The last member of the Spring Trilogy may be the most misunderstood and underappreciated item: Fiddlehead Ferns. Appearing in temperate climates early in the spring season, Fiddlehead Ferns have been consumed for centuries. It is thought that early French settlers sought out Fiddleheads in North America, though it was a common item in Medieval Europe,…
Ramps, aka wild leeks, are part of what we call the Spring Trilogy. The other two members are Morel Mushrooms and Fiddlehead Ferns, and are one of the most eagerly anticipated spring items. Also called spring onions, ramson, wild leeks, and even wild garlic, Ramps have a pungent aroma that mellows out once they’re cooked….
Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina recently recognized FreshPoint Charlotte with a 2017 Food Industry Partner Award at their 2018 Partnership Appreciation Awards Luncheon for their contribution of over 700,000 pounds of produce in 2017. The produce contributed helped to feed children, seniors, families, and pets. “We felt honored to be recognized as a company…
I had the honor to spend the day with Korean War Veteran, and new friend Garrison Arthur Phillips, along with 68 other World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam Veterans on the Honor Flight South Florida on April 14. I wanted to be a Guardian on The Honor Flight as a way to honor my…
As one of the more prized wild mushrooms, Morels are rich, meaty, and lend themselves well to butter and cream. But with all those nooks and crannies, have you ever wondered how to clean morel mushrooms? Dan fills us in on this delicious springtime beauty. Let’s talk a little bit about morels. They’re another member…
Bill has been a member of our FreshPoint Central Florida Family for 21 years, and is a dedicated member of our transportation team. His son, Doug, hadn’t seen his dad in five years, and he asked for our help surprising him with a military homecoming. The management team arranged for a “special delivery” for Bill…
Chef Dan talks to us about English peas, one of the true harbingers of spring. Did you know: most peas are not eaten fresh Only 5% of the domestic crop is consumed fresh. Since most peas are not eaten fresh, the vast majority of English peas are consumed canned, followed by frozen. Peas were first…
Chef Dan talks to us about the springtime veggie: rhubarb. Or is rhubarb a fruit? I wanted to talk to you briefly about one of my very favorite produce items, rhubarb. It is actually a vegetable, although it’s more often used as a fruit in strawberry-rhubarb pie–but besides pie, what can you do with…
We talk to chefs for their orders, or see them in the mornings as they’re opening the kitchen, but we rarely get to hear their personal stories. Chef Leroy Walker is the Executive Chef of Bistro 234 in Turlock, CA, and he shared his story with us. Chef Leroy, tell us, when did you decide…
Good on its own, but better with friends. This could pretty much be the anthem of rhubarb, and life. There seems to be a dearth of recipes calling for simply prepared rhubarb, highlighting the spring seasonal freshness of this vegetable. Or is it a fruit? Technically speaking it is a vegetable, but here in the…
The spring season is often thought of as a time for re-birth and shedding the cold and dark of the long winter season. Marked by the vernal equinox on March 20th or 21st, many people begin looking for what I consider to be the Spring Trilogy: Morel Mushrooms, Fiddlehead Ferns and Ramps. Let’s start by looking…
Whoever said, “Like two peas in a pod” to describe people as being so similar as to be indistinguishable, or nearly so, really sold the English pea short. A good pea pod worth its weight in chlorophyll will have five to eight peas in it. Seven if you’re lucky! With their bright green color and…
Blueberries have not always been a traditional Florida crop. It was the University of Florida who developed the cultivars, building research on some early experimental work done in the 1990s. Generally speaking, there is a blurry line of demarcation in the center of the state somewhere between Lake City and Ocala. North of this line,…
Chef Dan tells us some super quick facts about blueberries: the superfruit. Let’s talk a little bit about blueberries. The blueberry crop starts in Florida, works its way up the eastern seaboard into Georgia, the Carolinas, New Jersey, and finally finishing in Michigan. Southern blueberry production isn’t without its challenges, though. Low yields, typically…
Around November and April, the major growing areas in Yuma and Salinas alternate, and it’s a big deal in the produce industry. Entire harvesting and processing operations pick up and move–from the equipment to the hard working harvesters. It’s a monumental operational and logistical feat, but don’t worry, our growers have got it down to…
Chef Dan talks to us today about asparagus Hi, I’m Chef Dan with FreshPoint Central Florida and I wanted to talk to you about my favorite spring vegetable. It is is one of the world’s oldest and most ancient crops. The first recorded harvest was in 3,000 BC in ancient Egypt. The ancient Romans prized…
Stinging Nettles are as ancient as they are misunderstood. Loathed by many as an irritating and often invasive plant, others look for the annual nettle crop as a harbinger of spring. Used by the ancients as a medicine, a food source and a fiber source, the nettle continues to be prized in many cultures today. …
Asparagus is a true harbinger of spring, though these days, it is available year-round. Related to the onion, this member of the lily family has been grown for thousands of years, in fact, we have historical records of it being grown and eaten in Ancient Egypt as far back as 3000 BC. It was so…
Chef Dan talks to us today about mushrooms. https://youtu.be/RCMv4ehwIPg Hi, I’m Chef Dan with FreshPoint Central Florida. I wanted to talk to you today about mushrooms. I’ve brought along two of my favorites. I’ve brought along the original button mushroom, the cremini. This is the original commercially-cultivated mushroom. It later mutated into what we…
This year, Florida moved the national Take Your Children to Work Day event from April to February 2nd, and boy did the children of FreshPoint South Florida have fun! The day started out with snacks (who doesn’t like to start the day with snacks?) and a meeting with the president, Clay Wachter. The day continued…
