I found my favorite Celery grower!

Have you noticed the quality of celery has not been up to par lately? During the last six weeks, no matter which store I buy my heads of celery at, whether they’re organic or conventional, the heads look puny, don’t have a bright green color, and go bad quickly.

So, lucky for me, at the recent produce industry Women’s Fresh Perspective’s Conference I attended in Scottsdale, AZ, I was seated next to a woman who sells celery for a living! Did you even know a job like that existed?

Her name is Susan, and she works for the leading grower of celery, and had a lot to say about celery quality! She told me at this time of year, most celery is “going to seed.” This means a vegetable knows its’ natural season is over and is going into hibernation. Because we are so spoiled here in the U.S., we try to have everything year-round when, in fact, not every fruit or vegetable is naturally available year-round.

So, when it’s the fruit or veggies’ off season, we can probably expect less than perfect quality. The company Susan works for, Duda Farm Fresh Foods, actually has an extensive celery breeding program, and over 1200 new celery lines each year. They want to yield the best product in every region they grow in. Each region needs its own special seed variety to work well with the particular soil, weather, moisture, etc.

Then I realized that I had, in fact, tried Duda's Dandy Celery just the week before. I happened to go to Costco one evening, which I rarely do, so I took a quick tour of the produce department. I noticed this jumbo bag of celery sticks and purchased it, because the quality looked impressive.

Two weeks later, I am still munching through that bag and the quality is still great! Susan told me that because Duda puts so many resources into celery breeding, they can offer excellent quality all year!

After weeks of being frustrated with my weekly purchase of celery, I now know that it is possible to have good tasting celery year-round. I just have to find the right grower!

And now you know!

Karen

Helping teens be career ready

Do you have a friend who is a great connector/networker? You know, that person who always offers to introduce you to new people you might have something in common with?

That perfectly describes my friend, Betsy. Not only is Betsy a connector, but she happens to be a recruiter for Adecco USA, which is the world’s largest workforce solutions provider (the fancy name for what we used to call an employment agency or temporary services).

Earlier this week, Betsy introduced me to Adecco USA’s President, Joyce Collier Russell, who was in town. Turns out, Joyce’s family is a third generation farming family from the heart of Florida. So, the three of us sat at dinner in Santa Monica, California, talking about produce conventions, packing produce and merits of Indian River Grapefruit (the best tasting grapefruit ever).

Eventually, I asked Joyce why she was in town. Turns out Adecco has a global initiative called “Way to Work™.” On Tuesday, April 30, in Detroit, New York and Los Angeles, Adecco hosted simultaneous, day-long, Way to Work™ career-a-thons, where young professionals could get personal, hands-on job hunting and career advice. Joyce was in California to show her support for over 25 local Adecco team members, who gave up time to coach young professionals for free. With youth unemployment in California nearly double the national average, this is a fantastic program that serves an important need.

My friend Betsy is on the right.

Joyce Russell interacting with attendees.

So, what was it like having dinner with the President of a MULTI-BILLION dollar corporation?

Well, first of all, it was personally inspiring to know that a woman is the President of this huge entity. And to find out she got her start in business by selling produce is a great story. I was struck by her personal drive, her commitment to her fellow Adecco team members and, of course, her diligence to serve their clients, the who’s who of business in America.

As we were leaving dinner, I let Joyce and Betsy know that, coincidentally, I was spending the rest of the week at a prominent California university (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo) and was speaking to an Ag Marketing Class of third and fourth year students about career opportunities in our produce industry.

One of my personal missions is to mentor young people. It is always invigorating to go on campus, feel young again and hang out with a group of up and coming Millennials.

Have you ever mentored someone? It’s personally rewarding and gives new meaning to paying it forward.

Try it!

Karen

Visiting the Space Shuttle Endeavour

Several weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit the California Science Center in downtown Los Angeles. I remember taking field trips in grade school to the (then named) California Museum of Science and History. Although my memory of the museum had changed, things were still very much the same.

When I recently visited, I was with a small group of prominent women, who were given a behind the scenes tour of Space Shuttle Endeavour, which ended its service in May 2011. You can read about how the Endeavour was named (and the proper English spelling) here.

What was most interesting to me was how it arrived at the California Science Center in 2012. Over 20 organizations submitted proposals to display the Endeavour, after it was decommissioned (including Space Center Houston). We were actually told the story from the man who wrote the proposal, and received the phone call from NASA, that the Endeavour would be permanently housed at the California Science Center. They had only weeks to come up with the multi-million dollar funding needed, and prepare the delivery plan for the shuttle!

On display was the actual “receipt” for the Space Shuttle. Yes, that’s right. For an almost $2 billion piece of equipment, there was a regular, paper “Transfer Order - Excess Personal Property” receipt, signed by a NASA Property Disposal Officer!

If you live in Los Angeles, you will never forget when the Endeavour, mounted on the back of a large aircraft, flew its last mission around major Southern California sites (like the Hollywood sign, Coliseum and Disneyland) on September 21, 2012. It then landed at Los Angeles International Airport and, over the course of three days (October 11-14), was towed through major neighborhoods in L.A. to reach its final destination at the California Science Center.

You can watch the short, time lapsed video of the Endeavour’s trip here.  Believe me, it will give you chills!

If you have a trip to Southern California planned this summer, I encourage you to visit the Space Shuttle Endeavour. Here is a photo inside its temporary residence at the Samuel Oschin Pavilion. A permanent center is under construction nearby.

As I think back six months, when the Endeavour was making its way through Los Angeles, I only wish I could have witnessed it in person. It would have been awesome to see this sign up-close, instead of as part of the photo exhibit.

We love L.A.!

Karen

My favorite spring vegetable: The Artichoke

One of my favorite spring vegetables is the artichoke—which was recently dubbed the state vegetable of California! If I go to a restaurant that has freshly prepared artichokes as an appetizer, I cannot resist ordering one. I especially like the large green artichokes steamed. Dipping the leaves in a little butter or mayonnaise makes it extra delicious. Yum!

So, when I was walking by our test kitchen earlier this week, and overheard our marketing team buzzing about a BABY artichoke recipe, I had to try it.

Have you ever seen a baby artichoke? Here’s a photo of my new favorite, our Fiesole (fee-eh-so-lay) Baby Purple Artichokes. We have been selling them for years, but recently launched a campaign to introduce them to more consumers nationwide.

I was excited to taste the baby choke recipe the team was preparing, since I have never personally cooked with them. It turns out the recipe was a Raw Artichoke Salad, which includes thinly sliced, raw baby artichokes and arugula, my favorite peppery salad green.

Check out the recipe they used from the New York Times:

Raw Artichoke Salad 
Total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients
• 4 baby artichokes
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 small garlic clove, smashed to a paste, optional
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 handfuls arugula
 • Parmesan, for garnish

Preparation
 1. Remove dark tough exterior leaves from artichokes. Trim stem end and cut off top of each artichoke. Slice artichokes as thinly as possible and place in a small mixing bowl. Add lemon juice and garlic, if using. Season well with salt and pepper, add olive oil and toss to coat.

2. Put arugula in a shallow bowl or on a platter. Spoon artichokes over greens. Garnish with a few shavings of Parmesan.

Not the most glamorous photo, but it was DELICIOUS!

So, give this recipe a try next time you are looking for a delicious and easy salad to make, and want to try those cute Fiesole Baby Purple Artichokes. They are available almost year-round, but right now is their peak season.

Bon Appétit!

Karen