Market Report
- Friday, 27 December 2019
As 2019 comes to a close, make time for some personal reflection and self-care. Renewal is part of letting go and embracing the future.
The well wishes and greetings for the New Year can already be heard around offices, sales floors, kitchens and produce coolers.
Good genes can help you live a long, healthy life, but they are no guarantee that you’ll be an active older adult.
The average American life expectancy has risen to 78.6 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics. Your life span is determined by a complex mix of heredity, lifestyle and environment. The way you manage your body, mind and spirit affects how you feel as you age.
It serves to reason, and is well documented, that one’s attitude toward aging can influence future health.
The well wishes and greetings for the New Year can already be heard around offices, sales floors, kitchens and produce coolers.
Good genes can help you live a long, healthy life, but they are no guarantee that you’ll be an active older adult.
The average American life expectancy has risen to 78.6 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics. Your life span is determined by a complex mix of heredity, lifestyle and environment. The way you manage your body, mind and spirit affects how you feel as you age.
It serves to reason, and is well documented, that one’s attitude toward aging can influence future health.
- Friday, 20 December 2019
Festivities of the season yield to indulging in holiday cheer. Hot and cold beverages, alcoholic and non, have grown up by using better ingredients.
Craft cocktails distinguish themselves by their bold inclusions of fresh, well-balanced ingredients.
Happy hour has gotten more cheerful by eliminating predictable canned juices and powdered mixes.
Try fresh blood oranges, tangerines, lemons, limes, grapefruits, and even melons for the body or base of a cocktail or holiday beverage. With purer flavors and colors, there are no additional additives and preservatives to weigh down or mask the drinks. Antioxidants and polyphenols from most fresh fruits are just an added bonus.
Small batched drinks using house-made syrups and infusions are keeping it real. Shaken or stirred, even the ice matters more these days. Preferred are the large, clean cubes that don’t rapidly melt and dilute the drink.
From mulled wines to sparkling drinks, unpack a lineup of good sips through fresh, seasonal and bold flavors. Fresh herbs add excitement and awaken the senses. Mint, rosemary and thyme, whole or muddle, impart a unique taste profile. Pomegranate juice and arils come to mind.
Craft cocktails distinguish themselves by their bold inclusions of fresh, well-balanced ingredients.
Happy hour has gotten more cheerful by eliminating predictable canned juices and powdered mixes.
Try fresh blood oranges, tangerines, lemons, limes, grapefruits, and even melons for the body or base of a cocktail or holiday beverage. With purer flavors and colors, there are no additional additives and preservatives to weigh down or mask the drinks. Antioxidants and polyphenols from most fresh fruits are just an added bonus.
Small batched drinks using house-made syrups and infusions are keeping it real. Shaken or stirred, even the ice matters more these days. Preferred are the large, clean cubes that don’t rapidly melt and dilute the drink.
From mulled wines to sparkling drinks, unpack a lineup of good sips through fresh, seasonal and bold flavors. Fresh herbs add excitement and awaken the senses. Mint, rosemary and thyme, whole or muddle, impart a unique taste profile. Pomegranate juice and arils come to mind.
- Monday, 16 December 2019
‘Tis the season for serving up special treats for every holiday festivity. Snacks, drinks and baked goods have permission to go a little holiday crazy.
Ordinary beverages and plain Jane snack foods get a waver on being one hundred percent healthy this time of year.
The addition of alcohol, sugar and butter adds up over the extended holiday period. From dinner parties and open houses to office potlucks and neighborhood gatherings, consumption of those off limit ingredients is off the charts.
Good news then that produce offerings give us a chance to include some flavor boosters that are relatively harmless. If not for calories alone, their welcomed positive affects seem to present “magic powers”.
The peels of citrus fruits such as oranges, mandarins, tangerines, lemons and grapefruit contain potently scented natural oils that release into the air when the peel is broken. Their scent has been proven to be a powerful mood booster.
Ordinary beverages and plain Jane snack foods get a waver on being one hundred percent healthy this time of year.
The addition of alcohol, sugar and butter adds up over the extended holiday period. From dinner parties and open houses to office potlucks and neighborhood gatherings, consumption of those off limit ingredients is off the charts.
Good news then that produce offerings give us a chance to include some flavor boosters that are relatively harmless. If not for calories alone, their welcomed positive affects seem to present “magic powers”.
The peels of citrus fruits such as oranges, mandarins, tangerines, lemons and grapefruit contain potently scented natural oils that release into the air when the peel is broken. Their scent has been proven to be a powerful mood booster.
- Friday, 06 December 2019
California citrus varieties are so worth the marketing hype. Navel oranges in particular have been the steadfast fruit we’ve come to rely on for healthy winter snacking.
Outside the navel margins are so many juicy citrus hand fruits that excite the food world.
Satsuma mandarins are a California lovely. Believe it or not, they may have first arrived here 700 years ago from Japan via Jesuits who planted them on the banks of the Mississippi River in New Orleans.
Growers in the Golden State took it from there. This loose-skinned, sub-acid fruit has a zipper peel and is seedless. What more can one ask for except the miniature size is perfect for single serve snacking.
Compared to oranges in general, mandarins tend to be smaller in size, have a looser peel, and are less tart. They originated in the Far East and were originally exported through North Africa, where they were all tagged with the name “tangerine,” from the city of Tangiers.
The name “tangerine” has become less generic and is now usually applied to only one kind of mandarin orange. Retailers have come to market the different cultivars by so called brand names. While all tangerines are mandarins, not all mandarins are tangerines.
Outside the navel margins are so many juicy citrus hand fruits that excite the food world.
Satsuma mandarins are a California lovely. Believe it or not, they may have first arrived here 700 years ago from Japan via Jesuits who planted them on the banks of the Mississippi River in New Orleans.
Growers in the Golden State took it from there. This loose-skinned, sub-acid fruit has a zipper peel and is seedless. What more can one ask for except the miniature size is perfect for single serve snacking.
Compared to oranges in general, mandarins tend to be smaller in size, have a looser peel, and are less tart. They originated in the Far East and were originally exported through North Africa, where they were all tagged with the name “tangerine,” from the city of Tangiers.
The name “tangerine” has become less generic and is now usually applied to only one kind of mandarin orange. Retailers have come to market the different cultivars by so called brand names. While all tangerines are mandarins, not all mandarins are tangerines.
- Saturday, 30 November 2019
Some of us call ourselves cooks. Others of us are known bakers. In most circles, it’s unusual to find someone highly skilled at both. When the holidays circle around, even those in the “marginal bakers’ category find an excuse to break out the rolling pins, cookie cutters, baking sheets and cake pans.
Following a recipe for bars, balls or cookies shaped like Santa requires attention to detail. Adhering to the measurements and directions is so different from just adding a splash of this or a pinch of that.
Restraint and compliance seem like strong attributes of a good baker. Pre-chilling the bowl, butter and beaters is not just a “good idea”. It turns out, this could be the difference in success or failure. Who knew? Actual bakers who take directions seriously? Yeah, those guys.
The angst in baking can be linked to the fact that desserts or sweet treats are always the stars of the show. Any celebration, birthday or otherwise, has the pressure of delivering a spectacular something with candles or stunning decorations.
Exquisite decorating skills are no accident. Set the stage for achievement by way of investing in some equipment that is easy to work with.
Following a recipe for bars, balls or cookies shaped like Santa requires attention to detail. Adhering to the measurements and directions is so different from just adding a splash of this or a pinch of that.
Restraint and compliance seem like strong attributes of a good baker. Pre-chilling the bowl, butter and beaters is not just a “good idea”. It turns out, this could be the difference in success or failure. Who knew? Actual bakers who take directions seriously? Yeah, those guys.
The angst in baking can be linked to the fact that desserts or sweet treats are always the stars of the show. Any celebration, birthday or otherwise, has the pressure of delivering a spectacular something with candles or stunning decorations.
Exquisite decorating skills are no accident. Set the stage for achievement by way of investing in some equipment that is easy to work with.