SANTA PAULA, CA – Put the cobwebs, ghouls, and goblins away; Halloween is over and Thanksgiving is officially on the horizon! In honor of the upcoming holiday, Limoneira spokesperson and Healthy Grocery Girl’s Megan Roosevelt has created an array of her favorite recipes perfect for holiday entertaining and décor ideas to take any celebration to the next level. As always, the emphasis is on simplicity, ease, health, and, in the spirit of the season, gratitude.
For a new twist on a holiday institution, try Roasted Garlic & Meyer Lemon-Rubbed Turkey.
Ingredients:
- 2 heads garlic
- 3 Meyer lemons
- ¼ cup white miso
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, plus 3 sprigs
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 10 to 12-pound turkey
- 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered, divided
- 2 cups water, plus more as needed
Directions: To prepare the turkey: Position rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 400°F. Rub off excess papery skin from garlic heads without separating the cloves. Slice the tips off, exposing the ends of the cloves. Place the heads on a square of foil. Sprinkle with 4 teaspoons water and wrap into a package. Roast until very soft, 40 to 45 minutes. Unwrap and let cool.
Zest lemons. Place the zest in a medium bowl; juice the lemons into the bowl through a strainer to catch the seeds. Reserve the squeezed lemon skins. Add miso, oil, chopped thyme, and pepper to the lemon mixture. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins into the bowl. Whisk until the mixture forms a paste.
Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Set aside giblets and neck for making Turkey Giblet Stock, if desired. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels.
Loosen the skin over the breast and thigh meat. Rub the paste under the skin onto the breast meat and leg meat and a little inside the cavity. Tuck the wing tips under the turkey. Place the reserved squeezed lemon skins, thyme sprigs, and 2 onion quarters in the cavity. Tie the legs together with kitchen string. Place the turkey breast-side up on a roasting rack set in a large roasting pan.
Roast the turkey for 1 hour. Add 2 cups water and the remaining onion to the pan, tent with foil and continue roasting for 1 hour more. Baste the turkey with pan drippings and continue roasting, basting every 15 minutes or so, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh without touching bone registers 165°F, 1½ to 2 hours more. Add more water 1 cup at a time if the pan is dry.
We all know there’s nothing quite like a bowl of hot soup when the weather turns cold, and this winter Megan’s Lemon, Carrot & Cauliflower Soup is sure to keep you warm.
Ingredients:
- 1 Limoneira lemon
- 2 heads cauliflower
- 5 carrots
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp salt & 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
Directions: Wash and chop the cauliflower into florets, then peel and chop the carrots. In a large pot, add the cauliflower, carrots, seasonings and stock. Turn the heat to medium, and add a lid. Bring to a boil and stir occasionally, then simmer for 20-30 minutes (or until vegetables are soft). Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until it is smooth and creamy. Lastly, add juice from an entire Limoneira lemon and coconut milk and whisk together. Enjoy!
To spice up your holiday tables, try Megan’s Citrus Napkin Rings, lovely table accents that are both festive and easy to make.
You’ll need:
- A rolled napkin
- 8 inches wide ribbon/strip of burlap
- Dried Limoneira citrus round (such as an orange or lemon)
Directions: Start by wrapping the ribbon around the napkin, and pulling tight. Then feed the ends through the center of the dried citrus, and tie a nice, festive bow on top.
Or try Megan’s Citrus Nature Tablescape
Directions: Keep it simple with a variety of seasonal pumpkins, unscented candles, Limoneira lemons, and fresh lemon tree branches. If lemon tree branches are not available in your area, any local greenery that you prefer will complement the setting beautifully. (Megan suggests rinsing and patting dry any branches that you find outside before bringing them into the house!)
Limoneira has also partnered with additional global chefs and mixologists, nutritionists, and beauty lifestyle and green cleaning experts to share their knowledge with the customers of its grocery and food service partners around the world. Take a peek at their biographies featured on Limoneira’s website.
For helpful demonstrations guided by Megan for any of these recipes or décor tips, check out Limoneira’s Youtube channel, where each Friday new videos with recipes, tips, and tricks will be uploaded. Each month, Megan will also be featuring wonderful facets of citrus living, so subscribe for more information on the many ways this endlessly versatile fruit can improve life inside the home and beyond.
For more on all things produce, stay up-to-date with AndNowUKnow.
SALINAS, CA - The transition back to the desert has begun, with Ocean Mist Farms having recently moved its iceberg harvesting operations over to Huron, California, as it works its way back to the desert region.
Thus far, Vice President of Harvesting Art Barrientos tells me the outlook will be a rather smooth transition.
“I can only speak for our operations, but currently we are right on our budgeted numbers with what looks like a balanced market,” Art shares with me. “The weather has been unseasonably warm in Huron, but it doesn’t look to have had any influence on the iceberg lettuce. Currently, we are on schedule and seeing excellent quality.”
Ocean Mist will remain in Huron for a three week period, then transition to the Yuma region on November 17 or 18, just in time for Thanksgiving demand.
“We are currently seeing fairly balanced volumes–for the most part the industry has seen volumes return to normal, and the market looks to be reflecting that,” Art explains. “Demand hasn’t fallen off at all. We’ve been moving the lettuce we have in the ground without any issues, and we haven’t seen any acreage left behind.”
As for the company’s flagship commodity, artichokes, Art stated they have steady weekly volumes with no foreseeable issues on the horizon.
“We started harvesting artichokes in the Oxnard/Camarillo area last week, where we will harvest through the Christmas Pull," he shares. "Our Coachella Valley production should start harvesting around the first of December."
As we continue to move with the growing regions, AndNowUKnow will keep you in the loop on all the latest.
ALDERGROVE, BC & TEHACHAPI, CA - SunSelect Produce, Inc. named Len Krahn to its top leadership role late last week. The company announced that Krahn, who has held various positions at SunSelect since 1993, most recently served as Chief Operating Officer and VP of Sales, will now be taking up the role of CEO.
“We’re intent on driving operational excellence and building a strong company culture,” Krahn commented. “A fresh approach to our leadership enables us to continue executing on what we do well, and embrace opportunities to grow.”
One of the four siblings who manage the pepper, tomato, and cucumber greenhouse company, Krahn’s experience in the greenhouse began “from the ground up,” according to a press release.
“We’re pleased to see Len take the reins at SunSelect,” said John Anderson, Chairman, President, and CEO of Oppy. “He has a proven track record of strong and thoughtful leadership alongside his practical expertise of all facets of their operation. We are looking forward to building our business with this excellent grower through Len’s innovative management style and a strong go-to-market collaboration.”
With facilities in both the U.S. and Canada, SunSelect currently produces on 70 acres in BC and 64 acres in California. Its Canadian greenhouses were amongst the first produce-growing operations in North America to earn Fair Trade certification, achieving the recognition in 2014, and today, all produce grown by SunSelect is not only Fair Trade certified, but also Equitable Food Initiative (EFI) certified.
The company noted that Krahn learned—and ultimately led—virtually every aspect of the greenhouse production and marketing process, taking on the responsibilities of increasing scale and scope over the last quarter century, which it said prepared him uniquely as its CEO.
SunSelect is known for promoting sustainability in practices like recycling CO2 to feed the plants in its Canadian greenhouses, repurposing emissions that would otherwise enter the atmosphere, and taking measures in other growing practices that result in high-quality peppers, cucumbers, and tomatoes, all available exclusively from Oppy.
Congratulations to Len Krahn on this key step in your career and the SunSelect vision!
SACRAMENTO, CA - Avocados seem to have not just consumers, but providers, growers, and buyers on the lookout!
At least that was how it looked on our leaderboard as members of the produce industry read and raced for $100 cash to prove their knowledge of the avocaDOs and DON'Ts.
Proving an insider's knowledge of the popular fruit, Sobeys Numair Baig, National Produce Procurement Manager, was the first not just on the buy-side, but overall scorer for $100 cash. Not only does Baig wear the crown for top points, but also quickest time.
Our supply-side award, and second $100 cash prize goes to SFL Companies Senior Consultant/Broker Chad Schadler.
Both proved themselves worthy amongst numerous sides of the industry, and you can see the closeness of the race by the leaderboard below:
If you missed your shot to prove you're avodao savvy, fear not! You can quiz yourself and compare your scores with our winners by following the green link below. While you won't be eligable to win this round, you can keep an eye out by ensuring you are subscribed to our newsletter here.
To compete in Quiz Quix events to come, just sign in either via email or one of several social media accounts, and you’ll be all ready to jump into the competition for $100 cash!
Quiz Quix is our way of encouraging some healthy, fun, informative competition within the industry. Signing in will give us a token to verify you and allows us to put your name in the ranking. It doesn't give us access to more than your name and email address. Participants must have a valid email address registered in their individual name in order to play.
HOUSTON, TX - Church Brothers Farms, McCain Foodservice, Tanimura & Antle, and Love Beets are just a few companies celebrating their praises being sung by the leading global foodservice distribution company Sysco. At the Sysco’s Supplier Excellence Awards event, these companies and more received key supplier awards.
“Sysco has a long-standing tradition of recognizing our top suppliers for their commitment to helping us deliver great products to our customers with exceptional service,” said Senior Vice President of Merchandising Brian Todd in a recent press release. “We keep the customer at the center of everything we do and work hard to improve the overall customer experience.”
Recipients of the award are selected based on sales growth, operational excellence, and other key business performance metrics as explained by the company’s corporate Merchandising, Quality Assurance, and Supply Chain departments. This year’s award program highlighted commitment, support, and partnership of suppliers who best showcased Sysco’s vision.
Sovena USA was seeing gold after it won the Supply Chain Partner Award. The company was recognized because of its dedication to the improvement of end-to-end supply chain operations. Some of these improvements were made in inbound purchase order fill rates, market freight rates, pick-up allowances and availability, and overall support and participation in Sysco’s supply chain.
As we reported recently, Church Brothers Farms walked away with the 2017 Sysco Gold Produce Supplier Award.
“We are honored by Sysco’s recognition,” Jeff Church, Vice President of Sales for Church Brothers, said of the award. “They are an important customer and this was a team effort earned by Church Brothers Farms and True Leaf Farms.”
McCain Foodservice took home Supplier of the Year for having the highest level of performance across the board, as the company excelled in sales growth, profitability, and overall support of Sysco and customers.
Love Beets won the Cutting Edge Solution Award. The company was rewarded for its efforts to differentiate product solution for Sysco customers in unique and exclusive ways.
Waypoint walked away from the ceremony with the Broker of the Year for its high-level performance in areas of case growth. The company’s Sysco-dedicated team showed its overall support of Sysco operating companies.
For more key companies recognized, including Tanimura & Antle, Mann Packing, and more, click here for the full winner list. For more news on excellence in the produce world, keep checking back with AndNowUKnow.
PHOENIX, AZ - Sprouts Farmers Market is adding a new well of strategic insights in its new appointee to its Board of Directors. The retailer has picked up Joseph (Joe) O’Leary from a wealth of high-growth retail experience to its Board of Directors.
“Sprouts has become a leader in its industry by making healthy living easy and affordable,” said O’Leary. “This is an exciting time to join Sprouts, and I am thrilled to work with the board and management team to help lead the company on the journey ahead.”
O’Leary has had strong experience serving on Boards of retail chains that track toward fast growth movements, currently serving on the Board of Francesca’s Holding Corp., a growing specialty retailer which operates chain of boutiques, and PetSmart, Inc., one of the largest specialty pet retailers.
Prior to working under a more advisory role with the company, O’Leary previously served as PetSmart’s President and Chief Operating Officer, as well as Executive Vice President of Merchandising, Marketing, Supply Chain, and Strategic Planning. Before joining PetSmart, O’Leary served as Chief Operating Officer of Human Touch, LLC, and Senior Vice President, Supply Chain Strategy, and Global Logistics of Gap Inc.
“We are excited to welcome a seasoned executive like Joe O’Leary to our board,” said Amin Maredia, Sprouts’ Chief Executive Officer and a Director. “Joe’s strategic acumen and deep merchandising and supply chain experience with successful growth-oriented retailers will be a great asset to our company and our board.”
As Sprouts continues to prepare itself to fulfill its high-growth store plans, including recruiting new and experienced leadership, AndNowUKnow will continue to bring you the latest
RIO RICO, AZ – MAS Melons & Grapes is putting its stamp on a seasonal staple, and highlighting one of the company’s most popular autumn offerings with a new video entitled Squash Done Right.
“Doing squash right means getting every squash to 45 degrees quickly, before they’re even packed,” explains the video’s narrator over field shots of farmworkers harvesting squash and rapidly delivering them to the Orqui Group Squash Packaging Facility in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. “That’s why the trip from field to 45 is so short.”
Next, squash are fed into a cleaning solution and cooled on the way to sorting.
“As squash pour in from the harvest, they’re cleansed in a chlorine water solution—while chillin’ on the lazy river,” the narrator notes. “The long, cold ride ensures their core temperature is precooled to perfection.”
After sorting to ensure the best possible product, the squash is then packed and palletized.
“A few minutes [after sorting],” the narrator explains, “they’re packed in Xtend® breathable packaging, to extend shelf-life, quality, and flavor, and palletized in the cooler.”
The video concludes punningly, “it’s one of the many reasons MAS means more; expect more, expect MAS.”
For more on MAS Melons & Grapes' squash harvesting, cooling, and shipping process, watch the video above.
MONROVIA, CA - It’s the most wonderful time of the year… While the song wasn’t intended for pumpkin spice season, the times sure are a’changin’. Autumn has become synonymous with pumpkin spice. Obsession with the rich flavor has become such an intricate part of fall that it seems to be taking over every marketplace—particularly Trader Joe’s.
The stores have become inundated with pumpkin just-about-anything to satiate throngs of customers’ demanding the seasonal necessity. Some consumers are not as excited with the seemingly endless supplies of pumpkin-flavored items surrounding them at every corner in grocery stores, but the general consensus is the more the merrier for this holiday treat!
Huffington Post reported that, “Store locations are now stuffed with pumpkin bagels and pumpkin spice coffee, pumpkin butternut squash bisque, pumpkin tortilla chips and pumpkin-shaped pasta,” and likened Trader Joe’s consumer following for a pumpkin take-over to Bubba’s desires for all things shrimp in Forrest Gump.
While this might seem like harsh criticism for pumpkin enthusiast consumers, the same article expands on other options, such as pumpkin spice scone mix, pumpkin soup crackers, and pumpkin spice caramel corn. If that isn’t enough pumpkin for consumers, they can even get their hands on pumpkin spiced pumpkin seeds.
As of this year's Halloween, the company offers 132 “Fearless Flyer” options, 31 “Dig In” options, and 17 “Recipe” options on its website, for a grand total of 180 pumpkins options for customers. There is a pumpkin option for everyone, as the company caters to holiday happenings and consumer demands.
The ever-loyal T.J. fans of the world have been loud and proud about their excitement and approval of the pumpkin products roll out.
Some of the customers couldn’t even handle the excitement once their favorite fall treats were finally within grasp again, as can be seen on the Twitter-verse.
One thing is for sure: Trader Joe’s has this pumpkin thing down to a science and knows how to make its customers’ hearts happy and stomachs full with such an expansive array of the fan-favorite.
For more fresh produce news, keep checking back with us at AndNowUKnow!
WASHINGTON, DC - Rather than concerning herself with what’s in your wallet, actress, philanthropist, and now-organic entrepreneur Jennifer Garner is looking to influence what consumers have in her kitchen. Having teamed up with former President of organic food company Annie's John Foraker, as well as organic entrepreneurs Cassandra Curtis and Ari Raz, the star has co-founded the organic food company Once Upon a Farm.
And you will be able to hear from her at The Organic Center's 15th Annual Benefit Dinner on March 8 in Anaheim, California.
"I'm thrilled and honored that I'll be a part of this incredible evening," said Garner on speaking at the gala. "As a mom with three kids, I know how important it is to feed our children the most nutritious foods grown in the most sustainable ways. I am passionate about organic, about childhood nutrition and about leaving our planet a healthier place. I'm honored to help celebrate and bring attention to the important work of The Organic Center."
In addition to her diverse career in both movies and television over the past five years, Garner has been serving as the Artist Ambassador for Save the Children's U.S. program. The company noted in a press release that it currently offers a line of cold-pressed organic baby food and applesauce, with plans to expand to more categories.
"The Organic Center's fundraiser is always an inspiring and very special evening, and Jennifer's participation will help promote the research and consumer education on organic being done by The Center," said Todd Linsky, Chairman of the Board of Trustees for The Center. "The Organic Center's work empowers farmers and consumers to make well-educated decisions based on sound research, but it doesn't happen without the support of many. Our sincere thanks to Jennifer for joining us in this effort."
According to the release, last year's gala—the single biggest fundraising event for The Organic Center—drew more than 500 organic stakeholders, and raised over $400,000 to help advance the projects of the non-profit research and education organization.
With Chef Matthew Raiford, sixth-generation organic farmer and Executive Chef and Owner of The Farmer and The Larder and Strong Roots Provisions, returning to create an all-organic dinner, the event was noted as one of the largest business networking dinners at the Natural Products Expo West trade show.
Event sponsors include New Hope Network, Frontier Co-op, UNFI, KeHE, Once Upon a Farm, Organic Valley, Whole Foods Market, Josie's Organics and Braga Fresh Family Farms, Gallant, and Naturepedic.
The theme of "Bringing Science to Life," continues to focus on The Organic Center’s emphasis on relevant and exciting projects, including recently published, groundbreaking research conducted in collaboration with Northeastern University, which compared over 1,000 soil samples nationwide.
Amongst findings showing soils from organic farms sequester more carbon than soils on conventional farms, as well as other key projects underway with researchers at Emory University find out more when you attend the annual gala in March.
To see sponsorship opportunities and showcase commitment to The Organic Center's efforts to verify the science-supported benefits of organic food and farming, click here or contact Amy Bovaird, Development Director.
SALINAS, CA - If you’ve been lucky enough to check out Church Brothers Farms’ full foodservice product spread, then you already know this new honor from Sysco is more than deserved. At this year’s Sysco Corporation’s Supplier Recognition Event on October 24 in Houston, the foodservice giant selected Church Brothers as the recipient of its 2017 Sysco Gold Produce Supplier Award.
“We are honored by Sysco’s recognition,” said Jeff Church, Vice President of Sales. “They are an important customer, and this was a team effort earned by Church Brothers Farms and True Leaf Farms.”
According to a press release, Sysco’s Gold Award was created to highlight supplier efforts, including factors such as sales, margin, and case growth. The award also factors in more subjective criteria, including sales support and category management engagement.
This is not the first award the Church Brothers Farms team has taken home in the foodservice arena. Church Brothers was the recipient of the Vendor of the Year award from Get Fresh Produce in Chicago, the 2017 Supplier Award for Nationally Branded Produce from Frosty Acre Brands in Alpharetta, GA, and the Taco’riffic Award from Wendy’s, for what the chain said was, “Unwavering dedication and support during the 2016 re-launch of the iconic Wendy’s taco salad.”
Want to see all the products Church Brothers has to offer, including its award-winning foodservice lineup? Check out ChurchBrothers.com.