Tomato Shortage 2011--Not at Daisy Mae's Market

Every year we go through periods where certain items at our fresh produce stand at Findlay Market disappear. A few weeks ago, green beans were in short supply. Another week, we hardly had any celery. It's almost always weather-related, and within a few weeks, the items start to reappear.
If you've been anywhere other than under a rock the last week or so, you know about the current tomato shortage. A quick Google search showed me 195,000 search results for "Tomato Shortage 2011" so I know everyone is talking about it. For the first time in about 50 years, Florida and Mexico experienced damaging freezes at about the same time this winter. It's not that there aren't any tomatoes, it's just that they are in short supply as farmers wait for the next crop to mature. If you know what supply and demand does to prices, you'll understand why fast food restaurants like Wendy's and Subway decided to temporarily remove or limit tomatoes on their sandwiches. Grocery stores and markets, on the other hand, may have raised prices on the tomatoes they do offer.
However, at Daisy Mae's Market, we're in a unique position. Since Jeff spent years in the wholesale produce business, he has developed special relationships with most of our suppliers. One result of his experiences is that tomatoes have actually become one of our specialties. In fact, check our company logo and you'll see that it includes a tomato in the center of a daisy...Our avatar we use for Facebook and Twitter includes a tomato as well. The tomato is "our thing." Jeff knows tomatoes, and our suppliers know Jeff. This cooperative effort allows us to continue to bring fresh tomatoes to you at reasonable prices year-round.
So next time you see a sign at the drive-through window apologizing for a lack of tomatoes, think of us. In fact, just swing through the drive-through and keep on driving to Daisy Mae's where you can get delicious fresh tomatoes at good prices any time.

Can't Wait for Bockfest?

Cincinnati has a tradition of celebrating its 1800's beer heritage with a special brew that is tapped around the time of Lent. This year, March 4-6 has been designated as Bockfest in downtown's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. Early March seems like a perfect time to honor your German heritage or hoist a mug of Bockbier. At our house, we jump the gun a bit and have created our own holiday called Febfest. In 2011, we celebrate this weekend.
It all began 17 years ago when Mr. Daisy Mae decided we needed a reason to get together with our friends during the grey, cold days of winter. We love the fall Oktoberfests around Cincinnati so Mr. Daisy Mae suggested his own version of Febfest. Why not get together when we all have cabin fever and share traditional German food and drink with our good friends? This could be Gemütlichkeit at its best...and so it began.
We've found the best Febfest features food from local small businesses. We start with several cheeses from Gibb's at Findlay Market and follow that with a "radi" (fresh Daikon radish thinly sliced and salted) from our own Daisy Mae's. Alongside the cheese are pretzels from Servatii's. Next come the sauerkraut balls, and then we serve fresh sausages from Kroeger & Sons at Findlay Market. The main course features wiener schnitzel made from Avril's fresh veal and served on mini-buns from North College Hill Bakery. The sandwiches are accompanied by homemade German slaw and potato pancakes made with ingredients from our own Daisy Mae's Market. Dinner concludes with Mr. Daisy Mae's apfelstrüdel baked with Granny Smith apples. Of course, the entire meal tastes better when accompanied by a Christian Moerlein beer or a Bockbier from your favorite local brewery. This year we're going one better---home brew crafted by a special German friend.
So, you see, it's possible to have a German celebration with the help of local Cincinnati small businesses. Try it--shop locally, celebrate internationally, and have fun with good friends, good food, and good drink.

Who You Callin' Ugly?!?

Fruits and vegetables...a photographer's dream. "Eat the rainbow," the nutritionists say as they promote both the beauty and the health advantages of eating fresh produce. But wait! Among all the reds, yellows, greens, and purples at Daisy Mae's Market sits the lowly Ugli Fruit. It's wrinkly. It's "sort of yellowish." It's just plain ugly. But just like Mom used to say..."Don't judge a book by its cover." It's what's inside that counts.
The Ugli Fruit is a type of tangelo grown in Jamaica and available from about November through April. The original cross between a grapefruit, a Seville orange, and a tangerine has been tweaked a bit to arrive at our present-day Ugli Fruit, sweet and tangy. The fruit is easy to peel and eat like a tangerine, or it can be halved and eaten like a grapefruit. Either way the orange flesh inside is low in calories and high in Vitamin C and fiber. And something else interesting...If you can't eat grapefruit because of certain medications you take, you may be able to eat Ugli Fruit. It contains no furanocoumarins so check with your doctor to see if you can add Ugli Fruit to your diet.
Next time you're at Findlay Market, enjoy the sights of all the beautiful produce. But don't neglect the not-so-attractive Ugli Fruit. This ugly stepsister of the citrus family is great for snacking and for making juice. In fact, she may turn out to be your main squeeze!