LONG PROMO:   Would you take a look at those cute little tomatoes in that cute little package!  These are called D’Vines, and they are new tomatoes coming into the supermarket.  I’m going to tell you about them.  Plus, this is the coconut that most of us think of, but there are new coconuts coming in.  Brussel Sprouts - new crop coming in.  Brazilian mangoes coming in.  Plus new crop grapefruit just for you…next week, with me, Michael Marks, Your Produce Man.

SHORT PROMO:  Hey, take a look at these cute little tomatoes!  I’ll show them to you…next week with me, Michael Marks, Your Produce Man.
                                                                                                         
D’VINE TOMATOES (Monday, November 5):  You know when I first started in the produce industry 30 years ago this very year, this was the tomato that most of us have, the regular old round slicing tomato.  We also had cherry tomatoes.  Then in the 1980s, of course we had those beautiful Roma tomatoes come in.  The 1990s we saw the Heirloom tomatoes.  Take a look at these folks.  These are like some of the cutest tomatoes you have ever seen.  These are from our friends at Nature Sweet.  They give us those beautiful cocktail tomatoes.  These are called D’Vines.  They are just now coming out.  They are a Roma type tomato.  In fact the seed variety came from Italy, and the Italians actually are falling in love with these.  Would I fall in love with this?  Aah ha, Take a look at this!  I love…take these to the Academy Awards.  This will be on the red carpet, man.  This is like some of the cutest packaging you’ve ever seen in your life.  They are called D’Vines and you’re going to see them in your supermarket coming up soon.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.   

TEASE:  Hey, in my next Produce Man report, you like tomatoes?  Check these out.

GRAPEFRUIT (Tuesday, November 6):  Hey, it’s election day so I hope you will take some time today to go out and vote.  It is very important that you vote.  And when you’re going down the produce aisle, I hope you vote with your pocketbook.  Take a look at this – new crop grapefruit now coming in the supermarket.  These are Texas grapefruit.  Oh yea, take a look at that!  That is the other red meat.  That is unbelievable.  See all that red in there?  That is lycopene - a very powerful antioxidant.  Now, you may be wondering, “Where in the world are the Florida grapefruit?”  That’s right.  Where are Florida grapefruit?  Well, the USDA has actually embargoed Florida grapefruit from entering any citrus producing state in the country.  That includes Louisiana, Texas, Arizona, and of course California.  So for the rest of the country you can get Florida and Texas grapefruit, but for those of us in those four states, that’s why we’re only gonna see Texas grapefruit.  Why not, though?  They are fantastic grapefruit right now.  By the way, how to pick out the best?  Hold it in your hand…it had better feel heavy for its size.  That means good juice content.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.  

TEASE: Hey, in my next Produce Man report…you want to see some Texas red grapefruit?  Take a look at that!

MANGOES (Wednesday, November 7):  Hey, happy birthday Billy Graham!  He turns 89 years old today.  He loves his greens and hamhocks.  And his favorite fruit everyday?  That’s right.  He goes and gets a mango every day.  He loves mangoes.  Very healthy fruit, and that’s very important for his lifestyle.  Now mangoes right now are coming from the Southern Hemisphere, most of them coming from Brazil.  That’s right.  That’s where most mangoes right now are coming from.  These are actually gorgeous mangoes.  Take a look at those.  Now one of the things you want to look for is this stem.  If that stem is up on a hill, that is an immature mango.  If that stem just like this is down in a valley, that is a mature mango, and this mango will indeed ripen.  Now, how do you ripen a mango?  Well, what you want to do…you want to set them out on your countertop just like this.  Okay, you with me so far?  But do not leave them exposed to the open air.  You’ve got to cover them with a newspaper or something.  If you don’t cover them, they will just dehydrate.  Now, when you pick them up in your hand and they start smelling like the tropics, that is when they are ripe.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.

TEASE: Hey, in my next Produce Man report, new crop mangoes from Brazil – just in time for Billy Graham’s birthday.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS (Thursday, November 8):   Today is “Cook Something Bold Day”  Now what bolder thing can you cook than right here?  That’s right - beautiful Brussels Sprouts.  My favorite vegetable on the face of the planet are brussel sprouts.  Now this is actually how brussel sprouts are grown – on this long stalk, and if you notice, they just grow on this long stalk.  And when they cut them off, they’ll just break them off actually is what they do.  Now when you are picking out your brussel sprouts, here is what I want you to look for.  I want you to look through that big bin of brussel sprouts, and I want you to find the smaller ones.  That’s right.  Find the smaller ones.  These real big ones can be a little bit, uh, have an off flavor.  So if you find the smaller ones, those are going to have a much sweeter flavor than the other ones.  Now also, when you are looking through all these brussel sprouts make sure there are no yellow leaves on them.  Yellow leaves are a sign that they’ve had some heat to them or they’re too old, so you don’t want to find any yellow leaves.  Now, I guarantee you, if you find some sweet brussel sprouts and you cook them properly, people will eat them, all right?  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.  

TEASE:  Hey, in my next Produce Man report, no yellow and find the small ones.
  
COCONUTS (Friday, November 9):  Hey, you know this weekend is “Great American Warm Up” so if some of those old coats, sweaters, and sweatshirts that you don’t use anymore, please get them out of your closets, get them out of the bins, and take them down to the homeless shelters.  They really need them this coming weekend.  Now, coconuts.  This is what most of us think of a coconut or that stuff in the brown bag, you know, that’s supposed to be coconut, but there’s new coconut coming onto the market thanks to Frieda’s.  Now Frieda’s was the folks that brought us the first kiwi fruit, and look what they’re bringing us.  These are fresh coconut.  That’s right.  These are absolutely fresh coconut inside.  These are halves.  These are quarters.  And they even have full coconuts even with the juice still inside.  By the way, the juice inside – it is nature’s electrolytes.  That’s right, electrolytes.  This is better than Gatorade.  It’s nature’s Gatorade.  Now, what are you gonna do with this?  Folks, don’t go buy the stuff from the baking aisle anymore.  Go buy fresh coconut.  There is a world of difference in the flavor of fresh coconut and that shaved stuff in the bag.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man. 

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