number one pear in the world.  It’s called a Bartlett pear.  We call it a summer pear, but there are many winter pears, and here are some of the most popular.  Of course you have the D’Anjou pear, you have the Bosque pear, you have the red pear, and then where’s my stubby, chubby, fat, little one here?  Oh, the Comice pear right there.  Now the most popular winter pear is right here.  It’s called a D’Anjou.  Now how do you know when a D’Anjou….because this does not change color like a Bartlett.  The Bartlett changes to a nice yellow color.  This one, it stays this color.  Well, here, are you ready for this?  Three words I want you to remember:  check the neck.  You hold it in your hand just like this and you’re going to put your thumb right on the neck.  See how easy that is.  Now when the neck starts to get a little bit soft, that is when the D’Anjou is ready to eat.  Now how do you ripen them?  Do not in a million years set them out on the counter top.  Put them in a paper bag or put them all together just like I’ve done in this nice little wicker basket or a bowl.  They’ll ripen up really nice.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.  

TEASE: Hey, in my next Produce Man report…I have the most popular winter pear.  It’s right there. 

BOSC PEARS (Wednesday, November 28):  Hey, you know The Joy of Cooking was first published this week back in 1931 so I thought I’d talk about the best baking pear on the face of the planet.  It’s right here.  It’s called a Bosc pear.  It’s probably one of the most beautiful pears that I know of.  Now one of the things I thought I’d show you about a Bosc pear…if you want to cut it in half and then you want to take the seeds out.  Get a melon baller, you know, because the melon baller has these really sharp sides to it so it is really easy just to scoop the seads right on out.  Now here’s what you’ve got to do. You’ve got to take that little…there’s a vein there…you’ve got to take the vein out as well.  How do you know when a Bosque pear is ripe?  I want to show you something here.  See this neck right  here?  See how it’s just starting to shrivel up there?  When a Bosc pear is just starting to shrivel up, that is when that Bosc pear is ready to poach or bake or…You love cooking with pears? It’s the Bosque pear, ladies and gentlemen.  This is the one that you want.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man. (Takes Bite)  Mmmm.

COMICE PEARS (Thursday, November 29):  All right.  This is the Harry and David of pears, the winter pears.  You know, you go to Medford, Oregon, what are you going to find?  This pear.  Right here.  This is called a Comice pear.  The ugly, chubby, stubby, fat little thing.   No, not me.  The pear! This thing right here.  This is the best tasting pear on the face of the planet.  I call it the Cadillac of pears or the Rolls Royce of pears, whatever you want to call it.  If you love eating pears, here’s what I want you to do.  I want you to go grab some Comice pears.  Ripen them properly.  Do not set them out in the open air because they will just dehydrate before they ripen.  Then I want you to get some cheese, sit by a fire, get a good book…maybe a little  wine, and get your knife out and start to have some cheese and pears.  Oh, you are going to fall in love with this Comice pear.   I know you have probably never purchased one because you didn’t know what it was -  the Cadillac of pears called a Comice pear. I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.

TEASE:  Hey, in my next Produce Man report, follow me.  Right here, the best tasting pear on the face of the planet - called a Comice.

RED PEAR (Friday, November 30):  Hey, did you happen to see the lighting of the Rockefeller Christmas tree?  That big old tree that lights up every year at this time of the year?  Well you want to light up some of your winter salads, your green salads?  May I suggest you lighten them up with this.  Yes, red pears. I love…I love to put fruit in my green salads, and I love to lighten them up.  I mean just look at the color of this thing.  This thing’s beautiful.  One of the things that is really easy to do – just cut it in half.  Are you with me so far?  So far that’s easy, right?  Now, what you’re going to do…just lay that down.  And now you’re just  going to slice it just like so.  You with me?  Now that’s not all that difficult.  Turn it over there, and now you’ve got these beautiful slices.  There’s a couple things you can do with these slices – not only put them into your salads but also, are you ready for this?  Make a quesadilla, right?  And put the red pear down into the quesadilla.  What a fun way to get your kids or your grandkids eating some fruits and vegetables while they are having one of their favorite foods, a quesadilla!  But a red pear, man, that  will do it – especially this time of year.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.  (Take bite)  Mmm.

TEASE:  Hey, in my next Produce Man report, holidays are just around the corner so you need a pear as festive as the holidays.

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