Fresh News

Week of October 20, 2008

Another day, another dollar or so they say. It seems that lately it is another dollar, another 50 cents. It appears as I write this Monday morning that there is not an announcement of another major initiative to save some part of the economy. All that has been put in place is having a calming effect on world markets; of course the stock market is not open yet and by the time anyone reads this it will already be off and running. I feel at the mercy of all those markets and the government. It is not a good feeling. I feel much better when the problems I created I can fix and the successes I have had I can be proud of. As an independent business owner I do not mind taking risks. I do it all the time. Many times I succeed other times I fail. I will continue to do so (take risks although very carefully measured) through thin times like now, and the better times that lay ahead, as all hardworking Americans do when crisis occurs.

Enough down talk now for the upbeat! Halloween is coming upon us and it is a fun holiday. It can be scary, it can be gory, and it can be any way you want to celebrate. This year we all need a few regular doses of fun, and Halloween falls on a Friday, good time for a Party!!!! I know folks planning a party on Saturday, November 1st. That makes sense too, as when the holiday falls on a Friday you can celebrate all weekend long! Here at Sickles Market we have a lot of fun stuff to decorate with. From the gory (blood splattered heads to the whimsical cute spiders with a smile, to traditional pumpkins and cornstalks. We have it all! Many items are now on sale up to 50% off in the Halloween department. You can really decorate in style; your style! Many items are durable and can be used for years. I know in our house, Leslie adds to our collection every year and slowly but surely over the month of October she brings all the “heirloom décor” out to spook up the house. Its fun and kids love it.

Fall is a great time for New Jersey produce. Right now we have in house New Jersey Cauliflower, New Jersey beets, local apples, and my personal favorite the New Jersey red and white sweet potatoes. The cauliflowers are just massive having enjoyed warm fall temperatures and adequate rainfall. Lately, our favorite way to cook them at home is to boil them whole and then puree them into a very thick soup. Add sea salt, fresh ground pepper and you are set. You can also add sour cream, crème fraiche, butter, or olive oil too. The cauliflower keeps in the fridge for a few days and I have enjoyed it reheated in the microwave with a nice dollop of EVOO. It is a very healthy treat and resembles mashed potatoes or polenta. Cauliflower is of course a lot less carbs than either of those.

The New Jersey sweets are different then the yam, (they are called a sweet potato too) which is orange inside and moist. These are a light yellow and they have a drier texture than the orange yam. They are slightly sweet with an almost chestnut like flavor. They are very unique to New Jersey and in Sickles Market past prior to so much shipping of produce from other areas of the country. They were grown on this farm right where the baseball fields are today. I have enjoyed them all my life and my mom would cook them many different ways just as you would the orange yam from North Carolina or Louisiana.

Apples, Apples, Apples! They are a great fruit, especially when they are grown in the right climate, which really does not occur in New Jersey. My Dad and relatives used to grow apples (again right where the soccer fields are today and over a lot of the territory that Alderbrook homes are on). They were massive trees and good apples too, but we eliminated them in favor of other better crops for the climate like peaches, asparagus, tomatoes, and others. So local apples now means mostly from New York State, where a great climate for apples is the norm. In the store now we have local Macintosh, Macouns, Cortland’s, Winesaps, 20 oz pippins, and others. October is a great month for apples as there are so many varieties to try. It makes it easy to follow the old mantra “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” and eat your way to a healthy winter.

Eat fresh, local, and healthy!

Best,

Bob

P.S. Have you joined..."The Good Stuff Club," yet?