"Redland Raised" program found in Publix

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY AND PUBLIX SUPER MARKETS JOIN FORCES TO PROMOTE LOCAL PRODUCE

Redland Raised is an instore program that promotes the consumption of fresh local produce. Publix will be the first to grocery store to kick-off the program.

The program's announcement took place at the Publix located at 7805 SW 40th Street, on Thursday, October 29, 2009. Local celebrities included Mayor Carlos Avarez. Locally grown produce including green beans, yellow squash, zucchini, boniato, okra and avocados were on display.

Redland Raised was created by Miami-Dade County and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

“Pairing Publix with our locally-grown produce makes great sense,” said Mayor Carlos Alvarez. “We can educate and encourage our residents to invest in local produce and in turn, stimulate the economy in our County.”

“While we have always been committed to supporting fresh locally grown produce when available, we are excited to help introduce this new produce brand which will allow us to better inform our customers on the benefits of buying local,” said Kim Jaeger, Media and Community Relations Manager for Publix in Miami.

Miami-Dade County’s agriculture industry is number two in the state and 18th in the country, generating an estimated $2.7 billion for the local economy.

Papaya said to fight the flu

Daily Spark article by Tanya Jolliffe

In a Daily Spark article by Tanya Jolliffe, she suggests there are specific foods that help get you back on your feet after a cold and flu. Here's the excerpt about papayas.

Christopher Columbus called papaya the "fruit of the angels" because he found the great benefit of this special fruit especially during the winter. Rich in vitamins C, A, K, and E as well as magnesium, folate, beta-carotene and lutein, papaya has been found to help inactivate a variety of viruses so the body can flush them away.

Back from PMA Fresh Summit 2009

We're back from California. The show provided insight and potential business. Next year, Orlando.

Popularity of papayas catching up to mangoes

Excerpts from an article in the 9/7/09 The Packer by Abraham Mahsie

This fall, tropical suppliers are betting papayas will garner some of the same interest and popularity that mangoes have.

Increased volumes of two varieties...offer great taste and nutritional value to households where papayas are fast gaining recognition.

"More than taste, you are covering different demands in terms of convenience, " said Jose Rossignoli, vice president of sales and marketing for Brooks Tropicals, LLC.

"That applies to the Hawaiian or sunrise papayas and the Caribbean Red or maridol papaya," he said.

"When you are selling a large papaya, you are probably selling a piece of fruit that is going to average 3-4 pounds. When you are selling a sunrise papaya, you are selling a fruit that is just one pound. Cut it in half, remove the seeds, and eat it from the skin."

Rossignoli said although fall tends to have less demand for papayas than the spring, he still expects stable availability based on planting schedules and crop outlooks.

He said most of Brooks' customers carry both varieties, giving both a per pound and per fruit pricing option. The smaller fruit is good for individual consumption, while the larger is good for a household of three people or more.

In terms of taste, he said the sunrise is a little bit sweeter than the Caribbean Red.

"We have new fields in production, and quality definitely looks great on the Caribbean Red papayas," he said. "The rest of the year is expected to have continued availability."

Rossignoli said the advantages of Brooks' papayas are a sweeter taste and mainstream appeal.

"I can tell you that our variety has a more gourmet taste. It doesn't have the strong smell and aftertaste that a typical maridol papaya would have," he said. "It's not just a product for the Hispanic consumer, as papayas were perceived in the past."

A strong customer base in Canada evidences their mainstream appeal according to Rossignoli. Other draws are better shelf life, attractiveness to retailers, and uniformity in shape and size.

Rossignoli said Brooks is back to pre-Hurricane Dean product levels in terms of planting capacity, weekly production and harvesting. He also said starting over after the devastation allowed workers to retool and the company to improve production processes for greater efficiency.

"Things are better. The hurricane gave us the opportunity to assess during the non harvesting time, to assess the strength and weakness of the operation and also the opportunity we had to improve," he said.

"Those improvements included stronger infrastructure and new facilities in the Belize operation, superior management and refined growing techniques."

"We also upgraded the packing facility in charge of packing and shipping the papayas to the U.S.," he said. "When you are willing to keep your staff through the hard season, you find new skills. During that recovery process everybody was helping in everything. You see skills in middle and upper level management to improve the operation overall."

Baby shower for Brittany

Yesterday the Homestead crowd had a baby shower for Brittany Morrow, Human Resources. Brittany is expecting a boy in two months.

Fruit and Spice Park opens the Mango Cafe

Our friends over at the Fruit & Spice Park proudly announces the opening of the MANGO CAFÉ

Hours of operation: 11:30 am to 4:30 pm
Open 7 days a week except Christmas Day.

Café specialties include: Florida Lobster Roll, Shrimp Tacos, Grilled Chicken & Bacon Quesadillas, Cuban Sandwich Panini Style, BBQ Pulled Pork. Assorted wraps, sandwiches, specialty Pizza’s, unique desserts and beverages.

10 Mayan foods that changed the world's eating habits

Excerpts from an 8/27/09 article in the Alanet News by Christine Delsol

Nobody gives the Maya is credit for their agricultural wizardry. When the Spanish carried Mayan food back to Europe and to the Caribbean, Asia and Africa, it changed the world’s eating habits. Here are ten Mayan foods it would be hard to live without:

1. Avocado (aguacate)
From its Mayan origins in southern Mexico, it was prized as an aphrodisiac ( later the Aztecs would keep their daughters indoors during harvest season). In the 19th century, growers had to mount a PR campaign to persuade the public that eating avocados did not equate to licentiousness.

2. Papaya
The papaya originated in the tropics of southern Mexico and Central America. After the Spanish carried seeds to Panama and the Dominican Republic, cultivation spread throughout South and Central America, the Caribbean, Europe, the Pacific Islands, India and parts of Africa. It has became naturalized in many areas and still grows wild along Mexican roadsides.

3. Squash (calabaza, calabacita)
Squash predates corn and beans by several thousand years; Maya people domesticated several varieties of squash as early as 8000 B.C. Oils from these seeds were the main source of dietary fat before the Spanish introduced beef and pork.

Others Mayan additions to our eating include:
4. Chocolate
5. Vanilla
6. Corn
7. Chiles
8. Tomatoes
9. Black beans
10. Sweet potato