Mia Teal
Marketing Coordinator, Paid Media
It’s National Corn Month, and we think that is something to celebrate! We’ve been partnering with local corn farmers here in the Northeast since 1932. Corn is one of our region’s top agricultural products. Our farmers love to eat this local treat fresh-off-the-stalk, and so do we!
Leading up to the month of July, our corn takes quite a journey. During the month of May when local farmers are tending to their fields, we will tap into Florida’s sweet corn season and supply those delicous ears. Fast forward to June and we start to move up the coast into the state of Georgia. While we are getting corn from here, our local corn has started to sprout. Exciting things await!
Finally, the month of July comes and we are popping with excitement (pun intended)! The first half of the month, we move even further up the coast to North Carolina and Delaware, since their corn season is in full swing. However, by mid to late July, our local sweet corn season is finally underway! This lasts only until mid September, but we enjoy every minute of our corn season. Let’s take a look at a few local suppliers.
Shaul Farms:
We are proud to partner with Shaul Farms located in Fultonham, New York. Amazingly, eleven generations have worked on this farm. They produce cider and vegetables.
Paul Mazza Farms:
We are proud to partner with Paul Mazza Farms located in Colchester, Vermont. For 38 years, Paul Mazza Farms’ goal is to connect the community to fresh local foods.
Check out some summertime recipes you can make with our locally sourced corn!
Mexican Street Corn: Have you ever tried Mexican Street Corn? Well, now you can with this easy and delicious recipe!
home.grown. Corn Fritters: This meal is similar to fried dough with a savory cornmeal-based batter. Try our PICS Cheese varieties or PICS Maple Syrup to go on top.
Grilled Shrimp, Corn, & Tomato Rolls with Lime Mayo: This will be a summertime favorite! Top with fresh cilantro for a burst of flavor.
Summertime Steak Lettuce Wraps: Craving a taco but don’t want the shell? Try these lettuce wraps with similar ingredients as your traditional taco. As always, feel free to add or omit any item.
As the games capture the world’s attention with incredible athletic ability, it’s the perfect moment to celebrate not just the athletes but also the rich tapestry of cultures they represent. What better way to connect with diverse traditions and stories than through the universal language of food? Let’s take a tour of some fabulous meals & desserts to try while you watch your favorite team compete.
Your meal isn’t complete without dessert! Check out our recipes below, and be sure to try our NEW Market 32 Seasonal Macarons. Macarons are a classic French dessert, and with the Olympics happening in France, there’s no better time to try our new treat.
Looking to eat at home more oppsoed to dining out? It’s time to enjoy the comfort of delicious, homemade sandwiches made right in your kitchen! This week’s menu features Sausage, Egg, & Cheese Bagels along with restaurant-style chicken sandwiches. Let’s take a deep dive on what we are serving…
Sausage, Egg, & Cheese Bagels
1 pack Market 32 Breakfast Sausage
1 pack Thomas Bagels
PICS Large White Eggs (BIG sale on 18 ct. PICS Large White Eggs this week!)
1 pack PICS Sliced Cheese
Restaurant-Style Chicken Sandwiches
1 lb. (or 4 cutlets) Market 32 Gourmet Panko Breaded Chicken Cutlets
1 pack PICS Hamburger Buns
1 pack PICS Sliced Cheese
Vlasic Pickle Chips
Wise Potato Chips
Shop for Restaurant-Style Chicken Sandwiches!
Restaurant-Style Sauce:
Our chicken sandwich is not complete without the sauce!
What you’ll need:
1/4 Cup PICS Honey
2 Tablespoons PICS Yellow Mustard
1/4 Cup PICS BBQ Sauce
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1/2 Cup PICS Mayo
Whisk all the ingredients together, refrigerate, and there you have it!
Recipe from Family Fresh Meals
Written by our friends at Green Mountain Energy
Taking a trip? You booked the tickets, bought a new outfit and told your friends. You packed sunscreen, your IDs, and some extra cash. There’s one more thing to do: make sure your home stays green and energy efficient while you’re gone.
The pros at Green Mountain Energy have shared a few tips to help maintain your eco-friendly home, live a more sustainable lifestyle and keep costs low when you’re away.
Before we dive in: Get a head start on living greener by choosing a 100% clean energy plan from Green Mountain Energy. Plus, you’ll earn 10,000 AdvantEdge Rewards points ($100 value) after 2 months of service and 1,000 points ($10 value) every 6 months for as long as you keep your plan!
You checked your destination, but what about at home? Is it going to be blazing hot or a little cloudy while you’re out? Decide the highest temperature you’re comfortable with so it won’t be stuffy when you get home — about a 5° difference usually does the trick. And don’t forget to close the blinds and pull the shades. All that extra light can heat up your place when you’re not there.
The best way to lower your impact on the planet and save on energy costs is to not use energy at all. You don’t need to unplug your oven, but many electronics use “phantom energy.” They quietly use power even as they sit idle. TVs, air fresheners, alarm clocks — every little bit makes a difference. Even a small appliance like a printer passively uses electricity while it’s plugged in. Try using surge protectors or power strips to make turning everything on and off a breeze.
Smart technology apps and electrical timers can come in handy when you’re away. If you’re worried about your plants getting proper hydration, or if there’s a pet keeping watch at home (or napping all day), create presets to keep them cool during the day and cozy at night. Check out smart thermostats and pre-programmed lights, too. As a safety precaution, you can also set a timer to turn on a few lights when you’re out, so it looks like someone’s at home.
Many of us clean out our refrigerators before we leave town. According to our cool friend science, refrigerators are more efficient when there are more items on the shelf, since cold items help keep other items cold. You can save a little on your bill and help the planet by letting your appliances work for you. If you have liquids or water that’ll keep until you get back home, feel free to leave them on the shelves so your fridge won’t have to work as hard while you’re gone.
This is a more advanced tip, since most of us don’t touch the water heater unless there’s a problem with it. It’s a huge appliance that uses a lot of energy to keep hot water ready for washing dishes and showering. But since you won’t need hot water while you’re gone, why not adjust the water heater for energy efficiency? Many water heater models have a vacation mode, but you can also turn it down manually. Once you return, make sure to follow the Energy.gov recommendations for powering up your water heater when you get home.
Everyone’s lifestyle is different, so no energy tip will be one-size-fits-all. Do what works best for your home, so you can kick back, relax and enjoy your vacation, all while knowing your home is on an energy-efficient staycation.
Safe travels!
home.grown. Farm Feature: Paul Mazza's Fresh Produce
Jack Marquette
Marketing Intern
The Operation
Paul Mazza owns over 250 acres of farmland in Essex, Jerico, Williston, and Colchester. After visiting only the Essex and Colchester locations, we could tell each acre was used with purpose of growing some of the freshest produce in Vermont. An operation like this takes a group of employees who love to work for Mazza’s Fresh Produce and provide for their families in the snow seasons. Using busses, they can easily transport them around the farms. This operation leaves Paul working long days and is a reason why his Fruit and Vegetable Farmstand in Essex is so trusted.
Community Connection
We visited the Essex Farmstand location on a Wednesday afternoon and still there were cars consistently pulling in and purchasing the fresh produce from the stand. The community relies on trusts and respects Mazza’s stand and his work for delivering great produce. Their website, paulmazzas.com, displays that their mission statement has not changed. For 38 years they still want to “connect our community with fresh local foods.” Their website provides information on most services covered in this blog, but with much more detail. We encourage you to check out their website to learn more.
Pick-Your-Own
Even with the massive success of the stand, Mazza still says the people’s favorite is the “Pick-Your-Own”. You have the availability of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and apples. They encourage everyone to make memories along with collecting fresh produce at a great price. More information can be found on their website.
Overview
Paul Mazza offers many options to his loyal local customers. Whether it is his Fruit and Vegetable Farmstand in Essex, the popular Pick-Your-Own, or the hard work that goes in behind the scenes, there is a reason the community trusts the farm. Building through a community is something Paul Mazza and Price Chopper both take pride in and is one of the many reasons why he still provides fresh produce in our stores today.
History and Recipes of the Caesar Salad: 100 Year Anniversary
Jack Marquette
Marketing Intern
Origins
It’s unique that a dish can have a birthday on a special occasion or holiday. In this case, Caesar salad can join that short list. On a 4th of July night in 1924, the Caesar salad was created in Tijuana, Mexico. It is expected that a dish like this would be created in America or Italy. While those countries are still a massive reason for its existence, it will always be a dish that originated in Mexico. The city of Tijuana, Mexico is right on the border of the United States and Mexico and served as a hotspot for American citizens during probation.
July 4th, 1924
To celebrate the birth of their country, American citizens flocked to Tijuana to legally enjoy alcohol in another country. At Caesar’s Palace Hotel in Tijuana, Italian immigrant chef, Caesar Cardini was overwhelmed by the holiday partiers. To get food out quickly, he grabbed olive oil, parmesan, egg, Worcestershire sauce, and lettuce thrown together and tossed in a big wooden bowl. The Caesar salad was now invented and already a big hit. The picture to the right shows the current table side salad at Caesar’s Hotel today. They still take pride in what they have created and have kept it the same as it originated.
Evolution
The original restaurant on Avenida Revolución still stands and is open for business, but the original Caesar salad has been changed and altered to create alternative versions of the salad. There will always be the original, but many additions such as bacon, maple syrup, prosciutto, and even oyster mushrooms have been added by different chefs. Ultimately, Cardini stresses that even if the dish was created in Mexico, it is still an Italian dish. The more other chefs add, it is still an Italian dish and there will always be the original. Below are some Caesar salad recipes we want you to try.
Our July Cheese of the Month is certainly something to boast about! This month we have a soft, delicate cheese with a milky, fresh flavor that resembles a Mozzarella ball but with a soft filling of fresh pieces of Mozzarella soaked in heavy cream known as “Stracciatella.” Each ball is made from fresh milk from local farmers, hand-formed, and packaged in water to ensure maximum freshness. Eat plain or with an antipasto cheeseboard.
Top a hot baked pizza just before serving, or add to salads of arugula and peaches or Caprese with tomato and basil. Burrata pairs well with tomatoes, roasted peppers, herbs, cured meats, melon, grapes, peaches, olives, and light wine.
Cherishing Cherries!
In our opinion, one of the more underrated fruits out there is the cherry. They are sweet, snackable, and perfect for the summer. They are great alone or an important ingredient in endless tasty recipes. That’s why this summer we plan on cherishing this awesome stone fruit.
To start, there are two different types of cherries: tart and sweet. Tart cherries are good for cooking and baking, while sweet cherries are the type you buy to eat as a snack. When purchasing these sweet snacks, look for the firm and plump ones that appear bright and glossy. Sweet cherries are mainly grown in California, Washington, and Oregon, while tart cherries can commonly be found in Michigan and Wisconsin. Some popular types of sweet cherries are Bing, Lambert, and Rainier. The most common type of tart cherry is the Montgomery, best when used in baking as they hold their shape better than their more snackable relatives.
At Price Chopper & Market 32, we love using cherries in our recipes. And not just the classic cherry pie. Check out some of these delectable recipes, perfect for the summer!
Picture this: tender slices of grilled steak nestled between two slices of toasted artisan bread, perhaps with a smear of garlic aioli or a tangy steak sauce. Sounds incredible, right? Now picture a fun fiesta of a fresh bed of lettuce, ground turkey, beans, & corn. Sounds amazing, right?
What if we told you these Steak Sandwiches & Taco Salads only have five ingredients? Easy and delicious! Let’s check out this week’s items to make these recipes…
Taco Salads:
1 package Ground Turkey (Buy one get one FREE!)
1 can (16oz) PICS Black Beans
1 can (16 oz PICS Canned Corn)
1 package PICS Taco Seasoning
Shop for Taco Salads here!
Steak Sandwiches:
1 package Certified Angus Beef Steak (Buy one get one FREE)
1 package RealSweet Vidalia Onions
1 container Market 32 Whole White Mushrooms
1 bottle PICS Marinade
1 pack Market 32 Rolls (found in bakery section)
Shop for Steak Sandwiches here!
Check out this fun twist on your steak sandwich!
Mia Teal
Marketing Coordinator, Paid Media
The month of July has so much to offer. The weather is beautiful, school is out, and everywhere we look there are barbecues and picnics. It only makes sense that National Grilling Month is celebrated for the entirety of this month! When we think of firing up the grill, hot dogs and hamburgers are most likely the first thing to come to mind. However, there are actually an array of items that can be grilled. Some may even surprise you. Let’s take a look below!
Watermelon: Grilling watermelon is actually quite simple. If you are new to the whole “grilling fruit” idea, then you are in for a treat. Picture the juicy sweetness of watermelon with a smoky flavor. It is quite the combination. The watermelon should be cut into wedges and placed on a heated grill for two to three minutes. Some people may add sugar or spices, or just eat it plain.
Pineapple: Grilled pineapple is a must-try this summer. They can be cut in rings, wedges, or cubes. Many people brush the pineapple in butter and/or brown sugar, but that is optional. Lightly oil the grate and cook pineapple for two to three minutes.
Bananas: If you are a banana-lover, then you are in for a serious treat! To grill bananas, slice them down the middle with the peel intact. Place the cut-side of the banana on the grill and wait to see grill marks (should only be about two minutes). An option here is to sprinkle on sugar or honey. Using tongs, flip the bananas over for five more minutes, or until the peel starts to pull away. This is best served with vanilla ice cream. Speaking of, Price Chopper and Market 32 have a new line of PICS Pint Ice Cream! Check them out here.
Tofu: Looking to change up the way you eat tofu? Look no further! Grilled, seasoned tofu is a delicious summertime meal. You will want to buy firm or extra firm tofu, not soft. Press the excess liquid from the tofu prior to placing it on the grill, and make sure you oil the grill so the tofu does not stick. Cut tofu, paint with your marinade of choice, and then throw on the grill for two to three minutes each side. There you have it – Quick, easy, and anything but boring!
Pizza: If you have never grilled pizza before, then stop what you are doing and read this! Place the plain, formed dough on a cookie sheet and gently slide it onto the heated grill. The key here is to grill the dough on both sides, and then remove from the grill. Once you notice it starts to brown on one side, use tongs to flip. Once both sides are browned, let the crust cool on a rack for a few minutes to two hours. When you are ready, add your toppings and place back on the grill for two to three minutes.
Be sure to browse all-things grilling below for more traditional barbecue food!