Our members love to cook, and they sure love to eat.
For the two week period ending the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the coop sold:
5760 lbs. Honeycrisp Apples
8900 Valencia Oranges
2900 bags Cranberries
5500 lbs. Organic Red Seedless Grapes
3000 lbs. Mangoes
2400 lbs. Organic Green Beans
2000 lbs. Organic Loose Beets
2460 lbs. Organic Loose Broccoli
1700 bunches Organic Broccoli
5900 lbs. Brussels Sprouts
8600 lbs. Carrots
1080 bunches Organic Collards
4800 bunches Organic Kale
3300 lbs. Mushrooms
9200 lbs. Onions
2700 bunches of Parsley
11300 lbs. Organic Potatoes
10600 lbs. Organic Sweet Potatoes
1300 lbs. Organic Pumpkins
7500 lbs. Organic Winter Squash (3100 lbs. Butternut alone)
2000 lbs. Shallots
3100 cups Cherry Tomatoes
2000 boxes of Clementines
300,000 lbs of produce!
!HEY RECEIVING WORKERS!
We lift a case an average of 7 times. Together we lifted over 2 millions pounds of produce alone!
!HEY RECEIVING WORKERS!
We lift a case an average of 7 times. Together we lifted over 2 millions pounds of produce alone!
and....
1055 Turkeys!
Pete, who worked in the produce aisle Friday morning, shared some ideas on how to use a few items. I asked him to offer a few words about the Jerusalem Artichoke.
From Pete:
"Jerusalem Artichoke, that knobby brown tuber near the Radish and Turnips, is a vegetable that is high in potassium, iron and fiber. Neither from Jerusalem (it was first cultivated by Native Americans but became popular in the Middle East) nor an Artichoke (its flavor is reminiscent of Artichokes) it is great raw, peeled, shredded or julienned in salads (soak in cold water and drain first). You can also slice it and use in stir fries as you would Water Chestnuts, or roast it like you would a Potato. When roasted it takes on a nutty flavor and creamy texture."
Actually,
the Jerusalem Artichoke is related to the Artichoke; they are both
members of the daisy family. "Jerusalem" is a corruption of the Italian
name for sunflower, "girasole", which means "turns toward the sun".
Most vendors have reduced the name to Sunchoke, but I prefer
preserving the romantic linguistic history contained in the name.
But,
you ask, "Why did you take the word "Swiss" from our Chard listings?"
Ursula, coop member and former receiving coordinator, who is Swiss, says,
"I'm sorry but this vegetable does not grow in Switzerland."
If you can
offer evidence to the contrary. I will reconsider.
Allen Zimmerman - Produce Buyer - General Coordinator
