Market Report
- Monday, 30 September 2019
We read that how Americans eat has definitely changed. Most consumers still believe in and aspire to an ideal — a healthy meal, made from scratch, and enjoyed with others.
This ideal meal was born of a time when three square meals a day was prepared at home on a routine basis.
Home cooking was typically done by mom, right? That was at least two generations ago and times have changed, along with what we eat, how we eat and who we eat with.
To grow up in a cooking household, meant that moms, aunties, grands and greats shared kitchen secrets and methods to favorite family recipes.
Chopping, mixing, stuffing, folding– all actions overseen by the seniors in the room. Cabbage rolls, stuffed peppers or squash, raviolis, potstickers, Baklava, no matter the ethnic background, foods that we love required preparation scrutiny by those who came before us.
This teaching workshop allowed for learning other life skills along the way, but cooking and baking were paramount. Cherishing a missing loved one who has passed on is as simple as making one of their signature dishes.
This ideal meal was born of a time when three square meals a day was prepared at home on a routine basis.
Home cooking was typically done by mom, right? That was at least two generations ago and times have changed, along with what we eat, how we eat and who we eat with.
To grow up in a cooking household, meant that moms, aunties, grands and greats shared kitchen secrets and methods to favorite family recipes.
Chopping, mixing, stuffing, folding– all actions overseen by the seniors in the room. Cabbage rolls, stuffed peppers or squash, raviolis, potstickers, Baklava, no matter the ethnic background, foods that we love required preparation scrutiny by those who came before us.
This teaching workshop allowed for learning other life skills along the way, but cooking and baking were paramount. Cherishing a missing loved one who has passed on is as simple as making one of their signature dishes.
- Friday, 20 September 2019
There is no denying the visual cues of Autumn. Trees and leaves are turning color. Darker mornings greet us with fewer daylight hours left for leisure. Farewell summer.
Crisper, cooler nighttime and morning temperatures are just what is needed to bring on our most favorite fall fruits.
A wide array of vegetables, décor items and floral selections vie for attention this time of year. Think about colorful and tasty first fall bites.
Crunchy and crisp, juicy and sweet are descriptive words for the Holiday Seedless grapes that are just on the scene. They make grape fans of those looking for a sweet tooth solution.
Eating patterns and cooking methods follow the steady progression into fall food choices. Baking, broiling and braising, segue nicely from outdoor barbecuing and grilling. Californians will continue to cook outdoors year-round.
Glide back into the kitchen with new crop apples, Brussels sprouts, pumpkins, persimmons, hard squashes and pomegranates.
Crisper, cooler nighttime and morning temperatures are just what is needed to bring on our most favorite fall fruits.
A wide array of vegetables, décor items and floral selections vie for attention this time of year. Think about colorful and tasty first fall bites.
Crunchy and crisp, juicy and sweet are descriptive words for the Holiday Seedless grapes that are just on the scene. They make grape fans of those looking for a sweet tooth solution.
Eating patterns and cooking methods follow the steady progression into fall food choices. Baking, broiling and braising, segue nicely from outdoor barbecuing and grilling. Californians will continue to cook outdoors year-round.
Glide back into the kitchen with new crop apples, Brussels sprouts, pumpkins, persimmons, hard squashes and pomegranates.
- Thursday, 12 September 2019
California farmers have been cultivating grapes for well over two centuries. The fresh grape boom struck the golden state in 1839 when a former trapper from Kentucky, William Wolfskill, planted the state’s first table grape vineyard in the once Mexican colonial pueblo now known as Los Angeles.
An agricultural entrepreneur, Wolfskill was the first farmer to ship fresh grapes to Northern California. From there, the idea was expanded and the first twenty two pound box of California grapes shipped to Chicago in 1869, via the then “new” transcontinental railroad.
The gold rush may have ended, but the grape rush continues. Today, over 99 percent of commercially grown grapes in the United States come from California.
With over 70 varieties grown, and more on the way, these varieties include seedless and seeded grapes in the green, red and blue-black color categories.
The California table grape harvest season typically begins in May, but more than half the crop is shipped from September and afterwards. Out of the 65+ commercial varieties of fresh table grapes, 49 of them are available during the September-through-December time period, including 14 major varieties. That’s a lot of late, great grapes.
An agricultural entrepreneur, Wolfskill was the first farmer to ship fresh grapes to Northern California. From there, the idea was expanded and the first twenty two pound box of California grapes shipped to Chicago in 1869, via the then “new” transcontinental railroad.
The gold rush may have ended, but the grape rush continues. Today, over 99 percent of commercially grown grapes in the United States come from California.
With over 70 varieties grown, and more on the way, these varieties include seedless and seeded grapes in the green, red and blue-black color categories.
The California table grape harvest season typically begins in May, but more than half the crop is shipped from September and afterwards. Out of the 65+ commercial varieties of fresh table grapes, 49 of them are available during the September-through-December time period, including 14 major varieties. That’s a lot of late, great grapes.
- Thursday, 05 September 2019
Chili peppers are a staple of most Mexican food recipes. The sheer popularity of Mexican cuisine and the ever growing Hispanic population in the United States make chili peppers an essential daily ingredient.
Fresh chili peppers are generally available year round. They are grown in California, New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico. Dried chili versions are also available year-round.
California’s extreme summer temperatures are conducive to growing a wide variety of mild to very hot specimens. Cultivated in a full range of sizes, shapes, and degrees of hotness, the number of varieties is impressive.
The head-scratching comes with trying to properly identify the various peppers by name and flavor profile. It gets complicated when the name of a pepper may vary from region to region. The name changes again when the pepper goes from being fresh to being dried.
With a variety of heat levels and flavor profiles, versatility is a key attribute of both fresh and dried chili peppers.
Harvested throughout the summer, some green chili peppers are left on the plants until autumn. They will go from bright green in color to their final hue of yellow, orange, purple or red, depending on the variety.
Fresh chili peppers are generally available year round. They are grown in California, New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico. Dried chili versions are also available year-round.
California’s extreme summer temperatures are conducive to growing a wide variety of mild to very hot specimens. Cultivated in a full range of sizes, shapes, and degrees of hotness, the number of varieties is impressive.
The head-scratching comes with trying to properly identify the various peppers by name and flavor profile. It gets complicated when the name of a pepper may vary from region to region. The name changes again when the pepper goes from being fresh to being dried.
With a variety of heat levels and flavor profiles, versatility is a key attribute of both fresh and dried chili peppers.
Harvested throughout the summer, some green chili peppers are left on the plants until autumn. They will go from bright green in color to their final hue of yellow, orange, purple or red, depending on the variety.
- Friday, 30 August 2019
SweetStem Cauliflower is a brassica vegetable, like broccoli, cauliflower, and Broccolini.
“Caulilini”, as it is named by producers Mann Packing, is visually quite similar to Broccolini. It has an open floret structure and long edible stem.
There are still a few distinctions worth noting. Unlike BROCCOLINI® baby broccoli, which is a hybrid of broccoli and Chinese kale (gai lan), CAULILINI® baby cauliflower is 100 percent cauliflower.
Another difference is that it also grows in heads, not single stalks. The resulting florets offer variation in shape and size that also set it apart from Broccolini.
With its sweet, slightly nutty flavor and ombre coloring (the stem turns bright green when cooked while the florets stay light), CAULILINI® baby cauliflower brings a “wow” factor to the plate.
A favorite cooking method is grilling. It’s also delicious sautéed with plenty of garlic, roasted, or even raw as a unique addition to a crudité platter.
“Caulilini”, as it is named by producers Mann Packing, is visually quite similar to Broccolini. It has an open floret structure and long edible stem.
There are still a few distinctions worth noting. Unlike BROCCOLINI® baby broccoli, which is a hybrid of broccoli and Chinese kale (gai lan), CAULILINI® baby cauliflower is 100 percent cauliflower.
Another difference is that it also grows in heads, not single stalks. The resulting florets offer variation in shape and size that also set it apart from Broccolini.
With its sweet, slightly nutty flavor and ombre coloring (the stem turns bright green when cooked while the florets stay light), CAULILINI® baby cauliflower brings a “wow” factor to the plate.
A favorite cooking method is grilling. It’s also delicious sautéed with plenty of garlic, roasted, or even raw as a unique addition to a crudité platter.
