Cilantro Recall

Sabor Farms' cilantro, selling under the brands of Nature's Reward, Ocean Mist, Tanimura & Antle and Queen Victoria, has been recalled. Cilantro bunches printed with "Produce of USA, Cilantro ‚4889" next to UPC number 33383 80104 on the twist ties were recalled over the weekend for possible salmonella contamination. Please discard any of the affected cilantro.

Peddler's Son Produce was NOT affected by the recall. Our cilantro was purchased through local vendor Greer Farms and Boskovich farms. We have purchased our cilantro from these suppliers since August of 2010.

Please call your sales executive or our office at 602 253 3577 with any questions.

Bar Chefs

One of the food trends we're seeing is with cocktails. "Bar Chefs" are emerging as they seek local, organic and unique flavors to entice customers and set them apart from their competition.

These fun, flavorful and fantastic concoctions are not your happy hour cheap drinks either . It's about the creativity and presentation. These libations are dishes that are both beautiful and unique. Bar Chefs have used local, organic and unique flavors to entice customers and set them apart from their competition. Check out some of these tastes with spices and produce such as lychee, saffron, Sririacha Hot Sauce, huckleberries, rhubarb, cucumber, prickly pear and lemongrass.

What Bar Chefs have you met and what drinks have you tried lately?

The People Behind the Produce

We'd like to introduce you to Tony Sprague, our East Central Phoenix Driver. That's the territory south of Camelback to Jackson and between 52nd St and 7th St. He's a Arizona native growing up near Central and Baseline so Tony knows Phoenix. We have had the privilege of having Tony be a part of the Peddler's Son Produce family for over 2 years now. Today, I had the chance to sit down with him and ask him a few questions and here's what I've learned.

What is your favorite part of the job? I enjoy interacting with 0ur customers. Even though I see them for about 15 minutes a day, I see most of them every day and I feel like they're my friends.

What is your favorite movie? Probably The Godfather and Moonstruck are my two favorite movies.

What is your favorite music/band? I like all kinds of music, but Dean Martin is my favorite of all time.

TV Show? I don't spend much time watching TV. Every once in a while, I'll watch UFC.

Food? I like Mexican and Italian food the most.

What was your first job? My grandfather used to deliver produce here in Phoenix and he used to let me ride along with him. I remember sitting in the back of the truck and eat watermelon. That's one of the reasons I've enjoyed working with Peddler's Son, it reminds me of being a kid and riding with my grandfather.

If you could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be? I'd like to have dinner with my father. He passed away about 10 years ago. Growing up, I remembered him like a rock star. He knew a lot of people in town and was the kind of person that could enter in the back door of businesses. It was fun to go with him and hang out.

What do you do in your leisure time? I have an old, custom Honda motorcycle that I'm restoring so I spend a lot of time working on the bike.

So, if you see a Peddler's Son truck driving in the East Central Phoenix area, give a wave and say hi to Tony!

Carrots make you pretty.

According to a recent UK study, carrots and plums provide a yellow hue that apparently others find attractive. Don't like carrots? Try Jim Davis' take on them. 'Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.'

So skip the tanning beds and eat your carrots. There are still a few days before Valentines!

Holiday Traditions

Christmas tends to develop traditions. Things you do each year that remind you of where you came from, your values, your family. Peddler's Son Produce employees started a tradition 2 years ago to have a toy drive for ChildHelp USA. Many of our employees grew up near our warehouse and wanted to do something that remembered children as well as something that was based in our neighborhood. ChildHelp USA fit the bill.

ChildHelp is dedicated to helping victims of child abuse and neglect. Their focus is on the prevention, intervention and treatment. The toys collected are used for children as they are welcomed into the facility.

Yesterday we had our holiday celebration at the warehouse. Employees brought in their toys and homemade goodies for our potluck. It's always a great event as we are also encouraged to bring our family. One of the things that I noticed was how everyone talks about the toys they brought and why they chose the ones that they did. It seemed to bring back memories of childhood for all. Of course, seeing the employees' children was also special.

So, yes. Holidays bring traditions and here's to some great ones started here at Peddler's Son Produce!

We wish all our employees and customers happy holidays!

Ah nuts!

As part of our on-going efforts to support our sustainability program, we wanted to grow and expand our relationships with local vendors. Today we are happy to welcome Lehi Valley to our product offering. Peddler's Son will now offer a selection of dried fruits and nuts from Lehi Valley. Like Peddler's Son, they're a family owned business here in the Valley - for Lehi it's been over 30 years. We love that they do small batch roasts for all of the nuts and offer salt-free products.

Enough of the talk, here's the lineup.....

Shredded coconuts - Great for baking.
Dried Medium Medjool Dates - The largest and sweetest variety of dates with a softer texture.
Raisins - Thompson Seedless Raisins are sun-sweetened dried grapes.

Blanched Sliced Almonds - Blanched to remove the skin and toasted for a more distinct nutty flavor.
Pinenuts - Add them to meat, fish, salads and vegetables.
Shelled Walnut Halves and Pieces - These are small batch roasted to ensure freshness and are salt-free!
Raw Blanched Peanuts - These are blanched to remove the skin and ready for your baking needs.
Raw Pecan Halves - Mammoth Pecan Halves are small-batch roasted for freshness, but unsalted.

So ignore Jim Davis' quote 'Avoid fruits and nuts. You are what you eat.' and give the new products a try. We'd love to know what you think.

Thanks for the memories Teddy!

Peddler's Son Produce is a family company. Many of our employees have worked here for years and are more than just friends, but family. On Monday, we lost one of our family members, Teddy Sardina. He was one of our first sales people, but most of all a mentor to all.

His dedication and spunky personality will be missed by all of us.

Thank you, Teddy, for showing us the true meaning of life and how to embrace it's end with joy and grace!