Virtually every type of fruit and vegetable has been processed into a value-added product in recent years, as growers and processors rush to meet the rapidly growing demand for the convenience they offer consumers. Until now, one vegetable seems to have been left out: artichokes.
Ocean Mist Farms, lub teb chaws tus loj tshaj plaws artichoke grower, tau sau lub void nrog kev lag luam thawj microwaveable artichoke, ib yam khoom uas yuav pab tau kom cov zaub muaj koob meej thaum muab ib tug tshiab yooj yim nyob rau hauv ua noj ua haus.
Nws los ntawm heels ntawm kev xav tau los ntawm cov khw muag khoom thiab cov neeg siv khoom thov rau artichoke uas yooj yim dua los npaj.
Kori Tuggle, tus thawj coj ntawm kev lag luam thiab kev txhim kho kev lag luam rau Ocean Mist Farms tau hais tias "Peb tau txais kev nug ntau xyoo los ntawm peb cov neeg muag khoom muag thiab peb cov neeg siv khoom rau lub microwaveable artichoke." "Kev tshawb fawb ntawm cov neeg siv khoom tau hais rau peb tias ntau tus neeg yuav khoom pom kev npaj ntawm artichokes yog qhov tseem ceeb rau kev yuav khoom."
Txawm hais tias cov neeg siv khoom thiab cov khw muag khoom thov rau cov artichoke tshiab, tseem muaj lus nug txog seb puas muaj qhov xav tau loj txaus rau cov khoom thiab seb nws puas yuav muag. Lub tuam txhab tau pib qhov kev lag luam tsawg nyob rau sab qaum teb California cov khw muag khoom thaum lub caij nplooj ntoos hlav 2011 artichoke lub caij los kuaj cov khoom thiab pom tias muaj kev txaus siab heev. Tseem muaj kev lag luam zoo txais tos thaum lawv tso tawm cov khoom tshiab ntawm lub Tsim Kev Lag Luam Association's (PMA) Fresh Summit convention in Atlanta lub Kaum Hli Ntuj dhau los.
"Peb tau txais cov lus pom zoo los ntawm kev lag luam ntawm Fresh Summit, nws yog thawj ntawm nws cov khoom lag luam rau qeb artichoke," Tuggle tau hais.
Cov khoom lag luam kuj tau txais PMA National Award for Innovative Packaging ntawm lub rooj sib tham. Ib qho tseem ceeb ntawm qhov yooj yim ntawm cov khoom tshiab, lub pob nta ob artichokes uas tau ntxuav thiab txiav. Ntau tshaj li ib nrab ntawm lub sijhawm npaj tau raug tshem tawm, uas yog qhov tseem ceeb tshwj xeeb rau cov neeg siv khoom ntawm lub sijhawm nruj lossis cov neeg uas tsis tau nyiam artichoke hauv lawv lub neej thiab tsis paub yuav pib qhov twg.
"Txij thaum pib, peb paub tias peb yuav tsum ua kom lub pob tshiab tsis muaj teeb meem yam tsis muaj kev npaj, thiab lub sijhawm ua noj luv luv thiab kev noj zaub mov zoo," Tuggle tau hais. "(Nws) yog lub sijhawm los nyiam cov neeg siv khoom uas tsis muaj sijhawm thiab xav tau txoj hauv kev sai dua los ua noj cov artichoke tshiab, lossis raug hem los ntawm lawv vim lawv tsis paub yuav ua li cas ntxuav lossis npaj cov artichoke tshiab."
Lwm qhov tshwj xeeb hauv kev ntim khoom yog zip-lock foob uas ua rau cov neeg siv khoom tuaj yeem caij cov ntsiab lus ua ntej microwaving.
"Peb paub tias muaj peev xwm muab cov neeg siv kev tswj hwm ntawm yuav ua li cas thiab siv dab tsi los tsw cov artichoke yuav yog tus cwj pwm tseem ceeb rau kev yuav khoom dua," nws hais.
Cov artichokes tau teem rau lub khw muag khoom tso tawm xyoo no, tsis muaj cov phiaj xwm tam sim no rau kev pabcuam zaub mov.
Dej hiav txwv Mist Farms tau loj hlob artichokes hauv nruab nrab California txij li xyoo 1924, thaum Daniel Pieri, Alfred Tottino, James Bellone thiab Amerigo thiab Angelo Del Chiaro tau tsim lub California Artichoke & Zaub Growers Corp. hauv Castroville, hloov npe hu ua Ocean Mist Farms xyoo 1995.
Kev lag luam tseem mob siab rau artichokes, tab sis lub tuam txhab tau nthuav dav rau cov khoom lag luam tshiab hauv xyoo tas los no suav nrog zaub paj, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, cardone, cauliflower, celery, fava taum, fennel, ntsuab dos, spinach thiab ob peb lettuces. Feem ntau yog muag hauv ntau; lub microwaveable artichokes cim lub tuam txhab kev sib tw rau hauv cov khoom ntim khoom, muaj txiaj ntsig ntxiv.
Dej hiav txwv Mist txheej txheem thiab ua lag luam nws tus kheej cov khoom lag luam. Lub tuam txhab tau ntawv pov thawj los ntawm California Leafy Greens Handler Kev Lag Luam Daim Ntawv Pom Zoo, thiab muaj cov npe ntawm kev ua liaj ua teb zoo los ua kom muaj kev nyab xeeb ntawm zaub mov.
Lub tuam txhab tau piav qhia tus kheej "txoj hauv kev" rau kev nyab xeeb zaub mov pib hauv thaj teb, nrog cov ncauj lus kom ntxaws txog kev pheej hmoo ntawm txhua daim teb ua ntej cog. Cov neeg ua haujlwm kuj ua raws li cov qauv kev nyiam huv thiab tshawb xyuas kev huv thiab kev saib xyuas txhua yam khoom siv thaum cog qoob loo.
Ib qho kev sib koom ua ke kev tswj xyuas kab tsuag saib xyuas cov nroj tsuag, kab mob thiab kab kom txo cov tshuaj thaum tsim khoom. Cov dej hauv dej tau raug sim ntau ua ntej siv, thiab lub tuam txhab txuas ntxiv qhia cov neeg ua haujlwm hauv kev sau qoob loo kom huv si uas hais txog kev sib kis, kev ruaj ntseg zaub mov thiab kev tu cev.
Cov neeg ua haujlwm hauv cov chaw ua haujlwm ua raws li cov txheej txheem tsim khoom zoo thiab kev soj ntsuam kev nyab xeeb cov ntsiab lus tseem ceeb, uas suav nrog kev tu txhua hnub ntawm cov khoom siv.
Lub tuam txhab tau tshaj tawm txoj haujlwm saib xyuas ib puag ncig uas siv kev tshuaj xyuas raws li ib txoj hauv kev los xyuas kom huv si ua ntej ua haujlwm.
Cov saw hlau txias yog lwm txoj hauv kev uas lub tuam txhab txhim kho cov khoom noj muaj kev nyab xeeb thiab zoo, thiab Ocean Mist Farms yuav tsum ceev faj kom cov saw hlau tsis tawg. Cov khoom tau txias hauv plaub teev ntawm kev sau qoob loo thiab khaws cia ntawm 34˚ F, tom qab ntawd tsiv mus rau cov chaw thauj mus los hauv cov tsheb tub yees. Cov cua txias muaj cov cai tswj kev huv huv nruj kom siv cov hnab looj tes pov tseg rau kev tuav cov khoom, hluav taws xob forklifts los tiv thaiv cov pa tawm hauv cov cua txias thiab cov dej haus kom txias, raws li lub tuam txhab.
"Peb tab tom nrhiav txoj hauv kev tshiab los txuas ntxiv thiab ntxiv cov txiaj ntsig rau qhov peb muab rau peb cov neeg siv khoom thiab cov neeg siv khoom," Tuggle tau hais.