Hot Shots - April 29, 2022
Hot Shots - April 29, 2022
Severin R-B Danieli
Hello all,
Hopefully, everyone is having a lovely last week of April! We are getting a mixed bag of weather here, but the sunny breaks are increasing every day.
This past weekend we went to the Sunshine Coast, which was very relaxing - filled with good food, forest adventures and some cideries. We stayed in Sechelt, but made our way up the coast to explore Madeira Park a bit, we visited Baker Beach Park and Francis Point Provincial Park and finished the day with dinner at The Lagoon Restaurant.
Getting out of the city is always a good idea, and can provide some much needed time away from the daily hustle and bustle. We spent some time in Baker Beach Park before we had our dinner, and there was nobody else on the beach. The only sounds were the waves, eagles flying overhead, and literally nothing else.
Padrón peppers.
These wrinkly (in a good way) green peppers come from northwestern Spain in the province of A Coruna, Galicia and municipality of Padrón. Scoring 500-2500 on the Scoville scale, and increase in heat as they age. Often these peppers are picked immature and green. These peppers are honoured at an annual festival, 'Festa do Pemento de Padron' in August held in a monastery in Herbon, Spain since 1979.
Most commonly prepared by pan frying until blistered and then coated with coarse sea salt, but also can be delicious in alcoholic drinks, sliced for pizza toppings, or added into sauces and soups.
Here at Disco we have them in 5# cases, though we can split them up in 1# increments, from Del Cabo in Mexico. Del Cabo was founded in 1985 when co-founders Larry and Sandra met up with a group of likeminded small-scale farmers in San Jose del Cabo.
Butternuts!
I know it isn't really the season for butternut squash, I always think of these beauties when the weather begins to cool and leaves start to fall, but one of the dishes my husband tried at the restaurant on the Sunshine Coast was garlic prawns on individual butternut ravioli pieces. Even though I am a vegetarian, the dish was so thoughtfully plated and smelled sooo good, that I reconsidered my veggie ways - but only for a brief moment!
Butternut is very versatile as it can be roasted, fried, made into pasta, risotto, soups - the list goes on and on!
We've got them stocked here from Rico Farms, which is a great family run organic farm down in Mexico. They are in 35# cases.
Cilantro.
A somewhat controversial herb, as I hear you either love it, or ya hate it. Check out this link for a quick explanation! I for one am on the side of 'love it', and whether it be a salad topper, a refreshing dressing, or muddled in with avocado to make a delicious guacamole - cilantro is a stand out herb.
Cilantro also goes by coriander, whose botanical name is coriandrum sativum, and are sold in a few different ways: fresh bunches, fried seeds, spice. Cilantro is native to Southern Europe and Asia Minor, and made its way over to Egypt, Southwestern Europe and Easter Asia along trade routes. In ancient Egypt, cilantro was viewed as medicinal and culinary, and were often placed in the tombs of Egyptian Pharaohs - including King Tutankhamun and Ramses II. Cilantro was first recorded in Egyptian records around 2500 BCE.
Fresh cilantro leaves are written about in Chinese agricultural documents dating back to the 5th century, in the 16th century, cilantro was taken by Spanish explorers and introduced to the New World.
This cilantro pictured above is from a California farm buy the name of Josie's. A third generation family farm, established in 1928, Josie's is a staple supplier for Disco throughout the year. They've got a great and very up to date Instagram if you want to check them out at josiesorganics.
Fennel.
Every part of the fennel plant is edible - from the crown to flower, and has a sweet, licorice-like flavour. Hailing from Southern Europe and the Mediterranean region, the Ancient Greeks called fennel 'marathon' due to the abundant growth of the plant on the fields where the 'Battle of Marathron' was fought.
Fennel was used to treat snake bites in ancient China, was hung from doorways in the Middle Ages to ward off evil spirits, and in the 1700's was used in the production of absinthe. Pretty powerful stuff, eh?
Referenced in the Longfellow's 1842 poem 'The Goblet of Life',
Above the lower plants it towers,
The Fennel with its yellow flowers;
And in an earlier age than ours
Was gifted with the wondrous powers
Lost vision to restore.
I started Hot Shots last year in November, and I am absolutely blown away that I have not talked about broccoli yet! This vegetable is on almost every single order we take, is always stocked in our warehouse, and is one of the most common household vegetables.
This veggie is part of the brassicaceae or cabbage family, and is an excellent source of vitamin C, boosts collagen production, reduces inflammation, high in vitamin K, source of fiber, vitamin A, potassium, folate and phosphorus.
Originating in the Mediterranean region and Asia Minor (similar to cilantro and fennel!), broccoli was a staple of wealthy Roman family's dinners, or 'cena's'. The broccoli dish most often served during cena was cooked broccoli that had been bathed in spices and rich sauces.
Experts believe that the broccoli crop was brought to Southern Italy from Turkey by the Etruscans - who have historically been known for their horticulture, before the 1st century. Broccoli then made its wat to France in the 167th century, to England in the 18th and Thomas Jefferson planted broccoli in his Monticello garden in the USA also in the 18th century. In the 1920's, two Italian brothers by the name of D'Arrigo planted the first commercial fields of broccoli in San Jose, California.
First arrival of cantaloupes!!
Peak season in summer, these cantaloupes are grown in both hemispheres, and are the most commercially cultivated and popular melon throughout the USA. We've got them here at Disco from Llano in 15ct from Mexico.
There is a legend I stumbled upon during some cantaloupe reading, and I thought I would share.
Pope Paul II lived on a summer estate in Italy near the village of Cantalupo di Sabina during the 15th century, and held office there from 1464 to 1471. During this time, the Pope was visited by a group of Armenians who offered him a taste of cantaloupe. Next thing you know, the Pope was enthralled with cantaloupes, began growing them in his garden, and eating them excessively. In 1470, the Pope's personal chef, Bartholomeo Platina, published a cookbook 'De Honesta Voluptate Et Valetudine', which was the first cookbook ever printed on a press. This cookbook had a section dedicated to melons, which interestingly warned against consuming this fruit by themselves or on a full stomach. In a not so great twist of fate, the Pope died the following year in 1471 from a heart attack after eating two large melons.
The accuracy and legitimacy of this story has long been debated, but it is a whimsical story told around summertime tables in Italy while eating cantaloupe.
Cantaloupes made their way to North America alongside Christopher Columbus in 1494, and reached commercial success between the 1880's-90.
Red onions have arrived at Disco once again!
We have been waiting on these beauts for quite some time, and they are finally here. Coming from Heger Farms in California, in 40# JBO size, this new crop red onion is ready to grace your kitchen table.
From May to September, Disco mostly sells new crop onions. The only difference between these and storage onions are the outer layers of the onion. For new crop, the layers are thinner as they have had less time to cure, whereas the storage onions have had a long time to cure and harden. New crop, or fresh, onions are higher in water content which can mean they are a bit softer, can look a bit 'rattier' than storage onions and have a sweeter flavour and shorter shelf life. After September, the storage onions will start to roll our once again. Ah, the life cycle of onions.
Though common in every grocery store, red onions only account for 8% of the onion market in the USA, falling far behind yellow and white varieties. These onions are native to three distinctly different regions in the world, Romania, Italy and Connecticut.
Thanks for reading along, I hope you learned some fun vegetable facts this week! See you all in May!
Big love,
Severin R-B Danieli