FreshPoint

Fresh Things Videos: How to use Jackfruit

Chef Dan has a new friend and his name is Jack. Jackfruit that is. Hi, I’m Chef Dan with FreshPoint, and I want you to meet my friend Jackfruit. He looks a little gnarly, it’s a big piece of fruit, it’s 45 pounds and grows on a tree in the tropics. That tree can produce...

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Fresh Things Videos: Types of Papayas and How to Use Them

What are the different types of papayas and how to use them? Hi, I’m Chef Dan with FreshPoint, and I have a couple different papayas to talk to you about today What can you do with papayas besides eating them as fruit? They’re great meat tenderizer. They have an enzyme known as papain that breaks...

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Fresh Things Video: Can you eat the kiwi skin?

Hi, I’m Chef Dan with FreshPoint, and I’d like to talk to you a little bit about kiwi, and whether or not you can eat the skin. I’m old enough to remember when it came out in the 70s and created quite the splash in the culinary world. Can you eat the kiwi skin? The...

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Fresh Things Video: What are the best vegetables to grill?

Hi, I’m Chef Dan with FreshPoint, and with summer barbecuing season upon us I really love grilling vegetables. I’m going to go over a few suggestions of what I consider the best vegetables to grill. So what are the best vegetables to grill? I prefer the softer ones such as squashes, zucchini, and mushrooms—even asparagus...

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Fresh Things Video: Have you ever wanted to know, what is a Pluot?

Have you ever wanted to know what is a Pluot? Hi, I’m Chef Dan with FreshPoint, and plum season is underway.  Not only do we have plums, but we have pluots. So plums versus pluots… what is a pluot? Well the plum is a plum. Colors can range anywhere from red to purple to green...

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Fresh Things Video: Peaches or nectarines?

Hi I’m Chef Dan from FreshPoint, and stone fruit season this upon us. Peaches or nectarines? Nectarine season is under full swing; we’ve got some of the best growers available sending us fruit on a weekly basis. So in the eternal summer battle of stone fruit, peaches vs. nectarines, who comes out ahead? Well, there’s really...

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Fresh Things Video: Savory Cherry Menu Ideas

Hi, I’m Chef Dan with FreshPoint, and stone fruit season is upon us. I brought along the first of the sweet cherries of the season. These are Brooks cherries from California. Super-rich flavor, and with a high Brix (or sugar content). These were actually a 23.5 Brix and the flavor is incredibly rich and balanced....

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Fresh Things Video: Caulilini Menu Ideas

Hi, I’m Chef Dan with FreshPoint, and today I wanted to introduce you to the newest member of the brassica family. This is Caulilini™ Sweet Stem™ Cauliflower. It’s a new item on the market we wanted to introduce it to you. It captures the best of both worlds, the nuttiness of cauliflower with the sweetness...

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Fresh Things Video: Clingstone and freestone peaches

Hi, I’m Chef Dan with FreshPoint. And if you know me, you know how much I love stonefruit, and stonefruit season has begun. I brought by some peaches today to talk about. Here I have some eastern peaches from Florida. The domestic season starts here, and then we work our way up the Eastern Seaboard...

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What is Caulilini?

Caulilini… It’s lyrical to say—it sort of rolls off the tongue—and even more lyrical to eat, this new darling of the brassica family is one of the most exciting new vegetables to hit the market in a while. So what is it? Grown by Mann’s, here’s how they describe it: “Caulilini™ SweetStem™ Cauliflower is the...

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Video: How to use edible flowers

How do you use edible flowers? One way Chef Dan suggests is to crystallize them. But that’s only one way–he’s got a few more great ideas you should check out. There’s an old saying that April showers bring May flowers. Well, April showers also bring edible flowers. I brought a few of my favorites in...

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Video: How do they grow yellow pea shoots?

How do they grow yellow pea shoots? If they are grown from the same seeds as green pea tendrils, how do they grow yellow pea tendrils? Pea shoots, pea tendrils, however you want to call them…Chef Dan fills us in on these delicate beauties.   I brought along two more springtime items for menu inspiration....

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Fresh Things Video: Zellwood Corn–sweeter than any other corn!

Have you heard of Zellwood Corn from Long and Scott Farms? This triple-sweet corn is only available for a short time*, but while it’s here, you don’t want to miss it! Summer is here and that means it’s time for Long and Scott’s Triple Sweet Zellwood Corn. Picked and chilled daily, Zellwood corn holds its...

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Video: How do you use fresh Fava beans?

How do you use fresh Fava beans? Did you know they need to be shucked twice? Don’t worry, the effort is worth it! In this quick video, Chef Dan tells us a brief history of them, how to use them, and how to clean them. Hi, I’m Chef Dan with Freshpoint of Central Florida, and...

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People, passion, produce, peas: shoots and tendrils

Continuing our blog about English peas, Marvin and I had a nice chat about another avenue of spring peas: shoots and tendrils. Marvin Wilhite of Cahaba Clubs in Odessa, Florida in the Tampa Bay area is a long standing business partner of Sysco | FreshPoints across the country, but here in Florida, we are fortunate...

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Fiddlehead Ferns: is it really a fern you are eating?

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,...

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Ramps: these wild leeks will ramp up your spring menu

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....

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Video: How to clean Morel mushrooms

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...

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Video: English peas–quick facts, and the best ways to use them this spring

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...

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Video: Rhubarb–besides pie, what can you do with it?

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...

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