April 18, 2024 | Frieda's LLC - The Branded Produce Company

At this time of year, we get kind of crazy in the office and sometimes use “Feeling Lucky?” as the subject line of our emails. While it certainly can get our recipients’ attention (if it doesn’t get spam-blocked), our real reason for this subject is that we sell Blackeyed Peas!

You may know that it is a Southern tradition to eat Blackeyed Peas and “greens” on New Year’s Day to bring good luck and prosperity. The greens — mustard greens, turnip greens, dandelion greens or kale (all cooked in bacon fat, of course) — symbolize “greenbacks” (dollars) and the Blackeyed Peas symbolize coins.

Frieda’s has been selling pre-soaked, quick-cooking Blackeyed Peas for more than 40 years, and every year our warehouse refrigerators are filled to the rafters with boxes of these good luck beans. (We call them BEPs for short.)

I mentioned that it’s a Southern tradition to eat the Blackeyed Peas on New Year’s day. Many years ago, a woman named Cathy Perkins worked at Frieda’s — a true marketing genius. Cathy realized that EVERYONE wants good luck in the New Year, so she decided that Frieda’s should convince supermarket produce buyers to sell them nationwide.

So, if you live in Boston, Chicago, Denver, Atlanta, Houston, Southern California, or anywhere in between, you should be able to find Blackeyed Peas in your local supermarket produce department. I wish I could say that Frieda’s brand BEPs were the only ones you would find, but good news travels fast and we now have dozens of “competitors” all over the United States. That’s OK with us – it’s typical of product life cycles. (By the way, you can also find Blackeyed Peas in the frozen foods and dried bean sections.)

When we first introduced BEPs to non-Southern consumers, we had to provide recipes. The easiest way to make Blackeyed Peas is to boil them until tender and then add butter and salt and pepper to taste (I like them this way). But, the classic recipe for Blackeyed Peas on New Year’s is Hoppin’ John.

Frankly, we found the recipe a little mundane, so about 20 years ago, after we introduced Habanero Chile Peppers (which are 100 times hotter than a Jalapeno Chile), we decided to create a recipe using both Blackeyed Peas and Habanero Chiles – Habanero Chile Chili. This became my all time favorite Frieda’s recipe and is featured in my Purple Kiwi Cookbook.

If you’re in the mood to cook on New Year’s and you like freshly made chili, try this fantastic and flavorful recipe. And thank you to our former recipe developer and long time friend, Marlene Brown Oliphant, for creating this amazing recipe.

3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 lb. lean round steak, cubed
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup chopped red and/or green bell peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 16-oz. can kidney beans
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 16-oz. can tomato sauce – low sodium
1 cup beef broth
1 11-oz. tub Frieda’s Fast Cooking Blackeyed Peas (or 2 6.5-oz. pkgs. Frieda’s Dried Blackeyed Peas, cooked according to package directions and drained)
1-2 Frieda’s Dried Habanero Chiles, rehydrated, seeded and minced
2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
1 tbsp. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Frieda’s Bay Leaf
1 cup niblet corn – low sodium
Salt to taste
Shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
Warm tortillas

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large Dutch oven. Brown the steak in the oil on all sides. Remove form the pan with a slotted spoon. Drain the drippings. Heat 2 tablespoons oil. Sauté the onion, bell pepper and garlic in the oil for 3 minutes. Stir in the beef, undrained kidney beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, Blackeyed Peas, Habanero chiles, cilantro, basil, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaf.

Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat. Simmer, partially covered, for 35 to 45 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the corn and salt. Cook for 5 minutes longer. Discard the bay leaf. Ladle the chili into bowls. Top with shredded cheese. Serve with warm tortillas. Makes 8 servings.

I’m sure you never gave a thought to how you ended up with a piece of lemon in your water when you go out to a restaurant. You probably figured that it was always that way.

Well, guess what? There is actually a person who came up with this idea. And his name is Joe.

Joe Stubbs. Retired executive in charge of foodservice sales for Sunkist Growers.

I had lunch with Joe last week at our local delicatessen and it was so much fun to hear his story.

He told me that he never finished high school and went into the Navy. When he got out of the Navy, he ended up working as a bellman at a local hotel in Long Beach. He is such a personable guy, I can see why he was successful. He eventually went on to work in sales for a meat company and finally made his way to Sunkist.

Right away, he was put in charge of foodservice sales for Sunkist. I am guessing there weren’t a lot of citrus items they could sell to restaurants and institutions at that time. After all, back in the 1970s, it was basically oranges (for juicing and cut pieces), grapefruit (halves were served for breakfast) and lemons (as an ingredient).

One of the “BIG” hotel chains back then was the Park Hyatt. It was the high-end part of the HYATT HOTEL chain. Joe was visiting them in Chicago and was in the kitchen. (When you are in foodservice sales, in order to talk with the chef – who is the decision maker – you end up spending a lot of time in the kitchen.)

Joe saw this big Globe slicer, which was used for cutting thin slices of potatoes and meat. Joe got an idea. He recognized that the chef of the Park Hyatt chain was looking for ways to make his boutique upscale hotel chain and its restaurants stand out. How about floating a thin slice of fresh lemon in every diner’s water glass? That would look pretty upscale, right?

I’m sure Joe had a bag of lemons with him, and showed the chef how easy it was to slice them using their existing Globe slicer.

The Park Hyatt restaurants were immediately seen as a “cut above” other hotel restaurants.

Not a surprise that this idea caught on. When a chef gets a great food or garnish idea – it is always copied (or built upon) by other chefs. And as chefs move from restaurant to restaurant as they advance in their career, they take their ideas with them.

As a side note, that’s one of the reasons the Kiwifruit caught on. Even though Frieda’s introduced this fuzzy fruit to consumers through supermarkets in 1962, it was not until the 1970s, when chefs like Alice Waters, Wolfgang Puck and Jeremiah Tower, started to garnish their desserts with fresh sliced Kiwifruit. They started a trend, and by the 1980s, Kiwifruit caught on!

Back to Joe and the lemons. Joe’s career at Sunkist lasted 28 years and he retired a few years ago. Just this past summer, he was invited to an industry foodservice conference. It was the 30th anniversary of the conference and Joe was recognized as one of the masterminds of the original conference.

Joe had many stories to share last week at lunch. After the lemon story, he started to tell us about how he got restaurants to serve freshly squeezed orange juice. Can you believe this guy? He’s full of a lot of creative ideas.

Actually, as we were finishing up lunch, he started sharing his thoughts on how we should celebrate our company’s 50th anniversary in 2012. Stay tuned for that one!

This past weekend, I had 30 family members over for our annual Hanukkah Dinner. I always serve homemade latkes (potato pancakes) with applesauce and sour cream as part of the meal. In addition to the latkes, I like to make the applesauce from scratch.

I have found that homemade applesauce is very easy to make. Actually, one of my favorite cookbook authors, and personal friend, is Joan Nathan. Her cookbook, Joan Nathan’s Jewish Holiday Cookbook, is my “go-to” reference guide for preparing Hanukkah dinner.

As I began to make her Homemade Applesauce Recipe, I grabbed a couple of lemons out of my refrigerator to add to the pot.

Then I had an Aha! moment. I realized exactly why Seedless Lemons were invented…for the chef and home cook. You don’t have to stop and remove the seeds before squeezing the juice into a recipe.

Have you heard of Seedless Lemons? They’ve been around for a few years and more and more growers have planted them, so you will probably be seeing them in your local produce department. I predict they will be the “new citrus fruit” this season.

Here is a little known anecdote about them. One of our California State Universities, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, has a very active and world-renowned agriculture business department. Each year, students in the ag-business program participate in the NAMA (National Agri-Marketing Association) competition. Dozens of teams from various ag schools around the country compete each spring by developing and presenting a marketing plan to a stiff panel of judges from the business world.

This past spring, the Cal-Poly NAMA Team submitted a business plan for Seedless Lemons. Actually, they won the national competition (for the 8th time in 22 years)! We are so proud of the team – you can read about the story here.

Interestingly, it was about 30 years ago that this same NAMA team from Cal Poly collaborated with Frieda’s Specialty Produce to put together a marketing plan for a then little-known product: Oriental Stir-Fry Vegetables. And guess what? They won the national competition that year as well, and the product became one of our best-selling produce items.

I will be looking for Seedless Lemons at my local store, as I know it will save me time in the kitchen. They will be in season for about 4 to 5 months.

Tonight, like Jewish families around the world, my family and I will be lighting the Hanukkah candles to commemorate the Festival of Lights. We will do so for eight nights, adding an additional candle each night, until our Menorah (candelabra) is completely filled eight days from now.

We wish you a Happy Hanukkah, a Merry Christmas, a Happy Kwanzaa and a Healthy New Year!

With only 10 days left until Christmas, many people are struggling to find the “perfect gift” for a family member or close friend.

I don’t like the “mandatory” gift giving. You know what I mean. A friend of yours lets you know that they bought you a gift — putting you on notice that you better get them something too.

Over the years, I have gotten much more pleasure from thoughtfully selecting a gift that reminds me of someone (even if it’s not for a special occasion), than buying a less thoughtful “mandatory” holiday gift.

This is exactly what I did in Texas this past weekend. I walked into a boutique bath shop and was reminded of my friend M. So, for no special reason, I surprised her with a few soaps and bath salts that I knew she would love and matched her “girls only” bathroom at home. My note to her was just “Thinking of you.”

Better yet, when you have friends who really have EVERYTHING, why not celebrate them and your friendship by making a donation to a cause that you both find important.

One of the great things about my mother, Frieda, is that she is an amazing “clipping service” for me. Thanks to the Internet and email, if she reads an article of interest, she can forward it to me with two clicks. Instead of being annoyed with her regular stream of emails saying, “Thought you would find this of interest,” I have actually begun to open her emails with great anticipation and glee as she forwards me so many interesting things.

Last week, she forwarded a December 4th Op-Ed piece from the New York Times entitled: “Gifts That Say You Care,” by Nicholas D. Kristof.

That’s exactly how I feel. No more silly gifts for people who don’t need them. Share a little bit of wealth by significantly improving the quality of life for someone you do not know.

Now, if this seems too impersonal for you, or you just HAVE to bring a gift – try what my good friend Betsy does. This weekend we will be attending her holiday party and each of the guests must bring a “white elephant” item. White Elephant? Yes, we can clean out our closets or garage and find an item or two that is “like new” that we do not want or need. We wrap it up (to disguise it) and do a modified gift exchange.

What a great way to share the love! From my family to yours, have a happy, safe and peaceful holiday season.

A little peace here. A little peace there. And perhaps someday peace everywhere.

I was in San Antonio this past weekend visiting with friends and I was so happy that the hotel we were staying in had a good gym. (The Embassy Suites around Texas are pretty decent.)

So, early Saturday morning, after a swig of coffee, I was down at the gym. There were not too many people working out, but there was one energetic woman running on the treadmill, sweating like crazy.

As I started my treadmill walking-backwards routine, she and I began talking. Turns out, Julie (that’s her name) was in town all week for a national oncology conference. Julie is 35 years old, and a research doctor for a large pharmaceutical company in Boston.

Not sure how we got on this subject, but she told me that she has always been an avid runner. However, about two years ago, she woke up and could not move her lower body.

Turns out she had developed hip dysplasia. (I honestly thought only dogs got this condition. Learn more here.) After more than a dozen surgeries on her left side and one surgery on her right, she was told she would never walk, let alone run again.

But, she told me that one day, she decided she was going to stop believing what her doctors told her and threw her cane out the window! (No, she did not hurt anyone.)

And she started pushing herself to walk, and then finally run. She shared that her normal workout is two hours a day running on the treadmill and one hour of weight-lifting.

I was inspired beyond belief as I talked with this amazing woman. Just two years ago she could not get on a treadmill or do simple things that I take for granted. She just said, “I can.” No matter what obstacle was in front of her – she overcame it.

So I decided right then and there, that, I too, could do what seems impossible to me. Being fit through regular exercise is such an important part of being healthy that I decided if Julie could do it, then I most certainly can.

Will you join me? As we go into the craziness of the holidays and the New Year, I challenge you to make a commitment to your own personal fitness. Make a commitment to a regular exercise regime. I know it is different for each of us, but make a commitment.

The wonderful thing about this time of year is that California-grown citrus is in season and is being harvested daily!

I have so many friends who are growers and I have learned that freshly harvested fruit can taste completely different (and better) from fruit that has been in storage. From November through March I love to try different “new crop” citrus.

Last year I wrote about some wonderful things happening in the orange and mandarin world, and as each week or two goes by, different varieties become available in your local supermarket, and especially at the farmers market. You can find out more about the mandarins and their seasons here.

Well, the same applies to grapefruit. Of course there are the usual white or pink grapefruit varieties. Unfortunately, grapefruit has gotten some bad press in the last few years. Although this doesn’t apply to every person or prescription, there has been a lot of press highlighting the negative interactions grapefruit has with certain cholesterol-lowering medicines.

But for most people, eating grapefruit is just fine. It is refreshing, and of course, almost everyone has heard of the “grapefruit diet,” so if you are trying to lose weight or get in shape, there’s a good chance that you might be eyeing those grapefruits during your shopping trip.

Earlier this week I took a road trip with two colleagues and we ended our day in a grove of Oroblancos. Oroblanco (translation from Spanish: “white gold”) is an amazingly delicious low-acid white grapefruit.

You can see that the outside rind is a pale green – which might lead you to believe that it is not sweet and ready to eat. But I can tell you, the fruit’s flavor was amazing. Juicy. Low acid. Mouth watering. Even though the outside rind is green. Color is not an indicator of ripeness and sweetness. Actually I was reminded yesterday that there are citrus standards for picking fruit, which are regulated by the California Department of Agriculture. Our grower told me that they have to measure the sugar (called brix) before they can even harvest.

As we stood in the citrus grove at dusk, enjoying Oroblancos, I was reminded of my mom. As I told our grower friends, many years ago my mother proclaimed that Oroblanco is her favorite fruit and each year she can’t wait for the season to begin.

So, we grabbed a few empty mesh bags from our grower’s truck and we started harvesting Oroblancos. We put two large bags of them in the trunk of my car. I knew my mom would enjoy them back at the office.

I couldn’t help myself – and decided to harvest a few other samples… I picked some Moro Blood Oranges (Even though they are yellowish orange on the outside, you can see that the inside has the trademark dark red color.), some seedless and variegated lemons and a giant Buddha’s Hand Citron.

As the sun was starting to set, we couldn’t help but stop and enjoy the beautiful view. I recently got a new camera and am enjoying taking photos for our picture library. Here is a view of the orchard at nearly 5 o’clock in the afternoon. It was 50 degrees and you could tell winter was just around the corner.

Well, this city girl sure enjoyed her trek into the country this week. And the best part is that I have plenty of Oroblanco grapefruits to enjoy now that I am back home.

So, when you see Oroblancos in your supermarket produce department or at the farmers market – and you are wondering if that green-tinged skin means they are ripe – take a chance and buy one. You won’t be disappointed.

And – for an easy recipe, try one of my favorites: Oroblanco Sorbet (from my Purple Kiwi Cookbook).

I was giving a tour of the Frieda’s warehouse last week, and as our visitors walked through the refrigerated coolers, opening boxes and asking questions, one of them asked, “What do you do with those cute little things?”

I explained to her that Horned Melons (aka Kiwanos) taste like a combination of cucumber, lime and banana (but are a little slimy), and they make a great conversation piece. (We actually have a fun little video about these odd fruits on YouTube.)

As I spoke, an idea popped into my head. Wouldn’t these Horned Melons, and many more of our unusual looking fruits, make great centerpieces?!

In addition to the decorative pine needles, you can also see a few Cinnamon Sticks, which add to the wonderful smell.

And depending on what you use to mount these exotic fruits (you can use bamboo skewers), this is also an edible centerpiece!

As you get your home ready for the holidays, whether you are hosting a party or just sprucing up the place, don’t forget the produce department for some fresh inspiration!

I was giving a tour of our warehouse last week, and as our visitors walked through the refrigerated coolers, opening boxes and asking questions, one of them asked, “What do you do with those cute little things?”

I explained to her that Horned Melons (aka Kiwanos) taste like a combination of cucumber, lime and banana (but are a little slimy), and they make a great conversation pieced. As I spoke, an idea popped into my head. Wouldn’t these Horned Melons, and many more of our unusual looking fruits, make great centerpieces?!

In addition to the decorative pine needles, you can also see a few Cinnamon Sticks which add to the wonderful smell.

And depending on what you use to mount these exotic fruits (you can use a bamboo skewers, which can be purchased at the grocery store) – this is also an edible centerpiece!

As you get your home ready for the holidays, whether you are hosting a party or just sprucing up the place, don’t forget the produce department for some fresh inspiration!

Yes, I had to pass up the chance to personally meet Diane Keaton earlier this week. It all came about as a result of my last post on Finger Limes (aka Lime Caviar).

Well, I really should start at the beginning of the story, which was about 20 years ago. I forget exactly how I was introduced to Chef June Pagan, but it was through a mutual friend. June ended up cooking at my house several times (20 years ago) and what I liked best about her was her quest to use only the freshest and healthiest ingredients. She calls it “clean cooking.”

You can check out her website here, www.junepagan.com, and what you’ll see is her personal quest to optimize flavor, health value and cost for those people she personally cooks for.

June and I lost touch with each other (as we were busy having families, etc.) and we somehow reconnected a few years ago. I invited her to our offices, as she had developed some new products and wanted my feedback.

In preparation for her visit, I told my team that she was the personal chef to Hollywood celebrities like Sally Field, Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, and Elizabeth Taylor. Yes, THAT Elizabeth Taylor (RIP).

Actually, June revels (in a very low-key way) about how Elizabeth Taylor’s favorite was the “Fried Chicken” that she created for Ms. Taylor when she needed to lose weight before a movie shoot. (June loves challenges.)

(I have to admit that part of the reason I wanted June to prepare recipes for us was because I thought it would sound amazing to say that she cooked for all those hip and cool celebrities…and my family!)

June and I continue to exchange emails, visit every once in a while, and at the holidays she often sends me samples of her gluten-free, sugar-free holiday goodies. And she subscribes to my blog.

So earlier this week, after she read my blog post on Finger Limes, she wrote to me:

I wrote back to her that in her area, she should probably go to the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market.

She then shared her newest passion, the Urban Survival Kitchen, a program that is in the early stages of development and hopefully, will be incorporated into the CASAA program (Culinary Arts and Sustainable Agriculture Academy) at Venice High School here in So Cal. It’s designed to help teens learn how to access and cook inexpensive but healthy and tasty meals for themselves and their families.

And now, back to Diane Keaton. Since June used to cook for Diane, she planned to meet up with her at the local bookstore on that particular evening and invited me to tag along. She was going to ask Diane about supporting her new project, The Urban Survival Kitchen.

Unfortunately, I already had other plans for the evening, but it’s always good to know that whether I want to learn how to make healthier recipes (be sure to check out her website) or I want to be introduced to a celebrity, I can always call June.

About 14 or 15 years ago we got some very interesting visitors: Two ladies who managed the Citrus Variety Collection at the University of California at Riverside — Tracy and Tootsie. (Tootsie has since retired, but I had the great pleasure of touring the Citrus Collection with Tracy earlier this year . . .following her in her Volkswagen Bug around the citrus groves.)

Tootsie and Tracy brought us dozens of samples of all kinds of new citrus varieties that were either growing or being developed there. As it turns out, this very Citrus Collection is considered the world’s preeminent repository of citrus rootstock and varieties and due to my mother’s long association with the University in Riverside, we got to preview what was up and coming.

One of the more fascinating citrus items they showcased were Finger Limes, which we have lovingly called “Lime Caviar” because of the miniature pearls of lime that ooze from these finger-shaped fruits when you break open the skin.

I admit that they are super tart. In fact, I learned to roll them around in my mouth for a few seconds (they maintain their round shape), before crunching down on them.

Six years ago, as I was walking the exhibit halls of Fruit Logistica (an international fresh produce trade show) in Berlin, Germany, I came across a grower of Australian Finger Limes. We tried and tried to get a permit to bring them into the United States, but to no avail.

Fortunately, we began working with several growers in Southern California who have planted a few Finger Lime trees and they are now being harvested.

Finger Lime trees are quite interesting. They are small bush-like trees with many thorns. I swear the thorns are there to protect those darling little limes. During a tour of a Finger Lime grove in Ojai, California, last year, the grower let me know that they have bears (yes, BIG BEARS) in their citrus grove, so I was a bit nervous after I saw a giant pawprint in the ground.

But what I learned about Finger Limes is that in order to harvest them – you shake the trees! Tarps are placed on the ground underneath the tree before the shaking begins, and because of the thorns, that is the best and only practical way to harvest them.

I do have some bad news about the Finger Limes. They are SUPER expensive. There are only a few growers and with the high cost of land, the expensive root stock and the small yield from each tree, they cost a pretty penny.

You may (and that is a big MAY) find them on the menu of a very upscale, chic restaurant. (Although I am not a big oyster eater – I’ve heard that chefs love to pair them with oysters as a garnish or topping.) Or you may find them in an upscale retail store or at a Farmer’s Market if you live in California.

They are probably packed in 4-ounce packages filled with dozens of tiny Finger Limes. Don’t be surprised if they are priced at close to $20 a package — which probably equates to 50 cents a lime.

My recommendation is to buy a package and share them with friends. Use this “Lime Caviar” instead of fish caviar on crackers with cream cheese. Or drop a few pearls of Finger Lime into a Martini at your next dinner party – and have a real conversation starter when your guests ask, “What’s that floating in my drink?”

And if you want to find out more about the Citrus Variety Collection at U.C. Riverside, check out this link to the 60 Minutes Show that aired on Sunday, November 27. You can also find out where the most top secret Swiss flavor developers in the world go to get their citrus flavors! (Click here to watch “The Flavorists” on 60 Minutes. It’s the second story — about 16:30 minutes in.)

To me, Thanksgiving is a mix of old traditions and new traditions. And it’s OK to be personal and unique.

As I am leaving for Dallas to be with my husband’s family for Thanksgiving Day, many people in my office have stopped by to say goodbye. I am struck by all the different personal traditions there are, just in our office.

One team member is flying to Colorado to be with her only daughter. Her daughter lives there and she is making dinner for her mom.

One team member is going to stay home with his wife and daughter. “Too much drama at the regular family dinner.” (Hmm…familiar?)

One team member is taking her family and going to a friend’s house. Just two families making a new tradition of thanks.

Someone else is inviting a few friends over for a potluck, but on Saturday, as that day is easier than the traditional Thursday.

Two of my fellow workers are flying to Costa Rica on Thanksgiving Day (OK, I have to admit that one is Costa Rican). I overheard them talking about what kind of “Thanksgiving Dinner” they will enjoy – in a country outside the U.S.

Each of these different approaches to Thanksgiving celebrations tells me that in the hustle and bustle of 2011, a few people have figured it out. It’s OK to have your own tradition.

When I return from Texas, my immediate family and a few friends will gather at our house on Saturday for our Thanksgiving dinner. The last few years, my two daughters Alex and Sophia have helped me cook, and this year they want to start early with me. Maybe we have the beginnings of a new tradition.

One thing is for sure. At my house, we will have lots of fresh fruits and vegetables — whether it’s a green salad, roasted fingerling potatoes, freshly made cranberry relish or roasted Brussels sprouts.

I’m a big believer in continuous learning. Every year, I make sure I sign up for a few professional development seminars, and pick a few good business-related books to read.

Fortunately, I get a lot of outside ideas from my CEO group, Vistage. (Read my previous post about Vistage here.) At most of our monthly meetings, we have an outside, world-class speaker who shares state of the art information with my group. Whether it’s on sales, the economy, finance, or personal health, it’s a great way for me to stay current on what’s going on in the business world.

Once a year, Vistage hosts an annual conference and last November I attended the three-day event in San Diego.

The speaker on the first night was the amazing and world-famous Guy Kawasaki. If you’ve been around the business world for a while, you’ve probably read one or two of his books. “The Art of the Start,” “The Macintosh Way,” and “How to Drive Your Competition Crazy” are just three of his titles.

But what is really fascinating about Guy is that he was the Chief Evangelist for Apple Computers. He started working in the Macintosh (aka MAC) division in 1983 and his mission was to convince developers to create Macintosh-compatible products. He was the MAC guru.

So at the Vistage conference, he was there to talk about his soon-to-be-published book, “Enchantment.” When he took the stage and started describing the art of enchantment, I was mesmerized.

Guy defines enchantment as the process of delighting people with a product, service, organization or idea.

He talked about real stuff. How to smile. (There is a way to tell if you are sincere.) How to dress and why you should not over or under dress. The importance of storytelling. He spoke for two hours and he was truly Enchanting.

And like many people do, I got busy and never got around to ordering it. Thank goodness for my good friend Tina. When my birthday rolled around last month and I invited a few friends over for dinner, she walked in the door with a beautiful ribbon wrapped around the gorgeous bright red covered book.

Tina and I share a love of books and we often chat about our latest finds. (I admit she is a much more voracious reader than me.) We had discussed Guy Kawasaki’s latest book many times. So, I literally beamed ear to ear when I saw my gift. How perfect.

Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, had passed away just a couple of weeks before my birthday, so everything APPLE and MAC was top of mind. I imagine when Steve and Guy worked together, that as driving and relentless as Steve was, Guy was there to balance him. Guy was the schmoozer, the charmer. The one who took the time to talk to clients, developers and many others.

It’s not a surprise to me that he wrote a book called “Enchantment – The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds and Actions.” Isn’t that what Steve Jobs and Apple Computers did for the world?

“What happened to Thanksgiving?” She commented that everywhere she shopped (even before Halloween), all the stores were featuring Christmas decorations!

I know the feeling. It seems even before one holiday ends, the stores have already moved onto the next “Hallmark” holiday. This weekend I noticed the Christmas decorations were up at my local Costco (and they were handing out shopping flyers for “black Friday.”)

But, I’d like to ask you to pause and think about what Thanksgiving stands for. To me, it’s a time to truly give thanks. Thanks for having food on our table. For having family and friends who accept us for who we are. For having jobs or companies that we love and support us.

I find Thanksgiving a special and memorable holiday. It’s the one time during the year that I get to cook my favorite foods, try out new recipes and astonish my 25 family and friends by proving that I do have time to cook and remember how! Like most of us, my weekly schedule is packed with meetings, dinners, and other obligations that make it a bit of an inconvenience to cook a nice meal and sit down to dinner together.

So, once a year, I devote myself to creating a menu of long-time favorites combined with a few culinary surprises that I’ve never tried before. My family starts dinner at the early hour of 4pm, and everyone hangs around for 5 or 6 hours eating, nibbling and catching up. A few years ago, we started the tradition of having our family dinner on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, which means everyone can go to their other family functions and relax on Saturday evening at our house.

For some, Thanksgiving is a hassle. You either have to set up your house for a large number of dinner guests, or you have to prepare food so you can go to someone else’s house. You have to change your eating habit for the day, as most Thanksgiving feasts are between lunch and dinner time. If you’re a college student, you are happy that you get a break from school, but it’s a hectic weekend to come home.

I challenge you to look at this year’s Thanksgiving as a time to reflect, give thanks and enjoy. Stop and enjoy this holiday. Don’t rush into Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

Find some traditional foods and recipes to enjoy. Do something as a family. And if you don’t have family, then do something with your friends and neighbors.

Don’t worry, all the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season will be waiting for you. I guarantee it!

Did you know that in the United States, the banana (the Cavendish variety, actually) is the number one consumed fruit? (For the rest of the world, the mango is number one.)

That probably explains why every single supermarket in America has a big display of bananas in their produce department. Most stores do not display the bananas near the front of the department – they put them in the middle or back — to make sure that you walk through the department and buy other things before you get to the bananas. (Trader Joe’s seems to be the exception, however, because they put their bananas in the front.)

I’m sure you can read anywhere about the nutritional information on bananas. High in potassium. Good source of fiber. All those basic facts.

But I doubt you can find out the correct way to peel a banana. Well, you are about to find out.

About 20 years ago, our production manager in the warehouse (Jorge Araujo) saw me eating a banana at my office. I was struggling with breaking the skin and ended up bruising the end of the banana. I didn’t have a knife to cut off the end.

Jorge told me that he used to manage banana plantations for a big grower in Central America and the natives told him the proper way to peel a banana.

I have lived in Seal Beach, California, since 1999. This small coastal town is located near the Queen Mary, between Long Beach and Huntington Beach (Surf City, USA).

You may not have heard of our sleepy little town until about 3 weeks ago, on October 12.

Sadly, you heard about Seal Beach because there was a senseless shooting spree at the Meritage Hair Salon in which eight people were killed.

That afternoon, I was on a plane to Atlanta, traveling to one of the produce industry’s biggest trade shows. When I landed and got to my hotel room, the text messages and phone calls started.

Had I heard there was a shooting spree near downtown Seal Beach? Over the next few days the information was a bit sporadic and it took a while to find out what happened. Of course I immediately called a few friends to check on them and it was on my mind the entire week I was gone.

You must know that Seal Beach is one of the quietest, quaintest towns in Southern California. We all joke about the crime report in the local paper. “Man seen lingering near the mail box on Main Street,” would be typical of the crime report. It is not unusual for my friends and neighbors to leave surfboards, luggage, golf clubs, etc on the front porch… It is such a safe community.

When I returned home after my trip, I looked through our local paper to find out the details, and did not recognize any of the victims’ names.

So, when I went to my weekend spinning (cycling) class, I was shocked to find out that one of the victims, Michelle Fast, was the 47-year-old sister of my spin instructor Rooney Daschbach.

I was devastated, as Rooney and his wife Claire are two of the nicest people I’ve ever known and we’ve become friends in the year or two I have been taking their classes each weekend. I knew they must be profoundly sad and in a state of shock. I didn’t know what to do. They were absent from the gym, so I finally emailed them a heartfelt note to express my condolences.

The weekend I returned from my trip, I went to the salon to pay my respects. There were beautiful flowers and memorials everywhere surrounding the building. Around the corner, some locals were selling T-shirts to benefit the victims’ families. The shirts had a big blue stylized heart.

Actually, the entire community of 24,000 people organized several fundraising events to raise money for the victims’ families: bake sales, silent auctions and a “Cut-a-Thon” where local hair stylists cut hair for free, in exchange for a donation. This entire weekend was devoted to the memory of the eight people who lost their lives and to their families.

A few days ago, I was told that Rooney and Claire were going to be at the gym this Sunday morning, and that there would be a spinning class in which we would ride to honor the memory of his sister.

So, when I walked into my cycling class this Sunday morning, wearing the T-shirt I purchase last weekend, my breath was taken away. Every person in the room was wearing the same T-shirt. I saw Rooney and Claire and we hugged and cried together. And then the 20 of us cycled for an hour to music that reminded Rooney of his sister. Happy music. Sad music. Angelic music.

After the class, Rooney and Claire and I talked. Michelle was the youngest of 6 kids and has 3 children of her own. It was lovely to hear how their family had organized themselves around supporting each other and Michelle’s kids.

Interestingly, Rooney told me that he was having trouble sleeping and was reading a book by a Jewish Rabbi, “When Bad Things Happen to Good People,” and it was helping him a lot. (Rooney is not Jewish.)

I have heard a lot about this book over the years and was so glad to hear that it was helping him.

Each of us will face the death of someone close to us in our life at some time. It may be after a long illness, or a sudden tragedy like the one that occurred in my sleepy little town. I don’t think there is any way to be prepared. And you will never know how you will react.

But what is important to know is that you will always have friends and family that are there to support you. And we all deal with these occurrences in our own way. And you never know when it will hit close to home.

As I continue my travels around the United States visiting supermarkets, I’ve noticed how all the cooking ingredients that are used for the upcoming holidays are now located closer to the front of the store. And the displays are bigger.

Pumpkin pie filling in cans, baking ingredients, bigger displays of potatoes and onions.

All this has made me start to think about what I’m going to make for my family’s Thanksgiving dinner.

Every year, about 25 members of my family and close friends gather at my house. We have the traditional roasted turkey. And my longtime friends, the LeBayon’s (they’re from France) always bring steamed lobster. A variety of salads, side dishes, and vegetables round out the menu. It’s quite a feast.

But the big decision for me each year is what vegetables to prepare. Being the “vegetable lady” puts a little pressure on me to be somewhat innovative.

This year, I’ve decided to follow the advice that my company has been giving to our retail supermarket customers. We call it Try This, Not That(sm).

Instead of promoting regular russet potatoes for making mashed potatoes, we suggest featuring fingerling potatoes for roasting.

Instead of a regular bread and fresh herb flavored stuffing, we suggest using ingredients like pine nuts and dried cranberries.

And for dessert, instead of serving apple pie, we suggest Apple Pie Crepes (which are lighter and less caloric).

It’s never too early to start planning your holiday meal. I hope you’ll experiment a little this year… If nothing else, maybe a new vegetable!

Imagine my surprise when I picked up The Wall Street Journal last Thursday, October 20th and found that the entire front page of the Personal Journal section had a drawing of the produce department.

Entitled “A Food Fight in the Produce Aisle,” the article quotes a few of our supermarket clients and talks about what a popular destination the produce department has become in American supermarkets.

I often write about my favorite fruits and vegetables and occasionally I write about important trends affecting our food choices. But, what was so interesting about this article is that because our nation has become more focused on fighting obesity (thank you, Mrs. First Lady Michelle Obama), it seems as if the produce department might have some new neighbors in your local supermarket.

Think about it. Have you noticed when you go into your local store, how different food items are now near the front of the store? Last week I was in St Louis visiting some Schnuck’s Markets (a family-owned, regional supermarket company), and noticed that the front wall of some of their stores have portable foods. You know, single serve salads, sandwiches, healthy beverages, milk, cut fruit and veggies. It sure was easy to grab my healthy lunch while I was there.

And in Southern California, I’ve noticed my local Albertson’s market has a whole section of “healthy and convenient” foods, plus fresh fruit juices, etc., right inside the door of the market.

That’s what this article talks about. Packaged food manufacturers who produce cheese, juices and other “non produce” items have realized that so many shoppers are spending more and more time shopping in the produce department, that they want their own products located nearby.

Well, obviously, the grocery stores cannot rearrange their entire store to have every department close by produce… Unless of course they make their store circular and put produce in the middle. (Actually several chains have tried this with mixed results.)

But, as you make your regular shopping trip to the market, look up from your cart. You’ll notice that the location of your favorite products may have changed. Supermarket executives know that time is the most important commodity to all their shoppers and they are trying to adjust the layout of their stores to be more “shopper friendly.” That’s why most markets have coolers filled with bottled water and other beverages nearby the checkouts.

Well, you might be asking yourself, “Why are the bananas usually at the back of the produce department?” That’s because supermarkets know that bananas are often the No. 1 most purchased fruit. They know most shoppers, if they have to walk through the entire produce department to get to the bananas, might find a few other produce items they want to purchase.

I encourage you to read the entire article here. It will give you some insight into the “behind the scenes” work that is always happening in the supermarket business.

Ever feel like you are on that hamster wheel of life? You know what I’m talking about. You get up in the morning and race around the house, grab a quick bite, and jump in your car. You speed to the office and begin your day by checking hundreds of emails, many of which are really spam, but you are forced to read anyway, and delete.

After all those emails, then you begin your real work of the day. But you are starving, and down a quick donut or cookie that someone left at the coffee machine. Your intentions were to eat healthy foods all day – but you are starving. You gave into temptation.

And then, at the end of the day, if you remembered to bring your gym clothes with you, you stop at the gym for a quick workout. By the time you get home you are starving, and instead of taking the time to prepare a healthy dinner, you stopped at your favorite Italian or Chinese restaurant and picked up some take-out to gobble down at home.

That schedule is pretty much what happens to me and my family on a daily basis. And I don’t think we are alone.

A few months ago, as I made my every-few-days food shopping trip to the grocery store, I began to eye those pre-cut fruits and vegetables that my local Ralphs has on display.

Since I don’t have time at 5:30 a.m. to cut up fruits and veggies for me and my daughter Sophia, I have started to buy some of our favorites, already prepared for me.

Clear plastic tubs filled with cut celery and carrots (with water to keep them fresh). Fresh Costa Rican pineapple, hand cut into chunks. Apples cut into slices and packaged in individual serving bags. Bananas at various stages of ripeness. Individual 1 oz. boxes of dried cranberries and raisins.

I have found that I can give my family healthy choices for their morning and afternoon snack times, and for their lunches, by spending a few extra dollars and getting them “cut and ready.”

I know that some consumers may prefer to save the money, and buy whole fruits and veggies to cut up when they get home, but for the time-deprived working moms and dads, I say that it’s worth it to buy pre-cuts.

Since I asked my 17-year-old daughter what fruits and vegetables she wants packed in her lunch, and we searched the produce department together to find them already prepped for us, her diet (and mine) has changed completely. Each day, we both take a total of 5 servings of fruits and vegetables with us when we leave in the morning.

No more temptation from donuts, cookies and flavored drinks at the office or at the school. We are both eating healthier.

As you are trying to figure out how you can improve your eating habits, and balancing your concern for eating healthy, with the limited amount of time you have, consider spending a little extra and purchase pre-prepped fruits and veggies at your local store.

Oh, one more benefit. Since I buy almost all my produce pre-prepped, I find that I am throwing out far less. My refrigerator is no longer the rotting drawer.

Like many people, I work out at the gym multiple times a week. Two or three times a week, I work out with a personal trainer. I find that by having an appointment (that costs me money), I am much better at keeping that appointment and working out, than if I try to go it alone. The same applies when I have a workout buddy.

I have been working out with my trainer, Ikumi, for 8 months. With my heavy travel schedule, I sometimes feel like I take two steps forward and one step back, because I have a hard time maintaining a consistent workout schedule.

So, last Thursday, was no exception. I had gained a couple of pounds after 5 days out of town.

So, Ikumi decided we would do an intense “bootcamp” workout, instead of our normal weight training.

About halfway through my 60 minute workout, I was holding a 20 lb. weight in each hand, and having to do a rather challenging move. It was so hard.

And, I found myself saying out loud, “This is so hard. I can’t do it. This is so hard.” I actually was near tears.

And then Ikumi told me to change my self-talk. She told me that I was telling my body to react to my negative talk. She told me to say “I can do it. This is easy.”

Reluctantly, I did that. I said out loud, “I can do this”. I made myself smile. And the weirdest thing happened.

My workout got easier. It was not so hard. I was able to hold the intense moves for 10 to 15 seconds, where before I could not.

As we start our week, I am reminded of that great lesson I learned during my workout last week.

Simple words and thoughts can determine our success. So next time, if you are saying to yourself or out loud “This is hard. I cannot do it. This is a difficult goal.”

I’m sure it has happened to you. You have a project that you need completed. So you pass it off to a coworker and ask, “Can you take care of this for me?”

And, then they complete it and give it back to you. And it’s wrong. It’s not the way you wanted it. It’s not formatted the way you thought it would be. They went in the complete wrong direction.

Is it my fault, because I did not give clear expectations? I did not tell the person I delegated it to that I wanted it formatted a certain way. I wanted the font bigger. I needed more information included. No photos or graphs. My deadline was Tuesday at noon, because I needed to send it to a client that afternoon.

Or, was it her fault? She didn’t ask me clarifying questions. She didn’t ask me if I had certain expectations or how I was going to use it. She didn’t ask me for an example of a previous presentation or the format I liked. She did not ask me the purpose.

Well, I would say it was both our faults. Communication should always be two ways.

How often has that happened to you, whether it is in your personal life or at work? Probably more often that you would like. Makes you just want to do everything yourself, because it’s easier that way, and after all, no one can do it just the (perfect) way that you do.

The best way to be efficient and effective in your life is to decide what you are really great at, concentrate on those things, and find someone else to do the rest. Whether it is a coworker, an assistant, a spouse or helper, delegating can really make you more productive.

But, and this is a huge BUT, you have to take the time to give thorough instructions, allow the other person to ask clarifying questions, and test for understanding. Always agree on a deadline (ASAP is not a deadline). A deadline has a day and time attached to it.

Don’t get frustrated with the other person when they ask you questions. And remember, over time, most tasks and projects have some sort of similarity to them, so if you continue to work with the same person on your projects, they will learn your hot buttons, what your expectations are for deadlines, and they will get faster.

This week, I am being an active citizen. I am in Washington, DC, along with about 500 of my produce industry colleagues at our industry’s annual Washington Public Policy Conference.

This afternoon, we will all converge “on the hill” visiting our own Senators and Congressmen to share our opinions on important issues to our industry.

One of my favorite parts of this 3 day event is when invited guests speak. This morning’s speaker was Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa. It was 10 years ago, at this very event, that Senator Harkin proposed a “wild and crazy” idea. He said:

“What if we develop a program that gives free fresh fruits and vegetables to school kids?” When he brought this up 10 years ago (in 2001), I kind of laughed. It sounded a little crazy to me and I really didn’t understand the implications.

This morning, Senator Harkin told us the genesis of this idea. His kids were attending a Montessori School and the teachers gave out fresh fruits and veggies as snacks to the kids around 9 am. The teachers reported that kids get hungry about that time of the day, which causes them to get grouchy and disruptive. When the teachers gave them healthy snacks (like fresh fruits and veggies) they calmed down, were more focused and had an easier time learning. Sugar-laden snacks like cookies did not have the same positive effect.

I was fortunate to be a spokesperson for our industry and the following year in 2002, I gave testimony to the U S Senate Agriculture Committee on the benefits of “The Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program” (we had given it a name). At that time, the program was a test in 4 states.

Well, fast forward to 2011 and the program receives more than $150 million dollars through the Farm Bill, and students in schools in all 50 states are now offered FREE fresh fruits and veggies on a regular basis.

And, now that I think about it, I do the same thing every day. Each morning, I pack myself baggies filled with cut up celery, carrots and cucumbers plus an apple. And each day, about 9 am I start munching on them. Even though there are not a lot of calories, I find that I feel full and satisfied with my fresh fruit and veggie snack. It holds me over until my lunch about noon.

Why don’t you try this yourself? Start packing cut up fruit and veggies and enjoying them during the morning. I bet you’ll be more productive, less grouchy and you’ll be doing your part to help change the way America eats fruits and vegetables.

And, for Senator Harkin – he is now the Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Someone in our audience pointed out to him that by eating a diet filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, we would actually make our nation healthier and reduce our healthcare costs. Senator Harkin paused for a moment and turned to his aid in the back of the room, and said, “That’s a great idea.” He thanked them for the idea and said he planned to use it.

I often write about shopping in supermarket produce departments because that’s where most of us buy our fresh produce.

But I am fully aware that about 50% of average American meals are consumed outside the home … That is, when we go out to eat.

Whether it’s picking up coffee at Starbucks or McDonald’s on our way to work, grabbing a salad for lunch at a restaurant (because we were too busy to pack a lunch), or going out to dinner with our family or friends, most of us eat quite a few of our meals outside our homes.

If you are not a part of the produce or restaurant industry, you may not be aware of what’s going on.

There is actually a movement that has been brewing for about 10 years. It’s a movement for restaurants and fast food places to consistently offer healthier eating options on their menus. And I’m not just talking about more salads.

Whether it is First Lady Michelle Obama working to get Salad Bars in Every School to encourage children to have healthy choices at lunchtime, or the produce industry working with the restaurant industry to double the amount of fresh produce consumed in restaurants by 2020 — a groundswell is happening almost everywhere.

That means, when you go to McDonald’s with your kids, they will get some apple slices instead of all French fries. It means at Subway, you have baby carrots and sliced apples as options (instead of chips). And when you go to an Applebee’s, Denny’s, Mimi’s, Panera, California Pizza Kitchen, Starbucks, Jason’s Deli or any of the chain restaurants that seem to be in every city, you will have significantly improved healthy choices when you order.

It may not be obvious to you until now. So, next time you go out to eat, whether it is an elegant dining experience, or a quick “meal on the go,” I encourage you to check out the fresh vegetable and fruit choices when you order. If each of us makes healthier choices when we dine out, we will be contributing to a healthier lifestyle and setting a great example for the next generation.

As you shop at the grocery store each week, you may or may not have a sense of the seasons.

If you are paying attention, you will notice that in late May through September, there are sizable displays of aromatic fresh tree fruits like peaches, nectarines, and pluots. In the next few weeks, those displays will be reduced or eliminated, as the California growing season ends.

And taking their places will be all kinds of apples and pears. In late August and September, all across the country, apple harvest is taking place. It takes a few weeks for the harvest, washing, polishing and packing process. Then they are shipped to supermarkets across the country. I can’t wait to walk into my local store and find my new apple favorite, Honeycrisp.

But if you walk past the potato tables, you probably won’t notice any big changes. There seem to be the same piles of 5 lb. russets, 10 lb. russets, whites, reds, etc. You may think that potatoes do not have seasons.

But that could not be further from the truth. Actually, this is the time of year when some of my favorite potatoes are freshly harvested and near peak of season.

I’m talking about the fingerling potatoes, baby and little potatoes. They come in many shapes and sizes. From outside skin that is yellow, red, purple or white (or a mix of several colors), to internal flesh that is white, yellow, red or purple.

They may be perfectly round, or flat and round, or they can be as long as your finger — thus the name “fingerling.”

There are many things to love about these smaller potatoes: They are more bite-sized, faster cooking, and many have unique flavors and textures.

One of my favorite potatoes is the Organic Klamath Pearl Potato, which was developed in cooperation with the University of California and is grown in the wetlands near the Oregon-California border. I recently learned that they have just been harvested and our first shipment of the season will arrive at our warehouse on Monday!

A few years ago, when we first introduced this potato, our grower personally delivered samples to about a dozen chefs in the San Francisco Bay area. Each chef immediately called us wanting to offer them on their menu, because they were small and round, did not soften or get mushy when boiled, yet were fantastic mashed, and had a delicate, nutty flavor.

And, as with all my product stories – the grower we work with is a delightful individual. I have spent a lot of time with Dan – and we still laugh about our first meal together. We were having breakfast together at a produce convention and it was my turn to order. I ordered an egg white omelet and requested, “Instead of potatoes, can I get fruit?”

I then got a horrified look from Dan… I had just refused my host’s potatoes! Fortunately, he was very understanding and I now make sure to order potatoes FIRST before the rest of my meal.

I hope when you walk by the potato display at your favorite store, you stop to look at all the variety and try a new potato. Dan will be very happy you did.

Back in early July, she was diagnosed with breast cancer (invasive ductal carcinoma). Fortunately, it is a slow-growing cancer and after seeing a team of doctors (an oncologist, a surgeon, a plastic surgeon, a radiologist and her regular ob/gyn), it was decided that she could delay her surgery for 2 months and spend almost two weeks in Kauai celebrating her 25th wedding anniversary with her husband Doug. Her surgery is this Tuesday, September 20.

Well, let me tell you, having your little sister/business partner/best friend tell you she has a lump in her breast, and that she has breast cancer … it really rocks your world.

For me, it was a Friday afternoon, and immediately following our conversation about her cancer, I had to go back into a meeting. My mind was racing and I found out weeks later that I missed a great deal of what was discussed in that meeting.

I spent the next few days alternating between crying, worrying that my sister was going to die (she isn’t), and trying to sort out why it happened. (Actually, she did test positive for the breast cancer gene BRCA1.) It was very emotional – and in great part, it was quite stressful because Jackie had told me not to discuss this with anyone, until she could tell both her kids.

Thankfully, Jackie is the logical, methodical one in the family. Within two weeks, she had a diagnosis, had selected her doctors, had a treatment plan, and was able to tell both her kids.

She sat me down and said, “Karen, please do not worry. I will be fine. And since there is nothing you can do to cure me of cancer, there is no reason to worry. What I need you to do is cover for me at work, while I am off getting cured. And take care of yourself.”

Well, that was a good assignment. Don’t worry. I’ve had a lot of time to think about that one. I promised myself that I would stop worrying about something when there was simply nothing I could do about it. Whether it was Jackie’s breast cancer, or the illness of another friend, or other situations that I was presented with – I decided “I will not worry.”

I also went to see a therapist. A good friend of mine, Lois, is a well respected therapist and I went to see her within a week of learning of Jackie’s diagnosis.

Lois told me, amongst many things, about the importance of hugs. She said that although doctors are good at treating the physical aspect of cancer, they are not always aware of the emotional treatment. Lois told me:

You need 4 hugs a day to smile
You need 8 hugs a day to feel alive
You need 12 hugs a day to thrive

So every day for the last 2 months, when I saw my sister at work, we would hug. She let everyone at our office know that they had her permission to give hugs and to remind her to smile.

Jackie’s prognosis also had an interesting effect on both Jackie and me. It put our entire lives in perspective. I noticed that we did not get stressed out about the things we used to. I found myself being much more patient with Jackie (and everyone else around me). And I stopped doing things that did not make me happy.

One of the things that makes me happy is doing things for others. So, I received Jackie’s permission to form “TEAM JACKIE” for an upcoming Breast Cancer Walk in Long Beach. The walk is this coming Saturday, September 24. So, as Jackie is home recovering from surgery, I will be participating in this walk.

My goal was to get 53 people to walk with me (Jackie is 53 years old). As of today, we have more than 60 walkers! I had hoped to raise $5,000 in sponsorship money – I learned a couple of weeks ago that TEAM JACKIE is the top fundraising team with more than $31,000! I tell everyone that when they make a donation to support us, they are just sending love and healing thoughts to my sister.

Every one of us faces these kinds of challenges in our life. Someone close to us gets ill. Please consider my learnings:

And one last thought. From the very beginning of her diagnosis, Jackie decided she couldn’t change fate. She was not going to have any regrets. No pity party for her. She was going to face this challenge head on. In her words: “It is what it is”

During the last two weeks, two of my closest girlfriends have lost a parent. Both Barbara’s mom and Vivian’s father were around 90 years old and had lived a long and happy life.

So what do you do as a friend, when one of your friends has a death in the family? Many people don’t know what to do. They feel uncomfortable. They don’t know what to say. So, often times they stay away from their grieving friends.

A few years ago, an industry colleague (Mike) lost his 17-year-old daughter in a tragic car accident. I sent a sympathy card right away. And then I saw him at an industry trade show a few months later.

The first thing I said to him was that I hoped he got my card and that I was so sorry to hear about his daughter. But I was sure he really didn’t want to talk about it. He said to me, “Actually I do want to talk about it – it helps me. You’re one of the first people who asked.”

That was a big lesson to me. Many people who are grieving do find it helpful to talk about it. And for them, I’m sure it’s better than feeling your friends are all avoiding you.

For Barbara, who lives in northern California, I offered to help find a place to hold a luncheon following the funeral. A simple call to a restaurant and printing directions. Barbara felt the love.

For Vivian, we decided to go have lunch on Sunday afternoon – just the two of us – and it allowed her to tell me all about her last days with her father (who I knew) and to shed a few tears.

Some of us are also touched by close friends and family members who have burdensome health issues. Maybe you feel like it’s too personal to ask them about their condition or prognosis. You might be sure that they are too busy to receive your phone call or a visit.

My long time friend Barbie was diagnosed with a brain tumor last week. Instead of staying away, I checked with her husband and stopped by to bring her a card and bright beautiful sunflowers to brighten her room. I maybe stayed 10 minutes. I took another mutual friend over to visit her again before her surgery and she was so happy to have a visitor and a hug (even for just 5 minutes).

Don’t underestimate the power of human contact. A hug. A bright smile. A text message, email or phone call. All of these things can be critical in the recovery of those who are ill or are grieving.

So next time you have the opportunity to brighten someone’s day with a visit – take advantage of that opportunity! You won’t regret it. And quite possibly you could give them a special gift.

I remember years ago giving a tour of our warehouse to some friends. They were visiting from Wisconsin and wondered what my office looked like.

Our produce warehouse is over 80,000 square feet and much of it is refrigerated. As we walked through the different coolers, my friends commented that when they go to the grocery store, they didn’t give too much thought to where their food came from. They thought it came from the grocery store.

Fast forward 15 years, and most people give more thought about where their food comes from. Thanks to the Food Network and food bloggers, stories and videos about farmers and ranchers are everywhere. If you want to know how a product is grown, you can just “Google it.”

But most of us know that there are other sources of information. There are many organizations who share information (about farming and food, for example) that are NOT the farmers themselves. There are food advocates, consumer groups and more.

Sometimes I find that the information they share is not always the truth. It breaks my heart when I read stories like “the worst fruits and vegetables to eat.” That seems crazy to me. How can fresh produce be bad for you? Yet, there are thousands of consumers who read this information and assume it is THE truth.

News should be reported in a balanced fashion. And that’s why I was thrilled to stumble upon a newly formed group: The U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA).
According to the USFRA website, this is the first time agricultural groups at the national, regional and state levels have collaborated on the topic. The USFRA seeks to lead the dialogue and answer Americans’ questions about how we raise our food – while being stewards of the environment, responsibly caring for our animals and maintaining strong businesses and communities.

What I love about my first glance at their website, is that they are launching “Food Dialogues” on September 22, where you can be “at the party” so to speak, be involved in live conversations (on Facebook and via their own website).

A journalist, Claire Shipman and Chef John Besh will be facilitating the conversation. Anyone can ask questions about where their food comes from. And I hope there are people asking about what to do about misinformation.

So many of my friends are farmers. And they are also business people. They have families to feed and communities to support. It is always in their best interest to grow the healthiest food to help feed themselves and others. And they all do it in the most sustainable way possible.

So, I encourage you to check out this website and be a part of the conversation.

There is a place called Hatch, New Mexico — about 40 miles north of Las Cruces — where they grow these amazing chile peppers. They look similar in shape and color to regular green Anaheim chiles, but tend to be more flavorful and can be quite spicy, depending on the variety.

There is a French word “terroir” that describes the unique taste and flavors that a food item takes on because of the geography, geology and climate. It is most often used when describing wine and their unique flavor properties. For example, only sparkling white wine produced in the Champagne region of France can be called “Champagne.” The same thing applies to chile peppers grown at the elevation of 4,000 feet of Hatch, New Mexico. Some, say it’s magical.

Over the years, a large consumer following has developed for these amazing chile peppers. In fact, this weekend — September 3 and 4 – the Hatch Chile Festival is taking place in the small town of Hatch, and over 30,000 people from all over the country will attend to get their hands on those special chile peppers. One of the most popular attractions is the live chile roasting, which sends out a distinctly spicy aroma in the air.

The Hatch Chile season is relatively short – usually from early August through mid-September, so the festival happens at the peak of the season.

If you happen to live in Southern California, you may have noticed a growing trend of Hatch Chile roasting events at local supermarkets and public venues. It’s gotten to be quite the rage!

This year, my company decided to host a few Hatch Chile roasting events with one of our retail client-partners, Ralphs Grocery. Here are some photos taken at the events and you can see that by having an actual tumble roasting drum (kind of like the thing they pull raffle tickets out of, but with a large flame!), it creates a lot of excitement in the front of the store.

Since fresh Hatch Chiles are only available for about six weeks each year, many people will load up and buy 10 to 30 pounds at a time and freeze them to enjoy year-round. A few customers even purchased 90 pounds at a time!

It has become such a big deal, that one of my industry friends who heard about our Hatch Chile roasts sent us this email:

“Even Chili’s Restaurant has a Hatch Chile Hamburger on their menu here in Cincinnati!”

If you really love chile peppers (that would make you a “Chile Head”) and have a supermarket in your area that you think would be a good candidate to host a Hatch Chile roasting event in 2012, let me know!

As I wrote in my last post, we had five interns this summer. There was plenty of work for them and I kept reminding myself, and our regular employees, that our job was to teach these interns what it is really like to work inside a company.

Last week was our national sales meeting. Once a year we bring in our sales team from all over the country for training and team building. We’ve done this for many years and on their last night in town, I always invite them to our house for a barbecue. Thank goodness for my husband, Garry, as he took care of every detail this year. We had more than 30 people at our house – on the hottest afternoon of the year!

It was nice to see our team in a relaxed atmosphere, just sitting in the backyard, sipping their beverages, sampling appetizers, and chowing down on Garry’s famous dry-rub, grilled ribs and chicken.

I finally had time to make a plate for myself and I took a seat next to our interns, Anika and Dani. As we were chatting and reminiscing about all their activities this summer, they started telling me about one of their greatest lessons during their internship with us.

Both Anika and Dani admitted to me early on that it was hard for them to remember to smile. Their job this summer was on our Street Team, visiting local supermarkets and being Frieda’s ambassadors to consumers. They not only sampled exotic fruits and vegetables, but their job was to answer consumers’ questions and welcome them into the produce department. During our weekly update meetings in the office, they would always be reminded to smile.

Well, at our team dinner, they confided in me that now they can’t STOP smiling. Dani told me that she finds herself smiling when she goes to the grocery store (when she’s not working) and says hello to strangers while walking through the produce department. She said it seems natural to her now and she noticed how much happier it makes her feel. And that it seemed to make total strangers happy!

Anika told us that our family style barbecue was so much different from social events at another company she had an internship with.

I recommend trying to smile as much as possible. And make eye contact with strangers when you say “hello.” How can you be in a bad mood or unproductive when you have a big smile on your face?

These two college students reminded me of that. But, if you know me personally, you know that I always have a smile on my face.

If you read my blog last summer, you know that our company has an internship program where we invite college-aged students to work with us during the summer.

What each and every intern told us this year was that they were amazed that they did REAL work! No simple or “grunt” work at Frieda’s. Nope, we have so many projects that it’s all hands on deck!

I met with the group of interns when they started at Frieda’s and each week they had to write a report of “what they learned.” Then last week, I met with them all together to get their impressions of their internship experience. What amazed me the most? They told me it changed their lives! Each of them related that their career choice would probably change now that they have worked at Frieda’s. Here is what they learned in their own words.

Mitchell
Our first intern only worked for us for 12 days. Through a program at a local high school, we were thrilled to bring a high school senior into the office to learn what it is like. Mitchell was a referral from one of our employees.

Rachael
We were so slammed with work in early May (and none of our college interns were ready to start work) so I contacted one of the high school seniors I know and asked her if she wanted a part time internship. With no work experience, Rachael jumped in without hesitation.

Rebecca
Rebecca is a rising Sophomore at George Washington University and was home for the summer.

Danielle
I met Danielle at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo when I did a guest lecture in April of this year. She was one of many students who contacted us about an internship. Interestingly, her uncle’s family is in the produce business which gave her a different perspective on our industry.

Anika
Anika contacted us earlier this year. She lives locally in Southern California but graduated from Bentley College in Massachusetts. She is going back to start her MBA in the fall.

I highly recommend offering internships. It’s a great way to give back, and you can get a lot of work done if you plan properly.

Late one afternoon last week, there was a bit of chatter in our sales department. One person challenged the group by asking, “Which of the more than 500 products we sell, do YOU personally buy at the supermarket?”

Interesting question. We sell so many crazy items, from Heirloom Tomatoes and Pine Nuts to Rambutan and Tofu. We’re so busy selling our specialty fruits and vegetables to retailers and foodservice distributors across the country, that sometimes we forget that we are consumers, too!

So, my coworker, Vicki came into my office and started telling me about her great experience with Frieda’s Crystallized Ginger. Vicki loves to go scuba diving, but has a tendency to get motion sickness. She was on a diving trip a few months ago and found that the crew had a large bag of Crystallized Ginger in the galley.

The captain told her that it helps people who get motion sickness! Ever since then, Crystallized Ginger has become a staple on her shopping list. And she packs it for every diving trip.

I also shared my story with her. Many years ago, I was on a supermarket bus tour in Seattle. The weather was warm and the roads were curvy. My stomach was not doing well, so I was relieved when we stopped at an Asian grocery store (the famed Uwajimaya). I found a large bag of Crystallized Ginger and purchased it right away. Munching on small pieces of ginger during that 3-day bus trek saved my sanity!

Do you know someone who gets motion sickness? Nothing can ruin a cruise or bus tour more than feeling queasy.

Fortunately, Crystallized Ginger is fairly widely available. It’s made from large chunks of fresh ginger root that are soaked in a sugar solution. When dried, it has a firm and chewy texture, similar to dried fruit. (Sometimes it’s called Candied Ginger.) And the spicy nature of fresh ginger is mellowed a lot by the sugar. A small piece can go a long way in calming your nausea.

Crystallized Ginger has other uses, too: You can chop it finely and add to cookies or fruit cake (if you make it for the holidays). A piece dropped into a cup of hot water, after steeping about 5 minutes, makes a delicious tea and it has the same stomach-calming effects. You can even use it in a stir-fry.

So, next time you are tempted to buy an over-the-counter medicine to calm your stomach, try something more natural. Crystallized Ginger is inexpensive and you don’t have to hide it from your kids!

Meyer Lemons seem to be the darlings of the citrus department. Domestic (U.S.A.-grown) Meyer Lemons are not in season during the late summer, so we bring them in by boat from New Zealand. Even though they are far from “locally grown” at the moment, we are still seeing an incredible demand for these beautiful golden-skinned fruits. (From January through June, Meyer Lemons are grown in California.)

Meyer Lemons are actually a cross between a traditional lemon and a mandarin (or a common orange). Native to China, Meyer Lemons were introduced to the United States in 1908 by an agricultural explorer from the U.S.D.A., Frank Meyer.

The outside skin is kind of delicate, so Meyers must be handled more gently than regular, thick-skinned lemons. We recommend keeping Meyer Lemons in your refrigerator for this reason.

But what makes them so special and in demand by professional chefs and home cooks, is their less-acidic, almost sweet taste. As the story goes, once you’ve tried the Meyer Lemon in cakes, sauces, pies and in lemonade, they will become your preferred lemon.

I was inspired to write about Meyer Lemons from a recent consumer email we received:

This is typical of the dialogue we have had with shoppers since we started Frieda’s Inc. 1962. A shopper looks for a fresh produce item at their supermarket and cannot find it, so they reach out to Frieda’s. Ever since we started putting our name and address and an invitation to write to us on our packaging, consumers have written to us asking us to help them out. And here is what we do:

If you write to us looking for a product and give us the names of the stores you shop at, we will actually contact those stores and ask them to stock the product for you! And usually it works. Most supermarket buyers understand the “lifetime value” of a shopper and don’t want to lose one over a missed sale. So they will order the product.

Is there a special fruit or vegetable that you wish you could find in your local store? Email us here and tell us the name of the produce item and the 2 or 3 markets you shop at (and your city, of course).

And, next time you are shopping for lemons, try the Meyer Lemon. You will be delighted!

Almost every person I know is on some kind of diet or has made a change in their eating habits to improve their health. I think we are all after the same thing. We want to look good and feel good. And when we go to the doctor, we want him/her to say our numbers look awesome! (Our weight, our cholesterol, our blood sugar, etc.)

During the last year, I have been successful at dropping a few pounds. Part of that success has been that I’ve added frequent exercise to my normal regime. Although it is a challenge to fit in a 60-minute workout 5 or 6 days a week, I have found that teaming up with a friend for some workouts, and finding an inspiring fitness instructor for others, has made a real difference.

Actually, in addition to how good I feel physically after a workout (and how nice it is to have my clothes fit better), I find that the 60 minutes I spend working out are good for my mind. It forces me to think about nothing other than my workout. It’s like a vacation for my brain.

But changing my eating habits has made a big difference as well. I took the advice of my fitness trainer, Ikumi, and cut back the amount of food I am eating. When I go out to eat – my goal is to share the meal with someone – or eat half, and take the rest home for the next day’s lunch.

I’ve found that I am actually eating most of my protein (usually fish) at lunchtime. The rest of the day, I eat lots of fruits, vegetables and grains.

Like most business people, I tend to go out to dinner a lot. Eating dinner out is problematic for me. The portions are large. During the last two weeks, I’ve eaten dinner out 6 times. Each time I’ve gone out – I’ve looked over the menu and surprisingly found a vegetarian meal choice. Usually it’s a platter of a wide variety of fresh vegetables and grains. Previously, I would have felt cheated if I went out to a nice restaurant and ordered a platter of veggies.

But with all the publicity about making half your plate fruits and veggies, it seems as if restaurant chefs are getting creative. And my choices have tasted fantastic.

On Monday evening, my husband Garry and I were in Laguna Beach attending the Pageant of the Masters and the Sawdust Art Festival. If you are ever in Southern California during the month of August, I highly recommend this event. It’s a 2-hour show of volunteer performers who create live renditions of famous art. (The last act is a performance of Da Vinci’s Last Supper painting.). It’s impossible to describe, so check out their website: www.foapom.com

We joined four other couples for dinner at The Lumberyard in Laguna Beach. Here is what my dinner looked like (sans the grilled Portabella Mushroom I snatched off the plate when it arrived):

Grilled jumbo zucchini squash
Grilled asparagus
Steamed spinach with garlic
Half a grilled artichoke
Grilled red and green bell peppers
Grilled portabella mushroom
Grilled Roma tomato halves
Grilled baby broccolini (which I prefer to regular broccoli)
Small cup of garlic aioli dip

Honestly, I could not eat everything on my plate. I was full and satisfied after the meal. And I didn’t feel stuffed or uncomfortable during the 2-hour performance.

Next time you go out for lunch or dinner, consider ordering a smaller portion, a meatless entrée, or an appetizer as your main course.

Every refrigerator has one. You know what I’m talking about. Those drawers where you put all your produce, with good intentions.

You go to the grocery store and see all that fantastic looking fresh produce, and purchase it with good intentions to serve it during the week. Then you end up being exhausted at the end of the day, and forget to use up what you bought.

So those cucumbers, cilantro, and grapes turn to mush. This is why I call the refrigerator vegetable drawer the “rotting drawer.”

I was at a cocktail party last week and I lamented about my rotting drawer. My new friend Elliot chuckled.

Elliot is a lot like my sister, Jackie. (She says if she could have chosen a different career, she would have been a research librarian, as she loves searching for information on the Internet.)

He apparently went home and researched a scientific study he recalled seeing years ago that reminded him of my rotting drawer story.

You can find the summary here. The goal of the study was to see if people consumed more candy if it was placed near them, like in a candy dish on their desk. Well, obviously, not many of us can abstain from snacking on nearby chocolate. (At least I can’t.)

The bottom line of the study was that the proximity and visibility of food can affect one’s consumption.

A few months ago, I was tired of throwing away so much produce. So, I stopped storing my fresh produce in the drawers in my refrigerator. Instead, I put them on the shelves. All the bags of spinach and sugar snap peas, clamshells of cucumbers and melons.

Because I could see everything when I opened up the fridge, I started consuming all of it, and I stopped dumping produce.

I did the same thing in my pantry. While my daughter was away at summer camp, I got rid of all the snack foods that I really should not eat. And I did not replace them.

So maybe you should try the same thing. If you are truly committed to eating healthier, then put those healthy foods in front of you. Stock your refrigerator with good tasting, snackable produce. Don’t hide them in the drawers. Put a bowl of fresh fruit on your kitchen counter – you’ll be more likely to grab a healthy snack.

Thanks to Elliot for sharing the article. Now I know why I should NOT keep a dish of chocolate on my desk.

This past weekend, I took my newest company employee — my daughter Alex — up to Monterey, California, to attend one of our industry’s trade shows. This one is devoted to the foodservice industry and it brings together growers, brokers, marketers, chefs, restaurant chains and distributors to talk about the latest and greatest in fresh produce.

While the largest segment of the produce industry is probably retail business (supermarkets), the foodservice side is pretty large. It’s made up of chain restaurants, such as McDonalds, Subway, California Pizza Kitchen, Darden (parent company of Olive Garden, Capital Grill, Seasons 52, etc.), and smaller independents like Hard Rock Café, Jamba Juice and Del Taco.

You may not realize just how much produce is purchased by these restaurants, but approximately 50 percent of all food consumed is eaten away from the home! That’s a lot of strawberries and tomatoes!

During this 3-day conference we visited growing areas, attended panel discussions and walked the show floor expo. (This year, the grower tour stopped at Ocean Mist Farms, one of the largest growers of artichokes.)

During the expo, more than 100 produce companies exhibited and sampled their tastiest new products. My friends at Gills Onions sampled the most fantastic French onion soup – served piping hot in single sized cups. Gills Onions is a second-generation family farm — the largest grower and processor of fresh onions in the country.

Driscoll’s handed out samples of the biggest and sweetest blueberries I’ve ever tasted. San Miguel Produce, which grows all sorts of specialty greens like kale and collard greens, sampled freeze dried kale covered in chocolate. Interesting, but not my favorite.

Voted the best new product at the show? Artisan Romaine lettuce from Tanimura and Antle, which are the perfect size for making lettuce wraps. They sampled grilled lettuce topped with shaved Pecorino Romano cheese and a balsamic dressing. (Here’s the recipe.)

Early Sunday morning, we got to watch five top chefs from northern California create a unique dish with a fresh produce item. Each chef was assigned their own item: carrots, avocados, small potatoes, artichokes and celery. It was fun to watch them create their recipes live.

But what was the best part of the conference? I asked my daughter Alex, a recent graduate in communications and public relations. She told me, “The networking was the most interesting part of the experience.”

When you attend a conference, do you make the most of the networking? Do you pack enough business cards so you can hand one out to everyone you meet — and be sure to get theirs, too.

Do you attend all the educational seminars, cocktail parties, meals and tours? It’s amazing how many different people you meet at each venue.

On Sunday evening, we decided to have dinner with a friend. Just the three of us. But, as my friend and I sat down to dinner, my daughter Alex disappeared. After a few minutes I started looking around.

There she was across the room, a glass of wine in one hand and business cards in the other, shaking hands with growers and buyers who we had met earlier that day. She came back to our table 20 minutes later very excited, as she met some of our industry trade press who might write a story about her.

That’s the way it should be at a trade show or any social event. Always maximizing the opportunities for your organization.

But the final, and possibly most important part of this story? The key follow-up that happens when you get back to the office! We’ve been pumping out emails and thank you notes since we got back.

Did that headline catch your attention? Well, if you live in Syracuse, New York, or Cincinnati, Ohio, you probably know what I’m referring to.

Bolthouse Farms, One of the two biggest carrot growers in California, decided they wanted to make a difference in their sales of baby carrots. And they have just completed marketing tests in those two geographical markets.

Back in 1972, Frieda’s was one of the first companies to market baby carrots to grocery stores. Mike Yurosek, one of the growers my mom worked with, tried peeling and cutting some of his broken or gnarly carrots into bite-sized pieces. (He was looking for a way to reduce the amount of waste in his carrot crop, since retail buyers had such specific size and appearance standards.) He asked Frieda to help him sell them.

Thirty years ago, they thought we were crazy. After all, who was going to buy small carrots, which, by the way, were more expensive?

As it turns out, that single introduction was probably the turning point for the entire industry. According to an article in Fast Company magazine, the decade after baby carrots caught on, “carrot consumption in the United States doubled.”

However, today, after a decade of steady growth, carrots sales have plateaued. How to jump start consumption again?

After much market research — and hiring a former executive from Coca-Cola to run their company — Bolthouse Farms decided the best way to increase their sales and market share, was to market baby carrots like junk food!

They changed the packaging to look like other popular orange snack foods (Doritos and Cheetos). They came up with a catchy tag line: “Eat ‘em like junk food.” And they invested in heavy consumer advertising.

They wanted to get those bags of baby carrots out of the refrigerator drawers. (I fondly call them the “rotting drawers”… where all the fresh produce we buy goes to die. Out of sight, out of mind, unfortunately.)

So what happened in the market tests in Syracuse and Cincinnati? Well, I hear that sales went up 10 to 12%. I think this is fantastic. Check out the Fast Company story, and learn more about Bolthouse Farms and their products on their website: www.babycarrots.com

Could baby carrots take the place of potato chips as the “junk food” of choice? Maybe not. But it’s a great concept that might help a fresh vegetable find a new role in your life. Find your favorite brand of baby carrots and eat ‘em like junk food!

Earlier this week, I attended the taping of a television show with my daughter, Alex, in the late afternoon. Instead of getting on the freeway and fighting the L.A. traffic at 5 p.m., we decided to grab a bite to eat in Santa Monica.

One of my coworkers, Mary, is an expert on all things foodie, so I texted her for a recommendation. What came back was a flurry of ideas. I decided to go with her first suggestion: FIG Restaurant in Santa Monica.

FIG is located inside the famed Fairmont Miramar Hotel and Bungalows at the corner of Wilshire and Ocean Boulevards. It is like an oasis in the middle of a sea of tall buildings and you can see the Pacific Ocean and Santa Monica Pier from the entrance. Chef Ray Garcia says FIG puts ingredients first – “a seasonal bistro with an emphasis on organically grown and locally sourced ingredients.”

So, in we walked at precisely 6 p.m. When I asked for a table for three, the hostess gave me a funny look. She told me that without reservations I could not be seated, even though there were many empty tables. They were completely booked up.

I was taken back a bit. I thought, this must really be the hottest restaurant in Santa Monica after all. So I put on my extra sincere face, put on my selling shoes, and promised her we would finish and be gone before her 7 p.m. reservations arrived. She seated us! (I can be very convincing.)

We quickly scanned the menu and chose our dinner selections. Terri had scallops. Alex had the short rib and pancetta meatloaf, and it was fantastic.

And, since I am trying to eat mostly veggies and legumes at dinner these days, I chose the Pastaless Lasagna. I try to avoid pasta. I’ve discovered that many people are like me and feel bloated when they eat it. With ingredients like Bloomsdale spinach, sweet potatoes and San Marzano tomatoes, I was intrigued.

My coworker Mary goes to the Santa Monica Farmers Market every Wednesday and always brings us back seasonal and good tasting ingredients to inspire us. She has been raving about how much the local chefs love the Bloomsdale spinach and San Marzano tomatoes.

Chef Garcia did not disappoint. The Pastaless Lasagna came out steaming hot in a small shallow gratin pan. Instead of pasta, Chef Garcia layered thin slices of cooked zucchini and cooked sweet potatoes. The fresh San Marzano tomato sauce and Bloomsdale spinach, combined with a small amount of fresh herbs, salt and cheese, was the perfect dinner.

As my family knows, my real weakness is fresh baked bread and butter. Before the meal our server brought us fresh baked French bread. Each mini loaf came wrapped in a special brown bag (pictured below). The butter was actually made of 80% pureed fresh arugula and 20% butter! This spread had a very light “mouth feel” and melted quickly.

This was an almost perfect meal, filled with fresh, seasonal vegetables! We could savor the flavors of each ingredient.

Next time you are Southern California I highly recommend you check out FIG. And if you are there on Wednesday or Saturday morning. . .you can also visit the Santa Monica Farmers Market. It’s a favorite destination of all the top chefs in Southern California!

I read a lot of publications, but one of the most interesting magazines I receive is California Farmer. I have quoted Editor Len Richardson a couple times before. (Read my previous posts here and here.)

I was intrigued by Richardson’s December 2010 story about the Groasis Waterboxx, which was named by Popular Science magazine as one of the top inventions of 2010.

Clearly our biggest challenge in feeding all the people on the planet is having enough water. Without sufficient water supplies, we cannot grow the crops we need. Or, so I thought…

The inventor, Pieter Hoff (from the Netherlands), created the Waterboxx out of personal necessity. He was the largest grower and exporter of lilies in Holland and sold his company in 2004. As he traveled around the world and saw flora and fauna disappearing from erosion and drought, he decided to invest in a solution.

You can find out all the details on the Waterboxx website and YouTube page, but briefly, the Waterboxx is 20 inches in diameter and 10 inches tall. It sits on top of the soil and is filled with water once, and that’s it.

The Waterboxx is about the size of a tire and uses condensation to make plants grow without irrigation. The device gives plants just enough water to survive, which encourages the roots to grow deeper into the water table (which results in fewer weeds).

This amazing invention is now being field tested in Spain, Kenya, France, Chile, Ecuador, Morocco and in California at the Mondavi Winery in Sonoma. Margrit Mondavi, widow of the famed Robert Mondavi, called it “The greatest invention since electricity,” according to the article.

What is especially egalitarian about this invention is that Hoff did not patent it. He wants to produce the boxes locally and wants everyone to make and use them. If you want to reproduce them, just contact him at info AT Groasis dot com. He needs a license fee to continue his research.

Imagine the ability to grow food in the deserts of the world, without an inventor trying to become a millionaire in the process. That is refreshing and exciting to me.

I hope that everyone reading this post will forward it to friends, post it on Facebook, and Tweet about it, so we can spread the word of this great invention.

Now that it’s summer and locally grown produce is plentiful, you have probably noticed more farmers markets around. There is a lovely “feel good” aspect to farmers markets. You can smell the fresh fruits and vegetables and the people selling the produce know “the story” and give out free samples. Farmers markets are also a great family outing. Some markets also sell crafts, fresh flowers, prepared foods and baked goods.

Here in California, farmers markets are regulated. Market managers must ensure that only true farmers’ are selling produce that has been grown on their own property. (Read an article written by well-respected Los Angeles Times writer, David Karp, here.)

In conversations with many of my farmer friends, I learned why they have chosen to participate in farmers markets. Many times, they can market fruit that is too ripe or does not meet certain packing standards to sell to their regular commercial customers. Or they want to support their local community. Some say that the extra money they bring in at the market allows them to make a profit on their farm.

But some of my farmer friends have expressed to me that they wish they didn’t have to sell at farmers markets. After working 5 days a week on the farm, they find it exhausting to work extra hours or over the weekend at a farmers market. Some say that they lose a lot of product at the market. At the end of the day, any unsold produce must be dumped, since it has been out of refrigeration all day. Farmers also tell me that although they enjoy the “fame” they get when consumers like their products and farm identity, and they like interacting with the chefs, it is a lot of work.

Bottom line is that there are pros and cons to buying produce at farmers markets.

The pros are that you get to meet the farmer and learn about where the food is grown. The products are usually ripe and ready to eat. The produce is freshly picked and the ambiance of the market makes you feel good.

To me, the cons are that the produce doesn’t usually last (in my experience) for more than a day or two, because it’s not usually refrigerated, like at a conventional supermarket. The prices may be a bit higher, but it’s usually worth it, especially for the ripe and ready-to-eat fruits.

I do get a little nervous when I see produce out of refrigeration. With all the focus on food safety and food security in our industry, I feel most comfortable buying my produce from a market where I can see that the products (especially the vegetables, like cut lettuce and spinach) have been handled properly and the “cold chain” has been intact.

When I go to the farmers market, I meet a few girlfriends for coffee and then we walk through, picking out produce that is appealing for that night’s dinner. I pick some nice flowers and roasted nuts.

But for me, I feel most comfortable shopping in a regular grocery store or specialty food shop. Everyone has to make their own choice. But I think it is important to know that you have choices.

Have you noticed at your local supermarket that more and more of the produce is packaged under the market’s private brand? It’s a big trend in our industry, so I thought we should talk about it.

A friend of mine told me that when she saw bagged salads with the Kroger or Safeway brand, she thought the retailer actually grew the lettuce. Well, that’s not usually the case. (Although I suppose it is possible.)

I call this the Trader Joe’s effect. As Trader Joe’s stores have grown in popularity and numbers, so has the impact of their strategy. It’s no secret that TJs offers more than 70 percent of their products under their own private label. They develop a special, proprietary recipe (for their jarred bruschetta, for example), and put a “Trader Joe’s” label on it.

From a strategy point of view, they hope you like their “special recipe” so much that you will come to their store to buy it, and will not buy anyone else’s. And you actually cannot buy it from anyone else, because it is their special recipe. And while you’re in the store, you might try their other private label products. Pretty soon your favorite special ingredients and products can only be bought at one store, so you do all or most of your shopping there.

Well, the same applies with bagged salads. Many retailers now have their own brand of bagged salads, baby carrots, romaine hearts, fresh peaches, bagged apples and sugar snap peas, just to name a few. They hope that you are so happy with the quality that you will continue to come to their store and buy it. You trust their company, you trust their brand, you trust their products.

So, with private labels, there is virtually no comparison. You can’t compare Market A’s bagged salads to Market B’s, because Market A’s is a special mix that you have come to love.

Back in 1978, Loblaws, a supermarket chain in Canada, launched a line of private label products called No Name. The packaging design was an extremely simple yellow and black and it was basically “no frills.” American supermarket operators tried this plain wrap product strategy for a while, but it really didn’t work. Large consumer product goods (CPG) companies like Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and The Campbell Soup Company had huge marketing budgets and were very good at being innovative marketers. In my opinion, they outspent (marketing-wise) the “no frills” brands and regained market share.

Fast forward to 2011, and private label packaged foods, produce, frozen foods, specialty grocery items, and just about everything are bigger than ever. You can even get private label gasoline for your car. (Costco, Wal-Mart, Safeway, Kroger and many others now offer fuel stations as part of their total product mix.)

Whether it’s baby carrots, salad mix, or bagged apples – I know that you want the most nutritious, good tasting food for your family. As someone in the industry, I need to say that not every grower has the same tasting produce. If you like the taste of the baby carrots at one market and not at the other, that is to be expected, as they are probably dealing with different growers. So, pick the one that tastes the best to you. The baby carrots grower probably has a relationship with that retailer…and you’ll almost always have carrots from that same grower. (The produce business is still a relationship business!)

So what does this all mean? Retailers are working harder to earn your business. They realize that you vote with your dollars and you want to be treated fairly when you shop in their stores. And you appreciate it when they go the extra mile to select the best products for you. But bottom line, they want you to like everything they have under their own label and be loyal shoppers.

So, how well do you know the people you work with? Do you know about their families?

Our company, Frieda’s is kind of like a big family. With less than 100 employees, some who have been with us 20 years or more, I have gotten to meet and know the family members of many of my coworkers.

I’m not exactly sure the first time I met Joan, the wife of Steve, one of the produce buyers for Frieda’s. Joan is a fascinating person. She is a professor at the Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, as well as an accomplished ceramics sculptor.

In 2003, the collection of The Artful Teapots (a gallery of 260 20th century contemporary teapots) was on exhibit at our local Long Beach Museum of Art. Coincidentally, they were focused on women artists, and our company decided to be a small sponsor of the exhibit and hosted a reception. Because one of Joan’s teapots was a part of the exhibit, we asked her to speak on behalf of the family at the reception.

Ever since that exhibit 8 years ago, I have received many emails from Joan and we see each other occasionally.

Well first of all, if I knew how to prevent food poisoning, I would feel like a hero. But I can offer this basic advice.

First of all, wash all your produce before cutting it and of course before consuming it. This includes whole melons, as the pebbly skin can harbor all kinds of things, and unpeeled bananas — after all, they are from the jungle.

And probably more importantly, wash your own hands with warm soapy water before prepping the food. According to information I have read, many instances of food poisoning are actually caused by cross-contamination. For example, preparing meats on a cutting board or with your hands, and then touching fresh produce. If you are prepping meats or seafood, be sure to wash the cutting boards, bowls, knives and your own hands with warm soapy water, before making a salad, or cutting up fruits and veggies. And be mindful of your sponges and dish towels, too.

(And for summer grilling, I prefer not to skewer raw meat and veggies together. I do them on separate skewers so there’s no chance of cross-contamination.)

Second, don’t leave food out “all afternoon” when you are dining outdoors. When it’s hot, and there are flies everywhere, I just wouldn’t take a chance. If you are picnicking, bring an insulated chest with you to store foods (with ice). If you are entertaining at home, keep the appropriate food refrigerated until it’s time to serve it. And after everyone eats, put the food back in the refrigerator.

Third, when you get an email from a friend with information that is warning you of a danger, or one that says something like “cinnamon can cure Alzheimer’s” or other information that looks too amazing to be true, do yourself a favor and research it on Snopes.com or TruthOrFiction.com before you decide to forward it on to your entire mailing list. My experience is that 99 out of 100 times, the information is either partially true or not based on fact at all. Save yourself the embarrassment, and do not forward that email.

P.S. The small world continues! I recently found out that Joan’s college roommate, Judy, was the daughter of Sybil Henderson, who created the first recipes for Frieda’s Specialty Produce. It pays to get to know who you work with!

My first memories of tasting fresh apricots was when I was in college at UC Davis. My mom asked me to go visit one of her suppliers, Tufts Ranch, which was located about 20 miles down the road in Winters, California.

Turns out that the owner’s son, Stan Tufts, was a fellow UC Davis “Aggie” (instant connection!). The Tufts family loaded up my car with a few boxes of their special Apricots, and I became instantly popular when I returned to school that afternoon. These Apricots were so tasty – just picked and perfectly ripe.

It seems I’ve never tasted apricots as good as those from Tufts Ranch back in 1976, until I tried an Angelcot®.

I have been counting down the days until these fabulous tasting white apricots will arrive. Usually the Angelcot® season starts June 15, but due to the unusually cool weather this year, the crop was delayed.

Angelcots® are a proprietary (unique and special) variety of apricots that our grower, Marty and his family, have been growing for almost a decade. They grow these beauties in northern California in the same area where cherries and fresh corn grow. They are truly a labor of love.

Their season is short. Angelcots® will only be available for the next two to three weeks. (The season was cut short due to an unexpected rain this past week.) We pack them in 1-pound clamshells, as they are pretty delicate and the clamshell tray protects them.

I’ll never forget one of the first times I tasted an Angelcot®. My coworker, Dorian, urged me to sprinkle a bit of Cholula hot sauce on one. I thought that sounded so odd, but when I tasted it — oh my goodness. One of the most memorable fruit moments of my life. Sweet, hot, juicy, savory….all at once.

Because they are grown on a small scale, we only have enough Angelcots® to distribute to a few supermarkets around the country. If you want to know if your store will have them, email us here.

Meanwhile, over the next two months you will find the widest variety of fresh fruit in your local markets, farmers markets, club stores and roadside stands. No matter where you shop, it’s a great time to increase your consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. Remember to make half your plate fresh fruits and vegetables

That’s how many miles I drove during my cross-country road trip. Yes, I know it wasn’t a direct route, but I thought it might be the only time I would have the opportunity to drive across the United States. I wanted to make it worth my while and visit as many family, friends and sites as I could.

Alex and I visited many supermarkets while we were making our way across the country – and not just to buy food. Even though my intention was not to make it a business trip, I just couldn’t help myself. I guess that’s what happens when you grow up in, and then live and breathe a family business.

And since Alex has started working at Frieda’s full time (this week, in fact), I took the opportunity to teach her a bit about what we do at Frieda’s when we visit our retail clients’ stores.

Each time we pulled into a new city we would find a supermarket to visit. Some of them were retailers who my company does business with, and some were not. I wanted to find out if consumers had the same selection, variety, quality and freshness in their markets across the country, or was it different for us in California.

I told Alex that the first thing we do when we walk into a supermarket is to stop, take a big, wide look, and ask ourselves, “What’s our first impression?”

What we found out? That fresh produce is alive and well across the country! I was delighted and surprised at the consistent quality and choices available at every store. The Blue Velvet Apricots that Frieda’s sold to our clients the week before were on display at the Whole Foods Store in Cleveland. And they were fresh, ripe and delicious.

We also found one of our jarred products on display at one of our customers’ stores – displayed out of refrigeration. (That was scary for me.) So, Alex got to experience how we approach a store manager, as a vendor, to tell them that they need to throw out a product.

We snacked on lots of fruits and veggies as we traveled, so I was thrilled to find crisp and fantastic-tasting Braeburn apples at the Wal-Mart in Rapid City, SD. The quality was as good as my local supermarket in Southern California. I was encouraged that American supermarkets, no matter where they are located, have the ability to deliver fresh, good-tasting produce to every corner of the country.

So at the end of our trip, I asked Alex to tell me which was her favorite market. Without hesitation, she said “Kowalski’s Market” in Woodbury, MN! Here are a few photos of the store and I think you can see why she chose it.

Alex described Kowalski’s as “The lovechild of Wegmans and Bristol Farms.” (Wegmans is a well-known retailer in upstate New York, and Bristol Farms is an upscale retailer in So Cal.) The décor of the store was warm and inviting. We sampled our way through the meat and deli departments that morning, and filled up our cart with fresh produce for our road trip.

I hope that as you travel this summer, you will consider visiting supermarkets as a way to experience the locale in a different way. Plus, you can buy healthy travel snacks, rather than the convenience store junk food.

In closing, I’d like to share what I learned from driving more than 4,000 miles with my 21-year-old daughter:

If you ever have the chance to do a long-distance drive with one of your kids – I recommend you jump at the chance! Makes for some great memories.

By day 7 of our cross-country journey, Alex and I were ready to be home. But we still had more than 1,000 miles to go. So, after we left Jackson Hole, Wyoming, on Tuesday morning, we vowed to drive as far as we could in one day. As I looked on the map, St. George, Utah, looked like a good spot to spend the night. We really had no idea what to expect.

So, while Alex was driving, I got out my iPad (which I might add is a fantastic product) and started looking for hotels. For some reason, I decided to click on the link to “Bed and Breakfast” spots. One of the choices that came up was the Green Gate Village Historic Inn. After looking at photos of the location, I called and spoke to the owner, Ed, who told me that they had a room available.

Since we would not be arriving in St. George until after 9 p.m., I called Ed back and asked him for a recommendation for a place to eat. Although it sounded a bit funky, we took his recommendation and made reservations at the Painted Pony restaurant.

Let me start by saying that after reading the awards, articles and prestigious recognition hanging on the wall, I was a bit surprised to find out it is considered one of the top 10 restaurants in the country!

Here we were, two foodies, worn out by 7 long days of driving, and we were going to experience one of the best meals of our life!

The carrot and jalapeno Soup was our first course. I would never have thought to pair these two ingredients together. It was sweet and not too spicy.

Next, I had the beet salad which was stupendous and a work of art! Alex’s spinach salad with green beans and deviled eggs was gentle and tasty. Our main courses were the rib eye steak with Stilton cheese fritters (yum!) and a bone-in pork chop with a sweet onion bread pudding (worth every calorie).

We were satiated, but our waiter Eric told us that we really needed to try their cheesecake, because it was unlike any other cheesecake we had ever tasted. (I was thinking that was hard to believe.)

Well, here’s a photo. They actually bake the cheesecake filling, cool it, and then pipe it in between thin cookies and top it with a drizzle of fruit sauce. It was truly unbelievable!

Obviously, the dinner did not disappoint us. But when we drove down the street and arrived at the Green Gate Village – our breath was taken away. This cluster of 14 buildings, including 9 restored historic homes, was absolutely charming.

The next morning, we were able to truly enjoy the charm and majesty of this venue. We met the owners, Ed and Lindy, who made us breakfast and spent some time telling us about how they came to the Green Gate Village. Ed retired from United Airlines and informed Lindy one day that he was buying a B & B and they were moving to St. George! They are obviously passionate about being wonderful and caring hosts and took great pride in touring us through the complex.

Our final stop was the vintage candy store on site, so we could stock up with Abba Zabbas and other favorites for our final day on the road.

Believe it or not, St. George is only about 90 minutes Northeast of Las Vegas. That’s it! So, next time you are in Vegas, I recommend that you drive to St. George for the evening and visit this Southwestern town and have one of the most fantastic culinary experiences of your life! Better yet, call Ed and Lindy and stay at the Green Gate Village Historic Inn.

I’m sure you have heard about the new dietary guidelines issued by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). They are calling it the MyPlate communications initiative and it was officially announced on June 2, 2011.

For those of us who are not teenagers, we probably remember the basic four food group guidelines (first announced in 1956), which gave us recommendations on our consumption of meats, dairy, grains and fruits and vegetables.

In 1992, the basic four guidelines were replaced by the Food Pyramid, which was later updated to MyPyramid in 2005. I recall when it was first announced because many people found it unclear and confusing. And there was a lot of debate within the fresh produce industry, because anecdotally, we all knew that a diet rich in a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, combined with a moderate amount of exercise and good common sense would yield healthier people. And we didn’t think the Food Pyramid was clear or focused enough on that. Some people in our industry felt that the Food Pyramid was too influenced by various food lobbyists who wanted to be sure their foods were included.

Behind the scenes, changes have been brewing, thanks in part to a very strong initiative headed by First Lady Michelle Obama. Decision makers wanted the new food guidelines to:
• Be easier for consumers to understand
• Influence the younger generation to eat fresh
• Provide more healthy choices in all the obvious places (like at school)

So, it was very exciting for me to hear on the radio (when I was driving cross-country) that the USDA changed the guidelines to be both more user friendly and focused on fruits and vegetables.

You may be wondering why this is such a big deal. After all, these are only “guidelines.” In reality, the USDA guidelines very much influence government spending and policy. These guidelines will make a difference in what is served for school breakfast, school lunch and school snacking programs. We’ve already seen changes in the WIC (Women, Infants and Children) feeding program, so there are now more fresh produce items included. (I wrote about it here.)

Just last week, I was attending a local high school graduation and one of the student speakers commented that one of the biggest changes they experienced was when the sugar-filled sodas were removed from the school vending machines! (Believe it or not, that is part of the movement affected by USDA policy.)

If you want more information about how you can easily make half your plate fruits and vegetables, check out this fantastic website (funded by fresh produce industry members and companies):
www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org

During my recent drive across the country, I noticed how much better I felt when I was snacking on fresh fruits and vegetables, versus crackers, pretzels or meat. I challenge YOU to notice how you feel when you make healthier food choices. Really, it does make a difference.

After my cross-country trip, you cannot imagine how many emails (over 1,000) and magazines and other reading materials had accumulated for my review. It was a bit daunting, but I have a pretty good system for dealing with emails. (Read my previous post on email.)

This morning I chose to start on my stack of reading. Even though reading industry periodicals is literally on the bottom of my to-do list each day, I felt it was time to catch up.

One of the periodicals that I find most fascinating is California Farmer, which I previously wrote about here. Len Richardson, the editor and frequent writer is deeply embedded in our industry and provides a broad perspective on our future challenges.

The January 2011 issue featured a short article (“Top questions for Global Agriculture”) on the future of global agriculture. Len starts the article with this statement:

(The full list of 100 questions were published in November in the International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability. Click here to download the full paper.)

How many of us think about what it will take to feed our families and the world when our kids are adults? We see the plentitude in our local supermarkets and farmers markets, we go to Costco or Wal-Mart and see pallets of food and we probably never give it a thought. So, it’s good to know that some of the greatest minds in the world are thinking about it.

I have a personal connection to the dialogue about the future of agriculture in California: A.G. Kawamura, immediate past Secretary of Agriculture under Governor Schwarzenegger, is a long-time personal friend and we are scheduled to have dinner together soon. A.G. is a farmer and he and his brother own Orange County Produce. He is a great thought leader and I look forward to sharing some of his insights with you in a future post.

Meanwhile, I hope you will consider doing something in your personal list of priorities, to support the future growth of agriculture in our world. Whether it is participating in a community garden, making a financial contribution to an agricultural organization or participating in Future Farmers of America in your community – just do something! (Our company supports EARTH University in Costa Rica, which teaches young people from our poorest nations how to develop enterprises to feed their own people.) Anything and everything you do will make a difference.

After we left Chicago, we drove north to Minneapolis, stopping in Wisconsin to get some cheese…and a speeding ticket. While we were there I visited my friend Kim, who I have known since 7th grade. It was great to catch up with her. Then we drove to Omaha, Nebraska, where we have family.

My cousins Pam and Mike were very excited that our next stop was Mount Rushmore. The locals fondly call it visiting “The Heads.” They encouraged us to drive west, across Nebraska, before heading north to Rapid City, South Dakota. Little did I know that Nebraska was so beautiful!

Cousin Mike told me that thousands of years ago, as the glaciers receded, they left hundreds of sand dunes across Nebraska, which frankly were magnificent to look at. I am so glad we followed their advice and took that route.

So, let me share with you what we learned about Mount Rushmore. First of all, if you have ever been to Disneyland or Disneyworld, you might wonder what Walt Disney’s inspiration was when he created Thunder Mountain, Frontierland and the surrounding areas in those parks. Well, I can tell you for sure, it was the Black Hills of South Dakota.

The Mount Rushmore Memorial was recently refurbished and has won many awards for its audio tour. Its sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, was friends with President Theodore Roosevelt, which is one of the reasons Roosevelt was included in Mount Rushmore, along with Presidents Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln. The mountainside was blasted, drilled and fashioned into a memorial from 1927-1941. And now, more than 2 million people visit each year!

Before you get to Mount Rushmore, you must drive through the Black Hills. The trees and the flora and fauna are lush and well cared for. The sheer size and height of the forest surrounding the monument appear to dwarf “The Heads,” as you come around that final corner to enter the park. But, they are each 60 feet tall, at the top of a granite mountain that is at an elevation of over 5,700 feet!

We chose to follow the audio tour (which I highly recommend), because at each of the more than 20 stops on the tour you get to hear the history of the building of the monument, from several perspectives. (It is probably a good half-mile of hiking and climbing around the tourist grounds.) Many of the narrators on the audio tour are Native Americans who have varied opinions on how the Lakota people were treated when the land was used to erect this monument.

We were lucky that day to have spectacular weather — 85 degrees with not a cloud in the sky. As we walked through the Avenue of Flags (flags from all 50 states and 6 territories are displayed alphabetically) I was reminded of what a great country we live in. So many of us take our democracy and freedom of speech for granted.

Just 17 miles away, another monument is being erected: a monument to a great Indian chief, Crazy Horse. You can read all about Crazy Horse here. Alex and I stopped at Crazy Horse after we left Mount Rushmore and the sheer size left us almost speechless. I doubt that the blasting and carving will be completed in our lifetime.

But, certainly, our cross-country trek, including these two monuments, was well worth it. Now I can cross them off my bucket list!

After our evening in Cleveland, our next stop on our cross-country road trip was Chicago. When I think of Chicago, I think of amazing food choices. (A few years ago I was able to dine at Charlie Trotter’s and was greeted by Charlie himself.) So, when my friend Andy saw my Facebook post that we were stopping in Chicago, he asked if he could take us to dinner. Who could say no to dinner in Chicago?

Andy asked me to meet him at the hip, cool Japonais Restaurant. The only hint he gave me was that there were two chefs — one is Japanese and one is French – and they have combined their two cuisines and it has been amazingly successful.

Japonais is located in the former Montgomery Ward headquarters in downtown Chicago (Montgomery Ward used to be a big department store chain.). As in many large cities, the large, empty warehouses are being redeveloped into artists’ lofts, studio apartments, nightclubs and in this case, a two-story bar and restaurant.

When we arrived, Alex and I went downstairs to enjoy the view of the river and had a drink. I was happy to see that many of their drinks featured fresh produce! Alex had the Peach-Sake Sangria which featured fresh peach chunks. Andy had the Starfruit Martini featuring fresh slices of Starfruit as the garnish.

When it was time for dinner, I let Andy order for me. Sometimes it’s more fun to be surprised with the dinner choices. Other times, I ask the chef what is good that evening. I encourage you to try that sometime.

You can see from the pictures that the “rock” is a small stone. This rock is heated to over 1,000 degrees (yes, one thousand degrees hot!) and arranged on a bed of salt, so the hot rock does not crack the plate. It is served with a plate of thinly sliced beef, which is marinated in some secret sauce.

To enjoy this unique dish, you take a piece of the meat with your chopsticks and place it on the hot rock to cook, turning it once. Since the meat is sliced so thinly and the rock is so hot, it takes less than 20 seconds to cook it on both sides!

That evening, we spent the night with my good friends Gillian and Jack. They live right on Lake Michigan. So, when we awoke the next morning, Gillian took us out for a walk on the beach. This small beach is like an oasis, adjacent to the big city.

Before we left the city, we had the good fortune to visit one of our company’s clients, Testa Produce. A family-owned business in its fourth generation (celebrating its 100th anniversary!), Testa’s owner, Peter Testa gave us a tour of their new facility that just opened six weeks earlier.

What’s so special about Testa Produce? Sustainability, competitive advantage, competing with HUGE companies and personal passion. That pretty much explains Peter Testa’s philosophy. It was time to relocate his 100-year old company. So, he decided to create a facility that would be unique, cutting edge and efficient, and in the process it gave himself and his company an unbelievable competitive advantage.

Testa Produce is one of the leading foodservice distributors in the Midwest and is based in Chicago, but services the surrounding states. You can read more about them here.

At the new facility, Peter included every possible sustainable and green-oriented initiative. He even installed the largest wind turbine in Chicago (he wrote the city code!), which saves the company $15,000 a month in energy costs. He told me he did it because he is completely passionate about being sustainable, and he knew he wanted to create a competitive advantage for himself which could NOT be duplicated by his competition.

But, the one thing Peter said that made me love him: “Yeah, my 85-year-old dad still comes to work every day to check on me and see if I am doing everything correctly!”

According to our cross-country “planned itinerary,” our first day’s drive from Dulles Airport in Washington D.C., to Cleveland should have taken about six hours (355 miles). However, since we are on vacation, we took our time and made a few side trips — mostly for “bio breaks” and to eat.

Most of our drive was through Pennsylvania’s beautiful countryside … but there was also a fair amount of road construction. (For some reason it seems as if everywhere we drive there is road construction and closures, which I assume is because of the fantastic weather conditions.) As we neared Pittsburgh, I realized how close Pittsburgh and Cleveland actually are. Geography really comes alive when you see it in person!

Our first night in Cleveland was spent visiting my cousin Debbie and her daughter Rachel. They took us to a Cuban restaurant for dinner. As we pulled up to the ETON Center, my daughter Alex warned me, “Remember Mom, we ARE in Cleveland.” That was code for “Don’t have really high expectations, as we are not in New York City or Los Angeles.”

Well, much to our surprise the Paladar Latin Kitchen and Rum Bar in Woodmere, Ohio, was fantastic and very authentic. Whether it was the ceviche dishes we enjoyed as appetizers (I had tuna and melon and Alex had shrimp with tomato and lime) or the stuffed poblano pepper I had as my main dish (Alex had a Brazilian stew with chorizo and hot peppers and onions), the food was authentic and flavorful. Cleveland was not a disappointment.

But, my favorite part of our evening was the conversation. My cousin Rachel is a corporate attorney and a mother of two adorable boys, and she somehow finds time to volunteer at her boys’ school. As with most mothers, she is passionate about her kids and what they eat. So I was thrilled when she told me about the snacking program that her PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) has organized.

Three times during the school year, the PTO hosts a “snack session” at this K-4 public school. They contact local grocery stores (like Giant Eagle markets, Heinens Markets and Costco) to get fresh seasonal produce donated.

The parents not only secure the produce, but they also create “fact sheets” (click here to see an example) about the fresh produce, so the students can take the information home to their parents, and hopefully this will encourage parents to purchase some of these fruits and veggies at their local stores.

Rachel explained to me that just this past week, the snack program sampled purple carrots and white asparagus! Wow – those are two pretty unusual vegetables! She said that it is fun to watch the kids during the sampling.

They are prepped into individual sampling cups and the kids are actually seated, by class, in the lunch room. Then the parents walk around the room, with samples on trays, and offer the kids a sample. She said that although there are always a few kids who do not want to try something new, most kids are delighted with the samples and as they take a bite, they share their enthusiasm (such as, “This is great, can I have more?”). It seems as if this excitement generates even more enthusiasm for this tasting experience.

I told Rachel about our own company, Frieda’s, experience sampling exotic produce in a school program in Florida (learn about the program here) and how there is a federal government funded snacking program in every state. We partnered with a produce wholesale company (B &; M Produce/The Produce Connection) and worked together to offer unusual items at least once a month during the school year.

We know that we can truly change the way America eats fruits and vegetables by starting with the youngest consumers. If we can get kids to try Lychee, Starfruit and baby Persian cucumbers, we hope they will be lifetime consumers.

Do you have snacking programs at your local schools? Do you want to start one? I hope you’ll share your comments and ideas in the comments form below.

P.S. It’s been a wonderful trip across America. More stories about our experience will follow in my next few posts.

As you read this post, I will have just arrived on a red eye from Long Beach, California, to Dulles Airport in Virginia. My recently graduated eldest daughter Alex will be picking me up at the airport at 5 a.m., and we will be starting our eight-day drive across the country, returning to Seal Beach, California.

Being a big “family and friends” person, I have chosen cities to stop in where we have either family or friends. Alex and I both chose a landmark that we wanted to visit, too.

I will be sharing some of our most notable experiences during this trip in upcoming posts. Of course we will stop and visit supermarkets. Do produce departments look different in Omaha and South Dakota from what I see in Southern California? (My friend John, who is originally from Omaha, told me to stop by the wholesale produce market in downtown Omaha. Who knew there was such a place?) I hope we dine in interesting places and taste the local cuisine of Americana.

As you may know from reading this blog my personal passion is produce. I grew up in the produce business and I love it! So much so, that our company mission is to Change the way America eats fruits and vegetables. And my goal during this cross-country journey is to share stories and experiences that relate to food, produce, being healthy and enjoying life!

So, Bon Voyage! And if you have any suggestions for some awesome food places on our route, please email me!

I go grocery shopping two or three times a week. Since I was traveling for five days last week, my refrigerator was completely empty Sunday night when I returned, so I went to my local store on Monday evening to stock up.

WOW – the produce department looked completely different this week! Summer is definitely on its way. The big displays of apples were moved to the back to make room for first of the season nectarines, peaches, plums/pluots and apricots.

The apricots really caught my eye because they looked so fresh and the color was so pretty — a pale orangey-gold, almost a pale salmon. Earlier that day, at the office, our Forager, Mary, had returned from a farmers market and brought us samples of the Poppy Cot variety of apricot.

One of our buyers got out his produce knife* and cut one in half. He offered me a taste. (*Produce buyers frequently carry “produce knives” in their pockets as they often will need to cut open a fruit or vegetable to check the quality or taste on a moment’s notice.)

I was a little hesitant, because my favorite apricots — a white-fleshed variety called Angelcots® — are not available for another month, and really nothing tastes as good to me as Angelcots®. (I will let you all know when they come back in season, around June 25). But, here I was being offered a taste, so like a good produce person, I took it.

They actually tasted good! They were juicy, but firm. They had a fresh, earthy true apricot flavor. And because they are small they will be perfect to include in my daughter’s lunch.

When was the last time you tasted a fresh, first of the season apricot? I’m sure it’s been a year, because I do believe that apricots taste best at the beginning of their season.

You should know that many different varieties of Apricots are harvested during the summer season. You can usually tell if an apricot will be good if it looks fresh and is not wrinkled. Find out when your produce manager gets his delivery and try to pick apricots, or any tree fruit, as soon as they arrive at the store.

Apricots usually taste best if you keep them out on the counter. They will soften a bit, but not as much as a peach. Then you should eat them within a day or two. I do not recommend putting apricots in the refrigerator, because the alternating temperatures (warm at the store, cold in your fridge) can make them turn mushy.

And if you’ve never had a fresh apricot – try one! You may be familiar with dried apricots. To prevent discoloration when they are dried, apricots are treated with sulfites. They taste nothing like FRESH apricots!

My husband Garry and I do not often get a few days alone. So last week, on our way to my daughter Alex’s college graduation in Virginia, we stopped in New York City for three days.

I decided to try a different strategy on this vacation – I let him plan everything. We went to the restaurants he wanted, the landmarks he wanted to see and I did not drag him into any grocery stores. (OK, we did go inside a small grocery called William Morris, but only because they had air conditioning and it was VERY warm.)

When you cross the Brooklyn Bridge, make a sharp right and you will end up at the top-rated steakhouse in New York for the last 28 years. Since Garry is from Texas, you know that red meat, aka steak, is considered its own food group. And yes, our dinner was a small green salad and a huge steak and French fries. (Did you know that French fries are technically a vegetable?)

Even though I’m not a big red meat eater, the steak was fantastic. (Note: they only take cash — no credit cards.) Thank goodness Garry made reservations three months in advance, because it was jammed.

How do you follow a steak dinner of that magnitude? Well, of course, you go back into NYC to Little Italy for the best place for dessert. Because it was raining, thankfully, there was not a line out the door. But the 30-foot long glass display case of desserts was sumptuous. Every kind of dessert known to mankind was on display. Garry had some very tasty pistachio ice cream. I was stuffed from dinner, so I had coffee and biscotti. You can actually order their famous cheesecake, and many more of their desserts online at www.ferraracafe.com

The next morning we walked about four blocks to Carnegie Deli for breakfast. This place has a reputation for the best pastrami in New York City, and possibly the country. The walls at Carnegie are covered with autographed photos of many politicians and movie stars and the servers have been there for decades. As we sipped our coffee and enjoyed our breakfast, I watched this guy walk around and greet some of the guests by name. I figured he must be the owner – so I jumped up and introduced myself. Yes, it was Sandy Levine. His title is “MBD.” When I asked him what that stood for, he was shocked I didn’t know. He finally told me: “Married the Bosses Daughter.” We both had a nice laugh. We told Sandy that we had breakfast at his deli in Las Vegas (at the Mirage Hotel). He said that it is so wildly successful that it forced the closure of the hotel’s coffee shop and another deli in town!

Oh, and here is a photo of the pastrami sandwich the couple sitting next to us ordered. It is at least 6 inches tall.

I think no visit to New York City is complete without paying your respects at Ground Zero. Garry and I took a taxi there and walked around. The area is amazingly clean and you can see the construction of the new building. I visited New York City in December 2001, so the change is remarkable.

Adjacent to the site of the former World Trade Center is a discount store that is world renowned. We didn’t buy anything, but Garry and I had fun looking at the busloads of tourists who arrive there almost hourly, looking for a bargain. Clothes, housewares, everything. Yes, my husband likes to shop — it was his idea to go there!

When I was in New York City last November, Garry heard me rave about Mario Batali’s newest food venture. So, he wanted to see Eataly New York for himself. We walked around the venue for about an hour as we waited for a table at the pizza and pasta area. After we stuffed ourselves with Agnolotti pasta and a Fru Fru pizza, we went to get an espresso. While sitting at the espresso bar, we struck up a conversation with the lady sitting across the table. Turns out she was a journalist working for the New York Daily News — and used to live in Seal Beach, California (where we live)! New York is a small world!

After we saw Jersey Boys on Thursday evening (while in New York, you really must see at least one musical), we decided a “midnight snack” was in order. Junior’s is located across the street from the Marriott Marquis Hotel, where we stayed. Although we were not that hungry, we split a pastrami sandwich (very yummy) and then had a brownie-ice cream sundae for dessert.

It will probably not come as a complete surprise that I didn’t eat much over the next few days.

But I will say that my husband was very happy. He said it was the first time we went on a vacation in the last four years and did everything he wanted. And he said I seemed to enjoy myself, too!

As I walked through the office this morning, I saw a few loose fruits on my coworker’s desk. As I looked closer, I realized they were Loquats, a fruit that is a backyard favorite of mine. Also known as the May apple, the Loquat season is short, and most people never get a chance to taste them.

The outside skin resembles an apricot, as the color is a golden orange with a microscopic fuzz. However, Loquats are a member of the Pome family, which includes apples, pears and quince.

The inside flesh is firm, and according to my friend, David Karp, “The texture varies from the crispness of a firm cantaloupe to the juiciness of a ripe peach. The flavor is a pleasant blend of apricot, plum, and cherry, with floral overtones, and is quite sweet when ripe. If you like peaches, apricots, and plums, you’ll love Loquats.”

Loquats actually originate in China, but interestingly, they are also known as the Japanese Medlar or Japanese Plum. (OK, they are known as Chinese Plums, too.) In Italian, Loquats are called Nespole Giaponesse.

You probably won’t find fresh Loquats at your local grocery store because they are very delicate. When Frieda’s distribute Loquats, we have to fly them — they only last a few days after they start to ripen. The best place to find Loquats is a local ethnic market or gourmet shop that specializes in Mediterranean or Middle Eastern foods, or an Asian supermarket.

If you are lucky enough to find fresh Loquats, don’t be deterred if they show a little bruising or dark spots. These fruits are so delicate that even the most gentle handling of the fruit will leave small marks.

If you find them, enjoy them NOW, because the season is very short! (They typically mature in April and May.) If you live in Southern California, you might even have a neighbor with a Loquat tree. Maybe they will share with you!

But, be warned — Loquats have big brown inedible seeds on the inside and you may want to peel off the outside skin before consuming, as it is kind of tough.

My office phone doesn’t ring that often anymore. It seems like more and more people communicate via email now. But late one afternoon about a month ago, the phone rang, and I answered it.

It was Steve Mendoza, a member of the staff at the City Council of Los Alamitos — the small town in which our business is located.

Apparently the city council was well aware of our company’s recent 49th birthday, and wanted to give us special recognition at a city council meeting to be the first to recognize and celebrate our 50th year in business.

So, on Monday, May 16, my mom (Frieda), my sister (Jackie) and I arrived at City Hall. Although I grew up in Los Alamitos, I had never been to the actual City Hall, and it is very quaint.

When we walked into the council chambers, we were greeted personally by several local business owners and of course Mayor Ken Stephens and the various city council members.

It turned out to be a special evening, as also in attendance were about 30 high school students. As part of their government class they had to attend a city council meeting and report on the happenings. Since their writing assignment was due this Wednesday, of course they were all there that evening. Seated in the audience was our own intern from Los Alamitos High School, Rachael.

The mayor was so proud when he read our proclamation. It almost brought tears to my eyes to hear him read about Mom introducing the kiwifruit to America, about being the first woman to start a wholesale produce company in the United States, and about all the difficult-to-pronounce products we have introduced and marketed. Cherimoyas, feijoas, and habanero chiles… to name a few.

When we got up to accept this honor, it was very special to share with the audience of students and community members, that my parents, Al and Frieda Caplan were original home buyers in Los Alamitos back in 1958, and that Mom still lives in that house. And that Jackie and I attended the local elementary, junior high and high schools. And that it truly was serendipitous that we moved our business from downtown Los Angeles to Los Alamitos 17 years ago.

As I finished my remarks, I turned to each of the five city council members and thanked them for their community service. Unlike some of the local cities who have highly paid council members (and have been in the news recently), our leaders are compensated less than $5,000 per year.

I believe many of us live in communities whose elected leaders do so because of their love of the community. Have you taken the time to get to know them and thank them for all they do? Although I had never before met any of the members of our city council, I sensed that they do not get a “thank you” very often.

And, it was lovely that their acknowledgement back to us was that they appreciated our company’s support of the local community.

If you want to post your own “Congratulations to Frieda’s Specialty Produce” on the occasion of our 50th anniversary, please click here to post a message on our Facebook page.

I’m sure you’ve seen the name on fruit drinks, as many beverage companies are labeling their fruit blends or fruit-flavored drinks with the names of exotic fruits (Kiwi-Strawberry, Passion Fruit-Mango, and others). Dragon Fruit seems to be the latest in a line of exotic-flavored drinks. (Last year, the well-known fabric freshener company, Febreeze, ordered a few cases of our Dragon Fruit to feature in the print advertisement for their new Dragon Fruit-scented spray!)

Interestingly, Dragon Fruit doesn’t really have a unique, distinctive or strong flavor. (I describe it as a mild kiwifruit, at best.) But, clearly it does have a cool name.

When Frieda’s first started marketing Dragon Fruit many years ago, we called it by a different name. The fruit was introduced to us as Pitaya or Pitahaya. Pitaya, aka Dragon Fruit, is native to Mexico, Central and Latin America. It also has been cultivated in Asia (Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam, to name a few). In those Asian countries, it is known as Dragon Pearl and Fire Dragon Fruit…thus the name Dragon Fruit. A few years ago I also learned that the Vietnamese name for the fruit is Thanh Long, which translates to “blue dragon.” “Blue” refers to the cooling properties of the fruit.

In the United States, Dragon Fruit is grown both in Southern California and Florida. And of course, it grows in tropical Hawaii, but cannot currently be brought to the mainland due to agricultural restrictions.

Right now, we are bringing Dragon Fruit in from Vietnam, by boat. It takes a few weeks for the fruit to arrive here on the West Coast, and as soon as it clears customs and gets to the Frieda’s dock, we ship it out to markets and restaurants all over the country. In July, the Florida crop will become available, and the California season will start in late August. They both last until the “first frost” — usually somewhere between November and December.

So what inspired me to write about Dragon Fruit today? Well, earlier this week, The New York Times ran an article featuring Dragon Fruit, “A Fruit with a Future.” You can read it here.

It’s so interesting how a single story can influence people and purchases. That story in The New York Times will probably cause many more supermarkets across the country to order Dragon Fruit. Produce buyers know that curious consumers, after reading that article, will be on the lookout for Dragon Fruit for weeks to come.

And of course, chefs everywhere are already familiar with Dragon Fruit but may be inspired to include it on fruit platters, in appetizers or as a colorful garnish, more than ever.

I’m sure you’ve seen the name on fruit drinks, as many beverage companies are labeling their fruit blends or fruit-flavored drinks with the names of exotic fruits (Kiwi-Strawberry, Passion Fruit-Mango, and others). Dragon Fruit seems to be the latest in a line of exotic-flavored drinks. (Last year, the well-known fabric freshener company, Febreeze, ordered a few cases of Frieda’s Dragon Fruit to feature in the print advertisement for their new Dragon Fruit-scented spray!)

Interestingly, Dragon Fruit doesn’t really have a unique, distinctive or strong flavor. (I describe it as a mild kiwifruit, at best.) But, clearly it does have a cool name.

So what inspired me to write about Dragon Fruit today? Well, earlier this week, The New York Times ran an article featuring Dragon Fruit, “A Fruit with a Future.” You can read it here.

And of course, chefs everywhere are already familiar with Dragon Fruit but may be inspired to include it on fruit platters, in appetizers or as a colorful garnish, more than ever.

Interestingly, Dragon Fruit doesn’t really have a unique, distinctive or strong flavor. (I describe it as a mild kiwifruit, at best.) But, clearly it does have a cool name.

So what inspired me to write about Dragon Fruit today? Well, earlier this week, The New York Times ran an article featuring Dragon Fruit, “A Fruit with a Future.” You can read it here.

And of course, chefs everywhere are already familiar with Dragon Fruit but may be inspired to include it on fruit platters, in appetizers or as a colorful garnish, more than ever.

Growing up in the produce industry and working summers on the wholesale produce market in downtown Los Angeles, my fondest memories are of the wonderful smell of tree ripened summer fruit.

You know what I mean. Peaches, nectarines and plums… These fruits were at their peak of season while I was working summers in high school. If I was lucky, our next door neighbor on the produce market, Giumarra Brothers, would occasionally give us a box of fruit to enjoy.

Over the past few weeks, Frieda’s has been receiving bulletins from many of our fruit grower friends, updating us on their crop projections. I know it’s hard to believe, but some of the biggest grower/shippers (a shipper is a company that packs and sells fruit on behalf of growers) start working with their big retail customers (Kroger, Wal-Mart, Safeway, Albertson’s and all the regional chain stores) at least 6 months in advance to plan their promotional activities, so the fruit is pre-sold before it is harvested.

Unfortunately, over the last 20 years, the tree fruit industry has seen a decline in tree fruit per capita consumption. I’m pretty sure most of that is because consumers vote with their dollars. If you go to the store and buy fruit that looks good but does not taste good, you just don’t buy it again.

Years ago, too many growers thought that the appearance of the fruit was the most important quality – a red blush on the outside skin, or “high color” as we call it in the trade. Many growers planted beautiful-looking fruit that did not taste good when they ripened. Or, they harvested fruit before it was mature, and it never got that juicy, mouth watering ripeness and flavor. So, consumers stopped buying them.

Our industry also found out something incredibly important. Tree fruit must either be kept REALLY cold (35 degrees or colder), or it must be warm (over 58 degrees). If the fruit is held at the temperature zone in between before it ripens (36 – 57 degrees, like in storage or at the supermarket warehouse), it is the “killing zone,” and that temperature range basically kills the flavor of the fruit.

The good news is that growers are aware of the poor practices in the past and there has been a wave of new fruit varieties with fantastic flavor. Many of the old varieties have been “torn out” and replaced with newer varieties. And our industry has spent a lot of research and education dollars letting retailers know best practices for handling tree fruit.

I am looking forward to this year’s harvest of peaches and nectarines. (Nectarines are my personal favorite!) I think we will see some wonderful tasting fruit. Plus, the newest varieties of Pluots (a cross between a plum and apricot) also have some amazing taste profiles.

Last week, I spent five days at a leadership retreat in Northern California. I was in Petaluma, which is about 45 minutes north of San Francisco. 50,000 people, 175 restaurants and hundreds of cows. Interesting place.

I attended this retreat with 11 other company CEOs who are a part of my CEO group. I was the only woman. (Find out more about this worldwide CEO organization at www.vistage.com.)

Why did I go to a leadership retreat for five days? That is a long time to be away from my family and my office. Interestingly, I actually did not know anything about the content of this retreat, but believed the Chair of my CEO group when he said, “Just trust me. You need to go.”

Ultimately, I decided to attend this retreat because it was time to refresh myself. The opportunity to completely disconnect from work and my daily life was so inviting. Plus, I sensed that I would learn new things about myself, would learn some new skills and because I am a lifelong learner, I was intrigued.

Over these five days (three of which I had complete laryngitis, which gave me a great opportunity to hone my listening skills), I received assessments from the three group leaders, and my fellow CEO teammates. I shared my assessments of them as well.

As a company CEO, I do not often get honest feedback. That is frustrating to me. But for five days, I got some fantastic feedback about my management style and how I am perceived.

This particular leadership retreat was called “Leadership Dojo” and is part of the program at the Strozzi Institute (www.strozziinstitute.com). Our classes were actually held in a dojo, where we learned some Aikido skills while we had lots of open discussions and went through the curriculum. I never imagined myself doing any kind of martial art, but I can say that I now have a great deal of respect for the discipline and beauty of Aikido.

I think it’s important for every one of us to continue to learn new skills. Just like any professional athlete, I must practice my skills. I benefit from having a coach. I need to make adjustments to my “game,” so that I continue to be ready for the new challenges I will face on a daily basis.

One of the most remarkable things I learned at Strozzi, was the importance of “being centered.” Always making sure I take a moment or two to gather my thoughts, and adjust my breathing and my stance, before responding to requests, before entering a meeting, or dealing with a conflict.

Directly following my five days at Strozzi, I flew to New Orleans for my industry’s annual trade show. The keynote speaker on the first day was Archie Manning, famed football great (who played at Old Miss) and is father to Payton and Eli Manning.

“Being a leader is like being a lady. If you have to tell people that you are one, then you probably aren’t.”

“Leadership is an action word. It’s not something you are, it’s something you do.”

I encourage you to be a leader, and do something to sharpen the tools you have in your leadership toolkit.

One of my coworkers, Mary, who goes to the Santa Monica Farmers Market for Frieda’s each Wednesday, always bring us back samples of the latest and greatest new fruits and vegetables she finds while exploring. (She also gets to hob knob with all of L.A.’s most famous and persnickety chefs and foodies.)

Over the past few weeks she has brought us some beautiful specimens of Swiss Chard. Lately it has been the brightly colored Rainbow Chard. Each time she brings some to the office, I tear off a piece to munch on. Some people think you can only eat Chard cooked, but you can eat it raw, too.

So, last week I asked her what she was going to do with all that Chard. She replied, “Swiss Chard Tacos!”

The only tacos I’ve ever made are the ones for Taco Tuesday, which my daughter Sophia hosts at our house once a month. Ground turkey meat with taco seasoning, topped with shredded lettuce and cheese, sour cream and avocado.

I was fascinated with this new fangled Swiss Chard Taco. But I was extremely disappointed because Mary wasn’t able to bring me any leftovers the next day. Her husband and two sons ate every single one of the tacos, so I guess I will have to make them myself at home.

If you’re like me, you are always trying to find a new fruit or vegetable to try from the supermarket. And of course, finding a new, tasty recipe is always a challenge. I’m thinking that if I don’t tell my “new vegetable-phobic” family what’s inside these tacos, I may have a hit on my hands.

Check out the slightly modified recipe, which Mary clipped from the May 2011 Martha Stewart Living Magazine:

Mary served them with a purchased tomatillos salsa. (In Southern California we have Mexican restaurants and taco stands everywhere, so she just purchased some tomatillo salsa at the taco stand around the corner from her house.)

Let me know what you think of this new way of serving Swiss Chard. Please post your comments below.

It probably started more than 20 years ago, when my mother, Frieda, was asked to serve on the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee when Dr. Ray Orbach was Chancellor. Ray is a rocket scientist (for real), who became Chancellor and was so smart and reached out to the agricultural community in Southern California to make sure his university stayed relevant. He invited my mother to serve on his Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Agriculture and a real connection was born.

Ray has since moved on to the University of Texas in Austin where he is doing fantastic work. And his legacy at UCR continues, as a new library was dedicated in his name two years ago: The Raymond L. Orbach Science Libarary.

On the occasion of that dedication, my mother asked me to accompany her. Much to my surprise, we were also invited to a very private dinner at the Chancellor’s House, following the dedication.

Current Chancellor Tim White (and his gracious wife, Karen) invited us into their home and with about a dozen other people (including Ray and Eva Orbach), we enjoyed a lovely dinner and an incredible connection to the University was born for me.

Each Friday, I get a personally written update (really it’s a blog) on what’s on Tim’s mind and what’s happening at UCR. UCR has a hand in so much relevant research, cutting edge technologies and the economy of the Inland Empire, that each week I find myself captivated and inspired by his personally written blog.

So when I received a note a few weeks ago, from the Associate Chancellor, Cindy Giorgio (another dear friend), letting me know that Tim had gone “under cover” and was going to be featured on one of my favorite television shows, “Undercover Boss” on May 1, I was so excited!

To many people, UC Riverside is “that school in the Inland Empire”… and may not be thought of as the great institution that it has become. (I was there visiting the UC Riverside Citrus Variety Collection just last month and was amazed at how much the school has grown.)

Many of us only know university leaders by seeing their names on letterhead mentioned in newspapers. With my introduction to the person, Chancellor Tim White, I got a completely different perspective.

Tim is a real guy. He gets frustrated. Like all of us, he does not have complete control over his professional life and sometimes feels like he has to put out more fires than he gets to build. And he is a caring guy, committed not only to the university, but to the students, the faculty and to the greater good.

I hope you’ll check out this CBS final episode of “Undercover Boss” at 9 p.m. (8 p.m. Central) on Sunday, May 1, and feel free to let me know what you think of him!

Since it was my mother, Frieda, who introduced Kiwifruit to U.S. supermarkets, and we mention this all the time in our marketing, I have recently made a concerted effort to eat more fresh Kiwifruit.

About two months ago, I bought a bag of organic California-grown Kiwifruit at my local market. The fruit had a slight give to it, and inside the plastic bag, they seemed to ripen up quickly and perfectly. I enjoyed every single one of them. Did you know that a plastic bag provides the perfect ripening chamber for Kiwifruit? The natural ethylene (ripening) gas that is given off by the Kiwifruit (and bananas, apples, pears) hastens the ripening process.

So when I was at another grocery store two weeks ago, they were selling individual Kiwifruit. I thought to myself that it was actually more environmentally friendly (unpackaged), so I bought a half dozen Kiwifruits.

I didn’t pay close attention to the green tinge of the skin and how rock-hard they were. Because, after all, I am a bit of a Kiwifruit guru, so I knew exactly how to ripen them up. I brought them home and left them out on the kitchen counter. (Kiwifruit need to be at room temperature to ripen.) I put them in the same bowl as some bananas I purchased, and I figured as the bananas ripened (and gave off ethylene gas), the Kiwifruit would ripen and get soft.

So, my second attempt at ripening my Kiwifruit was to put them in a brown paper bag with a ripe banana to create a mini ripening environment. I left them there for a week, checking every day, in case my lovely Kiwifruits were getting soft.

My banana turned brown, but my Kiwifruits were still fairly hard and a couple of them started to shrivel. I brought three to work today — the ones that seemed to have a SLIGHT give to them.

Can you see how the flesh is not shiny and juicy? The one that is not cut looks kind of shriveled.

Well, I am fairly p*ssed off (and hungry) right now, because although I am an educated consumer, if this same experience happened to you, or your friends, you would probably hesitate to buy Kiwifruit again.

So, let me tell you the back story on this one. First I did a little research to make sure my supposition was correct. I checked the California Kiwifruit Commission website first (visit their site — it is very colorful and cute). Sure enough, it says that the California Kiwifruit season is November through May.

Then I went to the Zespri website, as they market New Zealand-grown Kiwifruit. Their season is May – November and they note on their website that fruit grown in Chile is available at the same time as theirs. (If you go to the Zespri site, check out the History page, and click on 1962 to see my mom!)

My theory is confirmed! The Kiwifruit I purchased were grown in Chile. (Look carefully at the blue-and-white label, which states “Produce of Chile.”) Chilean Kiwifruit should not be available until May, and here it is mid-April.

So what happened? When mom and I were selling Kiwifruit back in the 1960s and 1970s, we insisted that there be a minimum brix (sugar content) for the fruit, before it could be harvested. That minimum level of brix (and ripeness) was our way of guaranteeing the consumer a perfectly sweet taste experience.

It appears as if those brix standards are no longer in place, or not at least for Chilean-grown Kiwifruit. And that is a shame. (These Chilean Kiwifruit were picked too green, probably to take advantage of a gap in supplies, and unfortunately will never ripen properly.)

I have long said that consumers vote with their dollars. If you have an experience like I did with any fruit that does not ripen properly or does not taste good, I think it is so important that you return the fruit to your store and tell the manager of your poor experience. Encourage them to tell their produce buyers. And ask for your money back. You are voting with your dollars.

That way, the feedback will go back up the supply chain, and I guarantee that your voice will be heard.

For me, I am anxiously awaiting the May arrival of first of the season, fresh Kiwifruit from New Zealand. I know they will taste good, after I ripen them up.

Last week I was out of my office for two days. When I came back, my email “in basket” had grown to 246 new emails. Yes, you read correctly.

I find it so unproductive to go through that many emails. Too many of them are what I classify as junk or unnecessary.

BCC probably frustrates me more than anything. There is nothing I can do about it, because I am not supposed to know it even existed. Instead of BCCing someone, I recommend that after you send your original email, then just forward a copy of the email to that person and indicate it is an “FYI.” That way, they can at least respond.

When I come into my office each day, I do not make answering emails a priority. Here is my strategy for NOT making email an obstacle to getting actual work done. You may find this helpful:

Earlier this week, I was a guest speaker at Cal Poly SLO (aka California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo). Cal Poly is best known for their philosophy of “learning by doing.” It is such a beautiful campus (four hours north of Los Angeles) and the students are so engaged. Many students leave Cal Poly and get jobs in the produce industry. Many of the “big names” in our industry went to school there, and it is only natural that they would recruit from the school they know so well.

My good friend, Tonya Antle, is now an adjunct professor at Cal Poly and teaches their Agriculture Marketing Class in the spring semester. In true “learn by doing” philosophy, each week she has a member of the produce industry guest lecture and talk about their segment of the supply chain. This week, they learned about Frieda’s, specialty produce, and a bit about the wholesale distribution segment.

Like many colleges, the make-up of the student body has changed in the past few years. Last year, when I spoke to a class of 20 fourth-year students, it was mostly male. This year, there was a dramatic change: 17 out of the 20 students were female. So, I had the opportunity to personalize my presentation more than usual, and I was able to share what it was like to experience the produce industry as one of the first female company owners (after my mother, Frieda).

Interestingly, Tonya shared with the class the way she and I met. She had just graduated from college in Southern California (in the late 1970s) and since her dad was a grape grower in Delano, she wanted to get some experience in the produce industry. She came to the Los Angeles wholesale produce market and had a few interviews. Most of the interviews went the same, with the same reaction. “Why would a nice girl like you want to work at the produce market? Women don’t work here.”

Then she came to Frieda’s. When I met her, I was immediately struck by her passion, her enthusiasm, and that she came from a farming family. I hired her on the spot. Thus was born a lifelong friendship and a symbiotic relationship. We have worked together many times, although she only spent a year at Frieda’s.

Tonya started her class with roll call. Each student had been asked to describe their favorite fruit or vegetable without saying the name, pretending that they were selling it to a buyer on the telephone, like she and I did more than 30 years ago.

When I finally got up to make my presentation, I couldn’t help but share with them the fruit that I called my favorite for so many years. The fruit that I did my college marketing thesis on at U.C. Davis: The Cherimoya.

Cherimoya is a subtropical fruit, which means it grows in a warm climate. Fortunately for me, it grows in two parts of Southern California: San Diego and Santa Barbara, and is in season from January through May.

The beautiful green bumpy skin gives no clue about the delicate, creamy internal texture. When they soften (like a peach or avocado), their creamy white flesh is like a pear/peach texture. Although the big brown seeds can be annoying to remove (they are not for eating), it’s totally worth it. Like Mark Twain described, Cherimoyas are “deliciousness itself.”

When I have traveled to Chile during Cherimoya season (it is contra-seasonal, so they are available from Chile July through September), I discovered a simple and fantastic way to eat them. Slice large Cherimoyas cross-wise on a large plate and squeeze fresh orange juice (right from the orange) on top. They call this dessert “Cherimoya Allegra” (Happy Cherimoya). Check out a quick video we made on Cherimoyas here.

In case you’re wondering why Cherimoyas are so expensive when you find them at the store, it’s because each fruit is hand-pollinated with a paint brush (it does not rely on bees or the wind like most fruits).

So, at the end of my personal story about Cherimoyas, and my 90-minute presentation on Frieda’s, I shared with them some helpful hints to do well on their “final exam.” Instead of a traditional final test, the students will take all that they have learned about produce marketing, and conduct a mini-trade show on the last day of the class. In teams of 3 or 4, the students will have a booth, and will be promoting a product or service. The “customers” at this trade show will be the their professors.

It was so refreshing to interact with these students. The class was supposed to end at 2 p.m., but they still had questions. The entire class stayed until 2:15 as I answered their questions about marketing, new product development, career development, etc. If this group of twenty-somethings is any indication of the quality of students getting ready to enter the workforce, I think we will all be in excellent hands! They appear to be hard working, determined and smart. Four of the students come from produce families.

P.S. If you attended a college or university, I highly recommend offering to guest lecture at your alma mater or a nearby school. It’s important that we give back and sometimes you’ll find that YOU get inspired as well.

Although I am only a moderate fan of Starbucks coffee (sometimes it’s just too acidic for me), I am a huge admirer of the company and its culture. I bought stock in the company a long time ago (wish I had held on to it!) and I have found that their focus on the consumer and making your local Starbucks store the “third place” (after home and work) fascinating.

The gathering was intimate and Howard answered questions from Sharon Waxman, founder and editor in chief of TheWrap.com. It was obvious they knew each other well, so the questions were honest and penetrating.

I was so inspired by what he had to say. It wasn’t rocket science. But it was honest. And he was transparent.

He said when he “took the company back over” in 2008, the first thing he did was publicly admit they had made mistakes. They had grown too fast with the wrong priorities. He took personal accountability and was willing to be vulnerable about it. He said they were measuring the wrong things at the company. How many of us in business measure “activities” vs. “results?”

He said his number one job, as company president and CEO, was to rekindle the company values.

Part of the way he did this was to hold a company meeting. To put that in perspective, he gathered all 11,000 store managers at a single multi-day meeting in New Orleans and asked them to do three things:

He caught a lot of flack for flying in all 11,000 managers to a single location. It cost them over $35 million (yes, million) to hold that meeting. But he told us that he felt he couldn’t afford NOT to.

And, the proof of his wisdom is evident. Starbucks stock, after its dramatic free fall, is back up to record levels. Store sales are growing and customer satisfaction is at an all-time high.

Today, Starbucks speaks to consumers like they never have before. Whether in the stores, or on Facebook, Twitter or Foursquare, Starbucks has become the No. 1 brand on all three Social Media sites. They invite their customers to dialogue with them.

But Starbucks goes one step further… They ask EVERYONE for their ideas on how to make Starbucks better: www.mystarbucksideas.com. And better yet, they implement many of these customer ideas. (Note: Many internal Starbucks employees, i.e, former employees, were very skeptical when the company began asking for such raw suggestions.)

But, of all the things Howard said that morning, one thing sticks with me more than anything else.

He said, with a very emotional look in his eyes, that beside his family, he LOVES Starbucks (the company). He said that it was the most important thing in his life, because of what the company stands for. He made dramatic changes to his life and the life of the corporation because of that love.

When I got back to the office, I opened up his book, just to take a quick glance to see if I wanted to read it. The first part of the book is entitled, “Love.” And the pages I have read so far truly speak to that love.

So, for all of you entrepreneurs reading this: How do you feel about YOUR enterprise? Are you being a bystander? Do you LOVE what you do? How do you show that love?

After hearing Howard, this is what I did: I scheduled a week when I could fly all of my remote employees into Southern California so we could all be together. (Some of our staff works out of our office, but a good number live elsewhere.)

I also walked around my office and warehouse and said hello, by name, to everyone. Sometimes I find myself isolated in my office. There is no shortage of emails to respond to or work to do.

Howard Schultz inspired me to remember that my Number One job is to BE the culture of my company! If I show sincere appreciation for everyone on my Frieda’s team, I know that they will be happy and we will do well.

BTW – During the Q&A, when an audience member asked Howard why they didn’t service Starbucks coffee at this event (they served Peet’s coffee!), Howard didn’t miss a beat. He said, “When I saw what they were serving, I almost turned around and left.”

My mom always told me that tomato growers were a special breed. In her early years in the business, she learned that tomato growers had a lot in common with gamblers in Las Vegas.

She said it’s not unusual for a tomato grower to lose money for 9 out of 10 years. They are always waiting for that year when they make back all the money they lost in the previous years, and more. And 2011 has been one of those terrible years for fresh tomato growers in Mexico, because of the freeze they had in February that destroyed at least 80 to 90 percent of the fresh crop.

At this time of year, fresh tomatoes are coming from Mexico and Florida and it won’t be until May that we will start to see new crop tomatoes out of the next growing region – Baja California. So where are the tomatoes coming from at this time of year, if Mexico had a horrific freeze?

Much of what you will see in the markets right now is hot house grown (vs. field grown). There are many regions in the country where there are commercial hot houses, also known as greenhouses. The southern states tend to have the most, since they have the most natural sunlight hours year-round, but amazingly, some of the biggest hot house growers in North American are located in Canada!

What’s so distinctive about these hot house grown tomatoes? First of all, they tend to be a bright, consistent color: dark red. Second, virtually all of them are sold “on the vine.” Actually, in our industry, we call them TOVs (Tomatoes on Vine).

Actually, TOVs are grown in several shapes and colors besides round and red: Small “cherry” type tomatoes on the vine, as well as yellow and orange regular-sized tomatoes.

And, there are a few growers, who have “heirloom” tomato varieties in hot houses, which come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes with fun names like Cherokee Purple, Green Zebra and Brandywine, to name a few. But at this time of year, you probably won’t be seeing huge displays of any kind of tomatoes, due to the reduced supplies.

First of all, I recommend looking carefully at the tomatoes and making sure you get good quality. When they are expensive, you want to be sure you don’t get any mushy ones. Personally, I buy my fresh produce every two to three days, to avoid throwing anything out. If the tomatoes don’t look good when you are at the store, I would skip buying them for now. If you are going to cook with them to make a sauce, you may want to considering buying canned tomatoes for now, until fresh tomatoes are plentiful.

Or, if you are used to purchasing only a specific kind of tomato, like Romas or large red ones, you may want to try other varieties that look good. Cherry and grape tomatoes can be halved and tossed into salads or chopped into salsas or sauces. I have found that sometimes they have a superior flavor profile than regular-sized tomatoes.

Another alternative is ready-made refrigerated salsas, which can be found in your produce or deli department, and ready-made fresh pasta sauces. These tomato products were probably processed and prepared a few weeks or months ago and with the amazing packaging technology available to processors, they will most likely taste “just like fresh.”

But, keep visiting your produce department because the next growing area (Baja California) will be starting in about three weeks. And as we get through May and June, you will see the varieties increase and the prices will come down. California-grown tomatoes will be in full swing by June and July, as will locally grown tomatoes all over the country.

What’s on the horizon for fresh tomatoes? You will start to see more plentiful supplies of the famed San Marzano variety, which is prized in Italy for its amazing flavor profile. Many growers at Farmers Markets here in California tell us that 2011 will be the Year of the San Marzano. We can’t wait!

My how time flies. I’m sure it is hard for my mom, Frieda, to believe that 49 years ago (April 2, 1962) she opened the doors to our now second-generation produce business.

As I shared with our staff, celebrating our 49th anniversary this past weekend means we have officially started our 50th year in business!

This past Friday morning, we gathered all our employees in our lunchroom and listened while mom recounted a few memorable moments of when she first started our company:

But, probably the greatest joy that my mother has had, even with all the challenges she faced in business (boy, do we have stories), and being a “working mother” when virtually everyone else’s mom did not work and stayed home to raise their kids, was that she raised two happy, loving and responsible daughters.

My sister and I, even with two working parents, turned out pretty good (If I say so myself). We had our crazy times as kids (Jackie being a little wilder than me), but we always worked and paid our own way after we graduated from college. We both decided — on our own — to join our mom in her business.

And, the greatest joy for all three of us, is that we see each other every day. Yes, Frieda still comes to work each day! Sure, we don’t always agree, but we have developed a way of working through any issues.

Being the eldest daughter, it comes natural for me to be “in charge.” And I recognize that my “right brained” creative style is balanced so well by my sister’s left brain (logical) approach.

If you want to post a congratulatory note, please visit us on Facebook and post on our wall. And be sure to “like” us, so you can enter to win one of the many prizes we are giving out to consumers this month. (We are calling this our “Golden Goodies” promotion.)

And, so you can see how great mom looks at age 87, check out this short video we made last week, to commemorate the beginning of our 50th anniversary.

First of all, let me say that I do not currently practice Yoga. I barely have time for my current exercise regime, but everyone who does Yoga, always sounds like they love it. The stretching. The breathing. The meditative aspects. The fantastic way they feel after their sessions.

So, imagine you are an artist. And you and your wife practice yoga. And on Saturday evenings, you do charcoal drawings of your wife and other friends in yoga positions. What would you do with these drawings?

You might take your drawings, put them on bookmarks, note cards, art prints, and clothing, and start a business!

Steve is an incredible artist. Besides the beautiful charcoal drawings he creates, I know his passion is sculpture. He has created some amazing sculptures and has assembled those that he has not sold into a sculpture garden in their backyard. Some of these sculptures are also stylized interpretations of yoga poses! Steve is a traditionally trained medical artist with a passion for the human figure and the poetry of Asana (Asana is the Sanskrit word for a yoga pose). Steve and Tina set out to artistically portray the serenity of breath and movement realized in yoga.

Over the last two years, we have become good friends and our dinner conversations have often revolved around them launching a business, combining their passions of art and yoga.

So many people want to take their ideas and turn them into a business. You know the story… “If I like this product (or service), there must be thousands of others who do, too…”

I cautioned Steve and Tina about many of the challenges of owning a business.
• They would need to be prepared to fund the business from their personal finances.
• They would both need to continue their full-time jobs AND work nights and weekends on their new venture.
• Married couples working together in a new business feel particular strains because they are together 24/7.
They told me they did their research (they went to yoga conventions – who knew there were such things?), and as they asked around, they felt they had found a great opportunity to be first to market yoga fine art. Not just “yoga shirts,” but shirts with images that reflected the values of yoga: Art ~ Breath ~ Movement. (Actually, that’s their tag line!).

Steve and Tina also invested in social media marketing — Facebook, YouTube, Tumblr and Twitter — which got the word out to the local yoga community. Then they staged an event with the partnership of the Huntington Beach Artwalk and YogaWorks Huntington Beach with a live drawing of yoga in the studio. The crowds were there and it was a big win for all three organizations!

Steve and Tina share the lessons they learned in these first few months (with my comments following in parenthesis):

1. It’s all about the art — the art is what makes them unique. And it’s how you display the art — since we started framing the pieces, revenue has gone way up. (They made it easy for their customers to visualize their art in use, and probably took a casual suggestion from an early shopper).

2. Start in your own local community — the outpouring of support we received from our local community has driven the business. (By starting small and local, they can be hands-on, and make corrections quickly. As in many businesses, your network of family, friends, and friends of friends are usually the early adopters).

3. People are passionate about yoga, and even more passionate when these two (yoga and art) are combined – over 14 million people in the U.S. practice yoga, according to Yoga Journal magazine, the premier publication in the yoga world. (They researched the size of their market and saw the potential. Their product appeal is NOT just local, but they will have to move quickly to make sure they don’t have imitators or cheap knock-offs.)

So, if you have a passion and want to turn it into an enterprise, it’s possible! Do your research. Put together a small “Kitchen Cabinet” (it’s like a board of advisors) of knowledgeable friends who will give you honest feedback. And whatever you think you’ll spend on your business in the first year, double or triple the amount. You will always run over budget.

It will be interesting to see how Asana Art (www.asanaart.com) is doing after their first year, as I expect they will be looking at new options to expand: licensing images, endorsements, and social media marketing.

The day after they received their first order of printed cards, I was at their home and was their very first customer. The cards are quite beautiful and artistic and even if I don’t practice yoga, I feel more peaceful by sending them to friends.

As you look at the images on these cards, you can see why they make me happy! Visit their website if you are interested in ordering some: www.asanaart.com

Do you wonder why Easter is so late this year? Well, you can thank the Hebrew calendar. Yes, most people know that the “Last Supper” was really a Passover Seder (ritual holiday dinner), and it happens on the same day of the Hebrew calendar each year: the 15th day of the month of Nisan.

As I wrote in a previous blog post, this year (a leap year) the Hebrew calendar has an extra month of Adar, which makes the Jewish holiday of Passover begin almost a month later than usual, at sundown on April 18th.

Passover is considered the most important Jewish holiday because it represents the Jews achieving freedom from slavery. This is why it’s filled with all kinds of happiness and merriment.

As our rabbi reminded us recently, “It’s actually expected that you get drunk on Passover!” (Drink responsibly, of course.)

On the first two nights of this 8-day-long holiday, Jewish families have a big dinner, and it is encouraged to invite both friends and strangers. There are traditional foods and parts of the meal which are ceremonial. All attendees take part in a reading from a special book called the Haggadah.

For those of us in the fresh produce business, or if you just love food, we know that Passover has some very distinctive foods that are used at the Seder. And we know that shoppers will be looking for them at their local markets.

No. 1 is horseradish! Grating and eating fresh horseradish reminds us of the bitterness in the lives of our ancestors, and I’m sure the tears that you shed while grating the horseradish is a reminder of the tears that were shed. Fresh parsley, apples and walnuts are just some of the other fresh foods that are eaten during Passover.

Of course, Matzah (or Matzo — similar to crackers, that we call “unleavened bread”) are eaten for all 8 days of Passover. That’s right, you can eat no regular breads or cakes during Passover. Hmm… Sounds similar to the rituals during Lent — giving up favorite foods. Almost every single supermarket in the United States will have a display of Passover-safe foods for the month leading up to the holiday.

As part of this Passover display, I was actually quite excited that our local Ralphs supermarket offered special calendars for their Jewish shoppers. I’m sure other supermarkets that have a large contingent of Jewish shoppers may do the same.

You can find all sorts of information on Passover on this website www.happypassover.net.

Many churches across the country have begun reaching out to their local Jewish synagogues, so their members can experience the Passover traditions. What a great way to educate and teach tolerance in our community, don’t you think? Since it is traditional to invite strangers to the Passover meal, I encourage you to reach out to your Jewish friends and see if they have an extra chair or two for their upcoming Seder.

Now that it’s officially spring (which started at 7:21 p.m. EDT on Sunday, March 20), we’ll begin to see more springtime vegetables appearing in our supermarkets and farmers markets.

Just this week, we started to see good supplies of fresh English Peas at our local farmers market and of course at the Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market.

Most of us are accustomed to buying our English Peas already shelled — frozen or canned. But if you happen to see fresh in-the-pod English Peas, and have some time, give them a try.

It’s a lot of work shelling peas, but they are so fresh and delicious. When you pop open a pod, you will find between 3 and 5 single delicate peas. They can be eaten raw, added to salads, or lightly cooked.

I’m sure it was the laborious nature of preparing English Peas that was the inspiration for developing something better.

What if you could combine the sweet individual peas with the delicate, crisp edible pods of Snow Peas (used in Asian stir-fry recipes) to create a new vegetable that was totally edible — peas and pod.

It was Dr. Calvin Lamborn, a plant breeder working at the Gallatin Valley Seed Company of Twin Falls, Idaho, who created this new cross: Sugar Snap Peas! I’m not sure if it was BEFORE he was featured in the April 16, 1979 edition of People Magazine, or after, but Dr. Lamborn contacted Frieda’s back in 1979 and we began selling and marketing these special peas on his behalf.

This was shortly after I returned from college and I so vividly remember introducing this new vegetable. I personally drew an illustration showing how to string a Sugar Snap, and this was included on our purple label. (We packaged them in bags to keep them moist and fresh.)

One of our first customers was A & P Supermarkets in Baltimore. We had convinced the local food editor (then Marian Burros, who went on to The New York Times) to run an article on the Sugar Snap Peas. And, once we knew when the article would be published, we contacted our retail customers in that area and encouraged them to have them in stock.

The morning that the story broke in The Baltimore Sun, we got a panicked called from the produce buyer at A & P.

“Shoppers are lined up outside our supermarkets (the stores didn’t open til 9 a.m. in those days), with copies of the food section in their hands. I don’t think we ordered enough of these Sugar Snap Peas! Can you fly more to me…TODAY?!”

Of course, today — 33 years later — there are many “new and improved” varieties of Sugar Snap Peas, Snow Peas and English Peas. Sugar Snap Peas are now found in veggie trays, alongside baby carrots (which we also had a hand in introducing in 1972) and cherry tomatoes. Our children are growing up enjoying so many fruits and vegetables that were not around when I grew up.

Stories like the origins of Sugar Snap Peas, Baby Carrots, Habanero Chiles and hundreds more like them, are what I get to do every day.

Although I love the taste of a fruit smoothie, I realized long ago that it was better for me to eat whole fruit, than to drink a smoothie, which usually has a lot of calories and natural sugars. Consequently (and much to my daughter’s frustration), we don’t go to Jamba Juice much.

But now that this popular smoothie chain has come out with three new drinks, I might be changing my mind.

A recent news release announced a new line of fruit and vegetable smoothies at Jamba Juice:

Berry UpBeet – Strawberries, blueberries, carrots, beets, broccoli and lettuce
Apple ‘n Greens – Apple-strawberry juice with the juice of darky leafy greens, carrots lettuce, peaches, mangos and banana, plus a shot of spirulina
Orange Carrot Karma – Carrot juice, orange juice, mangos, banana and ice

I think it’s fantastic that Jamba Juice has modified their offerings to be better for us! As I drive by my local Jamba Juice, I can’t help but notice all the kids who play soccer, baseball, and dance lining up. Now, they (and their parents) will have a healthier option that includes both vegetables and fruits.

Yes, you read correctly. If you shop in an upscale store or at a farmer’s market, you may have noticed bunches of radishes that are anything but red. Obviously they get their name because they look like a bunch of colored Easter Eggs.

It was probably 25 years ago when we found the first Easter Egg Radishes. The grower presented us with bunches of radishes in pinks, purples and whites, and we went crazy. Not only is the name adorable, but the presentation of these multi-colored radishes is a conversation piece.

It’s only in recent years that we’ve seen increasing supplies of these radishes, which are grown primarily in the Santa Maria area of Southern California. Our longtime friends at Babé Farms (a family-owned farm) have developed quite a following for their specialty vegetables.

As with most specialties, there are always challenges in growing. If it’s too cold, the radishes don’t grow fast. If it gets too hot, the green tops get “burned” and may turn yellow or brown. (Even though you don’t eat the tops, having green tops makes a nice retail display.)

I personally love the taste of radishes, and so does Frieda! (Actually, every week, she purchases 1 to 2 bunches so she can munch on them or add to salads.)

One of my coworkers, Mary, shared a delightful recipe with me using radishes as part of an appetizer. (She tells me it is a very traditional French way of eating radishes.)

Buy a fresh French baguette. Cut into individual slices — on the diagonal if you like. Butter each slice with high quality unsalted Butter (I love Irish butter). Then, arrange a few slices of freshly washed and thinly sliced radishes on top. Sprinkle lightly with a high quality sea salt (Fleur de Sel). Of course, I say anything with bread and butter involved is fantastic!

If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you know that when I travel, I like to read magazines that I normally do not come across.

Last week, while flying home from the Houston Rodeo with my husband, Garry, he leaned over and said, “I think y’all might want to check out the in-flight magazine.” Enough said.

I opened up the March edition of Hemispheres Magazine to page 66 -71 and read the most fascinating story, entitled “The Meal Plan.”

You probably know that I am personally passionate about helping people get healthy through better eating (lots of fresh fruits and veggies, of course). So when I read this story about Cornell University professor, Brian Wansink, and his study of human behavior, I was fascinated!

You can read the entire article here, but this is the crux of his idea and the amazing results:

After he spent a week in a Plattsburgh, New York, school cafeteria, he made two SIMPLE suggestions to the school lunch manager to increase students’ consumption of fresh fruit.

Well, check out the results. The school lunch manager reported that two months after she implemented these two changes, her sales of fruit fresh had increased four-fold (to 1,000 pieces). She was stunned — and also ran out of fruit, as she did not expect that kind of response.

But, what was amazing and encouraging to me, was that the school lunch manager started getting emails from parents saying that their kids were now raving about the fruit in the cafeteria! (BTW, this is exactly the kind of response we saw when the U.S. Senate tested the School Snacking program about 8 years ago in 100 schools across the nation.)

It’s kind of like what I do at home. If I have fresh fruit on the counter, or pre-cut veggies in my refrigerator, my family will chose them for mid-day snacking, instead of unhealthier choices. Instead of asking my daughter what vegetable she wants for dinner, I give her a choice: Do you want asparagus or baby broccoli?

I hope you take a moment to read this article as there are some great ideas and “a-ha’s” in it. Some of you don’t have kids at home, but have close friends who do. Feel free to pass this article along, even to the school lunch director at your local school.

It benefits all of us to teach healthy eating habits to everyone we come in contact with.

Although much of the country is still covered with snow and experiencing cold weather, the first day of spring is just around the corner.

When I think of spring, I think of planting new flowers and fresh herbs in the garden. During the winter, most of us buy the packaged fresh herbs in the produce department to make our savory meals taste sensational. These herbs have probably been grown in greenhouses in various parts of the country, cut and packaged and then shipped to your favorite market. It’s the most practical way for supermarkets to offer fresh herbs to shoppers.

But in the spring, as you wander through your produce department, be on the lookout for fresh potted herbs (aka living herbs).

The living herb business has come so far. I remember back in the 1980s, Frieda’s worked with a couple, John and Mary, who were doing something very innovative at local farmers markets. They grew an assortment of fresh herbs in 4-inch pots and assembled them in tote baskets containing eight pots. We sold them to our local supermarkets. It was a successful, but short-lived venture.

Now there are growers all over the country who have built quite a business on growing pots of living fresh herbs. They usually grow and ship these herbs in their local area, as many herbs are a bit too delicate to ship cross country.

Some of the more sophisticated growers have developed a retail display system, with signage, shelving, and even a watering system, so that when you walk into your produce department, the display is eye-catching and inspiring.

When you see this mini-display of fresh herbs, I hope you’ll imagine how easy it will be to have a “home garden” right in your kitchen! Many of these potted herbs are not meant for replanting into gardens — they are meant to grow on your kitchen counter, so you can clip as you need.

Want to make an authentic caprese salad with fresh basil, tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella? Pull a few leaves off the plant on your counter! Actually fresh basil plants are the No. 1 selling fresh potted herb in the country. As we get closer to summer, you may find large displays of fresh basil in small pots near the tomato display.

Nothing tastes as good as fresh herbs added to a dish at the last minute. In addition to fresh basil, you should be able to find mint (spearmint and peppermint), dill, chives, tarragon, chervil, oregano, sage, marjoram, thyme and more.

I was talking with my friend, Lori, and she mentioned that she had gone to her dentist several times to check out an aching sensation she was having in her tooth. After X-rays and several exams, they thought she was crazy. They found nothing. And now the pain is suddenly gone.

I told her that doesn’t surprise me. I said, “Lori, remember a few months ago you were complaining about having stomach problems. Have those problems gone away, too?”

She looked at me strangely, and said, “Yes, Karen they went away. And now that you mention it, the tooth pain I was having happened at the exact same time and that pain has gone away, too.”

I told Lori that every tooth in your mouth is “linked” to an organ in your body. Much like in acupuncture, where there are pressure points that are linked to various parts of your body. Lori had no idea what I was talking about.

So I went to my computer and entered this website: www.meridiantoothchart.com. I asked Lori which tooth was bothering her and clicked on that tooth. Sure enough, her stomach was linked to that tooth.

Call me crazy, but that’s exactly what happened to me. One of my teeth has been a bother for about 5 years. Coincidentally, I have been having problems with my thyroid for the same period of time. It was only when my friend, Al, introduced me to the concept of the meridian tooth chart, that I discovered a problem in that tooth (I needed a root canal). Once I had the root canal about two months ago, my thyroid calmed down and stopped giving me problems.

Al also recommended I see a biologic dentist. A biologic dentist uses different protocols when they are treating you. They use no metals in your mouth.

I found out, from my research, that some metal fillings contain mercury. Over time, that mercury leaks into your body and that is not good. Also metal fillings (mercury or otherwise) do not bond to your teeth. Like all metals, they contract and expand with heat.

After seeing my biologic dentist last August, and then doing a lot of research, I began the process of replacing all my metal fillings. Under every single one of my metal fillings, he found decay. So basically, I have had a “low-grade infection” running in my body (from the decay) for quite a while. All those times I wasn’t feeling so hot, and couldn’t figure out why … that was probably it.

Check out the meridian tooth chart and click on any tooth, then look at what organs it relates to. If you’ve had a filling, any pain, or a root canal, I guarantee you will find this chart insightful.

And, if by chance, you want to consider changing dentists to one who is more holistic in their approach, you can find one here: www.mercuryfreedentists.com.

“I live in Colorado and can’t seem to find your Baby Pineapples in my store anymore. Why not? I love them!”

Most of us are used to finding conventional sized pineapples in our stores. They’re available throughout the year from various countries — Costa Rica, Mexico, Ecuador, Dominican Republic and many more tropical places. The demand is so great that many countries export their delicious pineapples to the USA, and each country’s crop tastes and looks a little different. (Read my previous post to learn how to pick a good pineapple, no matter the color or origin.)

More than 20 years ago, Frieda’s started getting calls from caterers and hotels looking for “mini pineapples.” They wanted smaller pineapples to use in gift baskets, decorations and tropical fruit platters. The large pineapples were just too big.

The first Baby Pineapples we brought in were from Hawaii, but the smaller size usually meant that the fruit was immature, not flavorful, and frankly not tasty enough to eat. That was a challenge for us because we didn’t want consumers to be disappointed with the taste.

Enter South African Baby Pineapples, aka the “Queen” variety. Also known as Victoria Pineapples in Australia and England.

When we first received a sample of the Zululand Queen Baby Pineapples, we were fascinated! Imagine a pineapple that is fully mature, yet only 7 to 8 inches long, including the crown. Although the crown fronds were sharp and spiky, the inside fruit was a deep golden yellow and the flavor was amazing.

We recognized right away that these Baby Pineapples were consumer friendly — perfect for households with only 1 or 2 people. You could buy a Baby Pineapple and have no waste! (Plus, we found that these baby pineapples had no core, so even less waste.)

The downside is that due to the perishable nature of pineapples, we have to fly them to the USA from South Africa. This means that one of these Babies may cost as much as a regular sized pineapple. But their intense, sweet pineapple flavor and adorable appearance makes them really popular.

Back to why Baby Pineapples can’t always be found in your supermarket. Not a lot of supermarkets stock the Baby Pineapples because they don’t realize there is a demand for them. So, what do you do if you want some? Find your produce manager (who you introduced yourself to after reading my blog post), and ask him or her to order them for you!

Having a Hawaiian-themed party or barbecue? Use Baby Pineapples as table decorations that your guests can take home.

Having a brunch? Halve Baby Pineapples and fill with tuna or chicken salad for an eye catching main course.

Next time you are in the mood for fresh pineapple, consider trying this petite version!

You’ve probably seen them on magazine covers, in ads, on billboards, coupons, signs, packaging, and even on shipping boxes. These funky black-and-white patterned boxes are QR codes – short for Quick Response – and they are popping up everywhere! (We are even using them on our company business cards.)

If you have a Smartphone (Blackberry, Droid, iPhone, etc.) and a QR code reader “app,” you can scan the code and it will launch your browser to a pre-determined website or microsite, or even send you a text message. For example, if you see a QR code in a magazine ad for Coach® bags and scan the code with your phone, it will probably take you to the Coach® website.

Every QR code is customized by the company or person who creates it, and each is unique.

Supposedly, it is a way to engage us, as consumers, by providing more information. Instead of spelling out a lengthy URL in print, a QR code acts as a high-tech shortcut that instantly takes consumers to a website once scanned — no typing required. Some marketers offer coupons and special offers via QR codes, others simply provide a link to the company website. This technology is especially appealing to Gen Y and Millennials.

QR codes originated in Japan, where they were initially used for tracking parts in vehicle manufacturing. But of course, in the last 17 years, their use has expanded and they’re considered one of the leading edge marketing widgets. (Sometimes they are called 2D barcodes.)

Next time you see one of those black-and-white squares with the seemingly random pattern, you can impress your kids or grandkids by whipping out your Smartphone to scan it for more info.

When my youngest daughter Sophia rants that “there is nothing to eat in this house,” I always ask her the same thing: “What fresh produce would you like me to buy for you?”

This morning, I got the same answer she always gives me: “Bring me some Blood Oranges.”

“Blood” Orange is the general name for oranges with red flesh. They actually have varietal names like Moro, Tarocco and Sanguinello. Moro Blood Oranges are the most commonly grown in the United States, and they have the darkest internal flesh color. Tarocco Blood Oranges are native to Italy and have a less consistent red color inside. Sanguinello is an older variety, native to Spain.

My first recollection of selling Blood Oranges to our customers was having to explain how they look and taste different than regular oranges. Some varieties have a red blush on the outside skin, in addition to the dark red internal flesh. But it’s the flavor that makes them special. We like to say they taste like oranges with overtones of raspberry. They are less acidic than regular navel oranges and seedless, too.

Actually, the red colored flesh is from the presence of anthocyanins, a family of pigments which are found in many flowers and fruits, but are not common in citrus fruits.

Blood Oranges are commercially grown in California and the season is generally from November to May. If growers have a freeze or there is unusually warm weather in March and April, the season can end early. As with all citrus, choose fruits that feel heavy for their size. (That means they are full of juice and not dehydrated.)

You will often find Blood Oranges sold in 1-pound mesh bags or overwrapped trays because it is easier for the supermarket cashiers to identify them and not confuse them with regular oranges. This can make it a little more challenging to select the freshest fruits. But if you have introduced yourself to your produce manager (see my last post), you can ask him or her if they are fresh. Most produce personnel are happy to cut open a fruit for you to see or try, so when in doubt, ask for a taste!

If you decide to venture out and try these wonderful Blood Oranges, try juicing them! Definitely a conversation starter with that dark orange juice. Or, serve them in a popular Italian citrus salad: peeled and sliced, and tossed with slices of fresh fennel. Then drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper.

If you have kids, cut them into quarters or eighths and put them in a plastic baggie for a lunchtime dessert. Your child will be the coolest kid at the lunch table that day!

And, for a little fun, turn up your speakers and view this YouTube video we produced on Blood Oranges.

If you’re like me, you probably frequent two or three different grocery stores each week. But I do have a regular store where I buy my produce, and I bet you do, too.

Do you know your produce manager? Have you ever spoken with him or her? I recommend you get acquainted!

Having a relationship with your produce manager has its benefits! For example, if you are planning a party and want to be sure to have a special fruit or vegetable, if you know your produce manager, you can pre-order it. If you want to know if those grapes are sweet or that melon is tasty, he or she can tell you whether the timing is right to buy them. They can also recommend in-season produce that you may not even have thought about.

However, if you shop in the evenings (like most of us working folks do), you probably haven’t seen the produce manager. That’s because most produce managers come in about 5 or 6 a.m., and are gone by 2 or 3 p.m. One of their most important jobs is to take inventory and then place the orders for the department, which they must do first thing in the morning. Most large-sized produce departments get produce deliveries 5 to 7 days a week. Produce is usually shipped into the supermarket company’s corporate distribution center and then shipped out daily to individual stores, as they place their orders. Often times, stores get a “mixed load” of produce, dairy, meat, frozen items and some groceries, which is the most efficient way to do deliveries.

If you know what days and times your produce department gets their deliveries, you can then choose your shopping days accordingly, so you get the freshest products.

I know my produce manager, Paul, fairly well. I also have introduced myself to the rest of his staff and make it a point to say “hi” every time I visit the department. When I get to the store, I always visit the produce department. I stand back and take it all in. Does it look fresh? What’s on special? What looks good for my family this week?

I think it’s a great idea for everyone to say hello to the staff in their produce departments. Ask them “what’s good today?” Ask them how the melons and grapes taste, and which kind of lettuce looks the freshest. (It will also make the produce staff feel good!)

Did you know that jobs in the produce department are often one of the first stepping stones up the corporate ladder for supermarket employees? The Produce Manager position is one of the ground floor management positions, and many produce managers go on to do great things such as work up to the top store level position of Store Director. (Some stores across the country may do $50 million to as much as $100 million in sales PER STORE, so running a store is like running your own business.) Then, some may move into purchasing at the corporate level and on up the ladder.

One of my favorite success stories was a guy I met when I first started working for my mother back in the 1970s. I’m sure he started as a produce manager of a local store. His name was Richard (Dick) Gladden, and when I met him he was the director of produce for a supermarket chain called Alpha Beta (which was later purchased by Lucky’s, which was purchased by Albertson’s). By the end of his career, Dick had risen to the position of president of Alpha Beta! That’s a pretty impressive career, don’t you think? Dick retired a few years ago and we still see him at trade shows and hear from him via email.

So, next time you see your produce manager, I think you should introduce yourself. You’ll probably learn something about produce, and you never know when he or she might be the future president of the company!

Did you know that two weeks ago, the USDA and Health and Human Services (HHS) released the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans?

This may sound like a non-event for the average consumer, but it actually was a monumental announcement. For the first time, these once-every-5-year guidelines, included a pretty strong message:

Of course, this is quite exciting for us in the fresh produce industry. But, what this means for the average American, is that they will have more healthy choices.

For kids in the school breakfast, snack and lunch programs, their choices for food will include more fruits and vegetables.

Those who are a part of the WIC program (Women, Infant and Children Feeding program), will receive vouchers for fresh produce.

For those in the military or who shop at commissaries, it will mean more healthy food choices.

But what’s most important, is a statement like this has a wide and important effect on supermarkets, food manufacturers, and restaurants. Believe it or not, when the government talks, businesses and consumers listen.

Start to notice the changes in the messages around you, based on these new guidelines:

2. FOODS TO INCREASE
Make half your plate fruits and vegetables. Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.

3. FOODS TO REDUCE
Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread and frozen meals, and choose the foods with lower numbers. Drink water instead of sugary drinks.

It’s no secret that as a nation, we are fatter, more sedentary and subject to more chronic illness like heart disease, obesity and cancer.

What if we all pledged to follow these simple three guidelines every day? What if we supported these initiatives in local schools, at parties we attend and every day at our offices – and only offer healthy choices?

What if, when we went out to eat at a restaurant, we ordered steamed vegetables as our side dish and fresh fruit as our dessert? I bet we’d feel better, and of course, we would be healthier.

As an example, do you think it is a coincidence that McDonald’s changed their meal offerings to include more heart healthy choices in the last few years? Why are Chipotle and Panera Bread locations growing in popularity? (I think it’s because of their healthier food options.) Check out their stock prices. . .healthy offerings make stock prices go up.

So, next time you are thinking about what to have for dinner, I hope you’ll make half your plate fruits and vegetables!

My husband had to go out of town for a few days for a funeral, so I was home alone all weekend. On Sunday afternoon, I was trying to figure out what I should do on the “love, chocolate and roses holiday.”

This was the first Valentine’s Day, in my recollection, that I was not expecting anything, and thus not disappointed with anything.

And it was the perfect day to spend time with a few special people in my life. My good friend Mary was celebrating her birthday this week, so I decided to do something I rarely do, I went out to lunch (during the week) with Mary.

Do you have a special friend in your life who is your “true north”? The person who is completely honest with you and loves you unconditionally? Well, for me, that person is Mary. For you it may be a girlfriend, a sister, or a mother.

So, even though we were celebrating HER birthday, when I arrived she had a gift for me.

She handed me this article from the February edition of Good Housekeeping magazine. This is not a magazine I usually read. But, when I got home from our lunch, I took a look at it. “Big Love: how to give more, how to get more, and why the tiniest gestures mean so much,” was the title.

The article begins: “One April morning…I had a sudden realization: I was in danger of wasting my life.” The author goes on to share her experience with her “Happiness Project.” She decided that for one year she would take the time to do the things she’d always promised herself she would do, including sharing her love and doing kind things for others. She would do nice things to make others happy.

“I changed my life without changing my life – no extra time, energy or money required.”

Doing acts of kindness for others is something women do naturally. But, I have found that the rat race gets to me sometimes and I often feel like I am on that treadmill of life. Reading this article reminded me of what joy I get when I do nice things for others.

I recommend you read the article, because we all need a little more joy in our lives. It truly made me happy and loved yesterday, as I called my eldest daughter and wished her a happy Valentines Day. Yes, she got my card with a little cash tucked inside so she could get herself a small gift. My youngest daughter and I had a home cooked dinner together and then we went out driving (she is learning). We hugged many times last night and she opened up and talked to me about what it is like being a 16 year old.

So, take a deep breath, and think about how you can “change YOUR life without changing your life” and make yourself happier by performing small acts of kindness.

“Why are blueberries the only blue fruit or vegetable?” That’s the email I got from my friend, Steve.

So I did a little research. Yes, blueberries are the only blue fruit. However, there is a blue vegetable: Blue corn. And if you are open minded, there is a purple potato variety called “All Blue.”

But what I find interesting is that dark-colored fruits and veggies, in general, are richer in micronutrients and more nutritionally dense. So, any fruits or veggies that are dark red, blue, or purple are power-packed with nutrition, in addition to tasting great.

If we use the color blue loosely, and include those that are purplish-colored, too, that list gets a lot longer: “Blue” fruits include blackberries, blueberries, black currants, elderberries, purple figs, purple grapes, black olives, plums, dried plums and raisins. Blue vegetables include the purple varieties of asparagus, Belgian endive, cabbage, carrot, eggplant, potatoes, wax beans, purple snap peas, peppers, black salsify and others.

It’s no secret that nutrition authorities recommend a diet that has a wide range of colors. Each fruit and veggie may contain a “little bit of this, and a little bit of that” in terms of micronutrients, vitamins, minerals, etc.

After you complete your tour of the produce department on your next shopping trip, look at your grocery cart. Do you have a good representation of the produce rainbow? For your green lettuce salad, did you add some tomatoes, red and yellow peppers, carrots and cucumbers to the mix?

For fruit snacks, did you include kiwifruit (green), strawberries (red), bananas (white), grapes (red, green or blue) and mangos (yellow)?

Not only is this a good idea nutritionally, it’s a lot more interesting to look at.

While there has been record snowfall and freezing weather in Chicago, Tulsa and the East Coast, we were all surprised to see snow in Dallas and Houston, two areas where snowfall is rare.

What you may not know is that even further south in Sonora and Sinaloa, Mexico — two big growing areas for fresh produce — there has been a wave of sub-freezing weather. This past weekend, temperatures there completely devastated and may have destroyed between 50 and 100 percent of the entire winter crops of green bell peppers, eggplant, green beans, shade house cucumbers, tomatoes, melons and squash. (See photos!)

We’re so used to going into our local grocery store and having a wide selection of almost every fruit and vegetable year-round, that we may not even think about how this freezing weather in far away places is going to affect us.

First of all, we will probably see prices of fresh produce increase. That only makes sense, as supplies are now much tighter and demand remains constant.

Second, we’ll probably see that the quality of the produce is not as good as it usually is. When plants are “stressed” (like during freezing weather), they don’t always produce the greatest looking fruits and vegetables and production levels decrease dramatically. And the produce may not last as long when you get it home. Lettuce leaves may turn red quicker, or peppers may start to shrivel.

Luckily, the produce industry is quite resilient. Suppliers may start importing items from other countries to make sure there are sufficient supplies. There are also many greenhouse growers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and other countries whose products will pick up some of the slack.

Remember those Florida growers who experienced a freeze in December? Well, they are already predicting good production of their crops in late March and early April. (Most row crops take between 60-90-120 days to produce another crop, so the recovery is right on schedule.)

We’re not going to run out of food. But, I do suspect that the very low prices we are used to will start to rise. Here in the United States we have one of the lowest costs of food per capita in the world. We’re spoiled.

Technology is supposed to make our lives easier, and sometimes it actually does. My recent experience with technology while mattress shopping is a perfect example.

It all started during a visit to the chiropractor. After about six plane trips in as many weeks, I was a little stiff.

I casually mentioned to Dr. Dan that I thought our bed was about 10 years old. Immediately, he told me that it was time to get a new bed (every 8 years is the recommendation). He suggested I go to a local store (Sit ‘n Sleep) and take advantage of their unique technology.

My husband Garry and I went to our local store and told the sales guy, Michael, that we heard about some “special” technology that helps couples choose the right bed for them.

He immediately took us over to the corner of the store, and on a big computer monitor he filled in info for each of us — gender, height, side sleeper, back sleeper, etc. Then, Garry and I laid on our respective sides of the “test bed.” We watched a short video while laying there and the bed electronically measured our ideal bed characteristics.

Shortly thereafter, we got a color printout of our ideal bed. Mine was a softer bed (green) and Garry’s was firmer (blue). I was curious to see how this was going to work out.

Next, Michael took us around the store to try out a bunch of color-coded beds (red tags for extra-firm, blue tags for firm, and green tags for soft). It was hilarious to go from bed to bed, lying on our respective sides. Finally, after about 10 beds, we found a “green” bed that was firm enough for Garry.

In my lifetime I’ve probably purchased about four different beds, so this high-tech bed-hopping selection process was a first! But when I tried out that “perfect” bed, it felt amazing. I felt like I was in heaven. It was like a giant soft envelope of comfort.

Garry and I anxiously awaited the arrival of our new mattress. It came a few days ago, and I can honestly say I have never slept better.

And just in case you don’t believe that this “special technology” makes a difference, good friends of mine purchased a new bed about three weeks ago. They were able to buy it during a department store sale and paid about half of what we did for ours. As with most beds, you have a trial period, during which you can return it, and pay a small restocking fee. Well, my friends were thrilled with the price they paid. However, they are not completely satisfied with the quality of their sleep. Actually they are still not sure if it’s the right bed for them, and may be returning it.

Since you spend almost a third of your life in bed, you might want to invest a little more money and check out this “special technology”…

You may think that someone who grew up in the produce industry would know “everything” about citrus… but I readily admit that I don’t.

As I travel around the country and visit different supermarkets, I’ve noticed an increase in the number of citrus fruits at this time of year. When I was in Berkeley, California, a few weeks ago, and went to the famed Berkeley Bowl, I was overwhelmed by the variety of citrus, and what caught my eye most were all the signs for “Satsumas.”

Satsumas were everywhere. Each aisle seemed to feature this fruit from different growers and growing areas.

So when I returned home, I decided to go right to the source for everything citrus.

Let me introduce an amazing woman, Dr. Tracy Kahn, whose official title is: Senior Museum Scientist and Lecturer in Biology at the University of California at Riverside (and she is the curator of the Citrus Variety Collection). Who knew there was such a collection?!

I called Tracy and asked her to straighten me out. I told her I wanted a simple answer about the difference between a Mandarin, a Satsuma and a Tangerine. She told me (in true Tracy fashion), that there is NO simple answer!

What she did tell me was fascinating. There are really three main biological species in the citrus sub-genus: Mandarin, Citron and Pummelo. Everything else, including sweet oranges and grapefruits, are all hybrids and crosses of those original three.

She told me that in the U.S., we often use the words “Mandarin” and “Tangerine” interchangeably, but that truly is not completely accurate.

When I told her about my field trip to the Berkeley Bowl in early January, she shared that Satsumas are actually a Mandarin hybrid and their peak season is October, November and early December. She told me it was not a surprise that I saw so many Satsumas in early January, as so many growers had over-planted later varieties, which were now being harvested…causing a glut of Satsumas to be available.

She told me something else interesting: Those boxed tangerines sold under the “Cuties®” brand might actually be different varieties throughout the season. When the season starts, you will likely find the Clementine variety in their boxes. But after Christmas, you might find W. Murcotts, another Mandarin variety.

As we enter the month of February, you will see Pixies, Yosemites, Tahoes, Shastas and of course W. Murcotts. All are Mandarins and are mostly seedless and very sweet.

When trying to decide if a piece of fruit will be good to eat, here are the top three things I look for:
1. Does the fruit look fresh? (No dark or soft spots.)
2. Is the fruit heavy for its size? (That means it’s juicy and not dehydrated.)
3. Is the outside skin shiny? (Shows how fresh it is.)

Meeting-ectomy is a word I invented last summer. When I first said it to my daughter, Sophia, she pondered for a moment and said, “You got rid of your meetings?”

Yes, I decided that I had too many meetings at work every day, and it actually prevented me from getting any meaningful work done. Do you feel that way sometimes?

I got concerned about all my meetings when my co-worker, Aldo, told me that in business school, they call meetings “The Monster,” and warn graduates to beware of them when they get out into the real work world. The Monster takes over and you can’t get anything done.

So, after a frustrating week of feeling like I was getting nothing done, I declared that I was giving myself a Meeting-ectomy.

1. First I let all my direct reports know that I was cancelling our weekly meetings, permanently. I let them know that I trusted them to do their work and empowered them to get things done on their own. They could come to me for guidance and we would continue to talk, but only when there was something important. No more regular weekly meetings. (I put this all in an email so I didn’t have to have another meeting!)

2. I decided to identify my top three priorities for the balance of the year. I wrote them down. Then, I sent an email to all my work colleagues and shared those top priorities with them. (That way they knew what I was working on and could support me.)

3. I let everyone know that I would move any needed meetings to only one day of the week. I chose Friday, which is casual day at my company. So in jeans, I could handle a day of meetings, if needed.

I tried it first for about six weeks to see how I survived without regular meetings. Funny thing happened. I loved it! All my people loved it! I got all my work done.

And the best part was that the bottom line of my company improved… and I felt good about my accomplishments.

So, if you are currently feeling like you aren’t accomplishing enough, consider a meeting-ectomy. Or, if you know of someone who SHOULD have a Meeting-ectomy, please pass this blog along to them.

Garry and I have a favorite local restaurant, called Preveza. The cuisine is Mediterranean, which means the menu has both an Italian and a Greek flair.

The last time we dined there we chatted with the owner, Nicolas. I told him how much we enjoy the food and the service. I also told him that one of my favorite things about the restaurant was that I could tell they used whole head lettuce and cut it up themselves, instead of buying processed, pre-cut lettuce like many other restaurants. I love how his salads taste really fresh.

That’s when he started talking about lettuce prices. Like most restaurants, Nicolas buys his produce from a small distribution company who delivers door to door to many of the local restaurants. The small company probably buys from a produce wholesaler on the Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market, who has purchased the produce directly from the growers.

This chain of supply is what makes the produce business so unique. If you are a single restaurant, you almost have to buy from a local company versus directly from growers, unless you buy in large volumes.

“Last year, lettuce was so much cheaper,” Nicolas ranted. “This year I am paying over $30 a box for lettuce when last year I was paying around $15.”

I explained that the high prices are likely due to a spreading fungus that’s affecting lettuce crops in Yuma, Arizona — a major growing area at this time of year. A story about the situation recently appeared in one of the produce industry newspapers (The Packer):

Iceberg lettuce prices nearly doubled in the third week of January as supply took a bigger than normal winter hit from the sclerotinia fungus. “There have been some limited outbreaks of (sclerotinia) in the past but this is the first time it’s reached this magnitude anywhere that I’ve heard of in my 30 years in the business,” said Mark McBride, sales manager at Salinas, Calif.-based Coastline Produce.

“Yuma’s worse than the Imperial Valley,” said Michael Boggiatto, president of Salinas-based Boggiatto Produce, which grows romaine in the California valley. Both regions – and commodities – have been hit. “This sclerotinia is a different strain,” Boggiatto said. “It appears to be airborne, not soilborne, and affects the upper plant instead of the root. People have gone through entire fields and not harvested, it’s so bad. But some fields aren’t affected at all.”

“The weather back East has kept people from going out, but as much as demand is down, supply is down even further,” he said. It’s not a doomsday scenario, but limited supply is making for an active market. “Our production total is probably off 10% to 15%,” Boggiatto said. “Most guys are probably between 10% and 20%.” “Industry supplies for both (iceberg and romaine) will be well below normal for the next few weeks,” McBride said Jan. 21. “Customers are struggling to make their orders and they have to pay a higher price,” Boggiatto said. “As long as you’ve got reasonable supply you can come out OK.”

So what does that mean to you as a consumer? It means you will probably see higher prices for whole heads of Iceberg and Romaine lettuce for a while. Sizing of the heads may be smaller. This is a great opportunity to try other varieties of lettuce. Try cabbage, spinach or baby lettuces for a while.

Bagged salads may not change in price, due to the pricing contracts with processors, but you may notice that the bagged lettuce does not last as long as it usually does.

Nicolas concluded our conversation by adding, “At least the lettuce is not $60 a box. I remember when that happened a few years ago.”

You may remember when lettuce got so expensive and supplies were so limited that some retailers hung up informative signs in their produce departments explaining the high prices and lack of supplies.

And so goes the produce business. So, maybe next time you hear a story about a freeze in Florida, a pest invasion in California, or floods in the Central Valley, you’ll think about how it will affect farmers… and the produce you get at your local supermarket.

Alice Waters is probably one of the most renowned chefs and restaurant owners in the world. She resides in Berkeley, California, and is one of the most delightful, genuine and authentic people on the planet, in my humble opinion.

I’m not sure when I first met Alice, but I believe it was at an American Institute of Food and Wine event in Santa Monica, California. Mom and I were there on a Sunday afternoon (more than 25 years ago) and chefs were arranged all over the dining room of Michael’s Restaurant, sampling their favorite foods.

I recall exactly what Alice Waters served. Fava beans mashed with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and salt. Served on baguette. Yum! It was the first time I had eaten fava beans and the experience was amazing.

Being somewhat of a foodie, I have always wanted to dine at her famed restaurant, Chez Panisse, but never seemed to make reservations in advance of my trips to the Bay Area. Alice and a few friends opened Chez Panisse in 1971 and I learned that it was named the Best Restaurant in America in 2001 by Gourmet Magazine. Chez Panisse is also known for using only local, seasonal and organic foods and the menu changes with the seasons.

Since I was going to be in San Francisco for the Fancy Food Show, I was determined to mark this item off my bucket list, so I called a few weeks ago and was able to secure reservations in the Chez Panisse Café. I have to admit, I thought it would be disappointing to eat in the café upstairs instead of the regular dining room, but at least I could say I finally dined at Chez Panisse.

My friend Mary and I were greeted at the door by a charming Maitre D’. The atmosphere and décor was woodsy and warm, with the feeling of a log cabin. Our service was impeccable. (Check out our menu for the evening.)

The Cannard Farm rocket (arugula) salad with lemon, ricotta and roasted almonds was light, flavorful and perfect. I really did savor each bite. The short ribs had amazing flavor and the coffee was hot and lovely. (I often judge a restaurant by their coffee, as I am pretty picky about it.) We both ordered dessert: Mine was the Pink Lady apple and apricot jam tart with crème fraiche, and Mary had panna cotta with candied yuzu compote. Both were delicate, well balanced and absolutely delicious.

I really enjoyed dining in the “Café,” as there is great energy on the top floor and we struck up a conversation with the couple next to us. They have been coming there regularly for 15 years. Every night the menu changes and tonight’s menu was inspired by Waverly Root, an author I have long admired.

As luck would have it, Alice Waters arrived at the restaurant while we were dining, and the Maitre D’ made a special effort to let me know that she was there and promised to make sure I was able to say hello. At the end of our fabulous dinner, as we headed toward the stairs, I found Alice. She was charming and genuine as always and I waited while she autographed a cookbook for a guest. Alice took her time and added some illustrations to her signature — a truly personal touch.

If you are ever in the Bay Area, you MUST go to Chez Panisse. It is no wonder it is one of the best places to dine in America.

It was kind of scary yet exciting to have an interview with the infamous New Yorker magazine. Because our company is a resource about specialty produce, it’s not unusual for us to get calls several times a week for interviews. Last week was a busy one – I did an interview with both the Wall Street Journal (see the story here) and The New Yorker.

New Yorker writer John called our company because he was doing a story on a tropical fruit. (I can’t tell you which one, as I am sworn to secrecy until the story is published). He contacted us on Monday and my interview with him was set for Wednesday mid-day – reporters almost always have a short deadline. I never know how the interview is going to go, so I always give myself a pep talk before they call, and close my door, and shut off my email, so I am not distracted.

John had kind of a gravelly voice and got right to the point. “Karen, I am doing a story on XXXX and I want to know how your company decides how to market a new item and how all that works.”

Needless to say, I explained to John that I really couldn’t divulge our company marketing strategy, but we did talk for about 20 minutes about the product he was profiling and the challenges he was facing in writing a story on a rather obscure fruit. I find it is always better when talking with a writer to be honest, yet careful that I don’t say something that I might regret — as nothing is ever “off the record.” We actually brainstormed on what his readers would enjoy learning.

As our conversation was ending he told me that I should be a writer! I laughed and said that I actually write a blog and invited him to read my last post about why Pine Nuts were so expensive.

Shortly after I hung up, I got a lovely email from John (he liked the blog) with a link to one of his favorite stories. He said “I’m sending a link for a story you might find interesting as a food person: a piece on a Michelin inspector. (Supposedly the first such interview with one of these famously anonymous critics!)

The Michelin hotel and restaurant guide is more famous in France, whereas in the United States we are used to the Zagat guide for restaurants. Nevertheless, if you are reading What’s on Karen’s Plate, you certainly have an interest in food, so I invite you to read John’s article here.

I wrote John back and told him that I was quite impressed with his Michelin story. After all, if a chef would consider committing suicide over their Michelin rating, they must be pretty impressive critics.

I refuse to call them “New Year’s Resolutions,” because there is no one who wakes up on January 1st and is successful at changing their habits that fast.

So, my BFF and I “set goals” for the new year. We each make a list of our personal and our professional goals. We start talking about them around Christmas and I am hoping we will have a chance to share our goals for 2011 with each other by the end of this week.

I find that by sharing my goals with someone I trust and getting their input and feedback, I am more engaged in the process.

She tells me when I’m being too optimistic with them — I am a chronically overly optimistic person — and when I am not challenging myself enough.

And part of our goal-setting process is that we touch base on them every month or so.

Actually, one of the keys to success of our goal-setting process is that we both resolve to make our goals S.M.A.R.T.:

Setting goals isn’t for everyone. Some people don’t like to make the commitment. Some people don’t like to write them down, and for sure they don’t want to share them with anyone.

When I walked into my daughter’s bedroom this weekend, I noticed a checkerboard of Post-it notes on her wall. Each note said things like: Exercise twice a week. Stay positive. Eat healthy.

This is the question my friend Tina recently asked me. Seems like there should be an easy enough answer, right? It must either be a shortage of supplies or an excess of demand. Well, it’s a little bit of both.

The most sizable commercial production of shelled Pine Nuts is really concentrated in just a few places in the world — the most significant being China (although some say they are grown in Russia and brought to China for processing). It appears as if most other sources of Pine Nuts are localized, like in Italy, Spain and a small amount in the United States. And, the shelling of the nuts from the pine cone is so labor intensive, it’s no wonder that the biggest supplier is a country whose labor costs are the cheapest.

Over the past decade, we have seen an incredible increase in demand for Pine Nuts. I guess you can thank the Food Network for that. Whether it’s for authentic holiday Pine Nut cookies, or a fresh pesto recipe calling for Pine Nuts instead of walnuts, the more Pine Nuts are called for in recipes, the more demand there is for them in supermarkets. And the more demand there is for a labor-intensive product….the higher the price we pay.

An interesting byproduct of the increased availability and consumption is the number of complaints we hear about Pine Nuts. The top two complaints are:

2. Going stale. Did you know that Pine Nuts really should be refrigerated? Because of the high oil content in the nuts, they have a natural tendency to become rancid over time. To prevent this, you should keep them refrigerated (or frozen) when storing them.

So, if you love Pine Nuts, be prepared to pay a dear price for them. And prices can vary greatly, because it may depend on where the pine nuts are grown, how they were harvested, etc.

But one thing is for sure. The special flavor you get from adding freshly roasted pine nuts to a recipe is unique and special. Here is my friend Tina’s favorite Pine Nut recipe:

Capellini with Tomato Pesto
From “Quick Vegetarian Pleasures” by Jeanne Lemlin
1/3 cup Pine Nuts
6 ounce can tomato paste
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 finely chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pound capellini

1. Lightly toast the Pine Nuts in a 350-degree oven until golden, about 5 minutes.

2. To make the sauce, combine the Pine Nuts with all the remaining ingredients except the pasta in a medium bowl. (This step may be completed up to 24 hours in advance, covered, and chilled. Bring to room temperature before mixing it with the pasta).
(**Note from Tina, I don’t put the pine nuts in until close to the time I am using, as I like them to keep their crunch.)

3. Bring a 6-quart pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Before draining the pasta, beat 2 tablespoons of the boiling pasta water into the sauce. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot or drop it into a large bowl. Spoon on the sauce and toss quickly. Serve immediately.

After the movie of the same name came out in 2007, I have heard the term “bucket list” thrown around quite a bit. I never considered making one for myself until I attended an executive seminar in September along with a few of my other CEO friends and our spouses.

We were told we had 20 minutes to make our list. The goal was 50 items. I was able to write down 38 things I want to do “before I die.” Others in our group struggled to think of 10.

“I don’t have too much left on my list. This year I have been helping people do things they never thought possible. It makes me feel good when I see the reaction on their faces. Currently I am in a leadership class at my company, and last month’s class was on doing our bucket lists. I started on my bucket list in 2001 after getting diagnosed the first time with melanoma cancer. In my class I had everyone in tears, not on purpose, as I explained to them that they should be working on their list long before life deals them a shot and then they have no time to do the things they always wanted to. I live each day like it’s my last and I enjoy making those around me happy.”

Whoa. That email stopped me cold. I read it aloud to my daughter at dinner as it came across my BlackBerry and we paused and took a deep breath.

…Make the list BEFORE life deals you a shot. Help other people do things they never thought possible…

I am now rethinking MY OWN bucket list. The majority of the things on my list are about me, a few of them are about helping others. I think I want to be more balanced.

Have you considered making your own bucket list? Besides the regular items like “Visit Morocco,” and “See the Great Wall of China,” what about including things like, “Helping out at a homeless shelter several times a year,” “Mentor a student or another colleague for THEIR benefit.”

I keep my handwritten and dated bucket list right on my desk. In the next month, I will have crossed off two items on my original list. I know it will feel good. I’m sure I will be adding a few things to my list this year.

I hope you’ll take a moment to start your own bucket list. And keep it nearby, as you never know when a great idea will come to you.

With all the torrential rains in California and three back-to-back freezes in Florida during recent weeks, you may not be thinking about strawberries right now, but I can guarantee you that berry farmers and supermarket and restaurant buyers are not only thinking about strawberries, they are probably “freaking out” a bit.

The two primary growing areas for strawberries in North America are California and Florida (and Mexico). They are a very high value and labor-intensive crop. Strawberries are hand-harvested and some of the best growing areas are on really expensive real estate (Oxnard and Watsonville, California, for example). Plus, fresh strawberries are one of the top-selling fruit items in U.S. supermarkets! So, if there are no strawberries to sell, it has a negative impact on the bottom line of the supermarket.

Farmers do their planning for the upcoming growing season as long as 12 to 24 months in advance, or longer, as they often times have to lease land, lease water, order seed, order plants, hire labor…and then get commitments in advance from their largest customers so they know how much to plant.

Like all fresh produce, no matter how much planning goes on, we are ultimately at the whim of Mother Nature. So, what will happen if there is a virtual shortage of fresh strawberries for a few months? Here’s how I see it:

The produce industry is well known as “price takers,” rather than some commodities (like steel or oil) which are “price makers.” A price maker can add up all their costs and come up with a selling price, and that’s the price for which they sell their product. And if no one buys it, they have two choices: they can wait until someone buys it, because it is not perishable and won’t go bad, or they can lower their price to make a sale.

For price takers, like in fresh produce, we don’t have those options. If we don’t sell the product, it just goes bad and we get nothing. (In the case of fresh strawberries, they can freeze them, but the price they get will be far cheaper than in the fresh market.)

Because of this, there are wide fluctuations in prices. Last January the price (at the farm) for an 8-pound carton of fresh strawberries ranged from $24 to $28 — plus freight and all the costs associated with getting it to the store. However, I just checked this morning, and after all the rains in California and the freezes in Florida, that same carton of strawberries might be fetching more than $42 per carton — almost double the price from last year. So, don’t be surprised to see a clamshell of strawberries for $9.99 in your store – if you can even find them! And you might find smaller clamshells for a while, so they can spread supplies around to more customers.

It all boils down to Economics 101: supply and demand. And who will get the few strawberries that are available? The highest bidder.

That may not always be the supermarket buyer. It often times is the high-end restaurants chefs and their foodservice distributor suppliers. Restaurants HAVE to have those items listed on their menu and they usually can be more flexible on the price they are willing to pay. So in the next few months you might only see fresh strawberries at high-end restaurants, or gourmet grocery stores who can charge “any price.”

Without sufficient supplies of strawberries, supermarkets may feature other fresh berries, such as blueberries and blackberries which come from other growing areas. Or if there are not enough berries at all, they will just build bigger displays of bananas, apples, citrus and grapes and other fruits. You might also see fresh strawberries being flown in from different parts of the world, such as New Zealand or Holland.

As you can see, the produce industry is an amazing and ingenious business. When confronted with the biggest hurdles and obstacles, we are flexible and innovative.

So next time you go to the supermarket, and notice the availability (or lack of) and prices of fresh produce, please understand that Mother Nature has really wreaked havoc on many of our farmer friends, and that we are doing the best we can.