Dan and Francy talk to us today about Blood oranges and Cara Cara oranges. I’ve brought along two varieties of oranges that I really love today. Blood oranges and Cara Cara oranges. The first one is the pink flesh Cara Cara orange. First discovered in Venezuela on a farm, in 1976. This was the accidental…
Avocados are the.hot.item. There is even a restaurant called Avocaderia, dedicated to all things avocado. So, it’s no surprise that for Game Day, avocados are flying off the shelves. We’re talking, a record-breaking $50 million in sales for 2017. Along with wings, no Game Day party is complete without a huge bowl of guac. But…
I grew up eating oranges off the tree in my Florida backyard, but it wasn’t until I was a first block culinary student at The Culinary Institute of America when I learned about blood oranges. I was instantly fascinated and enamored with their beauty and uniqueness. And instantly horrified at the tale another student told…
Chef Dan from FreshPoint Central Florida talks to us today about the Tangelo. I wanted to talk to you a little bit today about my favorite member of the citrus family. We all know the orange and grapefruit, as well as tangerine, but the Tangelo is the unsung hero. I’ve brought with me today the…
Did you know FreshPoint supports hundreds of organizations throughout North America? We give MILLIONS of pounds of produce, we participate in hundreds of fundraisers, and we are very active with charities and special causes in our communities during the year and also help for the holidays. “I feel it is very important to be involved…
Much like Christmas, the New Year’s holiday has a wide and varied food tradition around the world, but most have a common theme involving prosperity in the New Year — and many are centered on produce items. The symbolism of many revolve around money or wealth that are hoped for in the coming year, or…
The winter holiday season has numerous festive holiday food traditions, many steeped in the religious and cultural histories of the season. Some may be familiar, such as the fruitcake, some may not be. Produce plays a prominent role in many of these holiday food traditions, so let’s take a look at some of these traditions…
Hi, I’m Daniel Snowden, and today I want to talk to you a little bit about pears. I brought along some of my favorite ones. I have an Asian pear. These are prized for their crisp texture and honey sweet flavor, best used raw. They’re fully ripe when picked and ready to go. We…
Few food items are as linked to a holiday as are chestnuts. I suppose the association began in 1946 when Nat Cole recorded The Christmas Song, with the verse, “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire Jack Frost nipping at your nose…” However associated chestnuts have become with the holiday season, they have been a food…
As you sit in the comfort of your home, have you ever eaten a perfect tomato on a salad or a burger and wondered the journey that has taken that tomato from field to fork? Or in the case of Mastronardi tomatoes, greenhouse to fork? Recently, members of the FreshPoint team had the pleasure of…
We are always extremely proud when our associates donate their time and effort for worthy causes. This year, FreshPoint Denver and FreshPoint Nashville both donated to the American Cancer Society, Making Strides for Breast Cancer. FreshPoint Denver associates joined together to raise $1,242.00 to donate towards the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 5K…
Our employees rallied together in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria—and FreshPoint is proud to recognize our team’s donations, hard work, exemplary service, and time donated to help those in need. In addition to all of the employees who made contributions, we would like to thank Kim LeBlanc, General Manager of FreshPoint Puerto Rico, who has worked…
The history and culture of the pear is as ancient as it is interesting. The history and culture of the pear is as ancient as it is interesting. First mentioned in a literary by Homer in the 9th century BC, they originated in two distinct locations, creating two very distinct types. The first mention of…
Very few items are as evocative of a season as are pumpkins. Jack-O-Lanterns, pumpkin pies and warm spices all come to mind. Yet, the history and importance of the pumpkin is often overlooked. Native Americans prized pumpkins and squash as a sacred crop, as they also did with beans and corn, in fact, these three…
Often thought of only as an ingredient on holiday menus, cranberries have a long and colorful history and was an incredibly important food source for the early Native American Tribes. However, the cranberry was not only used for food, they were also used as a textile dye, hunting bait, herbal medicine, and the leaves were…
Hard squashes, aka winter squash and fall squash, are a uniquely American product. Early Native Americans held them in a place of reverence, as one of the Three Sisters, the other “sisters” being corn and beans. You may be wondering why. Well, it all comes down to the symbiotic nature these crops shared. Nutritionally, these…
Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Fuji, and Gala along with a few others seem to dominate the apple selection in most markets, but did you know there are over 7,000 apple varieties being grown worldwide? In fact, 90% of the apples sold in the United States are from only 11 varieties. These varieties, for…
When we talk about sustainability, we don’t just mean the environment—our employees are our greatest asset, and the foundation to our great success. We work with internships, local schools and colleges for placement, and various in-house leadership programs throughout the year, developing people with a passion for produce. In this final entry of her diary…
Compress [verb kuh m-pres; noun kom-pres] verb (used with object) to press together; force into less space. So what does this have to do with produce? Compressed fruit (or vegetables), have become a popular technique in which we can change not only the texture of the produce, but also enhance and change the flavors. Wondering how and why? Think…
FreshPoint Dallas celebrated its 100th Anniversary on Saturday, September 16th, with an amazing associate event at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, home of FC Dallas. Approximately 1,000 associates and family members gathered for a huge BBQ tailgate, complete with player and mascot appearances, soccer clinics, face painting, and over $10,000 in raffle prizes! Immediately afterwards, families…
