Hot Shots - February 4, 2022
Hot Shots - February 4, 2022
Severin R-B Danieli
Hello all,
The first week of February has arrived, and with it, a mix of sunny weather that feels like spring and then highs of 2 degrees and newly snow dusted mountains. Produce is flowing through Disco, and in the afternoons the warehouse is buzzing as pickers are building pallets, and the receivers are lotcoding, counting and temping incoming product. It's all happening, folks!
As mentioned last week, I recently moved to a new neighborhood in North Vancouver, and now I drive over the Lions Gate Bridge every morning on my commute to work. Since being at my new residence for two weeks, I have experienced some of the most beautiful sunrises I have ever seen, both from my front window and while driving over the Lions Gate. I think I say it every week, but I am consistently surprised how beautiful our city is. Even on my way home I get a panoramic view of North and West Vancouver, the snow capped mountains, Mount Baker to my right and Vancouver Island to my left! Needless to say, it is a beautiful way to start and end my work day.
February is here, and I know it will zip by in a flash, so let's eat as many fresh organic fruits and veggies as possible! Did you know it is recommended to us to eat 30 different vegetables and fruits throughout the week? I think I'm going to start a tally this coming week and see how I do.
I know I am always partial to cucumber, lettuce, red onion, peppers, potatoes, apples, oranges, lemons and lime.... but I did branch out last night and make a radicchio, mango and blood orange salad. It was pretty delish.
I'll report back next week and see if I managed 30 different varieties.
These apples are out of this world.
Their name: Cosmic Crisp.
These otherworldly apples were bred in 1997 at Washington State University Tree Fruit Research, and is a cross between an enterprise apple and a honeycrisp. This variety was bred not for aesthetic appeal, but for long shelf life and durability. Only made available to the general public in 2019, this apple underwent 20 years of testing and development.
Perhaps its most attractive quality is the colour and white speckles, or lenticles, that reminded focus groups of galaxies, hence, the name Cosmic Crisp.
The tag line on their box is "snacking, baking, entertaining". Visit their website for some delicious sounding drinks and recipe ideas!
Strawberries are always a great sweet treat, but the real star for these A&A organic strawberries is their packaging! Called 'readycycle', this packaging is 100% recyclable, has sold over 25 million units, has diverted 453 tons of plastic from landfills and is home compostable! What's not to love!
Strawberries aren't necessarily new to the produce game, but they're so versatile that I'm sure there is a new recipe for each and every one of us. And speaking of new recipes... why not try a roasted strawberry jam with chia seeds, black pepper and if you're feeling extra adventurous, splash on some balsamic vinegar or liqueur!
Roast strawberries, halved or quartered and tossed in some sugar, until they reduce down to about half their size. Scoop them up into a bowl, add the chia seeds which will soak up the extra juices and also thicken, crack in some black pepper, and voila.
My favourite strawberry recipes are strawberry short cake, strawberry jam (on crumpets or scones), or fresh strawberry ice cream. Oh my, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!
Mangoes are many people's favourite fruit, and there are many varieties to suit everyone's tastes. My favourite is the ataulfo mango, pictured above, for its colour, flavour and non-fibrous 'meat'.
Cultivated in Mexico, this oblong and gold coloured mango is named after one of its growers, Ataulfo Morales Gordillo. Gaining popularity in the USA in the 90's, and as of 2009 they were the second most popular mango variety behind the Tommy Atkins.
Available at Disco from Crespo Organic in 12ct cases, these mangoes are slicing beautifully, as illustrated in the photo above. Grab 'em while they're hot!
Zutano avocados.
These guys sold out in record time, but fear not, we have a new shipment incoming early Feb! Available from Eco Farms down in Mexico in 36/40ct, 48ct and 60ct. Their taste is a bit less rich in flavour when compared to the Hass, but has a slightly lemon-y top note and silky texture.
Known for its pear shape and glossy smooth light green skin, the Zutano avocado is a cold resistant and consistently producing avocado variety. Available mid-fall through to late-winter, this avocado originated in California, at the hands of R.L. Ruitt in 1926.
Roma tomatoes. I am definitely biased towards these toms as my puppy is named Roma, but they are a good tomato regardless!
Anyone who knows me, knows I work in organic produce, and always asks if I named our pup after the tomato. Yes and no. She is an Italian waterdog, or a Lagotto Romagnolo, from the Emilia-Romagna region in Tuscany. So we got the name Roma from the breed name, the geographic area the breed comes from, aaand the tomato. Three in one.
But, I digress - back to tomatoes. This variety is most often used for canning and making tomato paste, and are also known by the name Italian tomatoes or Italian plum tomatoes. Roma's do well being roasted, pureed or even stuffed.
When I make tomato sauce from scratch, I start with finely chopped yellow onions, crushed garlic and olive oil. Let that simmer and all the flavour release, and then I add the canned whole roma tomatoes in. Next, I manually crush up the tomatoes in the pan, and add in a few whole basil leaves. Let that sit for a as long as you can wait - the smell will be enticing! Once ready, take out the whole leaves, get your pasta ready, and then top with fresh chopped basil and some parmigiano reggiano.
Tutti mangiano!
And lastly, a special request was made to add these to hot shots as their size and flavour is something to talk about!
These Berries Paradise blueberries (12x6oz from Mexico) have just arrived at Disco and are ready to make their way into your fruit bowl. Add them into a smoothie, just eat them straight out of the clam (like I did), or add them into a fancy salad! The opportunities are endless!
These blues are sending us straight into the weekend, and we aren't mad about it!
I hope you have a relaxing and enjoyable weekend, and we will chat soon!