mid-western Cherries on my counter
OMG – I can’t believe it is July 1st! Yikes! I don’t know whether I should begin hoarding peaches……. I have seen the squirrels hoarding things for weeks – and it’s so early. What does this mean?
Question: Can a person be happy and upset about something at the same time? Ahhh, the devil is in the details – or in this case the dysfunction of the “market”……
Market: a profound word – in all its forms, noun, verb and adjective – just think about it. We go to the market, a place – and there are trillions of interpretations of this – the grocery store, the spot-oil market, the book market as in Amazon vs all of retail as we once knew it, the stock market, the market for information, the market for food writers (arcane). We market as in “to shop”. We “market” our products, we market ourselves. And multitudes of things are market-oriented, market-effected, market-wise and on and on. This is one worldly-word. I wonder if it is safe to say that a market shapes everything we do, say and maybe even think…… hmmmm
Ok well, Gripe of the day: Grocery stores are basically doing a non-existent job sourcing for local produce. This is a huge supply chain issue. It would appear, at least to this daily consumer, that the extreme powers that exist in corporate sourcing are in a completely separate zone when it comes to offering, let alone supporting local growers. They drive right by their closest, freshest sources of perfect produce in their tractor-trailors hitched over and over in links from farmers unknown. Ugh! In other words, they are not even trying – functioning instead in their ever-present blind spot of economies of scale purchasing, fractured into multi-distribution linkages while at the same time compromising quality, taste and freshness. This is a thumbing of the noses at the most efficient system of delivery by the world of corporate food marketing, not to mention the arrogant ignoring of local farmers. The truths behind big corporate food behemoths, their practices and treatment of our food supply as their faceless, inert commodities make my skin crawl. Truth is, there is nothing inert about our food, yet it is discussed and treated with as little sensibility as if it were a dump truck load of gravel. (oooo, I’m a little upset today).
Basically, I’d have to conclude that it is more expedient and cost effective to truck fruit from the west coast to the east coast and distribute it to retailers, who knows how many days after it was picked (and treated with who knows what – for shelf life) than to coalesce with local growers and buy their bounty. Huh? Well, of course this is not a new problem but it IS discouraging to see that no visible progress has been made and that paragon of the local movement, Whole Foods, has gone so far off the track. Perhaps this is why their earnings are slipping – they, ostensibly look like any other grocery store these days – but you already knew that.
I must admit that I am getting very confused about the “market” these days. On one hand, I listen to CNBC in the car all day and am constantly instructed about the “efficiency” of the market. But, there are intricacies here to be considered. When is a strawberry not the same as a strawberry? When one is picked too early and shipped over hundreds or thousands of miles and the other is grown around the corner or in your county and picked ripe and marketed locally. So, don’t compare them – they are not the same “commodity”. The “efficient” deliveries of corporate farmers are not in the same market as local strawberries (nor are the people who grow them of the same fiber).
Here’s a little synopsis of what’s ailing me. I was in Whole Foods last night and came upon fresh mid-western Cherries on sale for $4.99 a pound. This contrasts with the $9.99 a pound I paid early in the season when I was desperate for some fresh fruit in Kings. There is obviously a big supply of Michigan cherries in the market right now. (visualizing huge tractor-trailors filled with cherries driving from Michigan to NJ). No local cherries in sight.
Then I looked at the Strawberry selection – they were definitely not local and looked awful – unripe and hard. I passed them by. Wait a minute – it’s the last day of June, right? Next check? Raspberries – very small selection but they what they did have were 2 for $6.00. Definitely not local, but I bought them because of the price. So, no disrespect to the new ambassador to Driscoll’s, Dorie Greenspan, whom I adore, but seriously, Driscoll’s berries are not local and often of compromised quality, at least when they reach the east coast. So, the question becomes, what is going on here? Ok, so I made selections based on price – so I am guilty of participating in this dysfunctional process myself, but I can’t help but wonder………
Now, I happen to have some empirical evidence right outside by back door about what’s locally available right now:
Question: What would you rather buy? What would you rather eat?
So, why is it that Whole Foods, itself a loud-self-touter of the local movement, has a conglomeration of offerings which don’t bare any resemblance to local at the height of the season? I guess, that in my heart, I know the answer to this question – because Whole Foods is really not different than any local supermarket any longer, and, really is just pretending to be. Regarding pricing, truth be told, I often find better pricing on berries at WF than in Kings, who by the way doesn’t offer any local berries and theirs look, well, marginal at best. Kings, in my opinion has slipped terribly in general, and well, all of you NJ friends already know this. This too, is a function of the “market” because WF has more buying power as a national chain than Kings does…….. And so it goes……..
So, what to do about this? The answer is obvious. I must trundle to the Farmer’s Markets (it’s not like I don’t want to) to get local produce and forget about ANY grocery stores. Jeepers, if WF can’t figure out a way to market local produce at the height of the season, well, then………… Really? Are the market synergies really functionally non-existent – I keep asking the same question, don’t I? Fundamentally, it would appear that it is just too complicated to buy on a two-pronged system – emphasizing local whenever you can. And so we see, two distinct marketing mechanisms at work – the grocery store and the farmer’s market – and never the twain shall meet?
Ok, I can’t solve this problem and I don’t seek to aggravate myself at 7am so I’m moving on. You get the point, anyway.
Berries and Cherries, in whatever form you may find them right now are still a cause for celebration (and cause célebre aka subject of heated public debate (as herein this post).
It is July 1st as I mentioned. It is time to celebrate with Summer fruits. It is the 4th of July on Friday – that “bombs bursting in air” holiday of holidays (maybe I’ll have to go to the Charles River celebrations since there is a hurricane coming to Cape Cod by Saturday). I have already been drooling over the slideshows of July 4th desserts.
In the great?? (i.e. crazy) continuum of my mind, two things happened recently which ignited my passion for perhaps my most current obsession to use berries and cherries. First, I saw this dreamy cake from the Boutique Baking Company last week. Honestly, I have been thinking about this cake for days.
wedding cake aka Victoria Sponge courtesy the Boutique Baking Company
Then, I saw that Roseann Tully is doing a great job of teasing us with her photoshoot scenes of Cherry Angel Food Cakes – yum. Check out her Facebook pages to see what she is previewing for her next issue. Aside from the fact that these two visuals seriously contribute to my personal downfall aka I’ll never be skinny again, I can’t get them out of my mind – and now indulging in the idea of scenting/flavoring the Victoria Sponge with the essences of these great fruits is deeply embedded! This is indeed tricky business and I can’t wait to see how Roseann and Maria present this.
Essences of fruits being added into a cake can be troublesome, especially very light cakes. You want enough true flavor to be visible, tangible, but you don’t want to affect the weight of the cake……… I’m not going to upstage their feature here – I’ll anxiously await their article. But, rest assured, I’m going to fiddle around on this.
Here is one example of Victoria Sponge from Delia Smith: http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/cuisine/european/english/all-in-one-sponge-cake-with-raspberry-and-mascarpone-cream.html but feel free to roam around the internet to see all the lovely variations. I am.
So, berries and cherries – Here is the gift that keeps on giving in the latter case:
my Oxo Cherry Pitter – my very best friend right now
I’m guessing you can use this for olives too, but I haven’t tried it
It is time to incorporate these beauties into anything and everything from dawn till dusk – and, they pair wonderfully with all of those contrasting flavors and textures – salty – charcuterie, unctuous – cheeses, earthy and wonderful, spiciness – black pepper, chilis etc, nuts, especially pignolis and pecans, and, all manners of alcohol-infusions!
One of my absolute favorite ways to use berries/cherries? Fruit syrups – and this can be done sans sugar if you prefer! Just cook down your ripest, tastiest berries in a saucepan with a little water and push them through a sieve. These are wonderful as drizzles on your salads, ice cream, pancakes or in drinks. Also, sorbets can be made without sugar as well. Take a look at John Besh’s Fresh Blueberry Sorbet: http://www.kitchen-inspirational.com/2013/07/10/first-and-foremost-when-it-comes-to-summer-i-am-fruit-forward/ and you can adapt this recipe to your favorite fruit.
breakfast: yogurt, pancakes, all breakfast pastries,smoothies
lunch: salads with and without protein
hors d’oeuvres – especially with cheeses, honey, prosciutto – yummy
dinner: sauces, marinades, chutneys, and sides – especially grains, green beans
desserts: sorbets, ice creams, gelato, semifreddo, pies, tarts, parfaits, and cakes
drinks – the possibilities are endless…… 🙂
I’m not going to list a compendium of recipes here because this post would become way too long. I’m going to try to use my imagination today in every meal. And, don’t forget that berries and cherries pair wonderfully with other fruits right now – like melons, mangoes, other stone fruits……..
But, before I go, I must share this photo from Edible Santa Barbara from last week –
isn’t this just Summertime perfection? I’m going to try it with the outstanding Gorgonzola I have <3<3<3 and some chiffonade of Prosciutto on the side – maybe crispy 🙂
and, this beauty:
So, as we “trend” toward the weekend (everything is expressed in terms of “trending”, isn’t it?) get inspired by berries and cherries and get them while you can, in spite of what the market is doing to the offerings. Let’s just hope we can keep moving forward. Trundle on out to your local farm stand, the farmer’s markets and to the grocery store if you must. But, make sure you do! Season’s fleeting!
BTW: two news items
– if you get a chance, pick up the latest issue of Edible Hudson Valley – it’s great
– last night I saw a rerun of an interview with Larry Summers at the 92Y – look it up, it is well worth watching – one point was about the Harvard admissions process and how privilege still enters into the equation….but the entire interview was excellent
have a good day now – I’m going outside with my camera……..