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“Your Commissary...It’s Worth the Trip”

Commissary Newsletter“Are You Ready for Some Produce”

Volume 3 Issue 75February 2013

Produce Pick of the Week Recipes of the Week

1. Be sure to hang the Commodity/Weather Alert where it is visible to all customers. Also, continue to check market updates for the commodities affected by the recent weather conditions2. The “Potato Lover’s Contest”, displays must be up for at least 1 week between January 28 - March 1, 2013.3. Super Bowl weekend is here let’s make lots of sales this weekend!4. Valentine’s Day is next build your displays with lots of strawberries for that impulse buyer.5. Next demo is February 16, 2013 product to be determined.6. If you need POS material be sure to email me ASAP with details of what you need and when you need it. 7. Please remember to send pictures for the monthly picture review.

“Premium” Red Delicious Apples Red Delicious apples will be firm with smooth, clean skin and have a rich red color that is sometimes streaked lightly with yellow or with a yellow cheek. Test the firmness of the apple by holding it in the palm of your hand. It should feel

solid and heavy, not soft and light.

“New Crop” Green BeansGreen bean varieties have been bred especially for the fleshiness, flavor, or

sweetness of their pods. It is known in some parts of the world as the squeaky bean due to the noise it makes on one’s

teeth while eating.

Grape Sorbet Ingredients4 cups chilled grapes (red or green)1/3 cup granulated sugar2 tablespoons lemon juiceDirections:Process the grapes and sugar in a food processor or blender for 2 to 3 minutes, until the sugar is completely dissolved and the grape skins are pulverized. Press the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve and discard the solids. Stir the grape puree with the lemon juice and freeze the mixture in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions

Focused on Fresh!

A grape is a fruiting berry of the deciduous woody vines of the botanical genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making wine, jam, juice, jelly, grape seed extract, raisins, vinegar, and grape seed oil. Grapes are a non-climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of the domesticated grape began 6,000–8,000 years ago in the Near East. The earliest archeological evidence for a dominant position of wine-making in human culture dates from 8,000 years ago in Georgia. Yeast, one of the earliest domesticated microorganisms, occurs naturally on the skins of grapes, leading to the innovation of alcoholic drinks such as wine. The earli-est known production occurred around 8,000 years ago on the territory of Georgia. During an extensive gene-mapping project, archaeologists analyzed the heritage of more than 110 modern grape cultivars, and narrowed their origin to a region in Georgia, where wine residues were also discovered on the inner surfaces of 8,000-year-old ceramic storage jars. The oldest winery was found in Armenia, dating to around 4,000 BC. By the 9th century AD the city of Shiraz was known to produce some of the finest wines in the Middle East.

Hot Ads!! Feb 4-10, 2013

Check out these HOT deals at Ft. Riley Commissary Produce Department!

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Green Seedless Grapes#70615

Blueberries 12/1 PT#70110

Hot House Tomatoes#71921

Idaho Russet Potatoes 200/5 LB Bags#71557

Red Seedless Grapes

“California” Cauliflower Cauliflower is one of several vegetables in the species Brassica oleracea, in the family Brassicaceae. It is an annual plant that reproduces by seed. Cauliflower

heads resemble those in broccoli, which differs in having flower buds.

Reminders for the Week

StrawberriesThe first garden strawberry was grown in France during the late 18th century. Prior to this, wild strawberries and cul-tivated selections from wild strawberry

species were the common source of the fruit.

Vine Ripe Tomatoes The word “tomato” may refer to the plant (Solanum lycopersicum) or the edible, typically red, fruit that it bears.

Having originated in America, the tomato was spread around the world following

the Spanish colonization of the Americas.

“New Crop” - Red “B” Potatoes The potato was first domesticated in the region of modern-day southern

Peru and extreme northwestern Bolivia between 8000 and 5000 BCE. It has since spread around the world and

become a staple crop in many countries.

Strawberry-Lemon ShortcakesIngredients2 cups all purpose flour 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 6 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces 1 1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind Cooking spray 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon butter, melted 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar 4 cups sliced strawberries 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 1/4 cups frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawedDirections:Preheat oven to 425°.Weigh or lightly spoon 9 ounces (about 2 cups) flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine 9 ounces flour, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Cut in chilled butter with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Combine 1 1/4 cups buttermilk and grated lemon rind. Add the buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, and toss gently with a fork to combine. (Dough should be wet and about the texture of cottage cheese.) Coat a 9-inch round metal cake pan or baking sheet with cooking spray. Place 1/2 cup flour in a shallow dish. Scoop 10 equal dough portions into dish. Gently shape each portion into a round by tossing in flour to help shape the dough. Arrange in pan. Discard excess flour. Brush dough with melted butter, and sprinkle evenly with 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar. Bake at 425° for 22 minutes or until the shortcakes are lightly browned. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove shortcakes from pan. Cool on wire rack. Combine berries, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and lemon juice; toss to coat. Let stand for 15 minutes. Split each shortcake in half; spoon about 1/3 cup berry mixture and 2 tablespoons whipped topping into each. Let rest for 20 minutes before unwrapping and serving. Can be eaten hot, warm, or chilled.

StrawberriesStrawberry fruit was mentioned in ancient Roman literature in reference to its medicinal use. The French began taking the strawberry from the forest to their gardens for harvest in the 1300’s. Charles the fifth, the French king of the late 1300’s had 1,200 strawberry plants in his royal garden. In the early 1400’s western European monks were using the wild strawberry in their illuminated manuscripts. It symbolizes perfect righteous-ness. The entire strawberry plant was used to cure depres-sive illnesses. People began using it for its supposed medicinal properties and botanists began naming the different species. The garden strawberry was transplanted from the forests and then the plants would be propagated asexually by cutting off the runners. When a French excursion journeyed to Chile in 1712 it introduced the strawberry plant with female flowers that resulted in the common strawberry that we have today.