Hot Shots - January 21, 2022

Hot Shots - January 21, 2022
Severin R-B Danieli

Hello all,

Hope everyone had a great week! We've had some sunny breaks here in Van, and recently had a king tide come in and destroy bits of the West Vancouver Seawalk as well as the Stanley Park Seawall. I was a geography major in my undergrad, so a king tide? Recent tsunami warnings? I hate to admit it, but I am intrigued.

I went to Dundarave, the end portion of the West Vancouver Seawalk this past weekend, and took a look at the destruction. It was pretty impressive! I then saw a few Vancouverites taking a swim, pictured above, and thought to myself, I love these West Coast peeps - not even a king tide will stop them from getting their ocean swim in!

The tsunami warning, though later rescinded, was an interesting story to follow. This tsunami warning along BC's coast was triggered by an underwater volcanic eruption this past Friday near the Tonga Islands. The Tonga Islands are part of the geographic phenomenon known as the Ring of Fire and are an archipelago located in the South Pacific Ocean. The reason a tsunami warning was triggered for those who live around the Pacific Ocean, was because during the eruption, magma is forced up through the oceanic crust and displaces the water. This displacement can then cause taller than usual waves which can affect coastal areas.

Here on the coast it looks like we have some sunny days heading towards us, so let's eat some delicious fruits and veggies and enjoy!

First up is the blood orange.

As mentioned in previous weeks, I am a citrus girl, and the blood orange is no exception!

Known for its characteristic deep reds caused by the presence of anthocyanins, these blood oranges gain their colour in the cold evenings as well as post-harvest in cold storage. This unique orange is thought to come from the pomelo and the tangerine. Native to Italy and the Southern Mediterranean, the arancia rossa di Sicilia, or the red orange of Sicily, is a geographically protected area. This orange was introduces to the Valencian community in the second half of the 18th century.

The most common types of blood oranges are the tarocco (native to Italy), the sanguinello (native to Spain), and the moro (the newest, and native to Sicily). While I was in Italy, blood oranges were often included in salads, desserts and as juice. Their colour and juiciness is hard to match!

Sweet mini peps!

These guys are small in stature, but pack a huge flavour punch. They are sweeter than a traditional bell pepper, and are just dang cute! We have them available at Disco in 12x1# boxes from both Divine Flavor and Llano farms.

My favourite way to eat these is a bit odd, but I just give them a quick clean, put them in a bowl and dip them in some sort of hummus or salad dressing. Crunchy, sweet and juicy.

If you want to be a bit more elegant with them though, I would suggest stuffing them with mozzarella and drizzling them with balsamic reduction, or with goat cheese and honey. Alternatively, you can roasting them with olive oil, salt and pepper, and some garlic powder. Lastly, these mini peppers are a great addition to a charcuterie board, so add them in for a pop of colour and veggie goodness.

Potatoes are always good, no matter what size, colour or variety. But, nuggets are special.

From Fraserland Organics, a trio of organic potato farming families in BC working together, we have red, purple and yellow nugget potatoes in 20# boxes. Of course there are the regular reds, yellows and russets as well, but Fraserland also has a variety dubbed pugly. These are certified organic No. 2 grade potatoes. Their slogan is, "Ugly is the new beautiful! Don't waste great taste!" Fraserland is very committed and conscious of farming sustainably, and they average 25% of yearly potato crops that are culled out due to minor shape and aesthetic issues, enter: pugly potatoes! Disco has pugly potatoes in 10x5# bags of red, yellow and russet. Give them a try!

Nugget potatoes specifically are great cooked, but cold, in salads. Try a potato salad with nuggets - you won't be disappointed. Or, if you prefer something a bit warmer, try roasting them whole with olive oil, crushed garlic, chives and salt and pepper. Lastly, try out this roasted Greek lemon nugget recipe.

Avocados!

This fruit is from a tree, originating in in South-Central Mexico, with Mexico supplying 32% of the worlds avocado needs in 2019.

Here at Disco we have Hass avocados, which generally have dark green bumpy skin. This cultivar of avocado was first grown in Southern California, in 1926, by a mail carrier named Rudolph Hass who was an amateur horticulturalist. The Hass avocado's first commercial success was at the Model Grocery Store in Pasadena California. In 1935, Mr. Hass patented the tree that provided him with this unique, and very popular, avocado.

Early on in the 21st century, the US avocado industry took in over $1 billion a year, and 80% of this was due to the Hass cultivar.

Disco has 16ct, 48ct, 60ct and 70ct Mexican Hass avocados available from Promich.

An interesting root vegetable, horseradish is cultivated worldwide and used as a spice and condiment, likely native to southeastern Europe or western Asia. First referenced by Pedanius Dioscorides, a Greek physician, pharmacologist and botanist, born in 40 AD. Horseradish root and leaves were used in the Middle Ages, and as a condiment in Germany, Scandinavia and Britain. This root vegetable was introduced to North America during European colonization, and has since spread in popularity.

Here at Disco we have organic horseradish in 10# boxes from California from Uno Mundo farms.

Thank you for reading along and I hope your January is coming along nicely so far.

Chat next week!

Sev