April 16, 2024 | Frieda's LLC - The Branded Produce Company

Before I make my New Year’s resolutions for the coming year, I wanted to take a look back at a few of my favorite blog posts from 2010.

Business Cards was one of my first posts. I received a lot of great feedback from people who found it helpful because they were not in the habit of always carrying a business card. (Now they are!) For 2011, we are adding a QR (quick response) code to all our company business cards that links directly to this blog! QR codes have been a big trend this year. They are basically a barcode that smart phones can “scan” and it takes you to a website or video or whatever virtual space you designate.

What’s it like working with my sister was kind of cathartic for me. Many of us know families in business and sorting out those “work” relationships from the “personal” relationships can be a challenge.

Teaching your kids about money gives you some ideas and tools to make better consumers out of your kids. I have taken some of my own advice, too!

Time is a precious thing reminds me to make the time to spend with family and friends. At the end of each year, I find myself putting more lunches and coffees with friends on my calendar because I get a little more sentimental.

A salad bar in every school is about a great program launched in the produce industry to encourage our youngest consumers (school-age children) to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. I think every one of us should find some way to help change the consumption patterns of the young.

I was afraid of Kale was a great excuse for me to introduce myself to a new veggie! I had never eaten a raw kale salad before, but once I tried it I was hooked! Recently I stir-fried some kale for dinner…and, although chewy, it was a nice break from the spinach I eat so much of!

Just last night, my good friend, Tina, sent me a text asking me why Pine Nuts are so high priced right now! I immediately called her and told her I would write my next blog about Pine Nuts! Also, I asked her to send me a story idea at least once a month, because it’s always a challenge to make sure my blog posts are relevant.

If there’s a produce item you have a question about (any question), please let me know here.

Several months ago, I shared success stories about our summer interns. Our fourth intern joined the company in September and his last day was December 17. This particular intern was special in many ways.

Rolff Vladimir Mitton, a native of Haiti, is a third year student at EARTH University in Costa Rica, and as part of his mandatory studies, he applied to 15 different organizations (companies, universities, etc.) before deciding to join Frieda’s for his three-month internship. EARTH requires all third year students to go out into the “real world” and start to apply the principles they have been studying.

Rolff’s interests are in the area of plant genetics, but he was fascinated with a specialty produce company and we were thrilled that he decided to join us.

Almost a dozen EARTH students applied for the Frieda’s internship this year, so choosing the ideal candidate was a challenge. We were not able to meet the applicants in person in Costa Rica, so we chose to interview them via SKYPE. Technology can be an amazing enabler!

For those of you who are considering having an intern — whether a U.S. or international student — here are some of the little things we did to make Rolff feel welcome:

During my first lunch with Rolff, I found out that he is the National Badminton Champion of Costa Rica for 2009 and 2010, for both men’s doubles and mixed doubles!

“During these 13 weeks I was able to be part of the Business Development team and work on many projects that helped me learn the true values of professionalism. My final project, the customer relationship management (CRM) assessment, taught me how important it is in the business world to relate efficiently with customers. I was able to complete this project, along with a PowerPoint presentation on my final day, with recommendations for a new CRM for Frieda’s. On a personal side, I got to live with two Frieda’s employees and enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with the Caplan family. I will definitely miss my Frieda’s Inc. family.”

I sincerely recommend that every company and organization consider giving back and have an intern. The key to success is two-fold: Make sure the work they do is meaningful to the company. And be sure a senior level person at the company is committed to their success and stays in touch with them.

Have you ever noticed that small tubs or bags of Blackeyed Peas suddenly become available in your local produce department this time of year? There is a good reason!

There is a Southern tradition which says that to ensure good luck and prosperity in the New Year, you should eat Blackeyed Peas and greens on New Year’s Day. (The peas symbolize coins and the greens represent “greenbacks” or dollars.) That’s why recipes for Hoppin’ John — a Blackeyed Pea and rice dish — are so prevalent at this time.

So, our company saw this as a great marketing opportunity more than 45 years ago! Frieda was approached by a young man, Rollo Miller, who had found a way to soak dried Blackeyed Peas in water and salts (in a secret process) that allowed the beans to become “quick cooking.” Miller’s pre-soaked peas could be cooked up in 10 to 12 minutes, instead of in the 2 to 3 hour soaking and cooking process needed for dry peas. Maybe it was the original “convenience food” in the produce department.

Frieda started offering these fast-cooking Blackeyed Peas to all her customers around the country. No one else was doing this at the time. She figured that everyone was interested in good luck and prosperity, so she was able to convince retailers from Boston, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles (and of course in Atlanta and all over the South) to stock them!

Each December, our warehouse fills up with thousands of cases of Blackeyed Peas and we ship them out to supermarket produce departments across the country. Over the years, many other companies have figured out the process to produce these quick-cooking peas, so you may see other brands.

Some people still like to start from scratch by soaking the dried Blackeyed Peas, and others try the frozen or canned versions. We think it’s all good…as prosperity and good luck comes in many packages.

My family always cooks up Blackeyed Peas to enjoy for New Year’s. Even though we aren’t from the South, we partake in this tradition.

Almost 20 years ago, we developed one of our most popular recipes in our test kitchen using Blackeyed Peas. (It’s actually one of my personal favorites from my Purple Kiwi Cookbook.) We combined the rich flavor of the peas with spicy Habanero chiles. I highly recommend you try it!

Habanero Chile Chili
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.

Is it just me, or does it seem that everyone has a close friend or family member who is ill or in the hospital? It could be the time of year. Or it could just be life.

It used to be that computers and social networking (Facebook, email, texting) were seen as intrusions into our privacy. However, I want to share a short email I received last week from a dear lifelong friend who is stuck in a Pittsburgh hospital.

My friend Jan lives in Chicago. She was diagnosed with an illness and it turns out that the best treatment was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. So she and her husband Tim, relocated temporarily so she could get treatment.

I’ve been very worried about Jan, and of course did not want to burden her husband with phone calls. I took a chance and sent an email to Jan, hoping that someone was checking her email.

Within a day, I got an email response from Jan herself! All that worry I was harboring subsided. It was as if I could hear Jan’s cheerful, measured voice each time I read her emails.

Now I am getting an email update daily from her husband and it feels like I am right there as Jan gets better. Occasionally, Jan sends me a personal email. This is what she wrote to me last week:

Thanks for all the kind words and prayers. I’m keeping current on what’s happening on “Karen’s Plate” and enjoying that. I do think computers are one of the most under-recognized medicinal treatments. Once I was hooked in, I definitely had a lift in my spirits.

Love,
Jan

Next time your kid is home sick from school, you or your spouse is home ill from work, or if you have a loved one in the hospital, make sure they have access to a computer (a net book or iPad works just fine and is so much more portable) and their email. I bet they would get well quicker because they can feel connected to their friends, family and the world!

I realize that grapefruit has gotten a lot of bad press in the past few years, mostly because they have been linked to potential medication interactions. Since the main consumers of grapefruit and grapefruit juice have traditionally been those who take medicines (and are over 50 years of age), it’s no surprise that consumption of grapefruit has declined. However, some sources say that the grapefruit drug interaction is limited and a bit overblown by the media, causing grapefruit farmers a lot of trouble.

I still love grapefruit. And since winter is citrus season in the U.S., I’ve started eating grapefruits again, particularly a special grapefruit hybrid called the Oroblanco. This variety is so delicious and low-acid, I have to tell you about it.

Oroblanco (translation: white gold) is a cross developed at the University of California-Riverside in 1958. It’s actually a hybrid between a white grapefruit and a pummelo (the giant Chinese citrus fruit). The amazing thing about the Oroblanco is there is no bitterness! Yes, you read that correctly: a grapefruit that is not bitter!

Russ Parsons, the food editor at the Los Angeles Times, has written several articles about Oroblancos over the years. (here, here and here.) Every once in a while I run into Russ at the local mall or at a dinner at a mutual friends’ house. Just last month, Russ and my mother, Frieda, were emailing back and forth about the virtues of Oroblancos:

Frieda: Russ, one of the first times we ever met — at a Rare Fruit gathering — you and I both agreed that one of the best citrus we had ever come across was the Oroblanco. I remember “sticking my neck out” when people kept asking me what the next kiwifruit would be. I was so firmly convinced that it would be the Oroblanco because of the taste and excellent shelf life — two of the qualities that made Kiwifruit easy to promote.

What happened? In your travels around the country, have you seen any signs of life on the Oroblanco? I have not changed my mind about its qualities and I still think there is an important place for it.

Russ: I’m with you 100 percent. As you know, I’ve been banging that drum myself:

1993: The oro blanco grapefruit, on the other hand, is appreciated mostly for its sweetness. Think of it as a white “pink” grapefruit, though the taste is a bit more complex. It too has a thicker-than-normal rind.

2007: Oroblancos: With an almost ideal balance of sweet and tart and a delicious piney flavor, the Oroblanco is a favorite grapefruit of many farmers market shoppers. Except that technically it’s not a grapefruit but a cross between a grapefruit and a pummelo. Introduced in the 1980s, the Oroblanco has had a checkered history commercially. At first it was praised as being California’s answer to Texas’ ruby and pink grapefruits (it was developed at UC Riverside). But it turned out that in the early part of its season, even though the fruit was ripe, it could still have a deep green peel. This turned off buyers, and gradually farmers stopped planting the trees. But then a funny thing happened: Israeli farmers starting putting in Oroblancos, calling them “Sweeties” and making that green color a selling point. And they started exporting them to Japan, where the sweet fruit found an eager audience. Now, plantings in California are again on the upswing.

Well, Oroblanco is back in season. They do have a green-tinged outside skin, but the inside flesh is pale yellow. They are so sweet and juicy. I have seen them at all my local supermarkets. I encourage you to try one, as I think you’ll enjoy the sweet flavor and the boost of Vitamin C.

I love Oroblancos so much that I featured this Oroblanco Sorbet recipe in my cookbook (The Purple Kiwi Cookbook):

Oroblanco Sorbet
This sorbet is incredibly delicious due to the low acidity of the fruit. You don’t need and ice cream maker to prepare it — a metal pan works fine.

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
3 Frieda’s Oroblanco grapefruit, cut into halves
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Combine the sugar and water in a small heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Chill in the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes, or until mixture is close to room temperature.

Grate 1 teaspoon of grapefruit peel from 1 of the grapefruit. Cut all the grapefruit into halves and squeeze the juice. Pour the juice through a strainer into a large bowl. You should have about 13/4 cups juice. Stir in the cooled sugar syrup, grapefruit peel and lemon juice.

Freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions. Serve, or freeze in a tightly sealed freezer container until serving time. Makes 4 servings.

Tip: To make this ice cream without an ice cream maker, freeze the fruit purée in a shallow metal pan until firm. Break up the frozen mixture with a fork. Beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. Cover the mixture and freeze again until firm. You may repeat the freezing and beating steps for a smoother, finer texture. Let stand 15 to 20 minutes to soften before serving.

Or you can spell it Chanukah… Jews around the world spell it many different ways, but it’s always the same 8-day-long holiday that falls in either late November or December each year.

So why do the dates of Hanukkah change each year? Because according to the Jewish calendar, Hanukkah falls on the 25th day of the month of Kislev. The Jewish calendar is different from the solar calendar we use in our daily lives. Each of the 12 months on the Jewish calendar are either 29 to 30 days long, and every two to three years, an extra month is added in the spring — much like our leap year adds a day every four years.

As with all Jewish holidays, Hanukkah — the Festival of Lights — commemorates an important historical event. This event was the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt in 2nd century B.C. You can find out more details here.

You may not know this, but because the Festival of Lights was about there being enough oil left in the Temple to burn for eight days, it’s part of the Hanukkah ritual to eat foods fried in oil. So, our family fries the traditional latkes, which are potato pancakes, and we serve fried jelly doughnuts for dessert. (We get the doughnuts at Krispy Kreme).

We call our dinner the “Latke Party,” and it’s a whole family event. We start at about one in the afternoon when my daughters Alex and Sophia grate the potatoes and onions. My husband Garry makes sure the potatoes are well-drained because it’s his job to fry to latkes. He gets two big skillets and fries them for hours. His son Chad comes in from Houston and spends the afternoon supervising Garry’s work.

Around 5 p.m., the family begins to arrive. This year our family Hanukkah dinner will not be until December 19 (after Hanukkah is officially over), because we want our college-aged students home for this important family gathering.

All of our individual families bring our own menorah (the candelabra with nine candles — more details here.) We read the same Hanukkah story that Jackie and I read as children. Then one by one, we light about seven different menorahs, and our kitchen is suddenly filled with light and joy.

Then we feast on latkes and other traditional Hanukkah foods. We exchange gifts, but that is a small part of our Hanukkah ritual. It’s really about honoring our family history, enjoying culinary traditions and spending time together.

Hanukkah this year started at sundown on Wednesday, December 1. (All Jewish holidays start at sundown the night before.) Our family will gather around the menorah and light candles and say the traditional prayers each of the eight nights of Hanukkah.

No matter what your family tradition is at this time of year, I hope you will pause to honor those traditions and be grateful for those you have around you. It is a wonderful time to show appreciation and love!

I hope each of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with your family and friends. We had our usual group of about 25 people, including the immediate family plus a few close friends who are “like family” to us.

Although I didn’t serve them at this year’s dinner, there always seems to be a debate about “Yams vs. Sweet potatoes.”

So I did a little research, because frankly, I was a bit confused. What I found out was very interesting.

First of all, I would recommend you NOT use the word YAMS…because I seriously doubt that what you’ll find in the supermarket during the holidays are true YAMS. (Even though they are often labeled as “yams.”) The name YAM probably came from the African word NYAMI referring to the edible root of the Dioscorea species and they are a tuber, and originated in about 50,000 BC. They are scaly skinned and have a kind of dry mouth feel and starchy taste. They are actually LOW in Vitamin A. (There are, however, parts of the country that sell Latin roots which are part of the yam family.)

In contrast, there are many varieties of SWEET POTATOES…with different outside skin colors, flesh colors and degrees of moisture and sweetness. I am guessing that North Carolina is the “sweet potato capital of the United States,” as that’s where I found the most detailed information.

SWEET POTATOES are actually from the Morning Glory plant family and the orange-fleshed varieties ARE high in Vitamin A. They were discovered in prehistoric times! The mouth feel is moist and the taste is sweet.

Check out the photos here of the top nine produced varieties of sweet potatoes in North Carolina. Orange fleshed, white fleshed and purple fleshed — they are all true sweet potatoes.

My brother-in-law Doug always talks about the “Garnet” variety with extra enthusiasm because of its taste, but is always frustrated that they aren’t widely available. So I did a little bit of research and it was interesting to find out there is a producer in Florida who grows Garnet “Yams” (which are really Garnet Sweet Potatoes), but clearly it is not so easy to get them here in California. Maybe next year I will mail order some for him!

So, now that I have cleared up the confusion on Sweet Potatoes, I have some encouraging news! Many grocery stores are now stocking pre-cut sticks of fresh sweet potatoes for healthy sweet potato fries (baked or steamed). I’ve found them in all my local stores. They are a flavorful alternative when you want to serve a new veggie to your family. Sometimes I include them in my lunch and just micro-cook them for 2-3 minutes. Yum!

As I’ve shared before, the produce industry is not made up of fruits and vegetables. For me, it’s made up of personalities, families and friends. When I think of a particular fruit or vegetable, the first thing that comes to mind is the good friend or acquaintance who happens to grow it.

You’ve probably seen this product in your local produce department, sold near the rest of the salad greens. It’s a combination of green and red lettuces — unusual varieties like Tango, Gem and Oak. You can see photos and descriptions here. The whole heads are packed in clear clamshell containers, which serve as a kind of Tupperware storage unit. It’s brilliant!

While many other salad growers are cutting and processing their lettuces into bagged salads (personally, I can always taste that they’ve been pre-washed), my friends who grow these artisan varieties chose to go in a different direction. They said: Let’s grow some colorful, flavorful lettuces and pick them small and at their peak, pack them in the field, and then package them so the consumer gets the least-processed, freshest experience! Voilà! Artisan Lettuce.

The growers are the Tanimura and Antle families. One has their origins in Japan and the other has their origins in the Dustbowl. They have been growing vegetables in the Salinas Valley for many decades and joined together in 1982.

Rick Antle, the son of the founder, has been a longtime friend of mine. We served together on an advisory board of Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo and he is now Chief Executive Officer of Tanimura & Antle. Rick married one of my closest friends, Tonya, about 10 years ago, which has facilitated our paths crossing even more often.

So, it’s not unusual for us to see each other not only at industry events, but at family events as well. So, when I saw Rick and Tonya at a produce convention in October, it was a delightful surprise to hear Rick’s story of his latest flash of brilliance.

Rick said, “Karen, I got an email from your mother a few months ago. She was raving about receiving a clamshell of our new product, Artisan Lettuce. She went on and on in her email about the great flavor and the amazing shelf life. It was a gift from one of her friends, and it apparently took her a few weeks to consume the whole package, since she lives by herself.”

Rick continued: “Frieda told me in her email that she was going to tell her friends that it was the perfect housewarming gift!”

He told me that after he received Frieda’s email, her comment about the Artisan Lettuce being a “perfect housewarming gift” kept going through his head. It inspired him to change the packaging and put a big red bow on it, and tell consumers that it’s wrapped for the holidays and perfect for entertaining! The company also created a consumer sweepstakes promotion around the theme – Season’s Bringing.

So, an email from my mom helped launch this great promotion for an amazing-tasting product!

And that’s how it often happens in our business. Someone gets a comment or idea from a seemingly random conversation, and eventually, it shows up in your supermarket!

So, as you are considering a way to make your holidays more interesting (flavor wise), try these rich and flavorful lettuces! And, if you like a product, don’t be afraid to send an email to the company with your comments or suggestions. You never know what will become of your comments!

P.S. Speaking of comments, why don’t you share your thoughts and ideas in the comment form on this blog?!

My daughter and I were getting our flu shots last week at our local Target store, and while we waited, I started wandering through the aisles.

And that’s when I saw this small white box – about the size of a large deck of cards — with the title, “Flashcarbs®.” I was intrigued.

Flashcarbs cards are a learning tool for people living with diabetes. I am guessing that McNeil Nutritionals, the company who makes them, realized that there was an opportunity to reach out to diabetic consumers who are struggling to figure out the difference between “good carbs” and “bad carbs.”

So, they went back to basics — the way we all learned our multiplication tables when we were younger. Flash cards!

This small box, which costs about $10, contains 48 cards featuring carbohydrate counts for everyday foods.

The reality is that 18 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with diabetes with an estimated additional 5 million who have not YET been diagnosed. Coincidentally, November is National Diabetes Month so you will be seeing, reading and hearing about Diabetes and Prevention everywhere! (That’s probably why the Flashcarbs® were on display.)

All of us know someone who has diabetes and unfortunately they may not realize what a serious disease it is. Not only can it affect your vision and your circulation, it can be life threatening.

So, in this month of Thanksgiving, let’s take some time to think about our food and exercise choices and be good and thoughtful examples for our family and friends.

Last week, I was in New York City for the first annual New York Produce Sho w. Yes, we have produce mini conventions all over the country and this one was amazing.

Typically, regional produce organizations host one day expos, where vendors (produce sellers) from all over the country (primarily from growing regions like California, Texas, Florida, and Washington State), gather to show their produce to local retailers and chefs.

Surprisingly, there has never been a produce show for the largest metropolitan area in the country…until last week!

Frieda’s was there, along with more than 200 other produce companies. During the expo, we stood at our booth and handed out samples and talked with clients from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It was a long day, but well worth it. It was like a mini-family reunion.

I was traveling with three other women from my office and we were deciding where to go for dinner. There was no doubt in my mind where I wanted to go: the newly opened EATALY, conceived by famed chef Mario Batali. Called “America’s greatest food store” and “Disneyland for food lovers.”

I have to admit that when I saw the name “EATALY”, I thought it was a little corny. But, actually, I found out that the first EATALY exists in Turin, Italy. And, after visiting the 50,000 square foot megastore, across from the newly revitalized Madison Square Park on 23rd Street, I was hooked.

They have a wine department, a cheese and meat counter, homemade breads, an amazing selection of cookbooks, and a fresh produce stand. It was lovely to see Frieda’s Zululand Queen Baby Pi neapples on display there! There are many more sections, so check out this map to see the layout of the store. And the places to eat. Oh my!

We arrived there on a Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. and the placed was mobbed. I had been told that the vegetarian restaurant (called Le Verdure) served some amazing and flavorful food, so that is where we dined. We put our names in and waited for 45 minutes for a table. We wasted no time, as we went to the cheese area, purchased a few glasses of Champagne and wine, which came with large chunks of Parmesan cheese and stood at a table and relaxed.

For dinner, I enjoyed freshly made tomato soup, roasted beet salad and an open-faced spaghetti squash sandwich served on the most amazing, flavorful, decadent freshly made rustic bread I have ever gorged myself on.

Sensory overload is an understatement. But if you love Italian food and culture, EATALY is a definite MUST for your next trip to New York City. (Check out this article!) And if you are looking for authentic Italian ingredients, this is the place to go.

First, take a close look at this photo. Yes, that man is covered with live bees. His name is Norman Gary and he is a retired beekeeper, entomology professor and researcher from the University of California, Davis. As I was reading through this month’s copy of California Farmer, I saw this article and was amazed.

Like many people, I was stung by bees when I was young – actually I was stung 22 times by yellow jackets. So, I’ve always have had a bit of a phobia of them. But this guy has no fear! And anyone who has been on Johnny Carson, Jay Leno and involved in “Fried Green Tomatoes” has my admiration!

Second, my book club this month read “Little Bee,” a moving book by Chris Cleave. I was intrigued by its bright orange cover. Of course, I cannot tell you about what happens in the book, but I can tell you that it is a fast read and has both sad and happy moments. It is about a young African girl who leaves her country.

And, finally, do you want to know about one of the most sought after honeycomb products in the United States? Coming all the way from New Zealand, our honeycomb is part of a cottage industry on the North Island, just south of Auckland.

We are so fortunate to have been introduced to Helen “Honey” Wright, who has been lovingly producing fresh honeycomb for more than 20 years. Helen and her husband, John and daughter Fiona, shipped us their first honeycomb back in 1989, and now we receive boat shipments that are hand-crated several times a year.

In addition to the amazing flavor of the honey, which comes from the unique grasses that surround Helen’s farm, our honeycomb is unique because they come in natural wooden frames. Professional chefs from all over the country go crazy for our honeycomb. They are very popular in dessert platters, along with artisan cheeses dried fruits.

Two years ago, my sister Jackie and her family took a trip to New Zealand and went to visit Helen Wright and her family and honeybees. Helen is like family to us.

Along with the changing of the clocks and the cooling of the weather, something else always happens at this time of year.

We seem to get a few more solicitations. You know what I’m talking about. Requests for donations from your college. From your high school. From a charity that you’ve donated to in the past. It’s the time of year that most people are doing some tax planning and getting advice on how much money they should (or can) donate, in order to maximize their tax deductions.

I actually try to take a different approach. I do not make a donation in order to get a tax deduction. Instead, I ask myself, “Whose life can I change positively?” If I can make a difference, then I make a donation. If I can’t, or the organization is so large that my donation would be insignificant, then I choose to give elsewhere.

And I learned from my mother, Frieda. A donation does NOT have to be $250 or $500. A check for $25 or $50 is always appreciated.

Here are some of the charities and causes I support, and I know I make a difference:

The Braille Institute – Los Angeles
My Auntie Ruth Silver donated her time to record books on tape. When she passed away 14 years ago, I started making an annual contribution. The impact on the lives of those who cannot read due to sight loss is amazing.

Women for Women International
They do meaningful work to help women in nations devastated by war. You get assigned a “sister” who you can correspond with. And you learn from their point of view what their lives are like.

My colleges
University of California-Davis and Mills College. My contributions are not large, but I am so grateful for the education that I received. Whenever a student from either school calls, I listen to their story (they are so nervous), and at the end I always make a donation. I suspect the positive impact on these students is tremendous, so saying “yes” and making a small donation is the least I can do.

My local food bank
At this time of year we are all reminded of those who are less fortunate and those who do not get to enjoy a holiday meal with their family. It’s my way of battling homelessness in my neighborhood.

My temple
Whether you’re Catholic, Christian, Jewish, Muslim or Buddhist or another denomination, houses of worship do important and meaningful work in the community. Additionally, in our temple my donation will help support other families who cannot pay their dues, or it may send needy kids to camp.

City of Hope and breast cancer charities
Like you, I have family and friends who have been diagnosed or lost their lives to breast cancer. It’s the least I can do, since I am not a scientist and cannot discover the cure myself!

Charities that are meaningful to my coworkers and friends
Do you have a close friend or coworker who works tirelessly for a charity or good cause? What better way to let them know how important they are to you.

So as you are going through your mail or making your shopping list for Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, think carefully about what you can do to change lives. It’s very rewarding.

Sounds silly doesn’t it? I always thought Kale was just a garnish, so, why would I buy it for my home consumption?

But I discovered that Kale has amazing nutritional qualities as a dark green vegetable. I was curious.

First, it’s in the Brassica family, like broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower. It’s high in vitamin A, phytochemicals, beta carotene, sulforaphane, and is super-low in calories and high in fiber.

Here’s how I encountered my first raw Kale salad. I was at my local Whole Foods Market, getting my “green drink.” (My naturopath, Lisa has me drinking a yummy veggie mixture of celery, cucumber, spinach, parsley, cilantro and carrot juice – which is reducing the acidic nature of my body.) While they were making my green drink on Saturday, I looked over at the prepared food display and saw a large serving dish piled high with chopped Kale.

As I moved closer to read the ingredients, I decided to get a free taste. Wow – it was yummy! So good, in fact, that I bought a small container of it for lunch.

There are several different types and colors of Kale. “Scotch” types have gray-green and very curled and crumpled leaves, while “Siberian” types are blue-green and less curled (like this photo of Italian Kale). In 1983, a longtime produce friend, John Moore, introduced a new and colorful variety of flowering Kale, called Salad Savoy.

Unfortunately, I think many people are like me, and think of it only as a garnish. I think every supermarket in America has some kind of Kale in their produce department. From now on, I am not going to walk right by it…I’m going to give Kale the respect it deserves and buy some to enjoy!

I encourage you to try this power- packed veggie. By the way, you can also cook Kale like you would spinach. Or, you can even bake it into Kale Chips!

KALE SALAD
1 Head Kale, washed and coarsely chopped
Sliced Strawberries
Handful of Pine Nuts
Lemon juice
Olive Oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Depending on your personal preference for the amount of each ingredient, toss lightly and serve.

Did you know a new federal law went into effect on March 23, 2010, which requires chain restaurants to make nutritional information available for all the food they serve?

That’s right. When you dine out at a restaurant chain (with more than 20 locations), you should be able to find out how much fat, carbohydrates, calories, protein, etc., are contained in every dish on the menu.

Occasionally, we go to our local California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) or Romano’s Macaroni Grill, and I have noticed that both of these chains have had nutritional information available for quite a while. That sure makes it easier to decide what dish to order (or not order) or what dish should be split.

Actually, the laws are part of the health care bill that passed in March, and it’s definitely a good “first step” to help us help ourselves.

In case you hadn’t noticed, our country has been getting fatter at a faster rate. If you want to see something really eye-opening, click here to see the progression over the last 20 years on a state-by-state basis. This state-by-state progression has been presented at many industry conferences I have attended over the last five years, and continues to be a wake-up call.

1. I buy as much good tasting fresh produce as I can. I shop several times a week, so the produce doesn’t go into my “rotting drawer” in the refrigerator. (We all have a rotting drawer. It’s where we put our produce with good intentions.)

2. I pack at least three servings of fruits and veggies in my lunch and my daughter’s lunch each and every day.

3. When I go out to eat, I make sure veggies are part of every meal. I prefer raw, but lightly cooked (with no fat) is my second choice.

4. When I order a salad, I always ask for the dressing on the side. Then I dip my fork in the dressing to minimize my fat consumption.

5. I NEVER eat everything I get at a restaurant. I usually eat half, and pack up the other half to have as another meal.

6. I always ask the restaurant for the menu’s nutritional information, and I use this to make my selection.

I encourage you to make your own checklist of things you can do to fight obesity. Want to know why it is so important? Because our children’s generation is the first who will most likely have a shorter lifespan that ours. And that’s because of the poor food and exercise choices we have taught them to make.

In the 1960s, Frieda was presented with an ugly new vegetable to sell, called the Jerusalem Artichoke. The tuber of a sunflower-like plant, this veggie had a nutty flavor and a texture reminiscent of an artichoke when cooked.

She began selling them loose in 10-pound boxes to Jewel Food Stores in Chicago, her biggest customer at that time. One day the Jewel Foods buyer called her and said, “Frieda, we put the Jerusalem Artichokes out on the shelves, but they are getting soft and going bad, so we are going to discontinue them.”

My mom was horrified because she knew this was a major crop for the small family grower, Suren and Marion Tejirian, of Reedley, Calif. A setback like this could put them out of business.

So, Frieda put on her “thinking cap,” and decided the Jerusalem Artichoke needed a catchy new name. This knobby root vegetable wasn’t from Jerusalem, nor was it related to an artichoke. The name Sunchoke® was born, and we trademarked it in 1980.

Another retail customer suggested that Frieda package the Sunchokes® to keep them fresh and differentiate them from ginger roots, because they looked very similar. She then started packing the tubers in 1-pound bags, and also included recipe information right on the package. This would take care of all the calls she was getting from people asking her what to do with them.

After we started packaging the Sunchokes® this way, sales really took off. I remember mom sharing in an industry speech that sales increased 600 percent with that single packaging innovation!

Then something really interesting started to happen. Along with the recipe information on the package, Frieda had wisely included an invitation for shoppers to write to us with any comments or questions. We started receiving anecdotal information from consumers. In particular, consumers who had diabetes began writing to us to share that their holistic treatments included consuming Jerusalem Artichokes (Sunchokes®) to reduce their need for insulin. More information about this here.

Sales of Sunchokes® continued to increase. But there was one small problem. When you eat Sunchokes®, you get flatulence (pardon me).

Actually, we even got a hand-written postcard from Julia Child many years ago, asking: “Regarding Jerusalem Artichokes, is there anything you can do about the flatulence?” Much has been written about Sunchokes® and their after effects. You can read a rather comical tirade here: Jumpin’ Jack Jerusalem Artichokes…It’s a Gas Gas Gas!

Despite this inconvenient side effect, Sunchokes® are an extremely healthy food. They are packed with fiber, folate and magnesium and loads of other vitamins. In addition, Sunchokes® (as well as Jicama) contain inulin, a natural starch-like fiber that does not increase blood sugar or raise triglycerides significantly. Inulin also increases calcium absorption and is considered a form of soluble fiber. (Inulin might also be to blame for the gassy effects.)

The Sunchoke® season has just begun in California. Washington-grown tubers will start in another week or two. Interestingly, at the beginning of the season, the calorie count is lower — about 30 calories per serving. As Sunchokes® are stored, the caloric content increases to about 75 calories per serving. (This also happens with many winter root vegetables.) Regardless, Sunchokes® are still very low in calories.

But the best thing about Sunchokes® is the flavor. When raw, they are nutty like a combination of artichoke hearts and waterchestnuts, and when cooked, they add an indescribable nutty flavor to dishes. (Try them with a béchamel sauce.)

So, if you’re looking for a new vegetable to try this winter, I recommend Sunchokes®. They should be available in supermarkets across the USA through April or May.

For those of you who have eaten Sunchokes®, how do you like to prepare them? Please share your tips in the comments section.

With the popularity of email, texting, Facebook and electronic greeting cards, you would think that the greeting card industry would be suffering. And with the hectic schedules we all have, who has time to go buy a greeting card?

Well, I think the greeting card industry will continue to boom and here’s why: Deep down inside, people care about their friends, and for less than $5, you can make someone important in your life feel special and loved. And it can make you feel good, too!

I saw this happen this past weekend, as I celebrated my birthday. Actually, the “celebrating” of my birthday started the first week of the month, when I had my first “birthday diva lunch.” My two friends, Diane and Paris, also have October birthdays, so we get together for lunch each year to celebrate them together.

Then the cards started to arrive. Over the course of the month I received many cards from friends. Most were unexpected, but I suspect that each of them has gotten a birthday card (or email) from me at their birthday. And it made them feel special.

In this hectic rat race we live in, spending a few moments at the card shop, grocery store or in line at Trader Joe’s to select a greeting card for a friend can make you feel more human.

Or, if you don’t have time, and don’t want to be belated, you can send an email or an electronic greeting. (To my friends and customers who sent me texts, emails and e-cards, I loved that you took the time to do this!)

But the bottom line is, just as cooking and entertaining at home have become more popular (futurist Faith Popcorn coined the term “cocooning”), I believe that sending actual birthday cards will make a comeback.

Remember the Kevin Spacey movie, “Pay it forward”? Well, that’s my personal mission. To do good deeds that make others feel special, hoping that they continue to pay it forward.

I am addicted to fresh blueberries. Occasionally, I drive from store to store in search of fresh, plump, sweet berries, and sometimes I eat a whole 4-ounce container at one sitting. They make a great mid-morning snack!

But lately there haven’t been good tasting berries in my stores, and I wanted to know why.

So, I called my longtime business friend, Chris Martin (pictured here on the left with his brother Paul Martin). Chris is originally from New Zealand, but moved to the states more than 20 years ago and started a produce company. His first company was called New Zealand Gourmet and he imported many of New Zealand’s subtropical fruits and sold them to Frieda’s. Today, Chris’s company, Gourmet Trading, focuses on two main items: asparagus and blueberries.

During our recent conversation, Chris explained that some blueberry growing areas are behind in production this year due to weather conditions. In addition, right now is the time of year when there is a natural gap between Canada and Argentina supplies.

Chris emailed me this handy chart that shows what area fruit comes from and what times are peak of season. From the chart you can see that the blueberry season transitions from country to country throughout the year. It starts in May from California and moves north to Oregon, then Canada and all the way down to Argentina.

You may not have realized that fruit seasons transition so much. We’re kind of spoiled here in the USA — many fruits and vegetables are now available to us year-round. As recently as 10 years ago, some items were only in season when locally available. I guess we call that progress.

However, there is a lot of debate in our industry about the importance and relevance of “locally grown” produce. Some say it’s more sustainable to only consume locally grown products, but what is the definition of “local”? Within 10 miles? Within 100 miles? Within your state?

On the other hand, some have done calculations that show it is more earth-friendly to purchase products from large-scale farmers in far away places because of their operational efficiency.

My personal opinion? I buy produce for two reasons: No. 1 is taste and flavor. No. 2 is nutritional value. I don’t mind buying apples from New Zealand or shallots from France. Our baby pineapples are flown here from South Africa, and I love Asian Pears (Nashi) from Japan.

Back to my blueberries… I was thrilled to be at a produce convention last week. Some of my closest produce friends sell fresh berries, so I got to snack on fresh blueberries all three days I was there.

I can’t wait until the peak of the blueberry season from Argentina, so I can go back to eating them daily!

What are your thoughts on the “locally grown” debate? Please post your feedback in the comments section.

I spent this past weekend in Orlando, Fla., attending the annual Produce Marketing Association (PMA) Fresh Summit Convention and Expo. I have been attending this annual produce industry expo since 1974 when I was a sophomore in college, and this year was Frieda’s 37th consecutive year of exhibiting.

Planning for PMA is a year-long process for us. Right after one show ends, our team huddles for a “did well, do better” session where we document all the comments and make adjustments accordingly in preparation for the following year’s show.

For this year’s show we decided to redesign our booth and make it smaller. We found that bigger is not always better (but surely it is more expensive!) I spoke to some companies with large booths who spend close to $250,000 each time they attend this trade show!

I work closely with our marketing team for the PMA show (see photo of the team). This year they had a bigger than usual job because we wanted to change the overall look and feel of the booth. I also gave them a challenge: I wanted Frieda’s to win an award. Several years ago PMA started giving awards to exhibitors for “Best of Show,” and because I am so competitive, this was on my wish list. (More than 900 companies exhibited, so the competition is fierce.)

The booth overhaul process began by reviewing proposals and drawings from several booth design firms. We selected Reveal Exhibits because they met our marketing requirements and their streamlined design made good use of the limited space. There are many elements to consider when constructing a trade booth: color selection, lighting, product display, photography, graphics, and messaging. These elements work together to creatively communicate your message to the target audience.

This summer my sister, Jackie, and our art director, Marliese, traveled to Reveal’s headquarters in St. Louis to inspect the final construction. Marliese spent hundreds of hours photographing and designing the booth graphics, so we wanted to make sure everything looked perfect.

Our finished product is 10 feet deep by 30 feet long and has custom displays for more than 30 produce items. In addition to the booth’s appearance, we also spent some time planning our appearance. We carefully selected the clothing that our team wore during the show. We wanted our shirts to complement the colorful backdrop of the booth.

Take a look at the photos so you can see the results of all our work. You can see how colorful the booth was!

And guess what?! On Sunday afternoon, a booming voice came over the P.A. system to announce the Best of Show winners. We all paused to listen…

They only give two prizes for booths in our category, so it was a HUGE THRILL when they called out “Frieda’s” as one of the winners! Even though we won 2nd place, it was an amazing feeling to get an award. Here is a photo of our team accepting the award at our booth.

I mentioned that I have been attending PMA every year since 1974. Well, I lied. I missed one. It was October 17, 1989. That was the day my first daughter, Alex Jackson, was born. Yes, while a produce convention was concluding in Reno, Nev., I was in labor with Alex in Long Beach, Calif.

So you can imagine my delight when Alex decided to spen

d her 21st birthday this year with us at PMA. (She has been coming to produce events with me since she was 2.) I guess that makes us a third-generation family business now.

My daughter Alex did an internship this summer in Sydney, Australia. My good friend Michael Simonetta owns a wholesale produce company there and offered to employ Alex for six weeks. She had a great time and learned a lot while working there.

A few weeks ago, I had the good fortune to travel to Sydney for a business meeting. So I asked Alex, “Is there any special tourist thing that I should do while I am there?”

I have to admit when I read that it was a 3½-hour-long adventure and that the cost was about $200, I was a little leery. I just couldn’t imagine spending that much time climbing a bridge.

Well, now that I have my Climber Certificate and have experienced Sydney Harbour from 440 feet above the water, I can attest to what an amazing experience it is. We actually climbed the catwalks and ladders to the summit of this huge steel bridge – it was a fantastic view!

The actual climbing time was about two hours. Before the climb, tour guides spent about an hour getting us prepared for the trek. They dressed us in special jump suits, followed by wind pants, a jacket, a wind-breaker, plus gloves and a warm hat! It was a cold day! Next, the guides trained us how to use the radios and headsets, then they showed us how to use the harness belts while practicing climbing up and down the extremely steep ladders. This was a great workout, by the way.

Finally, we were ready to start the walk. My tour group of seven people really enjoyed the experience. We stopped for photos, stories and amazing views many times during those two hours.

Paul Cave is the businessman who created the BridgeClimb tour. After organizing a private tour climbing the bridge in 1989, Paul decided it was such a great thing to do that he would make it a tourist attraction. In 1998, the BridgeClimb launched its first public tours, and today it’s one of the most popular tourist attractions in Sydney.

On March 12, 2010 they welcomed their 2,500,000th paying climber – quite an amazing feat! (Plus, in 2001 Paul received the Ernst & Young Australian National Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the “Business, Finance, Property and Services Tourism” category.)

So, put this climb on you bucket list. It’s definitely an amazing experience and provides a great view of Sydney Harbour and a bit of history on the country and the bridge.

P.S.
Did you know the Sydney Harbour Bridge is the largest and widest steel arch bridge in the world and was opened in 1932. You can read all about it here.

When I think of persimmons, I think of autumn and the cooking holidays — Thanksgiving through Christmas. You may have seen a persimmon in your local supermarket or farmer’s market, but didn’t know what it was or what to do with it.

Well, first of all, there are two basic types. The ones that must soften before you eat them — Hachiya variety — and ones that can be eaten while firm — Fuyu variety.

We have been selling Hachiya-type persimmons the longest. They are elongated in shape, like an acorn, and have a dark, rich orange skin. Hachiya persimmons naturally have a high tannin content, which makes the immature fruit taste bitter and astringent. (Don’t even try them when they are hard!). As the fruit ripens, the tannin levels are reduced, making them sweet and edible. When fully ripe, Hachiyas will feel extremely soft and mushy — almost overripe.

In Japan, Persimmons are called Kaki fruit. In Israel, they are called Sharon (sha-rone) fruit, named after the Sharon plain. Some say the flavor is a mix of plums and dates. Persimmons are extremely sweet, and when ripe, the pulp can be used to make persimmon bread, persimmon bars and other fruit desserts.

The Fuyu varieties are far less complicated to eat. They have a rounder apple-like (or tomato-like) shape, and can be peeled and eaten whether they are hard or soft. They, too, are a bright orange color.

Because they can be eaten in any ripeness stage, Fuyus are more versatile. I like to slice them and add them to green salads. Their texture makes them perfect to chop up for fruit salsas to serve with chicken or fish. When dried, they taste like candy!

The latest innovation in the Fuyu world is the availability of the brown-fleshed varieties. Technically, they are called “pollination-variant non-astringent persimmons.” You may see them in farmer’s markets or upscale markets under the names chocolate persimmons (brown interior), cinnamon persimmons (“spicy” flavor), or brown sugar persimmons (dark and sweet).

The persimmon season has just started and the fruit is being harvested in central California. The season should continue through the end of the year, and will be at the peak of season when everyone is doing their holiday baking. If we run out of supplies from California, we may fly them in from Israel, as they are such a popular fruit.

So, next time you walk through your favorite produce department and see an orange fruit that looks like an apple, pick it up! The flavor is amazing and so sweet you’ll know why we call them nature’s candy.

When I was 16, my first job was in our local public library. It was about a half-mile bike ride from my parent’s house and the hours were flexible. I think my hourly wage was $1.60. (Yes, that was the hourly wage back in 1971.)

I’ve always had a love of books and reading, but with my work and family demands over the years, the only things I got to read were trade journals and magazines. I really missed reading for fun.

So, one Friday night I was at my temple and I was chatting with my friend Gayle. For some reason she got my attention when she started talking about the book she was reading for her book club. I asked: “How do you choose the books? How often do you meet? Who’s in the club?” I learned that her club was made up of about a dozen women from my synagogue and they met once a month.

Since we meet once a month, I am “forced” to read a book every four weeks. (Thank goodness for long plane flights!) I’ve read books that I never would have read – “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” I’ve read books that I just couldn’t get into – “The Book Thief.” And I’ve read books that are now on my favorites list – “Not Me” and “The Art of Racing in the Rain.”

And, thanks to the book club, I have a new group of friends ranging in age from 38 to 88! Our monthly discussions are as diverse as our ages, and surprisingly, we talk about sex (Yes, 88-year-olds still talk about that!), secrets and our dreams.

With my travel schedule, you’d think one book club would be enough. Well, my good friend Betsy and her daughter Rachael are in a mother-daughter book club and they invited me and my 16-year-old daughter Sophia to join. I thought it would be a great way to spend quality time with my daughter in a non-threatening social environment. The girls choose the books and we meet every two months for dinner and discussion.

Well, I am here to say that it’s one of the best things we’ve ever done. OK – I will admit that the girls don’t always read the books (too much homework and poor planning). But the conversations between the mothers and daughters are incredible. In the 12 months since we’ve joined, we’ve shared stories of our first marriages, battles with cancer, our faith, drugs at school and more. It is a safe environment for all topics.

I’m so glad I made time to join this group. My only regret is that I didn’t know about the book club when they started it seven years ago when the girls were 10.

If you have children, I would seriously recommend you consider joining or starting a book club. It can create a common platform for sharing, which will come in handy as your kids get older.

And, be prepared for your child to tell you that they are NOT interested. Sophia was not thrilled with the idea and really didn’t want us to join, but I told her we would go once and try it out. She so enjoyed the girls in the group and the social aspect of it that she is now quite excited to participate and plan our meetings.

In the early 1980s I had the opportunity to meet Julia Child in person. Mom and I were attending an event in Santa Monica, Calif., at the famed Michael’s Restaurant. It was an event for the American Institute of Food and Wine, where well known chefs, such as Alice Waters of Chez Panisse, were sampling their favorite foods. As I recall, Alice was sampling mashed fava beans with garlic and olive oil, spread on a baguette.

It was a Sunday afternoon, and being “produce gals” from the L.A. Produce Market, we were kind of lost with all those foodies. This very tall, lanky lady must have noticed us standing by ourselves in the corner, and came over to make us feel welcome.

I remember her crackly, high-pitched voice and her genuine approach to us. And when she found out she was talking with Frieda Caplan, at that time the sole lady in the produce business who had introduced Kiwifruit to America, she made us feel like movie stars!

The first thing my mom said to her was, “Julia, I just want to thank you for using shallots in so many of your recipes on your PBS television show. We can always tell when you include them in a recipe, because our sales increase dramatically!”

Julia humanized shallots – which I do think was one of her favorite ingredients. Several decades ago, it might have been acceptable to substitute onions (and a little garlic) for a recipe calling for “finely diced shallots.” But you can thank Julia Child (and Frieda Caplan) for making them widely available and a household name.

Fresh shallots are still one of our top-selling products. I think Julia Child would have said they are the secret to many of the amazing recipes she developed over the years.

One of the first recipes I recall seeing shallots in was a simple vinaigrette dressing:

1/2 Tbsp finely minced shallot
1/2 Tbsp Dijon-type mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 Tbsp wine vinegar
1/3 to 1/2 cup excellent olive oil, or other fine, fresh oil
Freshly ground pepper

Either shake all the ingredients together in a screw-topped jar, or mix them individually as follows. Stir the shallots together with the mustard and salt. Whisk in the lemon juice and vinegar, and when well blended start whisking in the oil by droplets to form a smooth emulsion. Beat in freshly ground pepper. Taste (dip a piece of the salad greens into the sauce) and correct seasoning with salt, pepper, and/or drops of lemon juice.

Shallots are cultivated all over the world and commercially grown in Oregon, California, Canada, and France and many other places. In this hemisphere, they are harvested in late August and can be stored for up to a year. Throughout the year, shallots are taken out of cold storage to be shipped as there is demand.

At your local supermarket, you may find shallots loose in baskets, so you can pick your own. They may be in clusters or single large bulbs. You might also see shallots sold in mesh bags, varying in size from 3 ounces to 1 pound.

I like to keep my shallots at home in a cool, dry, dark place. If you store them in the refrigerator, make sure they don’t get too damp, as this will cause them to mold.

I encourage you to make shallots your new best friend in cooking. They really do add an amazing flavor.

Every September, a large contingent of produce industry folks go to Washington, D.C., to lobby on behalf of our industry. The conference is called the Washington Public Policy Conference (WPPC), and it is sponsored by one of our industry trade associations, the United Fresh Produce Association.

I have attended the WPPC almost every year since it started about 15 years ago, and last month was no exception. This time, my sister and business partner, Jackie, and I both attended. Why did we both attend? There are many critical issues facing our industry right now, and we wanted to make sure our voices were heard.

If you’re reading this blog, these programs may not affect you personally, but you may be surprised at how many families and kids in your area benefit from them. For many children in our country, the school breakfast and lunch programs ensure that they get two healthy meals a day.

Other issues we were there to talk about included:
• Food Safety Enhancement Act: To make sure that there are no exemptions in the area of food safety for producers of fresh produce sold commercially.
• Immigration reform: To ensure a strong, stable workforce to plant, harvest and package the foods we grow.

During this three-day conference we heard from senior officials from both the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration. At the Capitol, we had a private session with three of the top senators — Stabenow from Michigan, Boxer from California and Graham from South Carolina.

But most importantly, each of the 500 attendees had the opportunity to visit their own district congressman in his/her office. Initially, Jackie and I teamed up with six other Southern Californians and visited three congressional offices. During an evening reception, Jackie met the agricultural liaison for her district’s congresswomen — newly elected Laura Richardson of Long Beach — and we were able to visit her office privately the next day.

It was exhilarating to take a taxi from our hotel and pull up to the Longworth House office building at the corner of Independence and New Jersey Avenues, go through security and then enter Richardson’s office. (Her door is flanked by the California State flag). During our meeting, we shared with the congresswoman our personal stories of being in the produce industry, of being mothers, and of course, being registered voters. And we talked about the issues of our industry and why they are important to us.

All those telecasts we see on C-Span, the reporters broadcasting from Capitol Hill — they came alive for us!

It’s easy to be a cynic with all that you see on the news, the Internet and hear on the radio. But honestly, the most important thing you can do is be an active citizen.

Register to vote. Write emails or make calls to your congressman or senator about issues that are important to you. (Don’t write letters. After the anthrax scare a few years ago, physical letters may take around 6 to 8 weeks to be delivered.) All those calls and emails are logged in and they definitely influence how our elected officials vote.

And, if you have the chance to go to our nation’s capital, whether it’s business or pleasure, take the time to go to Capitol Hill and see our government in action. It is truly inspiring and meaningful. And yes, you can make an impact.

One last thing. If you are not yet registered to vote for the upcoming elections in November, I urge you to do so TODAY! Don’t be apathetic or take your right to vote for granted. It is a privilege to live in a country where we have freedom of speech and the opportunity to vote!

As you know, our company roots run very deep when it comes to Kiwifruit. It was back in 1962 that my mom, Frieda, was first introduced to the Chinese Gooseberry, which was then being commercially grown in New Zealand. She immediately imported her first shipment of about 240 boxes, but it took her more than four months to sell them. That’s how she discovered that Kiwifruit has a great shelf life!

The next season, she suggested that the Kiwifruit growers produce some marketing materials to help educate the produce buyers and consumers on how to handle them. Kiwifruit needs to be ripened so it’s soft enough to eat, and people needed information on how to enjoy them – more than just a neat-looking garnish. In the early years, we even told people that Kiwifruit tasted like strawberries so they had something familiar to compare them to. Today, Kiwifruit tastes like Kiwifruit!

And about that name … Chinese Gooseberry. It was problematic for us since the fruit was not from China and not related to gooseberries. My mom is credited with helping change the name to Kiwifruit, after the Kiwi, New Zealand’s national bird, which similarly has brown “fur.”

Over the years more and more Kiwifruit was being grown around the world and our company began playing a relatively smaller role in its marketing. But, we’ve always continued to sell Kiwifruit.

Back in 1993, we got a call from a local backyard farmer named Roger Meyer. He had developed a small crop of yellow-fleshed Kiwifruit, which he had been researching for more than 10 years. We worked with Roger for many years, marketing and selling his annual crop of a few hundred cases of Yellow Kiwifruit.

Today Gold (Yellow) Kiwi has become quite a large business, and Zespri in New Zealand is growing hundreds of thousands of pounds of this fruit not only in New Zealand but also in California.

A few years earlier (1988), we got word of another variety of kiwi called “Hardy Kiwi” coming out of Oregon. It was called “Hardy” because the rootstock held up fairly well to different growing conditions. But, we didn’t like the name…

So, the fruit was renamed Baby Kiwifruit and, funny thing — they actually resemble green gooseberries!

Baby Kiwifruit are typically green and fuzzless and about the size of grapes. The inside flesh is green, with small edible black seeds, just like regular kiwifruit. They are only available for a short window of time — and the U.S. season typically starts in late September and goes through October. Growers have found that it’s easiest to pack them in clamshell trays, just like other berries.

Of course, Baby Kiwifruit are also kid-friendly, and a great way to make your fruit salads more interesting. Or, you can just eat them out of hand, although I sometimes find them reminiscent of green eye balls…

The first shipment of the season arrived in our warehouse on September 27, and we are already shipping them cross-country! If you can believe it – our biggest customers for these cute fruits are in New York, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania!

Look for Baby Kiwifruit near the berries in your produce department (they need to be refrigerated). If you don’t see them, please go ask your produce manager or store manager to order them for you.

Three years ago when my daughter Alex bought her Mac computer for college, my husband recommended she get a “back-up drive,” so she could save a copy of all her work, in case something happened to her computer.

When I asked Alex about it, she said, “Yeah mom, I subscribed to Apple’s back-up service for less than $100 a year.”

Never gave it a second thought, until I was attending an agri-business seminar this past March. The last speaker for our three-day conference was there to talk about the latest and greatest in the IT (information technology) world.

Cloud computing, in essence, gives you the ability to use services on demand, rather than having your own hardware and software. There are public clouds, private clouds and hybrid public/private clouds.

Right now, owners of businesses can opt NOT to buy their own computer hardware and software systems, and instead can use the cloud option. Find a company whose software you like — and pay as you need it. You can operate your business from your laptop, utilizing THEIR software and hardware. Their information may be stored in a public cloud, or private cloud. Welcome to the new business model.

The “cloud” in cloud computing can be defined as the set of hardware, networks, storage, services, and interfaces that combine to deliver aspects of computing as a service. Cloud services include the delivery of software, infrastructure, and storage over the Internet (either as separate components or a complete platform) based on user demand. Cloud computing is the next stage in the Internet’s evolution, providing the means through which everything — from computing power to computing infrastructure, applications, business processes to personal collaboration — can be delivered to you as a service wherever and whenever you need.

• Ever use a back-up assistant for your cell phone? That’s the cloud.
• Do you have a Gmail, Yahoo, AOL or other web-based email account? The cloud.
• Use Salesforce.com to manage your customer lists and contacts? The cloud.

I encourage you to check it out, because according to what I’ve read, Amazon and Google are already using the cloud to store much of their information. The future is now! Well, I guess this gives new meaning to the saying, “my head is in the clouds.”

If you are not in the produce industry, you probably didn’t know that there is a National Apple Month. Actually, I just read that the U.S. Apple Association has made National Apple Month into a three-month promotion – September, October and November… I think that makes it an oxymoron! Regardless, having an apple month is a great way to communicate to consumers that freshly harvested apples are available.

We are so spoiled here in the United States — almost all of our fruits and vegetables are available 12 months out of the year, so we may not even realize when the new crop of anything becomes available.

Well it’s that time for apples. And if you live near an apple-growing area, you are surely aware of it, as many farmers have a “pick your own” event at their orchards. Although I have never picked my own apples, I have many friends across the country who say that it is a wonderful weekend family activity.

Most commercial apple growers in the United States harvest their fruit during a three-month time period. I called one of my apple grower friends (Brian in Wenatchee, WA) and he gave me the scoop:

Growers harvest apples at different times, depending on the timing of their ripening. Some varieties are ready to harvest in August (like Galas and Honeycrisp). Then in September come the Braeburn, Cameo, Fuji, Golden Delicious and Jonagold. And finally, the season finishes up in October and sometimes November with Granny Smith, Pink Lady and Red Delicious. And there are many other varieties — these are just the biggies from the West Coast. New York apple growers have many other varieties.

Apples are still harvested by hand into bushel baskets (if the trees are tall, they have to climb up ladders to harvest), and then transferred to large bins holding a thousand pounds or more. The apple bins are then transported by truck to a cold storage/packing shed where they are inspected for quality and ripeness (using a refractometer). Next, the apples are immediately put into cold storage (33 to 34 degrees).

The fruit is then washed, graded, waxed and packed into large 40-pound cartons, in which all apples are the identical size. You should see some of the high-tech equipment that apples are packed on. It is an incredibly fast-paced sight to see!

Imagine for a moment how big the apple industry must be. Growers have to produce enough apples to supply every single consumer (through supermarkets and restaurants) in America, 365 days a year. Plus, I’m certain that every apple grower and shipper exports apples to other countries around the world, too. And, yes, even though you might find apples from New Zealand in your local supermarket at various times of the year, the U.S. apples growers are the primary source of supply, which is why apples are commercially grown in 36 states!

We all know the saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Well, listen to your mother and grandmother! Apples are high in fiber, fat free, sodium free and they are a source of the mineral boron, which may promote bone health. (More info on boron here.)

So, next time you entertain, instead of having a wine-tasting party, why not have an apple-tasting party! Take off the labels, and cut various apple varieties into eighths. Have your guests score each (unnamed) one on sweetness, color, tartness, crunchiness, etc. I bet you’ll be surprised. Many people think that apples only come in three colors (red, green and yellow) and may not realize the incredible flavors and textures that are available.

When shopping for apples, you’ll find that some retailers refrigerate them. We think that’s good! Apples should always be refrigerated to maintain their freshness and crispness. When you get them home, store your apples in the fridge, not on the counter.

As far as my favorite apple variety, I have to side with my mother. We both love the Fuji apple. They are quite sweet-tart and very crunchy.

So, during your next stop at the grocery store, check out the apple display. This is the time of year when supermarkets have “Apple-o-Rama” promotions and you’ll have the most choices.

Most of us probably don’t give a second thought to the vegetable seed industry, but I can tell you that in my business, seed companies are extremely important.

There are trade groups, such as the American Seed Trade Association, and there are the big seed companies, like Syngenta, Monsanto and Nunhems. There are also niche seed companies such as Stokes Seeds, Paramount Seeds, Corona Seeds, Seedway, Seeds by Design and Siegers Seed Co. — just to name a few.

I’ve mentioned before that I read some pretty crazy publications in my work, and as I was catching up on my stack last weekend, I came across the June issue of American Vegetable Grower Magazine. I was fascinated with an article on the future of the vegetable seed industry, so I wanted to share some highlights from it.

Global food demand is right there on top. The farmers who grow the food we eat are part of an amazing patchwork of food producers across the world. As the world’s population grows, plant science plays a vital role in meeting the global food demand. Other trends include plant disease problem solving and developing seeds that produce superior tasting foods. (Taste is always No. 1 in my book.) In addition, new and unique vegetable varieties — think maroon carrots and purple snow peas — is another trend driving today’s seed industry.

Farmers want to grow foods that are disease- and insect-resistant. Did you know that seed companies play an important role by developing varieties that will reduce the need for pesticides, herbicides and insecticides? And some seeds will grow better in different climates and soil types. Companies are busy developing a corn variety for grain that grows in Iowa, which will be completely different than the fresh corn grown in Northern California.

Consolidation in the grower community is a major challenge. Consolidation happens when companies join together, so that instead of a group of small growers, you might have only one VERY LARGE grower. So, when a seed company approaches a commercial grower with something innovative, it’s often more difficult to reach the decision makers.

(It’s the same phenomenon that we have seen in the supermarket business. Many of us only have two or three large supermarket companies in our area, when we used to have six or eight. This makes it more challenging for food suppliers like Frieda’s and offers consumers fewer choices.)

The good news is that just as consolidation is happening in all segments of business, it is cyclical. There are always entrepreneurs who are not satisfied with the status quo and launch their own companies. That’s how Frieda’s ended up with seedless watermelons. (A small company a few decades ago pioneered this now-mainstream product.)

So, now when you go to the market and pick out your fresh veggies, you might think twice about how they got there.

Cucumbers are one of my favorite vegetables. I love their refreshing, cooling flavor. But as I was growing up, I always hated peeling off the outside skin (a necessity as the skin was bitter). As you must know, field grown cucumbers have a tough (though edible) skin. It just seems like so much work to have to peel them, before slicing and adding to salads.

Enter: Hot House Cucumbers, aka Hydroponic Cucumbers, aka European Cucumbers, aka Seedless Cucumbers, aka Burpless Cucumbers. It probably won’t come as a surprise that Frieda’s Inc. had a hand in the first marketing of this now widely grown product. It was back in the late 1960s that my mother received the first Hot House Cucumbers at her produce stand at the Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market. They were kind of strange looking and originally came all the way (by truck) from Florida. First of all, they were wrapped in plastic film (partially to identify them from the field grown version and also to protect them from the cold – since they are grown in hot houses, they should NOT be refrigerated).

Second, they did not have to be peeled. It took many years, and lots of educational material, to make sure consumers and produce buyers knew that they did not have to be peeled. What a time saver! And they had an added bonus: (to be blunt) they do not make you burp, which used to be a common complaint.

Now they are grown and distributed throughout the United States from as far north as Canada and in many places throughout North America and Mexico. As with most vegetables, the harvests move from growing area to growing area, starting in the south (Mexico) in the winter months and moving north (Canada) in the summer.

The latest “innovation” in cucumber marketing is the “baby” Persian cucumber. These mini cucumbers are about 6 inches long and usually come packed in clamshells or bags and now can be found in most every supermarket across the country. They are called “Persian” cukes because these miniatures have long been popular with shoppers of Persian and most Middle Eastern descents. Sliced into salads, they are quite firm and crunchy. And they do not have to be peeled.

I’m thrilled that they are now widely available. I can buy either a 1 lb. or 2 lb. package a couple of times a week, and store them in the refrigerator. I slice 1 or 2 of them lengthwise and include them in my own lunch or my daughter’s. They are great eaten as is, or dipped in hummus.

I still purchase the Hot House Cucumbers, as I find they have a softer texture when thinly sliced into salads. And try this for a refreshing beverage…When you are entertaining add thin slices of cucumber and lemon to water. It gives a fresh, earthy flavor and is healthy alternative to other beverages (like sodas…which are virtually banned at my house).

I do have one recommendation when purchasing Hot House Cucumbers: pick a good one which will last at home – inspect the ends to make sure they are NOT soft. That’s the part that goes bad first. Some retailers refrigerate them and others do not. When you get home, it’s best to store them at the same temperature that you purchase them (it’s the change in temperature and humidity that causes them to go bad quickly).

Enjoy!
Karen

Nearby is the famed multi-level Beverly Center shopping mall, the Fairfax District (filled with Judaica shops and New York-style delicatessens) and not far from Rodeo Drive.

A few weeks ago, my husband, who is a Houston native and moved to Los Angeles just three years ago, made reservations for us to take the Melting Pot Food Tour of the Los Angeles Farmers Market.

Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m. was the appointed time. (They conduct tours several days a week.) We lucked out–there were only four other people in our group when there usually are 12-15 people on each tour.

They had “suggested” we not eat breakfast before we start this 3 ½ hour walking/sampling tour. I only wish I had taken their advice.

Our first stop was at Bob’s Coffee & Doughnuts for coffee and the best doughnuts I’ve ever tasted. (Llet me assure you that I do not like doughnuts–they make my stomach hurt.) These were fresh and AMAZINGLY good. (And my stomach didn’t even notice!). Okay, I’m full already and it’s only 9:45!

Then we spent the next two hours tasting French cheese and bread, homemade peanut butter and peanut brittle, agua dulce (sweetened fruit juice), Brazilian barbecue, and more. There are more than 25 shops and 50 different eating establishments at the Los Angeles Farmers Market. It’s a foodie and tourist haven. I was stuffed, and it was only 11:30.

And now, for the piece de resistance! We walked outside the Farmers Market and about ¾ of a mile up West 3rd Street. On this Sunday morning, there weren’t a lot of people out, so it was an easy walk. We saw Derringer Cycles (for all you motorcycle buffs), A.O.C. and Little Next Door (apparently two of the hottest restaurants in L.A.). And, my personal favorite, Joan’s on Third, which is the most amazing food establishment and, I believe, the inspiration for the Dean & DeLuca national chain of gourmet food stores. There we were served samples of their #1 selling food item: Chinese Chicken Salad which was to die for!

Before we ended our tour with lunch (did I mention not to eat breakfast before you go on this tour??) at Mishima, a Japanese Noodle bar. We also walked by the New York-style, Sex and the City-inspired bakery, Magnolia, which had opened for business just days before.

All I can say is that it was well worth the $49 per person for the “culinary walking adventure.” And, whether you are a Southern California native or are here visiting for a few days – this was a landmark that is not to be missed!

Ever since I was young, I have loved eggplant. I’m not sure why. (Maybe it’s because it’s also called by its French name, Aubergine…pronounced oh-bear-jhean…in Europe and Canada).

But I do remember that my late Auntie Ruth (my mother’s older sister) always served an eggplant caponata dip, with crackers, at all our family gatherings. The squishy, chewy texture, and rich flavor brings back so many memories.

So, a few years ago, when I started barbecuing during the summers, I began experimenting with eggplant on the grill. I feel like I have perfected it…as even our most finicky guests comment: “Wow – I’ve never tasted Eggplant like that. I like it!”

About six to eight hours before I plan to serve my grilled veggies, I cut the eggplant into 1-inch slices (keeping the skin on). (I am referring to the large dark purple skinned eggplants that you find in your produce department.) I arrange them on baking sheets and salt them heavily with KOSHER salt, leaving them out on the counter at room temperature. The Kosher salt causes the eggplant to sweat (beads of water will form) and this removes the bitterness of the eggplant. After an hour or so, I pat off the water with paper towels, flip the eggplant slices over and salt the other side, and repeat the process for another hour.

Then the grilling begins. I fire up the grill (first on HIGH, and then when the grill is hot, turn the heat down to medium-high). I gently brush olive oil on each eggplant slice and place the oil-side down on the grill. Close the barbeque cover, let the eggplant slices grill for about 8 to 10 minutes. While still on the grill, brush the top side of the eggplant with olive oil. Turn it over to cook on the second side for another 5 to 6 minutes (or until tender when touched with tongs).

And now, the second half of my secret recipe…I remove the eggplant slices from the grill and place on a serving platter and cover it with foil. I let the eggplant rest at room temperature (under foil) for at least 2 to 3 hours. (Then I usually grill Zucchini slices, red and yellow peppers and Portobello mushrooms and arrange them on top of the eggplant, under the foil).

The RESTING does something special to the eggplant. The flavors open up. I usually drizzle a light Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing (or balsamic glaze) over the veggie platter during this resting period.

This summer, like many other businesses, we decided to use interns to get many of our “odds and ends” projects done. Plus, philosophically, I see it as a way to give real world experience to college students as they are deciding what they want to be when they grow up.

Most small companies might consider hiring one intern…but we decided to hire FOUR this summer. It was a big undertaking, but well worth it.

First, meet Kate. She has just started her third year at USC as an accounting major and she comes from a farming business. Her dad, Howard Elmore is a large vegetable grower and casually mentioned to me at a conference that his daughter was looking for an internship. I told him that she needed to do her own follow through, and send me an email and her resume. (I just hate it when parents try to do all the work for their kids…they are being helicopter parents. Let the kids learn what it’s like to secure a position on their own. They own it and will feel better about it.)

I was happy when Kate followed through right away. After a phone interview and interviews with three people from our finance department, we decided to bring her on board for six weeks to work in Accounting.

Second, there is Julian. Julian is the son of our Marketing Manager, Jaime. Julian has just started his second year at Occidental College. He is an Economics major and had never worked in an office environment. After an interview with two people in the HR department, we agreed to bring him on to help with special projects in HR and Marketing.

Third, there is Frankie. Frankie is my sister’s son and he is starting his second year at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo and is majoring in Mechanical Engineering. Frankie has helped us out before – so we knew he could work on special projects as needed.

Well, I decided to do something different and each of them was required to send me an email at the end of each week, giving a brief overview of “what they learned.” I learned a lot about their personalities, their writing styles and their level of detail. I also met with each of them, at least once a week – just to check in and see how they were doing.

From Kate: The Company operates with an emphasis on cross-functionality between departments to ensure a smooth processes flow. The relaxed, yet productive work environment also helps the communication (I believe) between sales, buyers, accounting, marketing and warehouse logistics. Also, the Company’s relationships with growers stress communication. I learned from Dorian about Frieda’s vested interest in customer satisfaction, and the importance of forming long-term relationships with growers with an equal interest in the quality of the product and ultimately consumer satisfaction.

From Julian: Each week has brought some sort of new task to finish or new skill to develop. Along the way I have learned how to use Excel, Photoshop, Illustrator, how to write in HTML and FBML code and even how to edit a movie in iMovie. Yet it was the intangible lessons I am learning from being in a professional environment that will resonate most with me in my future endeavors.

From Frankie: I learned about food safety auditing and what it is. I learned about what the agricultural industry has to do to meet safety standards and how few are known to be third-party certified. This was a tough project for me, as I only knew some of my instructions, going into the project. Much of the paperwork was a foreign language to me, so I learned how complicated (but necessary) it can be.

Since Kate left to go back to school in August, she has called and emailed me several times. She has told me over and over again that her friends who did internships this summer, basically did filing all summer. She was so proud to tell them that she helped us document actual finance processes as part of our computer upgrade.

Julian was effusive on his last day. He was thrilled to tell me that during his last week, he was allowed to use his computer skills and produced (using raw footage and raw soundtrack) the rough-cut to one of our Specialty Produce 101 YouTube videos (soon to be published on our Frieda’s Specialty Produce Channel). He also said that the most important skill he learned during his time interning in our office was proper protocol for working in an office environment. (I never thought about how important a skill that is to teach our college students.)

And Frankie was a surprise for me. He sat right outside my office and we got to interact each day (he is very funny). Frankie spent much of his time on the phone during his six weeks here – calling suppliers. He told me that he has improved his phone skills and no longer has call hesitation. When someone he called got a bit agitated, it was a challenge for him. But he improved his people skills. He learned how to better negotiate (get the information we needed) and although it was frustrating when people didn’t do what they said they would, so he would just call back again.

Earlier, I mentioned that we had 4 interns this summer. Our fourth, Rolff, will be starting next week. He is a third year student from EARTH University (in Costa Rica). He and his family are from Haiti and we are excited that he will be working with us for three months. I will be writing more about Rolff in a few months.

No matter how small (or large) your company is, I highly recommend having student interns. What a great way to give back…and for students to get real world experience.

Each Sunday, after our breakfast together, I have gotten into the habit of taking my mom grocery shopping.

This past Sunday, we had stopped into our local Whole Foods so she could pick up a few things. As we walked through the produce department, I noticed a small display of hard-shelled squash. Seeing the Sweet Dumpling and Delicata Squash reminded me of my first few years in the produce business. It seemed that every fall season (back in the late 1970s) would bring a new variety of squash.

At one point, I think we were offering more than 15 varieties – each a different color, shape and flavor! I found in those early days that most people (buyers and consumers alike) didn’t realize that squash was edible…they thought they were totally for decoration. All hard shelled squash are edible, but the bigger ones are just harder to cut.

What I like most about Sweet Dumpling and Delicata Squash is their small size and great flavor. Sweet Dumpling has an internal golden flesh which is thick and super sweet. Delicata, even though it looks similar with its green and cream stripes, tastes like Corn Chowder! Really, like corn chowder.

When you pick up a squash, it should be heavy for its size. If it seems light in weight, it is probably dehydrated. The domestic squash season starts in late August and goes through Thanksgiving, so most of the squash you find now should be heavy (and meaty), since they are freshly harvested.

Microwave or Oven? Everyone always asks this. Well, if you are in hurry (during the week) – then by all means, use the microwave. You should always halve the squash before cooking (which hastens the process) – and it should take less then 10 minutes (but let the squash rest for about 5 minutes, to complete the cooking and develop a fuller flavor). For exact directions and delicious recipe ideas, click here to go to our website.

But, if you want to savor the smell and the taste of freshly roasted squash, then I really recommend baking it. Yes, it heats up your kitchen, but you can cook squash at the same time as other dinner items. The slow cooking time allows the full flavor of the squash to develop – and sometimes cooked squash can taste like dessert (instead of like a vegetable high in fiber and vitamin A).

Coincidentally, I was at a Gourmet Club dinner party on the Saturday evening before and one of the guests (my friend Don) brought a very delicious side dish…made with three varieties of hard shelled squash. I asked Don if I could share his recipe. Since cooking is one of Don’s passions, he doesn’t use exact recipes, so when you read this you will get the idea (this recipe serves 16 people).

The Clay Pot makes the perfect tenderizer for the squash. And yes, the skin on these varieties is edible!

So, as the weather continues to cool, take the opportunity to cook up some squash. Use them to decorate your counter top, until you cook them for dinner!

It’s amazing how fast time flies. It seems like just last week we were attending High School and College graduation parties and voila…now it’s back to school time. I was looking at my Facebook page this morning and saw that one of my friends was taking her daughter to her first day of school. Wow – the summer went fast.

So what can we do differently this year, as school begins? If you are a parent (or grandparent) that has school age kids – can we talk about what the kids should eat for lunch?

I’ve been giving it a lot of thought…there is so much “buzz” out there about eating healthy. I really feel the need to share some ideas on improving the way our kids eat (and ideally…we parents will adopt similar changes). Here we go:

No fast food or processed foods this year. That means we’ll be packing healthy lunches at home (instead of allowing the purchase of ready-made foods at school). I’m not saying that the ready-made food available at school is “fast food” – but if we make it at home, then we KNOW what’s in it!

I plan to sit down with my daughter Sophia each Sunday, before we do our weekly grocery shopping, and plan what she’ll need to make her lunch each day (and breakfast, too). (Idea: my sister Jackie has created a “check list” so my niece can just “check off’ the menu she wants each day). We’ll create our weekly grocery list from this menu plan. We’re going to keep track of how many servings of fruits and vegetables we eat each day (goal is AT LEAST 5 a day…hopefully more).

If Sophia successfully packs (yes she’ll be packing her own lunch) and eats a healthy lunch each day – she’ll get a “bonus” at the end of the week (it may be financial or a credit towards something she wants). I got that idea from checking out the FOOD DUDES website. “Reward” is an important part of the program to change the way kids eat.

Sophia will go to the grocery store with me each week and will pick her favorite fruits and vegetables (participating in the process really gets our kids to “buy in” to the changes, as they have control).

I’m going to pay closer attention to see if this change in diet, also changes her behavior and how well she does in school. All the anecdotal research shows the change will be positive.

If you are interested in more ideas on how to help kids eat healthier, check out these websites: Fruits & Veggies More Matters — they even have shopping lists, community ideas and a section called “getting kids involved” and First Lady Michelle Obama’s inspired Let’s Move! website that is a great resource on exercise, eating healthy and more. Also, check out this New York Times article about doctors now writing “prescriptions for fresh produce” to fight childhood obesity.

To all the moms and dads reading this – I know that getting our kids to eat healthy is a big challenge. They want to be cool and eat cool foods (read: fast foods), or they don’t want to eat during the school day at all (and then totally gorge themselves when they get home from school). Just stick with it – that’s what I plan to do. I plan to have a dialogue (not a monologue) with my daughter so we are both on the same page. I would love to hear what you’re doing to help your kids eat healthier. Please share your comments here.

I realize I am definitely dating myself on this one. But that was the year that my parents moved into their home in Los Alamitos, California. We had a huge backyard (I was almost three years old…so it looked like a ranch to me).

My parents decided to plant fruit trees in our backyard…the entire back fence of our backyard was filled with Pomegranate trees (planted in between them were Guava trees…but that’s another story).

As we grew up – of course the trees bore fruit. What to do with those giant red fruits? Naturally, being the first born daughter of an entrepreneur, I would go out to the backyard and pick the fruit, put it in bags and go around my neighborhood (pulling my little red wagon filled with fruit) and try to sell it. Pomegranates were not well known at that time, so I had a hard time selling them.

I recall the harvest was always near the end of October, so we decided that what I couldn’t sell we would give out at Halloween instead of candy.

While that sounded like a great idea…do you have any idea what kids like to do with big red fruits, filled with dark red seeds? They like to throw them at other people! Our Halloween gift idea only lasted one year, as our entire block was filled with dark red stains on the sidewalk.

Fast forward to the late 1990s…I had been working with mom in the produce business for many years and had been selling Pomegranates each fall to our retail clients across the country. One day, I received a phone call from Lynda and Stewart Resnick. They owned Teleflora and the Franklin Mint and a large acreage of Almonds. They asked me to come up to their home in Beverly Hills, as they had some questions about Pomegranates.

I doubt the information we discussed that day changed their business strategy…but you probably know what they eventually did with pomegranates. POM WONDERFUL® (made from fresh squeezed, California grown Pomegranates) reinvented the Pomegranate category, whether it is fresh squeezed juice, tubs of Pomegranate Arils, or freeze dried chocolate covered seeds that are now at Trader Joe’s. You can read about Lynda’s recently published book “Rubies in the Orchard” here – it is an interesting book about her marketing savvy. And she is an incredible marketer.

It made me feel good that Lynda and Stewart called upon our firm to get a feel for market potential. That’s what we’ve done for a lot of growers over the years. We pioneer a product, develop a following and get the product lots of publicity. Then, like in the case of Kiwifruit and Sugar Snap Peas™, the item “takes off” and eventually is grown world wide by many growers, thus requiring a larger network of marketers.

But, maybe you can now see, how we got the name…”The company that changes the way America eats.” It sure makes trying new foods exciting!

Karen
PS — When I was at the food show, Fruit Logistica in Berlin this past February, guess which product was selected as the best new product of the year? A new plastic tool, invented in Israel that allows you to easily remove the seeds from Pomegranates!

Have you ever wondered how produce companies (like Frieda’s) evaluate fruit to see if “it’s good” when it arrives at their warehouse? Here’s a quick course on some of the tools we use:

To tell how SWEET a piece of fruit really is, we use a Refractometer. A Refract

ometer measures the brix (or percentage of soluble solids, or sugar) of the fruit. Our Quality Control guru, John, uses the Refractometer whenever we receive any kind of fruit.

To measure the brix, John will cut a piece of fruit and then squeeze some juice from the fruit onto the open Refractometer. He will then close it, and look into the eyepiece (kind of like a kaleidoscope) to see what degree of sugar is measured. For most fruit, the minimum level of brix is 14-15 degrees. For SUPER SWEET fruit – it might be as high as 20 degrees brix. For fruit over 20 degrees brix – we say, it would “give you cavities.”

To tell how FIRM a piece of fruit really is, there is the Penetrometer, also known as a Fruit Pressure Tester. It helps measure the firmness of the fruit. There are several models of Penetrometers – one for apples, pears, and other harder fruit, and another for softer fruits, such as peaches. When we receive fruit at our warehouse in Southern California it must be firm or hard. If it’s soft, we cannot ship it to our customers across the country, so we may have to send it back to the grower (reject it).

To tell the exact diameter or SIZE of fruit or vegetables, we use Calipers. Many of our clients have requirements as to the exact diameter of fruit they will accept at their produce warehouses, so we always double check fruit when it arrives at our warehouse. Most growers pack fruit on high speed, sophisticated packing equipment that guarantees the same sized fruit is in each box. However, because we specialize in “specialty fruit and vegetables,” many of which are grown by small scale growers, they don’t always have this high speed equipment. So, in order to have accurate information about the products, we will use the Calipers to verify the consistent sizing.

Betsy and I left her house and were on our way to the gym to do our Bootcamp workout.

During our short drive to the gym, we usually recap our days for each other (she’s an Executive Recruiter) and then talk about what we’re having for dinner. She informed me that she was making one of her favorite vegetables, “Corn on the Cob.”

Thank goodness I wasn’t the one driving when she told me that she put the corn in a pot of boiling water and hoped it would be done in 30-40 minutes when her husband got home. I was shocked that she was cooking the corn for so long.

She was a little surprised when I told her that I know a few corn growers who eat it raw – right after they pick it! It is super sweet and absolutely delicious.

I shared with her that to get the best flavor from corn on the cob, this is how you select it and cook it:

Buy corn that looks fresh, those that do not have dark or soft spots on the outside husk
Buy corn on the same day as you plan to eat it (the sweet flavor of corn starts to decline the moment it is picked, so the faster you eat it the sweeter it will taste).
Before boiling corn, remove husks and strings. Place ears in plenty of boiling, lightly salted water.
Cook for 3-5 minutes — That’s It!

To grill corn…

Leave husks on, and soak corn in cold water for about an hour before grilling. (Soaking it hydrates the husks, which kind of protects the corn and allows it to steam on the grill).
Grill the corn, in husk, turning frequently (so it doesn’t burn).
Cooking time will depend on your personal preference – anywhere from 15-20 minutes.

Here is a tasty recipe for grilled corn, Grilled-Corn-with-Chive-Butter

In recent years, there have been some fabulous developments in corn breeding and we now have corn that retains its sweet flavor (and doesn’t turn starchy so fast). In addition to Yellow Corn, there are varieties of White Corn and even “Bi-Color” Corn (which has both white and yellow kernels on the same cob!)

One of the newest innovations is Fresh Red Corn (in photo). It’s available during the summer months and is grown in Northern California. It’s not available in supermarkets everywhere, as it is considered a specialty item. But, you may see it in your local market and wonder what it is and how it got to be red. Red corn is actually an heirloom variety (from centuries ago) and its popularity has grown as consumers seem fascinated with new colors of familiar foods (think of all the different colored bell peppers we have now…instead of just green). From my taste experience, the Red Corn has a starchier flavor than regular sweet corn.

So, as you are making plans for your Labor Day barbecues – consider picking up some fresh corn at your local supermarket…and grilling it next to the burgers, chicken and hot dogs.

Delicious! Enjoy!
Karen

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Okay, I admit it. It was kind of “nosey” of me to look at what was on my friend, Wendy’s desk. I was spending the night at her house a few months ago and she was showing me her home and we came to her home office.

Her desk was very neat – and I couldn’t help but notice this small, turquoise paperback book titled, “Pocket World in Figures.” It is published by “The Economist” (you know that magazine that you see on the newsstands at airports…right above the Wall Street Journal and Forbes).

Part 1 – is a section entitled “World Rankings.” You pick the subject and there is probably a ranking…Highest Population (China) and Median Age (Japan) (those were interesting, no real surprises there).

Part 2 – is a section by Country. From Algeria to Zimbabwe and every country in between – all sorts of information is right at your fingertips: Population, Economic (like Gross Domestic Product – GDP), Education, Energy, etc.

For example, Percent of Employment in Agriculture: China 41%, Brazil 21%, New Zealand 7%, USA 2%, Israel 2%

Number of Computers per 100 people: Canada 94.3, Norway 62.9, Italy 36.7, Thailand 7.0

It took me a while to find the exact name of the book (I emailed someone at The Economist offices and described what I had seen). And to purchase it took a little while longer – thank goodness for Amazon.com. I purchased a used copy for less than $6.

Not only is this a great gift for student, it’s also an awesome way to learn about the world we live in. Sadly, included in the book are rankings of The Largest Refugee Nationalities (Afghanistan) and Business Software Piracy (Armenia).

So, if you plan to be a contestant on JEOPARDY…I would definitely purchase a copy!

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As part of my position on the Board of the Agricultural Issues Center at the University of California Davis (from which I graduated), I have gotten to know a researcher by the name of Dr. Karen Jetter. Karen asked me to serve on a task force whose purpose is to see if giving school-aged children free snacks of fresh fruits and vegetables will help improve their total consumption of fresh produce. The idea is to find a way, at an early age, to change the consumption patterns of Americans, and stop our obesity epidemic.

So, last week, I was on a conference call, which included Dr. Fergus Lowe (Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of Wales, Bangor) calling in from Wales, Dr. Jetter and a few other California colleagues.

On the call, we learned that the United Kingdom (UK) has one of the lowest consumption levels of fruit and vegetable in Europe and as a consequence, Britain now has one of the worst heart disease rates in the world. In addition, British children, in particular, are reluctant to eat fruit and veggies. In an effort to reverse this habit the UK government has developed a program to increase children’s consumption of fruits and veggies.

Enter “Food Dudes”, a program which was developed by psychologists at University of Wales, Bangor to encourage and maintain healthy eating habits in children. To find out more about it, go to their website. There is a video showing the four “Food Dudes” getting kids all excited. Check it out.

Here in the United States, we have a wonderful school-based fresh fruit snack program called the Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program (FFVP). For the 2010-2011 school year, the US Government will be providing $101 million in program funding to benefit students in more than 4,000 schools nationwide. These school age children are given free fresh fruits and vegetables snacks during their school day – and in the over 5 years that this program has been going on, there have been some tremendous benefits.

• Attention span of the students seems to improve
• Kids like the new fruits and veggies and go home and ask their parents to purchase them
• Kids seem to have an interest in including more fruits and veggies in their eating and want to participate in shopping
• Administrators and nurses report less behavior problems and absences

With all the bad and sometimes confusing press we read or hear about regarding our elected officials – wouldn’t it be nicer to hear more about this fabulous program?

On the very same day as I was on that conference call, the U.S. Senate passed (by unanimous consent) the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (SB 3307) which will expand access to the existing child nutrition programs. To find out more information, click here.

What a great idea – give school aged children fresh fruits and vegetables every day instead of sugary, salty or processed snacks. Teach them good eating habits at a young age so that when they grow up, they will eat healthier, thereby reducing their lifelong medical bills.

Makes sense to me. How about if we all start doing this at home…right now, today?

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That’s how we have always described Asian Pears. Well, that’s after we changed the name to “Asian” pears.

They were originally called Apple Pears. It was shortly after I started working full time in the business with mom (in the early 1980s) that we decided to change the name. It was confusing to people…were they apples or were they pears? We decided to change the name to ASIAN pears since they were so popular with those with Asian ancestry. In Japanese and Chinese cultures, they were so special, that you might be presented with a single Asian Pear, as a gift!

The first Apple Pears were grown by our good friends, the Kershaw family in Yakima, Washington. I can still recall the excitement when the first large shipment of them arrived on the downtown Los Angeles Wholesale Produce market. They were the Shinseiki variety, which had a pale green outside skin. The skin was so delicate that sometimes they looked scratched, just from being packed into the box!

Ed and Bob Kershaw have long since stopped growing Asian Pears in Washington state, as we found that the weather conditions were not optimal.

Now, there are some amazing growers, right here in California and as far away as Virginia, who are growing many different varieties. And the domestic Asian Pear season has just begun! (There is also a large crop which grows in Chile – during the opposite season. . .but this year the crop was quite small, due to the damage caused by the devastating earthquake a few months ago).

The domestic Asian Pear season starts each year in early August and you should be able to find them in your local supermarkets now. Why are Asian Pears one of my favorite fruits? Because of their FLAVOR of course.

The brown-skinned Hosui variety has overtones of wine in its flavor profile. There are other varieties, such as Shinsui, Kosui – but you will not often see them sold with their varietal names. They will just be called “Asian Pears”.

What makes them so unusual is they almost always have a grainy texture (not like the buttery texture of most other pears, of European origins) and are not usually used in cooking. They are most commonly eaten out of hand.

Asian Pears come in all different sizes (small for kids to pack in their lunch) and large to make a spectacular statement when served whole as a dessert. They are usually big and round and many times, you will notice them protected by a Styrofoam “sock”, making them look like a gift. That sock is there to protect the fruit from rubbing and bruising the fruit (sure wish we had those socks back in the early days).

They should be refrigerated when you find them at your supermarket and should be refrigerated once you get them home. And be sure to have a big napkin nearby as when you take that first bite, their juiciness will overwhelm you!

At various times of the year you can find Asian Pears from Japan (they have a light yellow skin), from Korea (they are brown skinned) and from China (they are usually light yellow skinned, too – but are more pear shaped).

Most importantly – be sure to try one. When I am asked, “What’s the next Kiwifruit?” I often want to say that it’s the Asian Pear. It is so consumer friendly and delicious.

And, as you can guess. . .they are crunchy like an apple and juicy like a pear! Yum!

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One of my managers came into my office this morning. We meet each week to catch up, review pending projects and make sure we are on the same page.

Today’s meeting began differently than all our other meetings. He started the conversation by saying, “I went to a funeral last night.”

Why did my manager decide to tell me about this? For two reasons, I think. First, it is always hard when someone your own age dies – especially as you gather at a wake or funeral to reminisce about their life and their contributions.

The second reason was that it was suspected that his friend might have had a problem with alcohol.

I think we all have friends like this. They are great people. Smart. Inspiring. Until they start to drink. They drink and drink and drink. Their behavior gets out of hand. They get embarrassing or boisterous.

We looked at each other, after he told me about his evening, and all I could say was, “Is there a teachable moment here that we can pass on to our kids and friends?”

How many times have we been afraid to take advantage of these teachable moments? Do we talk with our kids (with sensitivity and respect) about the very real dangers of alcohol and drugs? Do we hesitate to confront a friend who has a drinking problem?

Coincidentally, late last night, my good friend emailed me about her own personal dilemma. She had become estranged from her best friend due to her friends’ husbands’ alcoholism. It broke her heart. She wanted advice on reconnecting with her friend. Should she?

For both of these dear people – it should be a teachable moment. Teaching sensitivity, gentle confrontation, forgiveness and a strong belief system.

Try to notice all the teachable moments that appear in your life. You always have the choice. You can ignore it and leave it alone…or you can embrace the teachable moment.

Well, besides the obvious physical differences, you’ve probably noticed that men and women are different. We think differently, we act differently.

It is really apparent in my family, as we have so many women. My mom, Frieda, is the matriarch, there’s my sister and me, and of course, six out of the seven grandchildren are female. (I’m sure it was a shock to my husband Garry, who came from a family of four brothers and one son.)

So, when I received an email from one of my girlfriends about a UCLA study on how women respond to stress differently than men, I was intrigued. (You can read the abstract on the study here. In addition, here is a more detailed write-up.)

First, women are wired differently and often cope with stress by “tending and befriending,” rather than the typical “fight or flight” response – which is the natural male response to stress. Women seek the company of other women for comfort during times of stress. (We also tend to our offspring and do other nurturing behaviors to de-stress.) For you men, knowing why your wife, girlfriend, daughter or coworker acts the way she does when she’s stressed out can sure make life easier for you. It’s the reason women go and get coffee together and just “hang out” together when life gets challenging.

Second, over the decades, many medical studies were performed solely on male candidates, and the results and recommendations were thought to be the same for both genders. Researchers have only recently begun to realize that they need to study women separately, because the results can often be drastically different. For example, check out this recent New York Times article (sent to me by my former fitness trainer) about a study that changes the way women should calculate their maximum heart rate for exercising. (FYI, it is NOT 220 minus your age for women!)

OK, gentleman, I need to go now. I have to get ready to go to my (all female) book club, made up of women from ages 48 to 88. We have so much to talk about. . .

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I would imagine that most of us were not around on December 7, 1941, a day that will live in infamy. That was the day that the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu.

The only reason that I know something about Pearl Harbor, is that when I took an oral interpretation class in 7th grade, I had to pick a speech and give it to the class. The speech I chose was that of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, given on December 8, 1941 to Congress.

During our recent visit to Hawaii, I had the opportunity to visit Pearl Harbor for the first time. In my more than 40 years of traveling to Hawaii, I wonder why I never visited this amazing place of American history.

The Pearl Harbor historic park is made up of several different memorials which are all part of the recently dedicated WWII Valor in the Pacific National Monument. Although the main visitor center was under construction during our visit, there were still so many things to see and experience. We watched a 20-minute film that gave us an overview of the events of December 7, and the place was adorned with many banners highlighting soldiers, survivors and heroes.

We also visited the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum, and were able to board the sub and tour the interior. (First launched in 1942, the Bowfin sank many enemy ships during the war and was nicknamed the “Pearl Harbor Avenger.”) I highly recommend the audio tour, as it really explains the details of how the sailors lived and how the submarine functioned. It is an amazing piece of technology for being more than 65 years old. (Also on the Pearl Harbor campus is an aviation museum with actual airplanes that were flown during that time period.)

However, the most moving part of visiting Pearl Harbor was taking a boat over to the USS Arizona Memorial. The USS Arizona Battleship was bombed the morning of December 7 with hundreds of crew members on board, and it sank right in Pearl Harbor. What is so touching and meaningful about this memorial, is that it was constructed right over the hull of the actual wreckage site. As you stand there (many of us had tears rolling down our cheeks), you can see the rusted remains of the ship in the water below – which is the final resting place for many of the crewmen.

The memorial is operated by the U.S. National Park Service, and it was amazing to hear the guides announce that NO CELL PHONE usage (including NO TEXTING) would be permitted on the ferry boat to the memorial, or while in the exhibit building. There were many teens and adults on our boat, but I heard no grumbling about this announcement. All of us were so moved by being on the actual site of such a disaster that it just added to the mood of somberness.

History comes alive for us when we have the opportunity visit places like Pearl Harbor. On your next visit to Hawaii, I encourage you to take a full day and visit this important historical site. Even if your kids whine or complain, it is such an important part of our history, and so many people gave their lives that it is a “must-see.” The beach and the Mai Tais can wait.

While vacationing on Maui last week, we decided to take a day trip over to the island of Oahu. My husband Garry asked if I could get a private tour of the Dole Pineapple Plantation there, since I am a member of the produce industry. So, I emailed my longtime friend, Mike Cavallero, an executive with Dole, and he was kind enough to arrange a tour for us. (Garry read that over 1 million people visit the plantation every year and go through the biggest maze in the world.)

It was a sunny day and the tradewinds were blowing mildly. It was a perfect 86 degrees. We hopped in a farm vehicle and headed for a tour of part of the largest pineapple plantation in Hawaii – lead by Dan Nellis, operations director. We learned a lot about how pineapples grow. It takes about 18 months before the first crop comes off. A second crop will take an additional 14 to 18 months.

But, the big question of the day was, “How do you pick a pineapple?” or rather, “How to you pick a pineapple that is ripe and will taste awesome?”

I already knew that you DO NOT pull on the fronds on the top of the pineapple to see if they come out easily. (I have no idea who started that rumor…but it is completely untrue.)

And, according to Dan, COLOR is not an indicator either (which I did not know). Some pineapple varieties turn golden and others stay green on the outside.

I shared with Dan that my favorite way to pick a good-tasting pineapple is to purchase it at room temperature. And after examining it to make sure there are no soft or dark spots, or mold or bugs crawling on it, I smell it. If it smells the way I want it to taste, then I have found a winner. (You do have to make sure that pineapples have not started to ferment – a sign of over-ripeness.)

Dan agreed that was a good way to pick one, but recommended a more technical approach, just in case the pineapples at your store are not at room temperature.

Dan said that you should examine the outside shallow eyes, or “petals” (they are hexagonal in shape) which make up the outside rind of the pineapple. As the pineapple ripens, these petals flatten. In the center of the petal is a small protrusion or nub. This nub will become almost flat, which you can feel with your fingers.

With that information, we had fun walking the fields and looking for “ripe” pineapples to pick. I smiled when Dan got out his machete (which all pineapple farmers carry with them in the field), and cut a pineapple for me and my friends. There is NOTHING like a ripe pineapple, right out of the field.

So, next time you are at the store and want to pick a good-tasting pineapple, you can pick one with confidence.

• First, pick it up and make sure it is heavy for its size.
• Examine it closely to make sure there are no soft spots, bruises or mold growing.
• Pineapples ripen from the base, up to the top, so check the outside rind to be sure the petals are almost flat to the touch.
• And, if it is at room temperature, smell it.

When we returned to Maui and went to one of my favorite restaurants (Roy’s Kahana Bar & Grill in Lahaina), I had to order his famous Pineapple Upside-Down Cake. After you’ve seen them grow, you truly appreciate the flavor of fresh pineapple. Here’s the recipe if you want to try making this classic dessert for yourself.

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Being a West Coaster, Hawaii is a favorite vacation spot, and I feel very fortunate to be going there again this year! Garry and I and two other couples are going to spend a week on Maui this month. One of my favorite parts of the Hawaiian vacation is the food (no surprise there, I guess).

When we arrive, I like to drive to the nearby Safeway and Star Markets in Lahaina and see how the produce looks. I always stock up on the local fresh fruits, like apple bananas, papayas, starfruit, passion fruit, dragon fruit and pineapples. There is nothing like tree-ripened fresh fruit to make you feel like you are in paradise.

If you’ve been to Hawaii, then you will probably remember the final leg of your vacation — the conga line at airport security. You know what I’m talking about…

After you’ve passed your carry-on through the X-ray machine and taken off your tennis shoes, your belt, your watch, etc., you come to a second checkpoint where a couple of affable guys in Hawaiian shirts want to send your carry-on through one more scanner. “Why a second time?” you ask.

These guys are looking for fruit! I am embarrassed to admit that on one of my trips a few years ago, I had packed an apple and a banana, left over from our shopping. I didn’t want to waste any food, so I thought we could snack on the long plane flight home.

Those affable guys, in a very gentle but firm way, told me to dump the fruit. I was so embarrassed because as a long-time member of the produce industry, I, of all people should know that you cannot bring fruit from the Hawaiian Islands back to the Mainland (unless it is commercially packaged for sale at the airport).

Ever wonder why they make you dump the fruit? They are protecting Mainland agriculture. Believe it or not, those delicious tropical fruits could be hosts to the Oriental fruit fly and the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly) and other pests, which may have planted larvae deep inside the fruit ( I know that sounds gross). When the fruit is broken, eaten, or thrown away in a trash can on the Mainland, the larvae can eventually make their way to farms and orchards where other fruits grow. Ask citrus growers and avocado farmers how devastating these pests can be.

Read more detailed information about agricultural pests and the problems with them here. But more importantly, think back to any trip to you have taken by car, plane or train. Have you ever inadvertently (or on purpose) smuggled in fresh fruit across a state border? You may have read or heard that these fruits are prohibited from crossing borders, but you said to yourself, “Oh, just one piece of fruit won’t hurt.”

Well, one piece of fruit WILL hurt. An entire industry. Which is why, at the peak of the summer months, I am reminding everyone to leave their fruit where it is.

And, if you are ever on Maui and want some great fresh fruit and an awesome meal, try my favorite: Mama’s Fish House on the north shore of Maui. After you watch all the surfers down the road (they are really amazing athletes), go to Mama’s for a tropical drink and an awesome meal. But, make reservations, because it is a popular spot.

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When I think of summertime, I can’t help but think about fresh figs. Most people think of fresh peaches or nectarines as symbols of summertime. But I was raised by the “Queen” of specialty produce, so of course summer would remind me of figs.

Back in the early 1980s we were introduced to a small farmer by the name of Don Wessel. He and his family had a small fig farm near Visalia, California, and he shipped us the most beautiful yellow-greenish skinned figs – the Calmyrna variety. I remember how heavenly they tasted. (We probably would have sold more, but mom and I always had to sample them when the shipments arrived!)

It’s hard to believe that was 30 years ago! At that time, most consumers outside California had never seen, let alone tasted, a fresh fig. When I would ask my friends if they liked figs, they would say, “Figs? You mean like Fig Newton cookies?”

Figs go back to biblical times. Adam and Eve supposedly used fig leaves to make their first clothes. If you grew up in Italy, or have Mediterranean heritage, fresh figs may be a part of the authentic family meal. Tree-ripened fresh figs, broken in half, might be served wrapped in prosciutto, or stuffed with Gorgonzola cheese and broiled. What a perfect appetizer or dessert.

Over the last 30 years, fresh figs have really grown in popularity. There are now dozens of commercial fig farmers (both inside and outside California) who sell to the fresh market. (In contrast to those farmers who have their figs dried and then sold, or have them made into paste for cookies and baked goods.) Thanks to the amazing transportation system of our fresh produce industry, you can find fresh figs in local supermarkets from Maine to Florida and from California to Texas to Alaska, and everywhere in between. They may be shipped by truck, or by air. And if you’re lucky enough to find some in your local market this summer, I encourage you to buy a basket or a few fruits.

July is the peak of fig season. You can now find black-skinned varieties (Black Mission), brown-skinned (Brown Turkey), yellow-skinned (Calmyrna) or amber-skinned figs (Kadota). Check out the California Fresh Fig Growers Association website for some great info and recipes: www.calfreshfigs.com

I believe we should thank all the innovative chefs across the country for their role in fresh fig availability. As with many specialty items, it is chefs and their desire to have new flavors and textures, who spark new food trends and industries. It is because of these creative chefs, working with growers, that we can now get fresh figs through much of the summer and fall.

Fresh figs were even the “Secret Ingredient” on an episode of the Food Network’s Iron Chef America show this year.

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There was a period of time when it seemed like I had a lot of Steves in my life. There was Cantaloupe Steve (a melon grower), there were a couple of boyfriend Steves, and then there was Cell Phone Steve. He got that name because he gave my daughter Alex a cell phone for her Bat Mitzvah.

Well, one day about five years ago, Cell Phone Steve and I were talking and he casually mentioned how he looked in the Old Farmer’s Almanac in reference to weather conditions.

The Farmer’s Almanac? A modern day entrepreneur checking out the Farmer’s Almanac? Was it still around? Hmmm… I thought I’d better check that out for myself.

Ever since, I have been an avid reader of the Old Farmer’s Almanac. You can find it at your local grocery store or bookstore. It comes out once a year, and has different versions. I usually buy the regular version, but while I was cleaning out my office today, I found the “Special Gift Edition,” which I got at a produce industry show. I think it’s for non-commercial farmers.

• It includes a chart entitled “Best Days for 2010.” For each month the chart tells you things like the best day to quit smoking, best day to go camping, best day for dental care, best day to begin a diet, best day to slaughter livestock, etc.
• It gives you the weather forecast for each month (by days), including precipitation, temperature, cloudiness, etc.
• It tells you when the last spring frost and the first fall frost are predicted for each state, which is quite important for home gardeners.
• It tells you when all the holidays and observances are, including “movable” religious observances, such as Easter, Rosh Hashanah, etc.
• On the right-hand calendar pages, it provides earthquake prediction dates.
• No surprise to me – it also has information on when Mercury is in Retrograde

So, whether you are planning an outdoor party and want a head’s up on upcoming weather, or you’re a home gardener planning your next planting, it might be worth a few dollars to pick up a copy. You can also get a lot of great info from the Old Farmer’s Almanac website, www.almanac.com.

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I remember many years ago, the only bell peppers I could find in the produce department were the green ones. Red bell peppers were few and far between. And when you did find them, it was usually because the farmer had left his peppers on the vine too long and they turned from green to red (indicating maturity).

When Frieda’s was still on the Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market, we would occasionally get red bell peppers, but we had to sell them fast, because they were riper than the green ones and wouldn’t last long. At that time, all of the bell peppers were grown in open fields (no greenhouse-grown peppers), meaning they were probably only available in the spring and summer, when the weather was warm enough.

Now, colored bell peppers are available in produce departments 365 days a year. They come in many colors besides green. Red peppers are joined by yellow and orange varieties. Most of these three colors of peppers are grown in greenhouses in California, Arizona, Colorado, New Jersey and across Canada. (We also import purple and white bell peppers from Holland.)

Did you know that many of the first commercially-grown colored bell peppers were air freighted to the U.S. from Holland? Holland was a pioneer in the field of greenhouse and hot house farming, and was the first to commercially grow colored bell peppers, tomatoes and many other vegetables. Now there are greenhouses in Spain, Morocco, Israel, and many other countries — and they all export their fresh products around the world, often times to cooler-weather countries that don’t have year-round supplies.

One pioneering U.S. company, Sunworld International, introduced the first elongated sweet pepper in beautiful red and yellow colors. They were called La Rouge® (red) and La Jaune® (yellow) Royale Peppers. They were my favorite peppers because the skin was thin enough that I could eat them raw (I did not have to roast and peel them before using). They stopped growing them about 10 years ago.

Recently I heard from my good friend, David Marguleas, vice president of Sunworld, that his company is growing and marketing the Royale Peppers again. I was so happy to hear this!

So, no matter what, at this time of year, you can have a great time with all the colored peppers in your market. It is the peak of season for farmers, which means they are perfect for the summertime.

During the week, I slice up red and yellow peppers and take them to work for my lunch. Even my 16-year-old daughter Sophia just loves sliced red peppers — she dips them in hummus.

And for parties, I love to serve grilled peppers. I core and quarter them, sprinkle with kosher salt (it tenderizes them a bit) and brush with olive oil. Then I grill them on the barbecue for about 7 to 8 minutes on each side until they are tender and a little blackened. After grilling, I let the peppers “rest” on a platter covered in foil, so they really get tender.

So, when you are looking for something new for your veggie tray, or for grilling – try nutrition-packed sweet peppers. They are our family’s favorite.

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About 25 years ago, I was attending a Think Tank conference in Los Angeles. A petite women name Joline Godfrey came up and introduced herself to me. She was an inventor who was passionate about using games to educate the next generation on appreciating money and acquiring wealth. She had been following our company and was a consumer of our products in her local Boston supermarket. So, she wanted to put a face with a name, so to speak.

Well, over the years Joline and I became friends, and we eventually started our own investment club for about a dozen L.A.-based women. It was my first foray into a group that was not based in the produce world.

Joline’s career continued to evolve and she is now based in Santa Barbara. Her firm is called Independent Means, Inc. (IMI) and its vision is “To help raise a new generation with skills that ensure financial self-reliance and well being, and values that support lives of purpose and passion.”

Last summer, a group from IMI’s CAMP $TART UP — girls and boys ages 15 to 18 — came to visit our office. After the tour, we spent an hour answering their questions about what it’s like to run a business. We emphasized how important it is to have a business plan and to “know your numbers.”

Last month’s newsletter really struck a cord with me. “10 Basic Money Skills” and a “MONEY MAP” caught my eye. Because I have two young adult daughters, teaching them the value of money is always top of mind for me (especially during the summer months, when they have to balance the concepts of “summer vacation” with “summer job.”)

Do any of you have similar struggles with your children? Teaching them how to create a workable budget and follow it is not just about spending all the money you have. They should be taught both how to save, and how to be philanthropic.

I encourage you to read the May/June edition of MONEY WI$E, and I hope that you will learn, like I did, that your own personal struggle with money and teaching your children about it is a universal challenge. According to Joline, you should start teaching your kids about money and budgeting as early as 5 years of age!

Gosh, it must have been 30 years ago when we were still on the Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market. I would come to work at 4 o’clock in the morning – my mom, Frieda, had already been there since 2 a.m.

I’ll never forget the day the first few boxes of these teeny tiny grapes arrived. They were from our good friend, Allan Corrin from Reedley, California. The outside of those wooden lugs displayed the name “Zante Currants.”
They were tiny grapes about the size of your smallest fingernail. To eat them, you had to put the whole bunch in your mouth, and gently pull off the grapes with your teeth. Sweet, crisp, refreshing. Not only were they very sweet, they were fun to eat!

My mom and Allan worked together to create a more exciting name for these mini grapes. Why not call them “Champagne Grapes”? After all, they had a natural sparkle. And when clipped into small bunches, they were an attractive addition to glasses of bubbly champagne.

Now, more than 30 years later, there are several grape growers, from both Arizona and California, who grow these unique little grapes. The Arizona season just started (hot weather allows the grapes to sweeten up earlier), and in about a month, you will see California-grown Champagne Grapes available in your produce departments.

For convenience, many growers now pack the Champagne Grapes in plastic clamshell containers (containing about one pound of fruit). This makes it easier to pack and ship them, without the grapes getting crushed from handling.

If you are having a summer party or doing a cheese platter for an event, these are the perfect grape. And of course, if you have kids, you simply must try these mini-sized grapes. They are truly kid-friendly (and you won’t have to cut them in half).

July and August are great times to try the many varieties of summer fruits. Champagne Grapes are only available in our summer time (no Southern Hemisphere supplies), so don’t miss them! If you don’t see them in your produce department, go find your produce manager and ask him/her to order them for you.

On a side note, our good friend Allan Corrin passed away in May of 2007, and left a legacy of innovation in the grape and tree fruit industry. I had the good fortune to have lunch with the ever-smiling, blue-eyed Allan back in 2005 at his favorite restaurant in Reedley. He was 78 when we dined and he took great pride in touring me through his experimental farm, filled with delicious new varieties of grapes and plums.

Allan would be happy to know that his beloved Champagne Grapes are now being sold to supermarkets across the United States!

Are you close to celebrating your 50th birthday yet? If not, let me give you a preview.

About three months before your birthday, you will receive an envelope in the mail from AARP. In case you don’t know what that stands for, that is the American Association of Retired Persons.

Yes, it’s pretty much a shocker to get a personally addressed envelope from them. Your first instinct is to throw it away (which is what I did). Here is a bit of news for you. Your 50th birthday will still come on time, and the envelopes from AARP will continue.

Finally, after months of receiving them, I gave in, and opened up an envelope. I have to admit that after reading their materials, I became an AARP member just to see if it was worth it.

Immediately, I received my first copy of a tabloid-size magazine, cleverly titled, “The AARP Magazine.” I have found this bi-monthly publication to be very readable. It has pertinent information, and of course, the typeface is a size I can read without my glasses!

A couple months later, I opened up to the editor’s page and found an interesting article entitled, “Making Things Right.” It was the editor’s personal recollections of her elderly aunt who had passed away. The editor shared her memories and regrets in not spending more time with her aunt before she died.

“The most important lesson was this: make things right with the people you love, while you have the chance.”

That article has stayed with me for the past few months and has rolled around in my mind.

I recently traveled to Las Vegas with my mom, Frieda, for a wedding anniversary celebration. We had a wheelchair at the airport and for our stay at the Bellagio Hotel. It was a lifesaver.

I have to admit that I had to take a deep breath as the weekend started. I would have to allow almost twice as much time for all the traveling, so my mom would not be rushed. I am usually racing around doing things at warp speed, so I was anticipating a slower-paced weekend, escorting my mom.

But then I remembered the quote from that AARP article. “Make things right with the people you love, while you have the chance.”

My mom and I had a wonderful weekend. I would meet her in her room and she would plop into the wheelchair and we would begin our tour of the hotel for the day. We joked that pushing her around all day was a great workout for my arms. But something else happened. We got to spend time just as mother and daughter. We have not done that for a very long time. We shopped (which, if you know my mom, is just not in her genetics). We looked at the beautiful gardens at the Bellagio, and enjoyed a leisurely lunch.

In the fast-paced world we live in, we are the “sandwich generation.” We are dealing with the issues and demands of our children on one side, and addressing the needs of our aging parents on the other side. It’s easy to get distracted and rush from one task to the next. But when you get the opportunity to really spend quality time with your parent, an aunt or uncle, or aging friend, I suggest you take a deep breath, slow down and think: “Make things right with the people you love, while you have the chance.”

Most sincerely,

Karen

My kids think I am so annoying when we go shopping at our local supermarket. But I can’t help myself. If I see a shopper who’s having a difficult time picking a good melon or pineapple, I feel compelled to give them the information that my farmer friends have given me.

First of all, you will always get better-tasting watermelons when they are at the PEAK of the domestic season. And that’s right now and for the rest of the summer!

I do have to confess that the Tuscan-style cantaloupes grown by Dulcinea have the very best, consistent flavor. But, you will have to choose them differently. They WILL have the stem attached and there will be dark green grooves (instead of a golden background), but their flavor almost always seems perfect!
So, enjoy your 4th of July weekend and be sure to serve fresh melon as a healthy snack!

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Are you happy with what your kids eat for breakfast or lunch? (I’m not). What if you could do something that would positively impact what they ate for lunch, and it didn’t involve you packing their lunch to make it happen?

Well, with that in mind, I want to share with you an interesting, innovative and simple initiative that has been launched within the fresh produce industry. It’s called “A Salad Bar in Every School.”

The general idea is to get companies and individuals to give money to schools to purchase a salad bar unit, which would be used in the school’s cafeteria. Studies have shown that kids will make healthier choices when an attractive display of FRESH produce is available at lunchtime.

Although this is a produce industry initiative, I was thinking… What if parent-teacher associations across the country knew that they could purchase a single salad bar unit for their school cafeteria for only a few thousand dollars? This would send a great message: parent-teacher groups are concerned enough about the health and eating habits of students to put their money where their mouth is.

I know first-hand that there are real life benefits to offering healthy foods to kids. About eight years ago, I was privileged to represent the produce industry in Washington, D.C., when I testified in front of the Senate Agricultural Committee. I presented a 100-school case study that showed when fresh fruits and veggies were given out as free snacks to kids, their behavior changed (positively):

You can see here and here the two salad bar options. And if you are interested in making a difference in YOUR community, I encourage you to contact Andrew Marshall, the policy and grassroots coordinator at the United Fresh Produce Association (email here) and see how easy it is to make this happen in your local school.

As a parent, it’s nice to know that there’s something we can do to help our kids eat healthier — and do our part to fight the obesity epidemic in our country.

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A few years ago, one of my co-workers, Dorian, walked in my office with a few pieces of fruit and a bottle of Cholula Hot Sauce. He said, “You have to taste this.”

Now, I really love hot sauce, but I could not imagine why I needed to try it with a piece of fruit.

What he showed me that day has definitely become one of my seasonal favorites: Angelcots®. This white-fleshed apricot variety has such an amazing flavor and juiciness! The regular apricots I’ve had lately just don’t compare. (My apologies to all my apricot-growing friends!)

This photo was taken two weeks ago, when my sister Jackie and I were in Northern California. I was longing to “kick the dirt,” so after a client visit, we drove to Byron, California, and got out the jeans and tennis shoes.

Marty (pictured with us), along with his brother Mark, are third-generation farmers. Like every farmer I’ve ever met, Marty is absolutely passionate about his fruits and vegetables (he also grows cherries and sweet corn). Even though it was a full two weeks before harvest, I picked an Angelcot® off the tree and sampled it. I could already taste the sweet juiciness of this special fruit.

Marty and the fruit breeder, Ross, worked for more than 25 years to develop this particular variety. Sadly, Ross passed away a few years ago, and did not get to experience the fruits of his labor (pun intended).

The only downside of this fabulous apricot is its short season – Angelcots® will only be available for about three to four weeks. Now, fair warning. They cost more than regular apricots. That’s mostly because Marty is a small boutique grower, and he does not grow Angelcots® on a large scale. His costs of producing this fruit are significantly higher than regular apricot farmers. But you tell me – am I right to say that people want to buy fresh produce that tastes great?

So, back to Dorian walking in my office. (My mouth is watering while I am writing this!) He halved the apricot with his hands, put a few drops of Cholula sauce on it, and handed it to me. The taste was incredible! Juicy, sweet (and spicy), and it changed my taste buds.

I hope you can find Angelcots® this season and taste them for yourself. One taste, and you’ll think you went to heaven!

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For any man reading this post, please be patient with me and read the whole thing. I promise it will make sense by the end.

Back in 1979, my sister Jackie took me to the home of one of her closest friends, Annette. Annette and her family lived in the hills of Saratoga, California, (near San Jose) in a beautiful Spanish home. Annette and most of her family had this gorgeous red hair, and as we sat around chatting, somehow the subject turned to what color clothes look best (or worst) on a red head.

That’s when I got my first lesson in four-season color harmony theory and personal color palettes. Annette and her mother, who were both wearing turquoise, told us about these talented women (Suzanne Caygill and Jennifer Butler ) who work with people to create their personal color palette – shades best suited to their specific hair color and texture, skin color and texture, and eye color. (Having spent many sessions with Jennifer over the last 30 years, I can attest to her amazing talent.)

The photo above is a picture of my portable color palette. My wardrobe is primarily filled with shades of green (my eye color) and khaki, and shades of peach and gray and black and crème. This color-specific style system helps me dress and look my best. I also use it as my secret weapon in business!

What should I wear for a meeting with my employees? Jennifer told me to wear my skin tone – as this would make me seem more open to communication and feedback.

Meeting with an important client? I wear a suit of one of my basic colors (my hair color) and a shirt in my skin tone, to promote communication. (A client once commented to me after our meeting that he felt like it was suddenly very easy to talk with me.)

How to stand out at a cocktail party at an industry convention? I wear my “dramatic color” – which for me is a shade of green.

So, men, how does this relate to you? Ever notice how politicians and successful businessmen always look so “put together”? They know when to wear their red tie and when to wear their yellow, green or blue tie.

These color choices are not selected at random! I can pretty much guarantee that these successful men have worked with a colorist or a personal style consultant for advice on what color and texture to wear to have the most credibility.

So, if you are looking to be more successful in your life, you might want to think about color in a more strategic way! (To learn more about Jennifer Butler’s work, please visit her website: www.jenniferbutlercolor.com.)

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Have you ever been to a Chinese restaurant and noticed that the dessert section of the menu usually has only one or two items? One of them will most likely be “litchi.” What is that?

Litchi. Lychee. No matter how you spell it, it’s one of my favorite fruits. The season just started, so you might start seeing fresh lychees in your local supermarket. In most Chinese restaurants, lychees will come from a can, packed in a sugary syrup. I’m not particularly fond of the canned lychees, which is why I so look forward to June, when the fresh season starts.

Originating in China, lychees are a tree fruit that grow in beautiful clusters. Today, they are grown commercially in many regions of the world, including Mexico, China and Israel.

For as long as I can remember, June was the month that the fresh lychee season began. Traditionally, the first shipment of the season comes from the heart of Mexico. Our original supplier was a medical doctor, who had a brother who had a lychee orchard. I remember talking to Dr. Gaspar when he arrived at the Los Angeles produce market with his first truck-load of lychees from Michoacan, Mexico. That was more than 20 years ago!

Over the last 20 years, we also began to import fresh lychees from China and Taiwan, and at the end of July, from Israel. As you can see, we are definitely in a global industry!

With the crazy weather we are having this year, the first shipment of fresh lychees from Mexico just arrived on June 14 — a full two weeks after our first shipment came in from China.

Fresh lychees from Mexico have a dark red rind. Inside, the fruit is almost a translucent white, surrounding a big, brown, inedible seed. Once you crack the outside rind gently with your fingers, and peel it off, you can just pop the fruit in your mouth (be sure to spit out the seed). They are SO incredibly sweet and juicy with a slight floral taste. Some say they have the texture of a super-juicy grape.

The lychee variety we import from China (and Taiwan) has a lighter pink shell with a cast of green. They have a similar internal texture and flavor. Personally, I prefer the Mexican lychee – I think they are juicier.

I hope you will give one of the sweetest fruits on earth a try this season! Then you’ll know first-hand why the Chinese serve just a few lychees as the perfect dessert!

P.S. If you like lychees, check out Rambutan (sometimes known as a “hairy lychee”!).

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I just love when I get comments or suggestions on my blog. Earlier this week, an industry colleague wrote that she wondered if I would be willing to share insights on the family business dynamic, working with my sister Jackie, etc.

Jackie and I look adorable in the picture above, but we weren’t really very close as we grew up. We were three years apart in school, which meant that we were never on the “same playground.”

It wasn’t until Jackie went off to college and I joined my mom in business that we got close. Of course, that was because we didn’t step into each others’ worlds. I was working in the produce business and Jackie was finishing college and starting her adventure of traveling around the world and skiing 100 days in a single season (that took her three years).

Then, in an unexpected turn of events, Jackie decided to join me and mom in the family business. That was 1983. Both mom and I were surprised, as Jackie had vowed NEVER to live in Los Angeles!

To be truthful (and hindsight is always 20/20), I think Jackie really shook my world when she joined Frieda’s. I had enjoyed being an “only child” as the daughter of entrepreneur Frieda Caplan for 6 years. Then, all of a sudden, I had to make room for a new playmate in my sandbox.

It was an adjustment. I clearly remember mom taking us to lunch at Vickman’s Restaurant near the Los Angeles produce market three months after Jackie started. She coached us both on how to treat each other – not as big sister-little sister, but as work colleagues.

In 1990, we were given the opportunity to buy the company from our parents. So, for 20 years now, Jackie and I have worked side by side as partners.

Even in the early years, we worked pretty well together. I was involved in the big picture of running the company and Jackie was involved in sales (and was extremely successful). Her clients LOVED her. But something didn’t quite click.

Finally, about 6 years ago, we were working with Julie Krivanek (a business consultant to the produce industry) and she had “a talk” with us. She sat us down and we both shed a few tears, but her talk worked. It’s as if a giant barrier went down and the doors and windows flew open.

I will say that now, we are truly FULL BUSINESS partners and best friends. We work on company strategy together. We meet weekly to update each other on what’s going on in our respective parts of the business. (Actually, we talk several times a day, informally, but we are now committed to a weekly one-on-one meeting). Jackie and I both belong to our own key executive groups (www.vistage.com) and share the same chair/mentor (Steve Elson rocks!).

Here are some insights on family business:
• Siblings can get along in business, even if they didn’t get along growing up.

• It’s important for siblings to experience the world on their own and work outside the family business before they join the company.

• Evaluate the capabilities of family members as you would any other employee. Don’t be influenced by birth order or gender.

• Don’t be afraid to get outside help when you are dealing with the family business dynamics. There are family business councils associated with many universities, all over the country.

In closing, I want to say that sometimes as sisters in business, our roles change. It’s not unusual in our weekly meeting for Jackie to coach me on how to handle a situation. The first time it happened we chuckled!

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Sometimes I live in my own little exotic fruit world. I just assumed that when I wrote the word “quince,” everyone would know that I was referring to a fruit. That’s until one of my Spanish-speaking friends said, “fifteen?” (In Spanish, the number fifteen is spelled “quince,” and pronounced “keen-say.”)

I am referring to QUINCE (pronounced “kwins”). Let’s start at the very beginning. Quince is a member of the pome family (which is the same as the apple). Interestingly, some believe that the apple which Eve tempted Adam with was actually a quince.

In the United States, we can find quince most times of the year. Right now they are sourced from Chile, where they are harvested in March and April and shipped here by sea container. In the late summer, fruit growers in California’s Central Valley will harvest and ship their quince. The number of commercial growers of quince has probably declined over the years, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they start to make a comeback, as this fruit is enjoying increasing popularity.

Quince are also called membrillos in Mexico, and the fruit pulp made from quince is called dulce de membrillo. You might find cubes of this gelatinous quince served on cheese platters, alongside dried figs.

They are also quite popular in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine. One of my first memories of quince was back in the late 1970s. We attended a produce convention on the East Coast and a fellow who sold packaging materials (I only remember that his name was Len), proudly came up to me with a jar of dark pink jelly as a gift.

Turns out his family was Lebanese and ever since they moved to the U.S., they longed for the lovely, fragrant quince they knew so well back home. When he found Frieda’s quince in his local produce market, he bought up everything, and took them home so he and his wife could make quince jelly. One of the unique qualities of quince is that it must be eaten cooked, as it is too tart and hard to eat raw. When you cook it with sugar, it turns from a pale whitish-yellow to a bright pink.

One more quince story… In the 1980s, one of our kiwifruit growers from Paradise, California, sent us dozens of cases of a new variety called “perfume quince.” They were long and oblong in shape, unlike the traditional round shape, and were incredibly aromatic. It was quite a challenge to sell this new variety, because they were very hard and virtually impossible to peel or cut. But I would tell my clients that they were a perfect item to put in their sock drawers to make them smell good.

You can imagine that we didn’t sell the “perfume quince” variety for too long! Can’t win ’em all. (Today, we distribute the popular “pineapple quince” variety.)

If you want to try your hand at making quince jelly, click here for a recipe. (And here’s a recipe for quince chutney and quince brown betty.) Meanwhile, they are quite aromatic, so don’t be afraid to try one at your local market.

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I always wonder what the average shopper thinks of those small, annoying labels on most of the fresh fruit in the produce department. You know the ones I mean. If you’re lucky, they can easily be removed from your Fuji apples (I use a serrated knife to lift one edge). But, it’s nearly impossible to get them off a nectarine, pluot or eggplant without ripping the skin.

Well, here is a bit of history. Back in the 1960s, there were only about 65 different items sold in the produce department. In the 1970s, that number grew to almost 200. By the 1980s, it was over 300. And today, the average produce department will probably handle more than 600 different items at any one time.

Many years ago, the people who ran supermarket produce departments figured out it was getting harder and harder to educate their staff and cashiers on what every item was. They had to come up with an easy, universal and effective way to identify products so they would be rung up at the correct price. And, they were also sensitive to how valuable the shopper’s time is, so they wanted it to be quick to use.

Enter PLU numbers. PLU stands for Price Look Up. This unique computerized numbering system – applied to everything from apples to zucchini – allows the cashier to enter the 4-digit number and the cash register will automatically display what the product is and its price (either by the pound or by the each).

You may notice that sometimes that 4-digit number is prefaced by a “9” – that means the product has been grown organically.

Because the PLU system helps ensure that produce prices are charged correctly, it actually encourages your supermarket to offer a wider variety of products in their produce department. Retailers can rest assured that they won’t lose money because product is not rung up correctly.

Supermarkets are always looking for ways to be more efficient in managing their costs, so this was a great invention, and frankly, it encouraged innovation and new product introductions.

Many of us now have access to self-checkout lanes in our supermarkets. I enjoy scanning my own items occasionally, and have seen first-hand how important those PLU numbers are.

So, maybe next time you pick up a fruit or veggie adorned with that little sticker, you won’t find it quite so annoying!

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Every morning I make breakfast before I leave for work. After sipping on my cup of freshly brewed Peet’s French Roast coffee, I make egg whites topped with Parmesan shavings and half an avocado. Mmm… Avocado. It’s the absolute favorite food in our house.

I was at a produce meeting a few weeks ago (the Fresh Produce & Floral Council based in Southern California). David from the California Avocado Commission was a guest speaker and he announced to us that this particular day was special. It was the official beginning of the California avocado season.

I had never really thought much about avocado seasons. I do know that at various times of the year, they come from California, Mexico, Chile and sometimes the Dominican Republic and New Zealand. Avocados are an alternate bearing crop, so one year the crop will be large, the next year it will be smaller. And in the last few years the avocado industry has been stricken with fires, high winds, freezes – you name it.

After David’s talk, I paid closer attention to the avocados I was eating. I go to my local market to buy produce two or three times a week, and I like to buy the 4-pack mesh bags of avocados. I buy them still hard and green and leave them on my counter surrounded by ripe yellow bananas – so they can ripen faster. (Bananas and apples give off a natural ethylene gas that helps avocados ripen.) Since I am now getting the Hass variety avocados, the outside skin turns black as they ripen. Once they are soft (like a peach), I keep them in the refrigerator until I use them.

I was amazed to notice that the new-crop California avocados really ARE different than those from Mexico and Chile that I was eating previously. The avocados from California seem to have a more consistent, creamy texture and light green color. For my palette, the flavor is smoother.

I think back to the 1980s when the folks at the California Avocado Commission, headed by the late Ralph Pinkerton, Jr., enlisted a very attractive spokesperson, TV star Angie Dickinson, to promote avocados. Check out this YouTube video that is over 20 years old!

Back then, there was only one kind of fat. Bad fat. Now, thanks to research, we know that avocados are an excellent source of so many nutrients and that the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat content can actually help you absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as beta-carotene and lutein.

I love my avocados (as does every member of my family), whether they are on top of an omelet at breakfast, in guacamole for snacks, or as a dessert in avocado bread! Yum!

Now that you know how to ripen them, I encourage you to use avocados more often. They are good for you!

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Information overload – that’s what my nephew, Frankie, said to his dad (Doug). “Dad, how can I possibly keep up with what’s going on in the world – it’s all too much. Isn’t there one place I can go to keep up on what’s happening?”

That was two years ago, when Frankie was a junior in high school. As luck would have it, my brother-in-law Doug was at a doctor’s office a few weeks later, and as he thumbed through the obligatory stack of magazines, he saw a publication titled, The Week: All you need to know about everything that matters.

Turns out this weekly magazine is just that. It contains 50 pages of headlines and short articles from around the United States and the world. Top issues. Top stories. They’ve done all the work for you.

Here’s a sampling of headlines from the May 21st issue of The Week: The battle over Kagan begins (newest Supreme Court nominee); The right to display your boxers (yes, men’s boxers, a story from Britain); Oil rigs at sea (oil spill in the Gulf); North Carolina’s new food Mecca, Durham (wasn’t I just at Duke University two months ago?); Jerusalem’s Old City (in Israel)… And finally, for those who have everything, a story on T-shirts for men that hold in their gut (Spanx for men). You get the idea.

This magazine has it all. My mom subscribes, my sister subscribes (the online version). And now, after hearing about it for two years and thumbing through this edition, I think it’s time I do, too.

If you are starved for time, don’t want to watch all the negative stories and 10-second snippets on TV (would rather watch Dancing with the Stars or America Idol), would rather listen to books on tape vs. the radio, check out this magazine.

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“Get That New Zealand Feeling” was the name of one of Frieda’s first trade advertising campaigns. After we began marketing the Kiwifruit from New Zealand, we were introduced to many other fruits from the land down under.

Passion Fruit
Those purple egg-shaped fruits came first. I remember my mom telling our customers, “Yes, it’s okay if they get wrinkled and moldy – that means they are ripe!” Well, I don’t know about the mold, but passion fruit definitely wrinkles when it ripens. The best way I’ve described the flavor is that it’s the secret ingredient in Hawaiian Punch (really, it is). After cutting in half, you scoop out the pulp to top ice cream. The most classic way to serve passion fruit pulp is on top of the national dessert of New Zealand, Pavlova.

Feijoas
At first we thought feijoas were the same thing as pineapple guavas. That’s what we told people for years. Actually, feijoas are not pineapple guavas, but they are like a cousin. What is interesting about feijoas (fay-joe-uhs) is that they are not picked. They must be allowed to drop on the ground (they grow on a bush). That’s when you know they are mature. I think they taste like a cross between a pineapple and a pear with overtones of spearmint. They are incredibly aromatic!

Tamarillos
These tree tomatoes are just gorgeous. They grow on magnificent tamarillo trees and it is quite a sight to see the trees right before harvest, with the amazing bright red and gold fruits hanging from the limbs. We always say that tamarillos are an acquired taste, as they tend to have a tart flavor and meaty texture. You must peel them before eating (dropping them in boiling hot water is the best way). Even though they came to us from New Zealand, their origins are in South America. Tamarillos make a delicious sauce for ice cream when pureed with orange juice and sugar.
Kiwanos®/Horned Melons
Kiwanos are perhaps the most eye-catching of fruits Frieda’s has ever introduced. I remember after we’d been marketing horned melons for a few years, an article came out in the Miami Herald, proclaiming, “Noxious African weed appears in American supermarkets.” Our Kiwano grower, John Morris, called us from New Zealand, frightened that the sales of horned melons would cease. My mom, in her brilliance said, “John, any publicity is GOOD publicity. Don’t worry – our sales will increase.” And increase they did! We found out that kids love their slimy green interior that tastes like a cross between a cucumber, lime and banana. Kiwanos were even featured in an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (where they were called “Golana Melons”). Here’s a recent YouTube video we did on Kiwanos from our Specialty Produce 101 series.

‘Tis the season for these fruits from the land of kiwi – so check them out at your local supermarket.

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Many years ago, I was invited to sit on a board of advisors of a small marketing firm, called M/S Database Marketing. My company worked with them back in the 1990s to develop some of our “cutting edge” marketing. We didn’t realize how cutting edge it was, until Information Week magazine interviewed us in 1994 for an article called, “Who’d Eat a Blue Squash?”

Joining me on this small board (there were two of us outsiders and the two owners), was Carl Terzian. Carl owns an innovative public relations firm (Carl Terzian and Associates) and is about 20 years older than me. But, interestingly, our birthdays are one day apart. (I often ask someone when their birthday is. It’s a great conversation starter.) There was something magical about Carl and even after our stint as advisory board members was over, we kept in touch.

I’m not sure if Carl does this with everyone he meets, but every year on October 23 (my birthday), a hand-written note arrives from Carl. He always asks how I am and tells me what city he is writing from and often tucks in an article about what he is doing. Carl is the master of getting articles written about him and his firm, because his area of specialty is networking. Some call it business match-making. Carl hosts hundreds of networking meetings every year for groups of 15 to 20 business professionals in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. The only purpose of these meetings is for people to network and make business connections.

Back to Carl’s annual notes to me. After more than 16 years, Carl has made sure that we have stayed connected.

How many of us would benefit from keeping in touch with those people that we meet? LinkedIn and Plaxo are just two of the social networking sites that make this easy. (In fact, LinkedIn’s tagline is “Relationships Matter.”) Although I am registered on both these networking sites, I still choose to drop a personal note or card to many of my colleagues and friends. And I do my best to remember their birthdays, too. It’s a great way to really stay connected.

Please share your own tips for staying connected by clicking on “comments” below.

I am so glad that watermelons are “back in season.” Yes I know that they seem to be available all year round, but as my 16-year-old daughter Sophia has told me, “Mom, why do you keep buying watermelons in the winter? They don’t taste sweet – it’s not their season.”

So, frankly, I avoid buying watermelons until the weather has warmed up. In the last two weeks I have purchased two seedless watermelons and it’s almost time to put them on my weekly shopping list.

Seedless watermelons bring back such memories for me, because it was my mom, Frieda who first introduced and started marketing them back in the late 1960s. Yes, it’s been more than 40 years since Frieda’s started selling them! As I recall, the same couple (Art and Joyce Hood) who introduced Frieda to Pearl Onions – also brokered a small melon deal. With his cowboy hat and boots, Art seemed like a 7-foot-tall giant to 10-year-old me. He would drive in from the desert where he had found the first seedless watermelons.

Mom had a heck of a time marketing them to supermarkets in the beginning. After all, weren’t those inedible black seeds part of the fun of eating watermelons on a hot summer day? That’s how watermelon-seed spitting contests got their start! (Even seedless watermelons still have a few small, white seeds.)

Years later, there were other growers who got involved, and we started receiving watermelons from Central America. Then there were the Mickey Lee and Minnie Lee (Sugar Baby) personal-sized seedless watermelons. (Maybe they were invented at Epcot Center on the Disney property in Orlando?)

And of course today, there are many seed companies and growers who produce some great seedless watermelon varieties. And shortly, we will have Yellow Seedless Watermelons! (We used to distribute Orange Seedless Watermelons, too, but it seems they were not good producers, so all the commercial growers in the U.S. stopped planting them.)

We are all spoiled by the seedless varieties – it’s no wonder they have become so popular. In fact, today, the majority of watermelons grown in the United States are seedless.

Now, don’t get me started on how watermelons can grow if there are no seeds to plant. Go here if you want to know that!

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I launched this blog three months ago, and it’s been gratifying to get many positive comments on the content. I have received some criticism, too… Thank you for your honesty. That’s how I can make the blog better.

• Why did you start the blog?
Answer: Primarily to share the stories behind the 400-plus unusual produce items Frieda’s has introduced to the market.

• But you write about more than produce…
Answer: I’m fortunate that my path crosses daily with so many interesting people – and I always seem to learn a lesson. So I wanted a vehicle to share those lessons.

• Who is your audience?
Answer: Lifelong learners and anyone who eats produce… I guess that is everyone on the planet?

I want to be sure that what I am writing about is resonating with you. So, if you have an idea for a topic on this blog, please post your comments to the blog or reply to this email.

Also, I need to ask a favor. If you like what you’ve been reading, please forward “What’s On Karen’s Plate” to your friends, family and colleagues. Invite them to subscribe via email, too! The more the merrier.

Passing it along is what I call “viral marketing.” Instead of trying to figure out a complicated marketing scheme – I figure it’s best to share this blog with all our friends and your friends. I see jokes being circulated around the globe every day. People like you and me find a joke funny, so we share it with five or 10 friends or to our entire mailing list. Why not share a blog that talks about healthy foods and top-of-mind ideas the same way?

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The California tree fruit (aka stone fruit) season has started, but in my humble opinion, it’s too early to find flavorful fruit in my local supermarket. (As a produce distributor, you might assume I get my fruit from our giant warehouse, but my mom always taught me that it’s better to go spend money in our retail customers’ stores.)

So, back to picking a good-tasting peach, nectarine, plum or pluot. I like to wait until late May or early June before I buy stone fruit at the market. The flavor and sweetness seems to be superior.

Here are some tips:
1. Buy stone fruit at room temperature. That way you can smell the aroma of the fruit. I have always found that if the fruit smells like I want it to taste, I usually have a good experience.

2. Make sure the fruit has good, well-rounded shoulders. The “shoulders” are the top of the fruit that surround the stem end. If they are NOT well rounded (not plump looking), then the fruit was probably picked prematurely and it will never ripen properly.

3. It’s OK if the fruit is hard. It will ripen at room temperature. When I bring fruit home from the store, I leave it out on the counter in a closed brown paper bag. The brown paper bag provides the perfect self-ripening conditions. Years ago, the California Tree Fruit Agreement (the marketing order that represents our state’s fruit growers) encouraged retailers to give away fruit ripening bags. These bags were just regular brown bags, with printed instructions on them. Don’t let your fruit get too soft when it ripens – then it will be mushy. It should give to gentle pressure.

4. Only buy enough fruit that you can eat in two to three days. On my counter, I find that the fruit ripens rather quickly, so I am better off going to the store more frequently, and ripening it at home in the brown paper bag.

5. If it’s convenient for you, buy fresh peaches, nectarines and plums and pluots (cross between a plum and an apricot) at your local farmer’s market. Most farmers will give out free samples, so you can taste before you buy. The only downside of buying fruit at the farmer’s market is that you have to use it within a day or two. I find that it does not last much longer.

Do you have any fruit-picking secrets? Please share them by posting your comments directly on the blog.

Tree fruit season starts now and there will be plentiful supplies of fresh-picked, domestically-grown fruit all the way into September and even October. Thanks to breeding programs and the seasonality of the fruit, there will be dozens — maybe hundreds — of varieties during these next five months, each variety lasting for a week or more.

The most important thing, though, is for you to eat lots of fresh fruits (and vegetables) while they are in season. Not only do they taste good, they are good for your health!

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Recently I was sitting at a dinner – a Red Dress Gala put on by my daughter’s sorority – and I noticed that my new friend, Kathy, only served herself a plate of vegetables, passing on the meat and chicken.

I had to ask, “Are you a vegetarian?” She told me yes. Then of course I asked if she had any concerns about getting enough protein in her diet.

She proceeded to tell me that she actually gets plenty of protein. She eats beans. I asked her about tofu – yes, she eats tofu. (I had to ask her that question, so I could tell her that Frieda’s has been selling tofu for more than 30 years. We were actually the first company to introduce water-packed tofu to mainstream American supermarkets.)

And of course she eats Edamame (pronounced “Ed-a-mah-may”) – those lovely green pods that are served warm and salted at Sushi bars.

Many of us may be toying with the idea of adopting a more vegetarian lifestyle. And certainly if you have teenage kids, you will be hearing more and more about becoming a vegetarian. Just last week my daughter told me she decided to become one.

Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is so healthy and such a great source of vitamins and trace minerals. But you must make sure you have enough protein in your diet to maintain your strength and energy levels.

Good non-meat sources of protein include: beans and nuts (but watch out for the fat), tofu and other soy products. Personally, my favorite is a tofu “eggless” salad that I get at my local Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods. It looks like egg salad, but it’s made with tofu and is quite tasty.

And what about the meat-analog products made from soy that are sold as veggie hot dogs, veggie cheese, veggie chicken nuggets, veggie burgers, etc? Depending on where you live, you can find them in your produce, deli or frozen food case. Veggie “meats” are a nice change of pace… Wouldn’t it be a healthy change to serve veggie hot dogs and veggie burgers at your next barbecue?

Also, if you are a fan of Mexican food, you probably enjoy Chorizo – that full-fat crumbly Mexican sausage that you fry up and add to eggs, burritos, etc. Did you know there is a low-fat, vegetarian version of Chorizo? It’s called SOYRIZO® (of course). And, in most cities, it is sold in the produce or deli department.

Frieda’s has been marketing and distributing Soyrizo® for more than 10 years and we fell in love with its authentic texture and flavor. We receive so many complimentary letters and emails – so we know it’s good.

There are so many tasty ways to move toward a vegetarian lifestyle. And you don’t have to limit yourself to salads and steamed broccoli – although I love both!

“Did you get that in writing?” That’s what I always ask my friends, family, acquaintances or colleagues when they tell me that they were disappointed with how things went at a new job or position.

You know what I’m talking about. You took a new position with a company, based on your conversation with the hiring manager. Then when you go to work for the company, and shortly afterward, the hiring manager is gone. There is no written documentation of your original conversation, and you find out that you don’t have the benefits you thought you had, you don’t have the vacation time you were promised and your “great new job” turns sour.

1. When you are considering a new position, ask for the offer in writing. They shouldn’t be offended that you ask for this. Actually, at my company, I began doing this years ago, after I heard horror stories (some within my own company) of misunderstandings. If the company or hiring manager is not willing to put their offer in writing, I would reconsider whether I want to work with/for that company.

2. If you had a conversation, and want written confirmation, send a “confirming email.” Something like: “I just want to confirm my understanding of our recent conversation about the potential position we discussed.” In bullet points, list what your understanding is, and then ask for them to reply with any corrections.

3. Don’t be embarrassed to ask for this. It’s business — it’s not personal.

Even consider using this in your personal relationships. If you have a high school or college student who has agreed to achieve or complete certain items, in exchange for getting their driver’s license or a trip, put that agreement in writing. It’s amazing how it changes performance.

On the way home from the airport last week, my sister Jackie and I heard a news story on the radio about McAfee anti-virus software causing hundreds of computers to crash around the world.

We looked at each other, smiled, and said simultaneously, “Mercury is in retrograde.”

In astrology, Mercury goes retrograde three or four times a year, and each retrograde period usually lasts for about three weeks. During this time, the planet Mercury appears to be moving backwards in the sky, and strange things happen. It is sometimes called the astrological symbol for “Murphy’s Law” – anything that can go wrong, will.

Mercury is the planet of thinking and perception and all forms of communication. When it turns retrograde, it seems to have a negative effect on our communication and technology, from computers to cars to telephones to the mail. That Mercury is definitely a prankster.

Mercury went retrograde on April 17 and it will last until May 11. Then, it goes retrograde again August 20 through September 12. And finally for 2010, it will go retrograde December 10 through December 29. You can find out future dates here: www.thegreenduck.com (scroll down to charts).

Here are a few links with more information about Mercury’s impact in astrology:
astrology.about.com
www.astroprofile.com
www.cafeastrology.com

Jackie and I are so convinced that it is important to be aware of when Mercury goes retro, that we have it marked on our home and office calendars. We are just more cautious during those time periods. We try not to sign any contracts during those periods and are extra careful when backing up software, etc. And we would certainly NEVER do a computer upgrade during that time.

Interestingly, Mercury was in retrograde during the 2000 Presidential election between Bush and Gore, and many astrologers blame the breakdowns in the voting system on this astrological phenomenon.

We know there are many doubters out there who might say that this sounds like astrology mumbojumbo. That’s fine. But, in late August, when you start noticing problems with your BlackBerry, or your computer is having problems, or the lawnmower breaks, the copy machine goes on the fritz. . .do me a favor and check the calendar. That trickster, Mercury, could be up to something!

Living here in Southern California, Cinco de Mayo is promoted and celebrated widely.

Admittedly, those of us in the food business joke that beer companies like Budweiser and the chips and guacamole folks have made it into a bigger holiday than it may have been previously. (Just as Hallmark has made Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day into bigger holidays.) Regardless, it’s always interesting to know about the history behind these holidays.

Cinco de Mayo is NOT Mexican Independence Day. That is on September 16. Cinco de Mayo – the 5th of May in Spanish – actually commemorates the Mexican victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. The battle was important because the Mexican army was victorious, although they were considerably outnumbered by the larger and better-equipped French army.

Back in the 1980s, when our company was selling lot of chile peppers, jicama, tomatillos (husk tomatoes), corn husks and nopales (cactus pads), we had to come up with a way to get produce retailers across America to try these “new foods.” We had no problem selling them here in Southern California where we are based, because we have such a large Hispanic population that loves all of these foods. However, it was a hard sell for our retail customers in Iowa, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. So, we developed educational materials (for produce personnel and consumers) and decorations (red and green, like the Mexican flag) to send to those supermarkets who would take the chance of promoting these “exotic” items.

And thank goodness they did! Fortunately, Mexican restaurants were popping up in cities across the country, making guacamole, Colorado red sauce (made with dried New Mexico chiles), jalapeno peppers and corn husks (for tamales) more popular.

Of all the foods we introduced as part of our Cinco de Mayo promotions, my favorite is probably jicama. A root vegetable, commercially grown only in Mexico (thanks to the latitude and ideal soil conditions), jicama looks a bit like a turnip. Once you peel off the light brown skin, the white crunchy inside flesh never turns brown and is very low in calories. (We worked early on with Weight Watchers to promote jicama as a “free” food.) And the flavor seems like a refreshing cross between an apple and a water chestnut.

One of my favorite jicama recipes is in The Purple Kiwi Cookbook: Pineapple-Jicama Salsa. The chopped habanero peppers really give it a little extra kick!

Also, please click here to visit Frieda’s NEW YouTube Channel (YouTube.com/FriedasProduce) and watch our latest “Specialty Produce 101” video on jicama.

OK, I admit it. I am one of those shoppers. When deciding whether or not to buy grapes at my local supermarket, I sneak a sample. I always hope no one is looking when I grab a red or green grape to see if they are sweet or tart. So far, I have not been caught.

We are so lucky that we can now find grapes all year-round in our produce departments. Did you know that here in Southern California, at this time of year (April), our grapes are most likely coming from Chile? Thanks to our amazingly resourceful produce industry, during the course of 12 months, we will have grapes from many countries and growing areas.

In late May, the first table grapes will arrive from Mexico, where many California growers have been farming. (Table grapes refer to those varieties which are eaten by hand, “off the table,” as compared to wine grapes). Then, the grape crop moves to Arizona, followed by Southern California’s Coachella Valley (usually in June). By July, Bakersfield becomes the main grape-growing area. The grape harvesting season next moves to Northern California and to Oregon. In September, wine grapes are harvested, and the wine-making process begins.

There are many regulations and rules as to when it is OK to ship grapes into the USA from Mexico. Most rules surround the term “brix.” Brix is related to the concentration of sugar (dissolved solids) that the fruit contains, and is used as a predictor of sweetness. There is usually a minimum level of brix required before a farmer can ship. Brix is affected by many things: amount of water, variety of grapes, temperature outside, etc. The hotter the weather, the faster the grapes will increase their brix.

Grapes are harvested by hand – and many are “field packed” into grape lugs (boxes), then shipped to nearby cold storage facilities. Millions of boxes of grapes are in storage for much of the year – allowing grapes to be shipped all over the United States and exported all over the world.

In the fall months, when most table grapes are done being harvested, they are put into storage and then shipped to American supermarkets as retailers order them. Usually in January, supermarkets begin importing table grapes from Chile. Years ago, when the first grapes (and peaches, nectarines and plums, for that matter) were imported, many retailers ran advertisements boasting, “ENJOY SUMMER FRUITS all winter long!” It was considered very innovative at that time.

During our Northern Hemisphere winter, the Southern Hemisphere countries (like Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Spain, Italy, and others) are harvesting and shipping their summertime grapes to us. Some grape growers are involved internationally, so they are actually growing grapes all over the world, assuring consumers a year-round crop of fresh, good-tasting grapes.

Now that you know where grapes come from, how can you tell if the bunch you are going to purchase at the supermarket is going to be sweet? I can only tell you my “non-scientific” way.

First of all, if they are “first of the season” from a growing area, I’ve found they are not usually sweet enough for my kids. I usually like to wait a few weeks after the first of the season crop. Second, I always touch the grapes to see if they are firm (crunchy). My kids do not like soft grapes! I also closely inspect each bag or clamshell to make sure there is no mold or discoloration. Take a few extra seconds to feel the grapes and look at them. It’s worth it.

There are so many grape varieties available, so don’t be afraid to try a new one! Usually the new varieties (some with seeds) are the most flavorful. Besides the green and red seedless and seeded varieties, there are now Black Grapes, Champagne Grapes (aka Zante Currants, which come in July), Muscats and Muscatels (originally a wine grape, but now savored by many as table grapes).

Check out this guide to California table grape varieties. And my friends at Sun World International, based in Bakersfield, are doing some amazing things with new grape varieties.

P.S. Speaking of grapes, please check out Frieda’s Raisins on the Vine — after all, raisins are dried grapes!

I think the biggest fear all parents have when their kids go off to college is their access to excessive drinking. I know it is my fear.

Both my sister and I have our eldest young adult at college, and the last couple weeks have been very sad for us.

You see, a young man who attended Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo was killed two weeks ago. He was just 21 years old. He was out on a Saturday night and probably had too much to drink. He decided to walk home (alone) from the bar, and was killed while crossing the street — which happened to be Highway 101.

The way I found out, is that my eldest daughter Alex called me to tell me that this young man (Matt) was her best friend’s boyfriend. Sweet guy. Not in trouble. Good student.

Alex and her best friend Audrey flew home this weekend to attend the funeral. I spent a few hours talking with them about their feelings the night before they went to the funeral. I provided a safe and non-judgmental environment for our conversation.

Sunday, I put both girls on airplanes to fly back to college. Their faces were relieved and happier than when they arrived, and they both felt a lot of love and support.

Alcohol is a tough subject to deal with because teens feel as if it is a real rite of passage as they go off to college, or turn 21. But, when an alcohol-related death hits so close to home, it really makes you want to be even more annoying as a parent to make sure your kids know that their safety is most important.

First Lady Michelle Obama launched a very ambitious program to end childhood obesity in a single generation when she formally announced her Let’s Move campaign. Interestingly, she announced this program on Good Morning America on February 9 – the very same day I wrote about my company’s Healthy Living Initiative! An interesting coincidence that I just discovered.

Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, which airs on ABC-TV on Friday nights, has caused quite a stir, as the passionate and sometimes abrasive English chef chronicles his attempt to change the eating habits of a West Virginia city. (As of this morning, more than 275,000 have signed Jamie Oliver’s online petition to change the way America eats!) Go Jamie!

And, right here at Frieda’s we’re making small steps toward changing the lives of our employees (and their families) with our Healthy Living Initiative. Here is a quick progress report:

Thirty-two of our employees voluntarily signed up for the Biggest Loser – Frieda’s style. In groups of four people (two women and two men), we step onto the big produce scale in our warehouse every Tuesday morning at 8 a.m. to see how much we’ve lost.

After only five weeks, these 32 people have dropped a total of 148 pounds! Yes, I realize that this is only about 1 pound per person, per week, but all the health authorities I know say that is the PERFECT rate of weight loss.

We have 32 ambassadors for company health, who are constantly sharing their enthusiasm with everyone. More employees are now walking during their breaks and lunch hours. We have also re-launched company-wide stretching breaks each day, so that employees get warmed up for their day and eliminate stiffness and injuries.

All the “bad” snacks and sugary drinks have been removed from our vending machines. Next month, by popular request of all employees, we have a local health authority coming in to speak about diabetes and how to deal with it through exercise and healthy eating. We are holding this 30-minutes class in both Spanish and English, so all our employees can participate.

The buzz in the company is enthusiastic and team-oriented. And it was so easy to implement. Even my 16-year-old daughter, Sophia, when writing our grocery shopping list last week, wrote “any other foods that are good for me.” That was a nice surprise to see.

So, what is stopping you from launching your own Healthy Living Initiative at your place of work or in your home? It is not that difficult. And if you’ve been inspired to launch one – I would love to hear from you!

Spaghetti Squash has had a special place in my career at Frieda’s. It was the first product for which I developed a recipe, shortly after I started working full time for my mom. And that recipe ended up on the label adorning the millions of Spaghetti Squash we have shipped over the years.

In the late 1970s, a small grower shipped us 10 big boxes of what looked like giant yellow footballs. Spaghetti Squash, as it was known, had become a home gardening favorite because it was so easy to grow. It grew quickly and could be stored for months after harvest, thanks to its hard outer shell (unlike zucchini squash). The grower had planted many acres of this unique squash and called Frieda’s to help him market it. (BTW, many similar scenarios have played out at Frieda’s over the years — it’s how we get involved in so many new products. A grower starts producing something new with no plan on what to do when it is harvested, and then he contacts Frieda’s to do the marketing!)

And of course, what was so amazing about this new vegetable was that its flesh magically turned into spaghetti-like strands when you ran a fork through it (after cooking). The timing was perfect on our introduction of Spaghetti Squash. Weight Watchers had just started catching on in the United States, and dieters were tired of substituting cooked bean sprouts for pasta.

Voilà! Spaghetti Squash was the perfect pasta substitute. But, how to educate produce managers and consumers? Well, we had to label each squash, and of course, we needed an easy and simple recipe.

So, I went home to my apartment in Hollywood and opened up my refrigerator and pantry. With no extra time to go shopping, I created my first recipe! Not only was it easy to prepare, it was tasty, too. (Thank goodness microwaves were becoming commonplace in the 1970s. Cooking in the oven on a summer day was not desirable.)

I came to work the next day with recipe in hand. It went off to the label printer, and two weeks later we began shipping our first labeled Spaghetti Squash.

Now, fast forward to 2010, and you will find those “yellow footballs” available year-round in most produce departments across the United States. There are now many growers around the country who grow and ship Spaghetti Squash. Although you will find that most are labeled, sometimes it’s just the name and country of origin on the label. However, you will still find Frieda’s Spaghetti Squash label with usage instructions, nutritional information, plus our 100% satisfaction guarantee and our website, so you can get more recipes.

Here is my first recipe, which was also featured in my cookbook, The Purple Kiwi Cookbook:

1 Spaghetti Squash (cut in half lengthwise), cooked*, seeds removed
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup grated zucchini squash
1 cup tomato sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. dried basil
Dash of garlic powder
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Scrape the interior of the cooked squash with two forks to separate the pulp into spaghetti-like strands. Place in a large mixing bowl and reserve the empty shell halves.

Add the Cheddar cheese, zucchini, tomato sauce, salt, pepper, basil and garlic powder and mix well. Spoon the mixture into the empty squash shells. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

* (To cook Spaghetti Squash, place halves cut side up in a microwaveable dish with 1/4 cup water; cover loosely. Microwave on high for 7 to 10 minutes, turning dish a quarter turn every 3 minutes. Texture will be tender with a slightly crisp bite.)

Enjoy, and let me know YOUR favorite way to make Spaghetti Squash. Oh, and remember, Spaghetti Squash is gluten-free!

Mudslides. Fires. It seems as if Southern California experiences these two plagues every year. And this year was no exception. We had terrible fires in the fall, and as our rainy season came upon us, many areas in the Southland experienced flash flood warnings.

The most dramatic memory for me was after my mother and I drove back from Palm Springs to Orange County. A few days after our trip, I saw on the news that the very transition road we traveled, from Highway 60 to Highway 57, had been closed due to a mudslide caused by heavy rains, saturated soil and fire damage.

What is vetiver, you ask? According to my friends Noel Vietmeyer and Mark Dafforn of the National Research Council, this little-known tropical grass is relatively cheap and effective at preventing soil erosion. When planted in lines along the contours of slopes, vetiver quickly forms narrow but very dense hedges. Its stiff foliage then blocks the passage of soil and debris, and slows any runoff, giving the rainfall a better chance of soaking into the soil instead of rushing off the slope.

You may remember the horrific 2005 mudslide in La Conchita, California (near Santa Barbara), in which 10 people lost their lives when an entire mountainside collapsed on top of homes. Well, that location was also home to the only banana plantation in the western United States – Seaside Banana Gardens. (Before the 2005 disaster, A 1995 mudslide knocked out most of this plantation.) Fortunately, the grower, Doug Richardson, only lost his bananas – he and his lovely family were spared. (Frieda’s used to market his Ice Cream Bananas, and others.)

Doug is still growing bananas, however. A few years back, he wrote us about the success of his planting of vetiver (and more exotic bananas), and we look forward to the day that we are once again selling California-grown bananas.

So, if I had a wish, it would be that someone reading this blog would pass this information along to the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, Sunset Magazine and others, and that vetiver grass would get great publicity and be planted prolifically around Southern California so we NEVER have to worry about mudslides again.

So, please pass this information along…and I’ll keep you informed about how this message spreads!

Over the years, we’ve had to work pretty hard to introduce new products to supermarkets. Alfalfa Sprouts, Sugar Snap® Peas, Purple Potatoes, Hot House Cucumbers and Mangoes were just a few of the many introduction challenges. Interestingly, one of the easier items we introduced and got acceptance for was the Habanero Chile Pepper (100 times hotter than a jalapeño). Spicy was very in at that time — the hotter the better!

So, it’s rare that a new product gains a “cult like” following and almost immediate success and acceptance. But this is exactly what happened last year when we introduced Black Garlic.

Here’s how it began. We started getting calls from chefs looking for a new garlic product — something known as Black Garlic. The “chef-world grapevine” moves very quickly. Once a chef discovers a new ingredient or flavor, it spreads like wildfire.

The Frieda’s buying team quickly found the source: a man named Scott Kim, the inventor of an amazing new kind of garlic. Scott developed this process of taking Korean-grown garlic (whole bulbs, with skin in tact), and submitting it to intense hot temperatures. Through this process, the garlic naturally turns a dark, molasses-brown color and the flavor becomes savory-sweet – reminiscent of teriyaki and molasses and garlic, without the sharp bite of raw garlic.

Black Garlic is a really versatile ingredient that adds a complex depth of flavor to foods. Here are a couple of recipes that demonstrate how to use it:
Black Garlic Risotto
Black Garlic Bruschetta

For the simplest way to serve it, we recommend spreading gourmet crackers with a little whipped cream cheese and topping with a small clove of Black Garlic. It’s very palatable and doesn’t have that strong garlic aftertaste.

Chefs and consumers have gone crazy over Black Garlic! And if you can believe it, one of our first customers was a small retailer in Minneapolis. They told us that all the media attention in the food pages had customers requesting the product, so they had to bring it in. And they tell us it keeps selling! Today, our largest distribution of the product is in Canada, where retailers have moved more than 1,000 packages in a single day (that is a LOT of Black Garlic)!

While I don’t think Black Garlic will be the next Kiwifruit, it’s nice to know that shoppers are still interested in new foods that have good flavor and are good for you!

Oh, by the way, if you can’t find Black Garlic in your favorite supermarket, please go to the produce manager and request it. (That’s how Frieda’s got the Kiwifruit introduced back in 1962.) Then, send us an email with the name and location of your store, and we’ll do our part to get Black Garlic into your store.

Have you tried Black Garlic yet? I would love your comments on how you like the taste and how you use it!

Mark Twain supposedly said, “Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting over.”

And that is surely what appears to be happening in California right now, and for the last decade, or more.

The Environmentalists vs. Production Agriculture (farmers), vs. Consumers (residential). It’s hard to know what or who to believe.

I attended a California agribusiness seminar last month, during which an esteemed panel of water constituents participated. I learned that there are eight myths about water:

1. California is running out of water.
2. (Insert villain here) is responsible for California’s water problems.
3. We can build our way out of California’s water problems.
4. We can conserve our way out of California’s water problems.
5. Healthy aquatic ecosystems conflict with a healthy economy.
6. More water will lead to healthy fish populations.
7. California’s water rights laws impeded reform and sustainable management.
8. We can find a consensus that will keep all parties happy.
(Read more about the water myths here.)

Find out the facts about our water situation, and educate your kids, your friends, and your family. Fix those leaky faucets, don’t water your lawn quite so often, and find other ways that you can help us conserve. Agriculture is still the No. 1 business in California, and we hope to keep it that way!

Have you ever met someone (in business) who was just so nice that you wanted to work with them?

Well, that’s how we got into the “ready-to-eat” crepe business. You know, those delicate, very thin, slightly sweet “pancakes” that are just perfect with sliced strawberries and fresh whipped cream? (Yum, I’m getting hungry just writing those words.)

Well, back in 1986, this French guy, Herve LeBayon was introduced to us by another supplier. Herve (pronounced “air-vay”) was from Brittany, France, and moved to the United States because he wanted to be a capitalist! (Yeah, America!)

Herve barely spoke English (his wife translated for him), but he was absolutely passionate about introducing his authentic French crepes to the U.S. He had heard about our company, and how we were in the business of introducing new foods to Americans.

As I listened to Herve speak (my French skills from college came in handy), I began to envision small displays of these ready-to-eat crepe packages next to the fresh strawberries in supermarket produce departments.

After months of perfecting the recipe and designing the packaging, we launched Frieda’s French Style Crepes at a big supermarket convention. It was the hit of the show! I remember that we had stocked up our warehouse with 10,000 cases before the show, so we wouldn’t run out when all the orders came rolling in! It was quite the hit.

Now every year as the spring berry season approaches, we start to get orders from supermarkets across the country that want to display them next to their fresh strawberries, blueberries and raspberries.

And, in case you didn’t know, crepes are pretty hot these days. Crepe pans are selling like hotcakes (sorry for the pun) in cooking stores. Crepe restaurants and street food creperies are popping up left and right. In Orange County, a new food truck specializing in crepes just began operating. (You can even follow them on Twitter to see where the crepe truck is stopping next.)

Want to try the authentic crepe preparation that was Herve’s inspiration? Start with Frieda’s French Style Crepes at room temperature. Brush one crepe with a small amount of melted butter and dust lightly with granulated sugar. Squeeze on a small amount of fresh lemon or orange juice, fold over, and enjoy! Bon Appetit!

“What a big, big life he had. And how he loved life, loved living, loved people. Never have I seen anyone come close to his excitement about being alive.”

This is what was written about my Uncle Paul. My “Crazy Uncle Paul” (as we lovingly referred to him) passed away this week at the ripe age of 88. My mother’s brother has lived in Rome, Italy, since the 1960s. Over the years, many of us in our family have trekked to Italy to visit him.

When Paul’s lifelong friend and caregiver (Pancho) wrote the line above, I had to pause. Wow – what an amazing statement to make about someone. “Never have I seen anyone come close to his excitement about being alive.”

My Uncle Paul was a world-renowned choreographer and dancer. He invented Jazzercise, BEFORE Jazzercise was a word/concept/business. He worked as a choreographer in Las Vegas, and Judy Garland (yes, THAT Judy Garland) claimed him to be her exclusive choreographer. He dated Yvonne De Carlo (of the original Munster’s fame).

His apartment was in the heart of ancient Rome, on Vicolo dei Modelli, just down the street from the famous Trevi Fountains (where people from all over the world come to throw their pennies and make wishes).

A few years ago, he moved to Calcata, Italy – a renaissance town about 45 minutes from Rome. He took daily walks with his dog Jack Daniel, and until a few years ago, conducted regular movement classes (that’s like tai chi crossed with dance). He was a true artiste. You can read about him and his amazing Grotta Restaurant in Calcata here.

Paul always told you what he thought. He was an incessant TV watcher – frequently staying up all night in Rome to watch U.S. TV shows…and he loved politics. He always watched our Presidential elections and often sent us a politically charged email if he didn’t think things were going right.

But mostly, Paul was passionate, full of energy and had a childlike joie de vivre!

I hope you will pause for a moment and think. “What will people say about me when I am gone? Will I have any regrets? Did I live my life to the fullest, experiencing everything I wanted to?” If not – you can make that change now!

Ciao Uncle Paul…Your legacy to me and our family is your crazy and wonderful way of doing everything you wanted to!

I jokingly refer to the Jewish holiday of Passover as the “horseradish holiday.” (As a wholesale distributor of fresh produce, it has always been an easy way to inform our retail clients that this is the time of year to stock up on this knobby root.)

That is, of course, because horseradish is one of the symbolic “bitter herbs” served as part of the traditional Passover Seder dinner. This year, the first night of Passover starts at sundown on Monday, March 29, and Jews all over the world will be sitting down for a dinner filled with traditional foods.

Supermarkets are pretty savvy, and they have chosen to increase their offerings of Jewish/Kosher foods for each of the major Jewish holidays. So, even if you are not Jewish, this is the time of year when you can stock up on matzoh (large 8-inch square crackers), almond macaroons, and all sorts of Kosher and traditional sweets.

And, if you shop in the produce department, you may suddenly notice a very ugly, knobby and oftentimes dirty root vegetable. That would be fresh horseradish root. Hopefully, it will be in the refrigerated section, and if you’re lucky, it will be in the “greens” section, where it will get misted regularly with water. Like all root vegetables, horseradish tends to lose its moisture if not kept cool and damp.

First of all, don’t be afraid if the roots are a bit dirty. (They do grow in the dirt, after all!) When you get your horseradish root home, store it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator, and don’t wash it until you are ready to use it. (Actually, we encourage retailers to stock horseradish that is already pre-wrapped, to keep it fresh.)

Fresh horseradish is incredibly pungent, so get ready for the smell! Peel off the outer skin with a potato peeler. The inside will be a creamy beige color, similar to a parsnip. Grate coarsely if you want to serve as is, or puree in a food processor until finely blended, and add sour cream, cream cheese or mayonnaise (your preference) to dilute the very strong flavor. (Note: Like chopping onions, you may find yourself shedding a few tears as you cut into fresh horseradish.)

Fresh-grated horseradish served with homemade prime rib will impress your guests! (Most people serve the jarred, prepared horseradish.) You can also add finely grated horseradish to your mashed potatoes. (Oh, by the way, all the top chefs now call mashed potatoes “potato puree,” or simply “puree.”) The horseradish will give your “puree” a little zing.

I personally love the zing I experience when I add freshly grated horseradish to top a matzoh during our family Passover Seder. The meal is filled with many family memories of years past.

I would love to hear about your favorite way of using horseradish. Add your comments in the form below. (If you are reading this in your email, click on the headline to take you to the online version so you can enter comments.)

Last week, someone asked me why so many people eat fresh asparagus for Easter. That made me think…

Interestingly, asparagus has a long history that goes back to the third century. Its popularity is probably due to its delicate flavor and diuretic properties. (Yes, many people report that their urine smells different after eating asparagus. Here’s an explanation.)

Nutritionally, it’s a low-calorie source of folate and potassium. And did you know that fresh asparagus is available in three colors? Green, white and PURPLE!

White asparagus lacks color because the stalks are protected from the sunlight while they grow, keeping them from turning green (photosynthesis). White asparagus has become more prevalent in recent years, as more of our fresh asparagus is imported seasonally from Peru. You would not believe how much fresh asparagus (in all three colors) is imported from Peru when it’s not available from the USA.

Purple asparagus is available sporadically during the year, coming from California, Michigan and Peru, seasonally. Purple asparagus will lose its color once cooked. So, if you want to dazzle your friends, serve purple asparagus raw. Why not offer a platter of green, white and purple!

My new favorite way of serving green asparagus was taught to me by my sister-in-law, Audrey (our husbands are twins!). Try this as a quick and easy side dish:

Wash and trim green asparagus. (Peel ends with a potato peeler.) Prepare as much as you want to serve.

Drop whole asparagus spears into boiling water and cook for no more than 3 minutes. IMMEDIATELY immerse cooked asparagus into a bowl of ice water. Let sit for at least 10 minutes. This will stop the cooking process and make your asparagus stay a bright and yummy green.

Arrange asparagus spears on a platter (I like to use an oblong platter and fill it with asparagus). Garnish with halved red grape tomatoes and sprinkle a few sliced almonds on top. Lightly drizzle with a Caesar-type salad dressing and serve cold.

Here’s a hint: Buy twice as much Asparagus as you normally would serve. I have found that everyone will gobble it up because it is so eye-appealing and delicious. I served it for a family dinner for 20 people and there wasn’t enough for me!

So, Happy Easter (April 4) and Happy Passover (March 29). It’s a great season to enjoy asparagus!

A couple weeks ago, my younger daughter, Sophia and I traveled to Washington, D.C., to visit my eldest daughter, Alex. Alex is a third-year student at George Mason University. (I have found it is a really nice diversion to go visit and get her out of the dredge of school.)

The challenge with having two daughters for a weekend away is: What to do? As usual, my first reminder to them is, “Shopping is not a sport! It is NOT something ‘to do in our spare time’ instead of going sightseeing. We are not, I repeat, NOT going shopping.”

When I was last in Washington, D.C., with an afternoon to spare, I took the advice of a local photographer and went to the Newseum. The Newseum is on Pennsylvania Avenue between The Capitol and The White House, and is billed as the city’s most interactive museum.

With Alex and Sophia in tow, we took the Metro for an afternoon adventure. I admit that I was a bit nervous, as my two girls are not avid museum-goers. (The first time I took Alex to the Louvre in Paris, we walked into the magnificent entrance filled with sculptures and she exclaimed, “Mom – all these statues look the same – like naked people looking at the sky. Can’t we go do something fun?”)

As we approached the Newseum’s glass entrance, I could see they were already hooked. Front pages of newspapers from every state in the country and many countries around the world were posted in cases surrounding the entrance of the museum. The girls walked slowly together, checking out the many newspaper headlines, curious about what was happening in each state and everywhere else in the world. The Olympics in Vancouver and the earthquake in Chile were front and center.

Once inside, we started on the 6th Level and experienced “Manhunt: Chasing (Abraham) Lincoln’s Killer.” Memorabilia from Lincoln collectors are displayed around the medium-sized room. Reading the story of President Lincoln’s last few hours alive really made you feel like you were there.

On Level 4, in the 9/11 gallery, we watched a video featuring journalists who covered (and survived) the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Directly outside the gallery is the actual radio tower that once sat at the top of the World Trade Center, scarred by crashing to the ground. Everyone observed the entire exhibit in deafening silence.

We saw Tim Russert’s office (the now-deceased host of “Meet the Press”). We saw the door from the Watergate break-in, complete with the doorknob taped open! We saw eight sections of the Berlin Wall, and we saw newspapers on Dewey being declared President…and Al Gore conceding the Presidency. (And, of course, the “Saturday Night Live” version of that famous 2004 election).

As we moved through floors 3, 2 and 1, there were constant announcements, “The Newseum will be closing in 30 minutes…The Newseum will be closing in 15 minutes.” My daughters looked at me and I could see that they did not want to leave. Three hours was not enough time to spend experiencing all the world’s greatest news stories.

Eventually, we gathered our coats to leave and brave the 36-degree weather. Alex said, “I need to tell my Issues in Public Relations professor that this would be a great place for a field trip. This was the most amazing museum I’ve ever been to.” Sophia was taking photos of everything so she could share with her World History teacher back home.

My faith was restored in my daughters: What’s happening in the world DOES matter. It is relevant. And I hope that if you have a chance to go to Washington, D.C., you make time to visit the Newseum. Coming soon – an exhibit on Elvis Presley!

Throughout my career, I have given many presentations on fresh produce. Sometimes I talk about “exotic produce” (the items we sell), and other times I address an industry-related issue or take a nutritional approach to talk about the health benefits. Over the years, there has been one universal question:

Fortunately, our industry has listened to consumers and there have been innovations in the tomato industry that have allowed us to produce and market some fantastic tasting tomatoes.

However, I believe that the No. 1 reason tomatoes don’t taste good is that they are NOT supposed to be refrigerated! And I’ve visited too many friends and gone into their kitchens to find them putting their lovely fresh tomatoes in the refrigerator and their apples on the counter. REVERSE THAT! If you put tomatoes in the refrigerator, you kill the flavor. And apples – well, they SHOULD be refrigerated to keep their crispness.

Mother Nature recently played havoc on the tomato industry. There was a devastating freeze in January that wiped out most of the Florida tomato crop. At this time of year, fresh tomatoes primarily come from two growing areas: Florida and Mexico. In addition to supplying retail supermarkets with fresh tomatoes, growers supply fresh tomatoes to foodservice operators like McDonald’s and Subway (can you imagine how many tomatoes they use a week?).

The freeze has taken out almost 50 percent of the fresh tomato crop, and it means we consumers are experiencing lighter supplies and higher prices at the supermarket. So, what to do? Try a new type of tomato!

There are still good tomato supplies coming out of Mexico. And the best value right now is the Roma Tomato. Also known as the “sauce tomato,” Romas were originally used to make thick homemade tomato sauces for pasta dishes. Now, many home cooks are discovering that Roma tomatoes can be enjoyed fresh, and are so easy to slice for salads and sandwiches.

So, as we wait for mid-April to come, and with it, new tomato supplies from Florida and greenhouse-grown tomatoes from Canada, California, Texas, Holland, Spain and many other areas, try a new tomato variety.

I’ve learned that I don’t always know how things will turn out. And it’s often well worth my time to spend a few minutes for a phone call, a meeting or to exchange business cards. A simple phone call recently turned into a wonderful opportunity for me and for Frieda’s.

Two years ago, I got a call from EARTH University in Costa Rica. One of their graduates, Aldo Bettoni, had been interning in Los Angeles and had 6 months left on his visa. They wanted to know if I knew of any company that might be interested in an intern. (Instead of approaching me directly, they used the “do you know of anyone” approach. Clever.)

Well, let me step back a bit. About 15 years ago, a longtime friend of my mother’s, Panfilo Tabora, who helped us import the first Fresh Hearts of Palm, took a position at EARTH University in Costa Rica. Panfilo, a professor in Tropical Crops, introduced us to EARTH and their mission:

“EARTH University is dedicated to education in agricultural sciences and natural resource management in order to contribute to sustainable development in the humid tropics with an emphasis on Latin America and the Caribbean. In an effort to achieve a more prosperous and just society, EARTH offers educational opportunities to young people from the most marginalized regions of the tropics.”

EARTH asked us to help sponsor a student’s education by making an annual donation for 4 years. (More than 75 percent of EARTH’S students receive financial assistance). Frieda’s started that donation program in 2002.

Another opportunity to work with EARTH surfaced with this Los Angeles-based intern. Well, my initial response was “No, we do not need an intern.” Which turned into, “Well, have him come down and I’ll see if I can refer him to another company.”

So, Aldo came to visit the office. He gave me a PowerPoint presentation on his college marketing project, and I was hooked! I had to find a place for him at Frieda’s.

Aldo started his internship at Frieda’s in February 2008 and worked with us for about 6 months. He began helping with data in our marketing department, but his biggest project was to help organize and execute Frieda’s Fresh Marketplace, an open-air produce market that we tested out for the summer. Every Saturday for two months, we held an amazing farmers-market style event in our parking lot. In August 2008, Aldo returned to Costa Rica to get his MBA at INCAE Business School (started by Harvard University).

Recently, Aldo and I met up in Washington, D.C. I asked him what his next adventures would be after graduating with his MBA this May. He said he would love to have an opportunity to work at Frieda’s. To make a long story short – Aldo will be starting his professional career at Frieda’s in July! I’m excited because Aldo’s education is grounded in true sustainability, in both agricultural and supply chain practices.

Had I not taken the phone call from EARTH University that day, Aldo and Frieda’s may have missed a great opportunity. I’ve always felt that my business life has been a combination of good timing, destiny and a little bit of luck.

And, in case you are interested, several years ago, EARTH University entered into an exclusive marketing agreement to export their organically-grown bananas to Whole Foods Markets across the United States. Like Frieda’s, Whole Foods has been “giving back” to EARTH University for many years.

So, if you want to support true sustainability and EARTH University, try their organic bananas at Whole Foods!

I was changing planes in Salt Lake City and I was bored. The flight was delayed about 30 minutes, so I went over to the magazine rack and started looking at magazine titles. Cowboys & Indians, Hmm, never heard of that one. Then I saw Robert Redford on the cover of Salt Lake Magazine – so I picked it up.

I attended a leadership symposium many years ago at which I heard a professor from New Mexico State University speak. He said he keeps current and on the cutting edge by picking up magazines, while traveling, that he has never read before or does not subscribe to. Over the years, and after many hundreds of flights, I have read The Economist, The New Yorker, Wired, INC., In Style, Lucky, and many others that I never would have picked up. Try it – you won’t believe what you can learn.

“Cuckoo for Coconuts” was a story on page 100 of Salt Lake Magazine. I had to check it out. After all, my husband Garry LOVES anything “coconut,” so I am always looking for interesting recipes.

Frieda’s has a long history with coconuts. First we imported Coconuts in the husk from Mexico. Those shipments were short-lived, once cocaine was occasionally smuggled inside the coconut husks.

Then, we began importing Coquitos (aka Baby Coconuts) from Chile. About 13 years ago I took a trip to Chile to see the 50-year-old Chilean palm trees where these babies grow. They are amazing! It really does take 50 years before they produce fruit. And the fruits are divine. Resembling malted milk ball candies, Coquitos are crunchy little nuts that taste like rich coconut with almond overtones (no water inside).

Coquito Nuts are perfect crushed and used as a topping or garnish. Actually, there used to be a restaurant on Maui (called Avalon) that featured a dessert called “Carmel Miranda,” which was a plate of tropical fruits with a scoop of ice cream in the middle, garnished with crushed Coquito Nuts. (Carmen Miranda, as you will recall, wore a hat that looked like a platter of fruit.) The chef, Mark Elman, told me that the Coquitos were the centerpiece of this dessert. (Mark has since closed Avalon and started another company — Maui Tacos!)

Well, our latest foray into Coconuts are Whole Peeled Coconuts from Mexico. The inventor, Frank Garcia, came to us about 5 years ago with a problem. He was buying coconuts in Mexico and shaving off the outside husks to create a new product (an organic substitute for peat moss). His problem was that he had all these peeled fresh coconuts (with the very healthy water inside) as a byproduct. He was feeding them to the cows in Mexico! Did we think we could sell them? Well, after more than 12 months perfecting the quality control and food safety process, we finally launched Whole Peeled Coconuts. We also introduced Sliced Fresh Coconuts and Halves (which make great serving dishes).

If you like coconut, there is NOTHING like the taste of these fresh. Unfortunately, our product launch timing was not great. By the time we got supermarkets across the United States to put them in their refrigerated produce departments, the economy started to slow. Most supermarkets decided to reduce the number of “unusual produce items” in their stores.

However, we know that coconuts and fresh coconut water (inside our Whole Peeled and Young Thai coconuts) are an amazing health food. I’m hoping that as the economy comes back, that you can once again find Frieda’s Whole Peeled Coconuts in markets across the United States. If you want to try them, ask your produce manager to order them!

About that Salt Lake magazine article on Coconuts… You can read the story here. It has a great recipe for Coconut Cake. I’m thinking of baking this weekend.

I admit it. I do not watch much television. In fact, I am embarrassed to say that I’ve never seen “The Office,” or “LOST,” and have only seen one episode of “24” (only because I was traveling with my sister, Jackie, who is a fanatic about that show). And, I have never used a DVR or TiVo.

This past weekend, however, I was at a Game Night with my family, and as my niece was flipping through saved shows on her DVR, the name “UNDERCOVER BOSS” came on the screen. Being the boss of a mid-sized company, the subject matter looked fascinating.

The premise of this show is that the producers convince the CEOs of large companies to go “undercover” for a week, inside their own companies, to find out what the rank and file employees were experiencing. So, we watched the show (instead of playing a game).

The show profiled Coby Brooks, the CEO of Hooters Restaurants (there are over 450 franchises across the U.S.). I will not comment on my personal impressions of this restaurant chain, but I was pleasantly surprised to watch Brooks realize first-hand, how his female servers and managers were treated and to see him make promises to change things to be a more female-empowering organization. Brooks’ father started the company, and I could relate to his comments about some of the challenges faced in being the second generation in a family-owned business.

I was hooked! The next show I saw profiled Joseph DePinto, the president and CEO of 7-Eleven (which has more than 4,000 stores). Again, he went undercover for a week and interacted and was genuinely touched by the multi-national employees who support their families by working for 7-Eleven. I was impressed to see that 7-Eleven is committed to donating all unsalable (but edible) food to local food banks and charities. And DePinto was genuinely interested in his employees and got a new perspective on how personal relationships make the difference between a “good performing” and a “TOP performing store.”

Of course, with less than 100 employees at our single Frieda’s location, it is not practical for me to go “undercover.” But, I’d like to share with you what I did a few years ago. At the suggestion of a trusted business advisor, over a 3-month period of time, I met one-on-one with each of my employees. We met alone in my office and I learned about their family. I asked each employee what they liked and didn’t like about working at Frieda’s and allowed them the opportunity to ask me anything they wanted.

Before I started, I was a little nervous (as I’m sure they were). But, guess what I learned? In those 10-minute meetings, I learned that coworkers smiled when they talked about their family. They showed me pictures of their successful children and were so proud that they moved to our country and raised their family. (We have employees from almost a dozen countries!)

They told me that they wanted to see me more often (and suggested I walk the warehouse more regularly). They gave me feedback on how I was doing at running the company.

You don’t have to be a CEO of a company to benefit from this concept. Next time a server in a restaurant comes to your table, ask him or her where they are from. When you’re at your kid’s school, ask the teacher or aid where they went to college and what they studied. Ask your coworker about their family (learn the names).

But, my advice is that you must be sincere. It’s not something to check off your “to-do” list. It’s a way to get in touch with those around you and to be a better human being.

So, to Brooks and DePinto, thank you for taking a chance and letting us watch you go undercover. (I was reminded of all the humble lessons I learned when I opened up and got to know every single one of my coworkers.) I hope you both continue to be in touch with all the employees at your companies – they are truly the key to your success.

I can’t wait for the next episode of “Undercover Boss.” But what if I’m not home to watch it? Well, yesterday Garry got us all hooked up with a DVR, although he hasn’t taught me how to use it yet!

I just read an update from our procurement team that Cherimoyas are now at their peak of season! I just love Cherimoyas.

For those of you who are novices in the exotic fruit category, the Cherimoya is a subtropical fruit that grows in California and contra-seasonally in Chile and New Zealand (and probably in other countries that I do not know about).

I like to describe its looks as a cross between an artichoke and a hand grenade! (Got the picture?)

Besides the fabulous flavor (smooth vanilla-pineapple-pear-custard), my special closeness to Cherimoyas came when I was a senior at University of California, Davis. I was taking a marketing class and my partner, Bill Vinnicombe and I had to put together a marketing plan and present it to the class.

Since I had worked every summer with my mom in the produce business, I suggested we do our marketing project on Cherimoyas, one of the fruits that we sold on the produce market. Mom had just become the Green Grocer on ABC-TV in Los Angeles, so I already had ideas about how we could dazzle our class with our marketing ideas: Mark Twain described Cherimoyas as “deliciousness itself.” The Spanish name “Cherimoya” means “cold seeds,” and describes the dark brown inedible seeds inside the fruit.

As we researched our project, we discovered that each Cherimoya has to be hand-pollinated with a brush (with the farmers climbing up tall ladders to reach the fruit blossoms). This explained why Cherimoyas are always so much more expensive than other subtropical fruits.

Well, Bill was the “Green Grocer” that day in class and I was his back up. We got an A+ on our marketing project (I think the free samples of ripe Cherimoyas that we handed out helped). And my love of Cherimoyas grew.

So, when I was traveling to the magnificent country of Chile 10 years ago, I didn’t mind the 4 hour drive from Santiago to La Serena. In La Serena, I got the chance to meet many wonderful, hospitable Cherimoya growers and their families, and had a chance to taste the national dessert of Chile: Large, thick slices of Cherimoya (the size of a dinner plate), drizzled with freshly-squeezed orange juice. Mmmm…The perfect dessert.

So, next time you are at your local farmer’s market or grocery store, and see those high-priced, green, bumpy Cherimoyas, I invite you to buy one. Do not refrigerate them, but put them on the counter and let them get soft like an avocado. Then slice them, remove the seeds and skin and enjoy!

Mark Twain was right. Deliciousness itself!

Karen

Sometimes when I go to cocktail parties or meet other business people, they don’t take me seriously. I mean, really, here I am a 50-something woman (not always dressed like a CEO), trying to make interesting conversation and appear relevant. My absolute favorite conversation starter is to mention that I used to be a director of The Federal Reserve Bank. Yes, THE Fed.

Mostly people want to know just exactly HOW I got to be a director. And that’s my favorite part of the story.

I’m kind of a competitive person. And, so when I was at a NAWBO Conference (National Association of Women Business Owners) about 10 years ago, and heard that a fellow woman business owner was a director of the Federal Reserve Bank in Atlanta, I decided that I wanted to be a director, too. So I asked that friend, Whitney Johns, how did she do it?

She said, “Karen, why don’t you send me your C.V. (fancy name for a professional resume), along with a packet on your company, and I will pass it along?” So, I sent her a packet and then forgot all about it.

About 12 months later, I got a call from the vice president of the Los Angeles Federal Reserve Bank Branch. He said he was doing Community Outreach and invited me to lunch. After about 45 minutes of chit-chat about our families, exercising and business, Mark finally came clean. He was actually interviewing me! He said there were no guarantees, but he was going to put forth my name as a potential nominee.

The following January, I began my three-year term as a director of the Federal Reserve Bank, Los Angeles Branch. (There are 12 Federal Reserve Districts, and the 12th District is based in San Francisco, which actually covers the nine western states. The Los Angeles Branch is one of 5 branches inside the 12th District).

Because I had to go through a very thorough background check and got fairly high-level FBI security clearance, I cannot say a lot about what went on at our monthly meetings. But I can tell you that each of the 7 directors gave a monthly report on what was going on in our particular industry. I updated the group on the produce industry, water shortages, trucking regulations, workers compensation insurance and the Atkins Diet’s effect on the potato industry! (Personally, I think my reports were the most interesting!). And, yes, we also voted on the interest rate.

The lesson here is – if you want to do something – ask for it! No matter how outrageous a possibility it is! If you don’t ask, you don’t get.

And, about meeting Chairman Alan Greenspan. We were at a cocktail party at the Federal Reserve Bank building in Washington, D.C., and he was standing next to me (no one else noticed that he had entered the room). I offered to “buy him a drink.” When I turned to order, the bartender said, “The Chairman likes a Diet Coke!”

Arugula. Arrugula. Rocket Salad. Roquette. Rugola… It has many names but it’s all the same thing. This peppery, leafy green has become quite popular with chefs over the past 10 years. It’s that long leaf salad green with scalloped leaves and a strong, distinct peppery flavor. It’s often found in mesclun salad mixes, or even alone as a bagged salad.

I vaguely recall when we first got a request for “Rocket Salad.” It must have been in the 1970s when we were just beginning to market fresh herbs. (That’s right, fresh cut herbs have only been widely sold in supermarkets for 30 years. Before that time, home cooks had to use dried herbs. What a flavor revolution!) We got one of our small growers to plant a few rows on their farm and we sold maybe five small bags a week.

I think Arugula is still most popular in Europe. When I first visited Berlin four years ago, my most memorable meal was at a glorious, glass-enclosed restaurant. My host ordered an incredible grilled vegetable salad. On a large oval platter, the chef had arranged a colorful medley of grilled eggplant, zucchini and bell peppers on a thick bed of Arugula. It was lightly topped with crumbled feta cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Even now, my mouth waters when I think of that salad. When I returned home, I concocted my own version of the salad. “Karen’s Famous Grilled Vegetables” is now a staple when we entertain at home.

During my trip to Berlin earlier this month, I enjoyed an Arugula (or Rauke) salad every night, garnished with cherry tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. Whenever I taste Arugula, I think of Berlin!

The narrow, delicate small-leaf variety is most popular in Europe, although it is seen here in upscale markets, often labeled as Wild Rocket or Baby Arugula. The larger, broader-leaf Arugula has leaves that measure about 4 inches long and is delicious wilted in warm salads.

Arugula is not always easy to find in supermarkets. Upscale markets may have it in the bagged salad section. (You can also find it at some farmers markets.) If you can’t find it at your store, be sure to request it from your produce manager. And if you have a home garden, Arugula is a natural to plant in the late spring and summer. But don’t plant too much, and watch it carefully. Arugula tends to grow fast and can become a little “tough” if left in the ground too long.

Make your next salad a little different — make Arugula your “Spice of Life!”

Karen

I am getting ready to pack for another business trip soon, so I need to make sure I have enough business cards. When should you carry business cards? Always. And I mean always. There is never a time when I leave my house without them:

Hint for guys: Please keep fresh business cards in your wallet! I just hate when guys start digging through their wallets looking for their business card and finally pull out a crumpled one, often with a phone number written on the back! Guys, you are always networking, so keep at least 5 to 8 fresh business cards on hand.

And, speaking of writing on the back of a business card, that’s why the backs of cards are blank. So you can write a note — a follow-up note. So, tell your company’s marketing department: Don’t print anything on the back, and don’t print on glossy paper that makes your pen smear.

Hint for students and the unemployed: Print your own business cards. Don’t worry about a fancy logo. Just make sure the font is clear and easy to read. Include your email address and cell phone number. You can order them online, or print them on your home computer (or at FedEx Office, Staples, etc.). Hey, you’re looking for that next great employment opportunity, aren’t you? Be prepared.

…And always carry them. Even if you’re on vacation. You never know when you will meet someone who you want to be in contact with.

As many of you probably know, my mother is Frieda Caplan. Correction, Frieda Rapoport Caplan. (A few years ago, my mom decided that she wanted to go back to her roots and added a middle name — her maiden name).

Since I started writing this blog, Mom has been emailing an almost-daily reminder that I should mention that “she is still around.” That at 86 years old, she still comes to work every day. Yes, Mom, I am listening to you.

In my adult lifetime, I have found that my mother has an amazing way of being ahead of her time. She seems to have clairvoyance when it comes to issues, new products, relationships, and in this case, important people…

As I travelled from Los Angeles to Berlin last week, I retrieved from my briefcase the reading materials I had hastily thrown in there. American Vegetable Grower Magazine was the first one out. I always start with the editor’s page of magazines. I have great respect for editors and I usually gain some insight.

Well, there it was. “Farewell to a Giant.” The Editor’s Note was announcing the passing of a great man, Norman Borlaug, at the age of 95. Mom has been spreading the word about Borlaug for years. Even though we never met, I feel like I knew Norman Borlaug.

Borlaug revolutionized agriculture in Mexico by developing a wheat variety that helped the country, and ultimately the world to develop and feed the hungry. Borlaug is only one of five people who have received all three of these awards: The Nobel Peace Prize, The Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. (Read the Editors’ Note about Borlaug here.)

Mom gave me — and dozens of her friends — his biography. “BORLAUG,” written by our good friend, Dr. Noel Vietmeyer. Noel befriended Mom (and me) back in the 1970s, and through his work at the National Academy of Sciences and the publication, Lost Crops of the Incas, introduced us to dozens of new produce items. You can thank Noel for being the inspiration for our introduction of Purple Potatoes, Oca, Quinoa, and numerous other “lost crops.” Noel just finished the second in a series of three books on Norman Borlaug’s life. My mom has “adopted” Noel and continues to buy and share copies of both of these books with her friends.

…So there is Norman Borlaug again in my magazine. I had no idea that there was a single person who revolutionized agriculture like Borlaug did. So, I guess it is no surprise that my mother, Frieda Rapoport Caplan, who many say revolutionized the way American consumers eat fruits and vegetables, is the person spreading the word about the person who really revolutionized modern agriculture.

So, Mom, now everyone knows that you are around and at the office every day! And that you continue to amaze me with your adeptness at being on top of the most important and interesting issues.

This week was especially gratifying for me because we officially launched our company’s Healthy Living Initiative by holding our first Health Task Force meeting. A little background…

Like many companies, we were hit with healthcare premium increases of more than 30 percent back in December. I had to figure out some way to deal with this huge cost increase. Besides sharing some of these costs with the company’s employees, I wanted to come up with a long-term way we could improve the health of our employees and their families, and, at the same time, lower our healthcare premiums.

As I was preparing for my “state of the company” address at our holiday luncheon in December, it came to me. Since our company mission is “To Change the Way America Eats,” it only made sense to start at home, right here at Frieda’s. So, I invited every department in our company to ask for volunteers for a company-wide task force.

No managers are part of our Health Task Force. Five employees — one from each department — will meet regularly to come up with recommendations for making us healthier. I was excited to learn that each member came to the meeting with their own list of ideas, and they have already scheduled a second meeting in two weeks.

My vision is that our Health Task Force will come up with three initiatives at a time that they will share with all employees. (Perhaps they will create a “no junk food sold in the building” rule, or schedule voluntary nutrition education classes at lunchtime.) This will be a ground-up movement that will get employees excited about being healthier, while promoting teamwork and better communication. And at the end of 2010, when we get our new healthcare premiums, I am hoping to see a more positive result.

This is a long-term commitment for Frieda’s, and with Healthcare Reform on everyone’s mind, I know that companies (large and small) will have to do their part to educate all Americans.

Of course, I have to do my part. Today, I walked into the office munching on my snack of Lady Apples! I love their small size, sweet flavor and crisp texture. Fuji apples used to be my favorite, but the ones I’ve bought lately are flavorless.

Why don’t you adopt your own Healthy Living Initiative for 2010, at home or at work. It’s easy.

My good friend Betsy offered to come to our company to do training on goal setting and planning. She performs professional training at her company (a large recruiting firm), and is a top performer there, so I figured it would be great for my account managers to hear from a high achiever.

My training budget was a little tight, so I asked Betsy if I could pay her in fruit. She agreed and the training went great!

And now – here comes the fruit payoff. As we discussed her fruit options, Betsy had many questions and concerns. Frieda’s sells exotic and unusual fruits and veggies, many of which she had never heard of.

Does this sound familiar to you? You want to introduce a new fruit or veggie to your family and all you get is “No.”

So, I confronted Betsy head on. I sent her an email. “Betsy, I have figured out your problem: You have a fear of fruit.”

She had to laugh. I said, “Trust me. Even though you’ve never tried what I am going to bring to you, I bet you’ll love it. And, after you try it, I want you to ‘pass it forward’ and share it with your co-workers and friends.”

Ugli Fruit is from Jamaica and is a grapefruit-tangelo cross. It comes by boat from Jamaica to Miami, and then we truck it to Southern California. It looks like a greenish-yellow scratched-up grapefruit, and its thick skin is easy to peel. Inside the fruit is a light golden-pink, refreshingly sweet, and very juicy flesh. This weeks’ shipment of Ugli Fruit had just arrived at our office and every piece looked great to me.

So what did Betsy think? “I have seen ‘uglier’ fruit in my life,” she said, “But I do love the name.” Betsy said she found the Ugli Fruit to be very juicy and refreshing. “It was fun to try a new fruit!”

So, go to your favorite supermarket and ask for some Ugli Fruit (also known as Uniq Fruit). They are only in season for a short time.

And now. . .what new fruit will I introduce next to Betsy’s family? Kiwano? Passion Fruit? Or maybe the sweet and soft Mamay Sapote? I’ll have to think about that one for a while.

I’m writing from Berlin, Germany, at Fruit Logistica, an international produce industry show held every February. I first heard of this gigantic show from my longtime produce friend, Marc DeNaeyer, who convinced me that I needed to go.

My first Fruit Logistica was in 2006 – and it was a very cold and snowy Berlin that year. I spent two days walking the most enormous food show I had ever encountered. Fruit Logistica was held in six, two-story buildings! (I was familiar with U.S. shows held in one exhibit hall!) As I walked the show, I saw beautiful produce from Holland, where the greenhouse-grown vegetables are displayed like artwork and sculptures. I saw Korean Asian Pears the size of large grapefruits. At the Israeli pavilion, I saw peppers, tomatoes, mangoes and citrus varieties that we never see on the West Coast (some Israeli products are shipped and sold on the East Coast when the freight costs are affordable).

I got to see so many packaging innovations that are commonplace in Europe, where produce is trucked from country to country, because of the close proximity. Peeled and pre-cooked potatoes with multi-month shelf-life. Multi-ingredient luncheon salads in clever plastic tubs wrapped in breathable plastic.

At the end of the show, I remember having gathered at least 30 pounds worth of brochures, leaflets and magazines. There was so much colorful information that I had to carry back to share with our buying and marketing departments.

My second trip to Fruit Logistica was in in 2008 – where the weather was completely different. No coats needed as the temperature was in the 50s. The show had increased in size and as I walked the show floor, I chuckled as I saw a few of my American produce friends. A few more American produce companies were displaying. I recognized many of my USA retailer clients now walking the show to see those same innovations that took my breath away two years earlier.

And, of course, I got to explore the City of Berlin while I was there, including the most amazing department store I’ve ever seen: KaDeWe (KDW). The first five floors are filled with clothing and merchandise and the top two floors feature a multitude of food courts which rival Harrod’s in London. Of course, the best part of this shopping experience was sitting down at the Veuve Clicquot Champagne Bar to taste the latest vintage!

Two years ago, several of my produce friends (actually 4 guys from Los Angeles and Chicago) and I explored an amazing food palace called Rogacki. If you are ever in Berlin, check it out! This food place is the size of a large market with an area dedicated to all types of fresh seafood and an area with all types of salads and Bratwurst and an amazing stand-up restaurant in the middle of it all.

As you are standing there feasting on freshly prepared fish of all kinds, you are sipping amazing vintages of wine, fresh bread, bratwurst, fresh salads. The camaraderie is amazing as you are always sandwiched between a combination of locals and tourists speaking a plethora of languages.

For my third Fruit Logistica, I am doing things a little differently. I am going on a supermarket tour and have meetings with suppliers and customers each night (and of course have to compare notes with my friend Marc). And this year I brought some very comfortable walking shoes! I am looking forward to some new culinary experiences and to make some new business connections. And hopefully, if my technology cooperates, I will be able to share some photos.

Okay, I admit it. I am not a sports fanatic. However, I do enjoy attending sporting events (my personal favorite is The Lakers) and I have spent many a Monday night watching football and Sunday afternoons watching golf. So, as we head toward the Big Game in February, I find myself spending more time thinking about the game of football than I otherwise would be.

So I asked my sister, Jackie, who is really a sports nut, for her insight on the Super Bowl. She said, “Karen – the Super Bowl is really about Leadership. Leadership, teamwork and working toward a common goal. All the qualities that get two teams to the Super Bowl, are those same things that we practice every day in our regular lives, as business owners.”

Leadership

No team ever got to the Super Bowl without great leadership. Coaches always have a season-long goal. They don’t say “let’s win games this season to make us feel good.” They say, “We’re going to the Super Bowl (big visionary goal) and to get there, we have to win every game.” They hire great assistant coaches (department managers, if you’re running a company). Each assistant coach has a specialty (offense, defense, etc.), just like each manager does. They assess their players and train them to be the best. They video tape their teams playing, so they can help them improve their performance. They never stop practicing. And honest feedback on each player’s performance is a given. (Think: performance reviews.)

Teamwork

Unless you are a golfer, it’s always about the team and teamwork (but even golfers have caddies). Sure, the Head Coach has his first-string players, but he always has a back-up player for every position. Because what if a player gets injured? You always have to have a contingency plan. Your bench has to be deep. Although the quarterbacks throw the ball and get a lot of visibility, it’s the whole team working together (offense and defense) that wins the game. We have all experienced working in an organization where other team members “have your back.” It makes all the difference in the world to have a team where everyone has a specialty function, yet they all share the team’s goal.

Working Toward A Common Goal

Every football team starts the season with the same goal – to get to the Super Bowl. Similarly, every company starts its year with financial goals and goals to grow their business by landing new accounts.

Thanks to Jackie’s explanation, I have a new perspective on the Super Bowl. I have a lot more admiration for the coaches. [From 2010] And in the particular case of the New Orleans Saints, they are a team and a city that has come from the horrible setback of Hurricane Katrina. It seems to me that as I watched the last few minutes of New Orleans defeating Minnesota, the game was symbolic of the rebuilding of The Big Easy. And, Jackie just reminded me that New Orleans has NEVER been to the Super Bowl. There is a lot to be said for persistence.

So, may the best team win! I will definitely be watching the game with a new found appreciation for the Super Bowl and what it stands for. [The New Orleans Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts on February 7, 2010.]

After seeing the movie, Julie and Julia this past summer, I became obsessed with the concept of blogging. I’ve been doing a fair amount of research and reading a lot of blogs lately. And today, I am taking action. It’s time to share my experiences, pass on what I’ve learned and talk about MY wonderful world–a world of running a business, being in a family business, marketing, public speaking, family life, the produce industry (to name a few) and Frieda’s Specialty Produce.

Our company was started by my mother Frieda Caplan back in 1962 , and after she introduced Kiwifruit to America (really, she did!). Well the rest, as they say, is history.

I started working with my mom when I was about 14 years old during my summer breaks and vacations. I joined the company full time after college in 1977. So, I’ve been fortunate to have been right beside my mom as she grew the company. There are so many stories. So many new fruits and veggies that we’ve introduced over the years like Purple Potatoes, Spaghetti Squash, and Sugar Snap Peas. You name it – we’ve probably marketed it.

In fact, some say we’ve changed the way America eats! And we’ve adopted that as our mission. Go Mom!

So, a few times a week, I will be sharing “what’s on my plate” — stories, thoughts, happenings in the produce world, and food for thought.