Product code - 2408         Pack size - 12ct pints

Succulent and sweet, fresh figs are available. Here's a food that satisfies the sweet tooth, and provides a little culinary decadence, without compromising one's health in the process. Fresh Figs are so delicious, they can be integrated into almost every course or used to add flare and elegance to any party. They not only add taste and excitement to almost every course, but they can come to the table at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and in between times, too.

Even though plain and fresh go a long way, attracting and satisfying foodservice customers is a constant and continuing challenge to any foodservice operation. See below for fresh ideas on how to incorporate figs into your menu.

Morning

Ø      Serve them fresh or poached or chopped and added to a bowl of cereal, hot or cold.

Ø      Slice or halve and grill to serve with ham and eggs.

Ø      Combine yogurt for a sensational smoothie.

Ø     Bake into orange-flavored muffins -- chop or tuck a small whole fig in the middle for a pleasant surprise.

Noon

Ø     Combine with herbs and olive oil from the fig's Mediterranean homeland and serve along with a ham and cheese panini.

Ø      Slice and pair with salty or peppery cheeses for a tantalizing cheese plate.

Ø      Quarter and toss with grilled, sliced chicken breast and arugula for a summer salad.

Ø      Drizzle with honey and grill on pork kebabs.

Night

Ø     For a first course sure to attract all your customers, divide figs in half and top with tangy goat cheese and nuts.

Ø      Divide Fresh Figs in half, drizzle with olive oil and grill to serve with chicken or fish.

Ø      Combine fresh figs and onions with rosemary to braise with duck, venison or lamb.

Ø      Feature the elegance of a fig tartlet as the signature dessert for the season.

Ø      Poach in wine or tea, chill and serve topped with sour cream for the simplest dessert.

Lettuce - This market is getting stronger on this commodity. Supplies have tightened up with all shippers due to rains in the Salinas Valley. There are some quality issues upon arrivals. Some issues of pink ribbing, discoloration, and mechanical damage are examples of the quality defects.

Melons: Cantaloupes and Honeydew - The temperatures in the desert have been consistently 10 to 15 degrees below normal for this time of year. This week they are again about 10 degrees below where the melons need to be to get to the correct sugar/ brix levels. Shippers have continued to push back their harvests in both California and Arizona. There are very limited quantities of both Honeydew and Cantaloupe on all sizes available in these areas. Our shippers have been able to cover with Mexican fruit but they will be finishing up their harvest over the next couple of weeks and are also becoming more limited.

Onions  - The ever-changing onion market is doing it again: changing. The Imperial Valley onion season is winding down and will conclude sometime the week of May 31. The jumbo yellow and red markets are rising in anticipation of light initial offerings in Huron, CA, and New Mexico. New Mexico shippers foresee light yields and small sizing the week of May 31. Yellow sizing will be heavier than usual to mediums, and yields will be only 850 to 900 sacks per acre compared to the typical 1,200 to 1,300. Shippers foresee normal yellow sizing the weeks of June 7 through June 21, but yields are expected to be only 1,300 to 1,400 instead of the expected 1,700 to 1,800. Sizing is expected to be on the small side, with yields average at best. The jumbo yellow and red markets are once again on an upswing.