Fresh News

Thanks­giv­ing left­overs are a bet for at least one good sand­wich or warm plate of com­fort post hol­i­day feast.

If soups, sal­ads and sides don’t lend a cer­tain kitchen inspi­ra­tion to the day after foods, rethink the approach.

A few sim­ple fresh ingre­di­ents will ignite a spark to the dol­drums of those glass dishes stacked in the fridge.

Intro­duce gin­ger root, cilantro, edamame and shi­take mush­rooms for a boost of fla­vor to any bowl of Asian noo­dles or rice dish. Spice it up with chili pep­per paste (kochu­jang) or chili pep­per flakes (kochukaru).

Fresh herbs like basil, mint and Ital­ian pars­ley boost taste buds with a dif­fer­ent take to cold sal­ads. Tar­ragon or baby dill move things in an alto­gether new direc­tion.

Peas, arti­choke hearts and fen­nel bulbs and fronds add more than just bright green­ery. Allow the dis­tinc­tive tex­tures and extra­or­di­nary fla­vors to sur­prise the palette. It’s not grandma’s turkey salad if wal­nuts, apple chunks and curry pow­der get folded in to the mix.

As Thanks­giv­ing table set­tings get arranged, include a mind­set of grat­i­tude that will hold past this sin­gle day of appre­ci­a­tion.

From hur­ri­canes to wild­fires, epic nat­ural dis­as­ters dis­rupted and rede­fined the lives of thou­sands. Many of those recently touched by dev­as­tat­ing events, find rea­son to give thanks.

Indi­vid­u­als with a solid foun­da­tion of home, fam­ily, friends and employ­ment have much to cel­e­brate.

Grate­ful­ness is not a one-​time thought, deed or acknowl­edge­ment. It’s an ongo­ing process and prac­tice. It cre­ates new chan­nels of pos­si­bil­ity and oppor­tu­nity. It touches love, friend­ship, ser­vice and our human­ity.

In the dark­est of times, there is often some good to be found. Explore what might be at the core of any life alter­ing event. Com­mu­nity is often an abun­dant source of sup­port and strength. Com­mon Unity is a wel­comed by-​product of dis­as­ter.

Through­out the Amer­i­can his­tory, reli­gious lead­ers, polit­i­cal fig­ures, and pres­i­dents have called for national hol­i­days to express grat­i­tude and thank­ful­ness to God.

Far too often, lack of care or inex­pe­ri­ence col­lide with pos­i­tive con­sumer encoun­ters. That clash adversely affects fresh fruits and veg­eta­bles.

Prod­uct qual­ity and prod­uct con­di­tion are two sep­a­rate issues. How we han­dle fresh pro­duce can def­i­nitely impact the lat­ter.

Care­ful han­dling will max­i­mize fresh­ness, and add to shelf life or serv­ing appear­ance. It makes sense then that mis­han­dling is counter pro­tect­ing the inven­tory and in-​stock items.

The influx of new employ­ees through­out the food indus­try requires train­ing and coach­ing on the sub­ject of han­dling. Proper receiv­ing is the first step in main­tain­ing good qual­ity stan­dards.

Observ­ing clean­li­ness of truck trail­ers, inte­rior vehi­cle tem­per­a­tures and neat and straight pal­let stacks are a few signs that a deliv­ery is accept­able. Look for car­tons or cases that have not been split open or torn.

Cold chain pro­to­cols are impor­tant year round. As we approach cooler sea­sons, chances are that pro­duce is trav­el­ling to us from far­ther away places. Keep­ing prod­uct in best tem­per­a­ture ranges is crit­i­cal to longevity. This goes for every­thing from berries to zucchini.

Good advice comes to us in numer­ous ways. The recent Pro­duce Mar­ket­ing Association’s Fresh Sum­mit event in Orlando was one of those most pecu­liar chan­nels.

Future Hall of Fame quar­ter­back Pey­ton Man­ning addressed atten­dees at a morn­ing break­fast ses­sion.

Foot­ball fan, or not, his mes­sage res­onated with those for­tu­nate enough to wit­ness his humil­ity, insight and humor. He shared the guid­ance his own father, famed NFL quar­ter­back Archie Man­ning, gave him.

“Reset to zero” is the coun­sel he received from his pops when fac­ing a loss, set­back or any type of adver­sity. This mes­sage is one that keeps replay­ing weeks after Peyton’s PMA’s morn­ing break­fast talk.

Win­ning out­comes require dis­ci­pline and prepa­ra­tion. To hear him tell it, no one stays the same. One either gets bet­ter or worse. Decide each day on goals of con­tin­u­ous improvement.

A sym­bol of pros­per­ity and abun­dance, exquis­ite pome­gran­ates have long been cher­ished for their beauty, ben­e­fits and unique taste.

The ruby red bulbs are dif­fi­cult to resist as they begin to appear in our fall mar­ket­place.

In North Amer­ica, pome­gran­ates have tra­di­tion­ally only been avail­able from around Octo­ber through Jan­u­ary.

Con­sumer demand has called on sup­pli­ers to import fruit from the south­ern hemi­sphere dur­ing the off-​season. This means, pom arils (the edi­ble inter­nal seed) has become a year-​round jewel for sal­ads, dips, baked goods and out of hand eat­ing.

The delight­ful, sweet-​tart crunchy seeds perk up nearly any plate with their sassy color and burst of tangy juice. This is real party food for adults, turn­ing the ordi­nary in to a fes­tive occasion.

Eat­ing low carb or look­ing for ways to shake up the daily menu? Veg­eta­bles will then play a key role.

Not all veg­eta­bles have the same impact when there is a com­mit­ment to reduce sugar intake.

As much as we may love them, starchy veg­eta­bles are the ones to be avoided. This includes pota­toes, peas, corn, yams, beans and legumes.

Best to savor those for spe­cial occa­sions or splurges. Car­rots, some win­ter squashes and even onions should also be con­sumed in mod­er­a­tion on a keto­genic diet.

There are plenty of other great tast­ing, ver­sa­tile veg­gies to work into the daily mix. Nutri­ent dense, dark, leafy greens like spinach and kale top the list. They leap from sal­ads to omelets and power up protein-​rich smoothies.

When it comes to culi­nary charisma or dec­o­ra­tive charm, not all pump­kins are cre­ated equal.

A trip to a local pump­kin patch will excite even the most senior pumpkin-​picker-​outers.

Heir­loom vari­eties of this win­ter squash give every­one rea­son to find a new fall favorite.

Orange is def­i­nitely not the only color in the box, though var­i­ous shades of orange run the full spec­trum. Unusual mark­ings and tex­tures, enchant­ing names and inter­est­ing shapes open pump­kin pos­si­bil­i­ties for cre­ative décor and dis­plays.

Old school vari­etals break the mold on tra­di­tional orange orbs. Cool col­ors like salmon, white, blue, gray and green bring much more inter­est to the field. Bumps, stripes, streaks and warts give curios­ity a sat­is­fac­tory platform.

Giv­ing back is good. We believe in local farm­ing and we believe that sup­port­ing grow­ers in our com­mu­ni­ties is the best way to ensure a future for food.

Cul­ti­vat­ing Change, the Greener Fields Together local farm grant pro­gram, aims to fund projects that will help local farm­ers do what they’re best at, farming.

Grant amounts up to $30,000 will be funded on an annual basis to qual­i­fy­ing grow­ers through an online vot­ing plat­form and peer review panel.

Cul­ti­vat­ing Change grants are open to all local farm­ers and aggre­ga­tors where pro­duce pro­duc­tion or aggre­ga­tion makes up at least fifty per­cent of their busi­ness. All appli­cants will be eli­gi­ble to par­tic­i­pate in the pop­u­lar vote por­tion of the con­test and only Greener Fields Together local farms will be eli­gi­ble to win by panel review.

All appli­cants must use grant money for the pur­pose spec­i­fied on their appli­ca­tion, share project results, and if selected, agree to the usage of their name and like­ness in mar­ket­ing and pub­lic rela­tions collateral.