Index: Commodities Update: Pg. 3-5 Add/Delete Sheet: Pg. 6 10295 Toebben Drive Independence, KY 41051 PRODUCE TALK Volume 28 Issue 42 October 19, 2017 Items of the Week: PUMPKIN & SQUASH What exactly is a pumpkin? A vegetable? No. A fruit? Yes! A fruit is defined as being the part of the plant which contains seeds. The average pumpkin contains about a cup of seeds, so they are most definitely a fruit. A Rainbow of Colors & Shapes Pumpkins come in a multitude of colors, shapes and sizes; green, yellow, red, white, blue and even multi-colored striped pumpkins. They can be huge, tiny, flat, short, tall, round, pear, necked, smooth, ribbed and even warty. Some pumpkins are fabulous for culinary uses. Some pumpkins are more suited to being carved or displayed. There are four main species of pumpkins Pepo: Some Pepos are eaten in the immature stage as thin-skinned summer squash. Most traditional Jack-o- lantern carving and baking pumpkins are of the Pepo species. Acorn squash and spaghetti squash are also part of this family. They have distinctive hard woody stems that have furrows in them. The pumpkins in this family are a deep or bright orange. Maxima: Maximas can get huge, and keep fairly well in storage. You can usually tell them from a Pepo or Moshata in that they have a spongy cork-like stem. Most winter squash are also part of this family. Varieties include Pink Banana, Buttercup, Hubbard and Turban. Moschata: Moshatas are excellent keepers. Their flesh is usually orange in color, sweet and refined. They store extremely well and are well suited for a multitude of recipes. Their stems are smooth and have deep ridges. Examples are the Cushaw Green and Gold and Butternut. Their color is usually tan or cream and they are elongated in shape. Mixta: Mixtas typically have pale yellow or cream-colored flesh. They are usually not quite as sweet or refined as a Moshata or Maxima. They are often stuffed or baked with brown sugar or maple syrup to complement their flavor. The above descriptions are general and I have found there can be many exceptions. Mixta are also known as argyrosperma. Nutrition Facts Pumpkins are very good for you. They fit well into a health-conscious diet. And aside from that, they taste good! www.crosset.com Good Selling!! Pumpkins are low in calories but high in fiber. They are also low in sodium. The seeds are high in protein, iron, and the B vitamins. Pumpkins are very high in beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is an antioxidant. It converts into Vitamin A, which is important to maintain a healthy body. Researchers believe that eating a diet rich in beta-carotene may reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers. They also believe it helps to delay aging. Winter Squash Winter squash develops a thick hard skin. When it reaches maturity it will have a long storage life. It will keep for months (and commonly up to a year) when stored in a cool, dark ventilated place like a cellar; buried in straw in a shaded barn or on an old wooden bench. It is shaded, protected and has good air circulation. It is a great way to have some color during the cold winter months. Recipe (Source: Allrecipes.com) PUMPKIN PIE CUPCAKES Ingredients: 15 oz pumpkin puree 3/4 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 3/4 cup evaporated milk 2/3 cup flour 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp baking powder 2 tsp pumpkin spice Whipped cream Directions: 1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. 2. Grease 12 cup cupcake pan. 3. In a bowl stir together flour, pumpkin spice, salt, baking powder and baking soda. 4. Mix the pumpkin puree with sugar, eggs, vanilla and evaporated milk 5. Add dry ingredients in the mixture and mix until it’s evenly combine. 6. Fill the pan with 1/3 cup of the mixture in each cup. 7. Bake for 20 minutes. 8. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 20 minutes than remove them from the pan and let them cool completely. Store them in the fridge. 9. Top the cupcakes with whipped cream and dusted with cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice on top before serving. www.crosset.com Good Selling!! Western Vegetables AVOCADOS: Both conventional and organic fruit continue to drop in price as the market becomes flush with new crops from Mexico. BROCCOLI: The broccoli market in the west remains to have a wide range throughout the industry. Not only is there a wide range in pricing but there is also a wide range between bunch and crown availability. Meanwhile, Michigan product continues to have great quality with abundant volume. CAULIFLOWER: Volumes have dropped as product has pulled forward the past few weeks. The extreme warm weather we experienced a few weeks ago caused quality issues in the field which has caused yields to decrease. In addition, the warm weather stunted the growth of product. The market is projected to increase as we move towards the Thanksgiving holiday. Transition into Yuma fields have been slated for the week of November 18th. CELERY: The celery market is starting to see an upswing as we move towards the Thanksgiving holiday. Oxnard field is slated to start harvest the first week in November. GREEN ONIONS: Market has increased as quality has allowed some volume to pick up. LETTUCE: The mixed leaf market remains steady. Red leaf, Romaine and Romaine heart numbers have begun to decrease as quality issues in the field have caused yields to drop. Transition into Yuma fields has been slated for the 2nd week in November. Value-Added Prorates and shortages continue on many value-added items due to supply or quality issues with raw product. This will continue into November as transition begins to take place from Salinas, California to Yuma, Arizona for the winter. Southern Vegetables BEANS: Good supplies from Michael’s; will go to about October 15th, weather permitting. CABBAGE: Good supplies; will go to November 10th. CORN: Supplies and prices have dropped off due to lack of demand. CUCUMBERS, EGGPLANTS, YELLOW & ZUCHINNI SQUASH: Market has increased drastically over the last 4-5 days due to cool nights. GREENS: Good supplies on collard, mustard and kale. ONIONS: Western onion quality is very good. Markets are steady and firm. Peruvian sweet onions will be available next week. PEPPERS: Good supplies out of California. POTATOES: Markets are mostly steady. Supplies continue to improve as does quality. Organics BEETS: Beets still remain a challenge due to curly top virus that impacts the plant leaves and bulb. Supplies will be limited for a few more weeks until growers move to lower elevation new fields that should be clean. BROCCOLI: Due to weather issues (heat) in growing regions in the west, we are seeing suppliers limit available supply driving market cost up. There will be discoloration to the tops as heat will cause a darker head on the broccoli. BUNCH CARROTS: Supply is available, though due to high temps, we are seeing discoloration to the tops of the product. CABBAGE: Regional supply has really come on from Ohio and other surrounding areas. Great time for promotion! www.crosset.com Good Selling!! CAULIFLOWER: Supplies are starting to improve and the quality is good. Market has gradually decreased; high temperatures out west should not affect supply. CELERY: Supply is getting better as we have moved up in to California product starting out. Pricing has come down and it’s getting promotable. CUCUMBERS: Supply is extremely limited! Western supply has not been available and most product in the southeast has been affected by the various weather issues. GREEN PEPPERS: Steady supplies regionally with good quality. KALES: Great supplies of kale currently; plenty of regional product from all over the Midwest available. We are sourcing from North Carolina, Ohio and other regions. Product is in great supply and pricing is very promotable. LETTUCES: The inbound quality we are seeing out west is showing russet and leaf mildew. We are sourcing as much from Canada as possible due to better quality. Iceberg lettuce will be a struggle as supply is not meeting good arrival. RADISHES: Supplies are improving with better quality tops. Very little damage now to the tops and they look much cleaner than they have been. YELLOW SQUASH & ZUCCHINI: Supply has been very good out of Ohio on the zucchini with yellow being much more limited. Asparagus Supplies on the upswing out of both Peru and Mexico. Market is falling back into more seasonal pricing with stable conditions than we have seen the past few months. Great time to promote over the next few weeks. Organic asparagus steady supply for next month; market strong but decreasing slightly. Fruit APPLES & PEARS: New Crop Washington apples are almost in full swing. New varieties will be added each week. Looks to be a good crop this year with the volume being in 80 size and smaller. Pink Lady and Braeburn apples will be in a gap for a couple of weeks. Adding new varieties weekly, check your catalog. Michigan Honeycrisps are now available and the fruit is beautiful. New Crop Washington pear crop is looking great. Danjou, Bartlett, Bosc and Starkrimson are now available. Peak volume will be in 80/90ct this year. BLACKBERRIES: Market bottoming out as increase of heavy volume coming out of Mexican regions. Special buys and spot promotions will be normal for next two to three weeks. Organic blackberries remain limited but volume will begin to increase over coming weeks.