Page 164 - Roduce Editorials News Today

Litehouse Inc. unveiled a new line of thick and creamy Litehouse Dips & Spreads, which complements the brand’s breadth of product offerings. The new dip and spreads line features bold flavors for every dip-worthy occasion and brings the delicious taste of Litehouse dressings to the dip and spread category.

The Northwest cherry season has been a test of patience for growers and shippers, as Mother Nature has had a chilling effect this spring. Low temperatures have been recorded across all cherry-growing regions with some districts reporting lower than 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Wenatchee, WA, tied a 1986 record of 26 degrees for April and a record-setting 16 inches of snowfall for April, obliterating the previous record of half an inch.

Naturipe Farms is a grower-owned producer of wholesome, good-for-you fresh berries, nurtured by working family farmers. The company has been growing berries since 1917 and has built a strong community of farms that produce the berries for the Naturipe brand.

In the early 1980s, seven farming families on Prince Edward Island banded together to help meet the growing demand for washed potatoes in the marketplace. Officially formed in 1982, Mid Isle Farms is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, with plans to continue modernizing its operations to provide top-quality product and service to its client base.

Despite a cool start, the Jersey Fresh season looks to be sizzling for Nardelli Bros. “Our Jersey Fresh season is exciting,” said Bill Nardelli, Jr., vice president of sales for the Cedarville, NJ-based company. “We expect a great season with quality products. In the beginning of the season we had a bit of cool weather which slowed us down out of the gate. Recently, we’ve had a warm up, which has been more conducive to these early wet items.”

Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of summer, and in addition to honoring the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice, many Americans gather with family and friends and celebrate with food.  A recent social media and web analysis of fruit-based recipes highlights the fact that the most fashionable food is red, white and blue with berries marking the most popular online fruit across the United States for Memorial Day.

North Carolina is home to some of the finest farmers in the United States, assisted by the outstanding efforts of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, which works to ensure that growers in the state have all they can to be successful. The climate and soil of North Carolina makes it the ideal ground for a variety of produce items.

With more than five decades of experience and three generations of family ownership, Leger & Son is heading into another watermelon season ready to face the challenges of what lies ahead and reap the well-deserved rewards of its hard work.

Rick McCranie has recently joined Moultrie GA-based Producers Marketing and is getting the company poised for big things ahead. “We’re an old company that has been around for a long time, but it’s recently taken on a new type of role,” he said. “Producers was started in the 80s and had a co-op of farmers, and one of the big farmers was Aldine Hart.” That farm is now run by Scott Hart, son of Aldine.

This past week produce aisles were bursting with new crop goodness, just in time for graduation celebrations across the country. Locally grown watermelons, tomatoes, peaches, corn, cucumbers, squash and cherries were all on sale for get-togethers with family and friends. Ribs, steaks, burgers and cheese were featured in flyers alongside lettuce, tomatoes and onions for grilled meals. Fruit and vegetable party trays offered another way to enjoy fresh produce at celebrations. Patriotic mums and ce...