Skip to Content
 
Home

Produce News For September 14, 2009

 

GREEN ONIONS (September 14):  All right.  If you read cookbooks that are printed on the East coast, they will say scallions.  If you read cookbooks that are printed on the West coast, they will say green onions.  If you were born in the east, then of course, you’re going to think of these as scallions.  These are green onions or scallions – whatever you want to call them.  But I absolutely love green onions for a multitude of reasons.  They add so much color or flavor to anything you are doing.  Plus, every taste bud in your family will love green onions.  Let me show you how.  Okay?  Right out here.  See this green part right out here?  Take a look at that.  See that green part?  That green part is really nice and mild.  So if you have people in the family who like a mild flavor of an onion, right there is what you’re going to give them.  Now, you have somebody in the family…they like it a little bit hot?  Well, this is the part you’re going to give them.  This is a bit hotter.  You have people in the family who love it real hot? Well, there – the white bulb.  That is a hot onion! So, a taste for every taste bud.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.   
 
 
TEASE:  Hey, in my next Produce Man report, there is a flavor for every taste bud in this green onion.
 
PINEAPPLES (Tuesday, September 15):  Hey, it’s Independence Day.  Well, not here!  It’s in Costa Rica!  They’re celebrating their Independence Day this week.  They got their independence from Spain in 1821.  So why Costa Rica?  Why am I talking about that?  Well, that’s where we actually get most of our pineapples today.  You thought most of our pineapples still came from Hawaii?  Well, that’s where they really…not originated from.  That’s where we started getting so much of our pineapple, but because of high land cost, high insurance cost, no labor – they could find anybody in Hawaii who wanted to work the plantations, so they moved a lot of plantations to the Central American country of Costa Rica, and that’s where most of our beautiful pineapple are coming from.  And the reason I tell you that, this time of year in Central America is going to be the rainy season, so when we have a lot of rain this time of year in Central America,  that’s when we can get some brown spots on the inside of the pineapple.  So I just thought you would want to know that Costa Rica is the home of our pineapple now.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.
 
TEASE: Hey, in my next Produce Man report…which country provides us with most of our pineapple now?
 
 
BANANA MAGIC (Wednesday, September 16): Hey, I have my little boy, Landon.  Say “Hi” to everybody.  “Hi.”  Hey, Landon, you know I love magic, huh?  And you do too, right?  And we love our fruits and vegetables.  So you want to earn this $5 here?  Okay.  I’m going to put the $5 right into the pan.  No magic here.  It’s just an empty pan.  We’re going to put this lid on it, right?  Every question I ask you, I want you to answer with one word and one word only.  That word is?  “Banana.” Okay.  What is your name?  “Banana.”  Oh, very good.  He got it right.  What is your mom’s name?  “Banana.”  What is your big sister’s name?  “Banana.”  And one final question.  What would you like to earn more than $5.  “Banana.”  Ooh.  Here we go.  Bananas.  That’s right.  There you go.  There’s your bananas.  Just in honor of David Copperfield who’s having a birthday today so we thought we’d do a little bit of magic with one of our favorite fruits – banana.  No, not that banana.  That banana.  I’m Michael Marks and Landon…Your Produce Man.
 
TEASE: Hey, in my next Produce Man report, Landon is helping me do a little bit of banana magic.
 
 
PEACHES AND NECTARINES (Thursday, September 17):    Oh, it is a pity this is kind of like the last week of summer officially by the calendar.  Next week we begin, of course, fall, and that means we’re getting into some of our late season peaches and nectarines.  And a couple things to remember about the late season peaches and nectarines – we start losing a lot of the color.   You know during the peak of the season a lot of this red blush, it was brilliant red blush.  So we start losing a lot of that red blush.  Now that’s very typical.  It doesn’t mean that these varieties are bad.  These are just typically grown.  I also wanted to remind you that right now, right this very minute, there are blossoms all over peach and nectarine trees in the country of Chile which is where we get all of our summer peaches and nectarines in the dead of winter.  So watch the weather in Chile right around Santiago.  It’s going to tell you whether we’re going to have a good crop this coming winter.  So watch for rain/cold.  Watch for wind.  Watch for heat.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.
 
TEASE:  Hey, in my next Produce Man report, they may have a little bit less color, but these peaches and nectarines still have a lot of flavor.  (Takes bite)  Mmm.
 
  
NAVEL ORANGES (Friday, September 18):  Hey, Lance Armstrong turns 38 years old today, and, you know, a lot of bikers, they love oranges.  Now, I know this time of year we have football practice starting.  Of course we have soccer going on, so like every Saturday – soccer games!  Right? What’s one of the biggest fruits for halftime at soccer?  That’s right.  Oranges.  Gorgeous oranges.  And this time of year – look at the juice in there.  Absolutely gorgeous navel oranges coming from the Southern Hemisphere – South Africa, Chile, Australia is where we’re getting a lot of our navel oranges.  So why are navel oranges so important to athletes?  Well, one very good reason.  There is a chemical found in the juice of an orange that actually helps you breathe better.  Do you think breathing is important when you’re playing soccer or out on the football field or you’re a biker like Lance Armstrong?  Yes, breathing is very important.  That’s why oranges are very important to have as a snack when you’re out running around or if you’re playing some soccer or any other game.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.  (Takes bite)
 
TEASE:  Hey, in my next Produce Man report, why oranges are so important to Lance Armstrong.