The Perfect Pistachio Pie #PistachioHarvest2014 5 Reasons to Recommend Pistachios Navel Orangeworm Review by Robert Beede APG Working with China’s E-Commerce Giant Alibaba APG 2015 Annual Conference
The perfect marriage of crust and luscious pistachio filling, there’s a pleasant mix of textures and flavor in every bite. Impress your family and friends this holiday season with a pie made with American pistachios. Created by Charleston pastry chef Lauren Mitterer, APG’s pistachio pie is perfect for the holidays because it’s amazing, yet simple and easy to make. All that is needed is a food processor and seven ingredients. To top it off, it’s perfectly filled with beautiful, delicious and nutritious pistachios. Plan on serving seconds! To view and download the recipe click here.
APG participated in Sunset magazine’s 2014 Savor the Central Coast event on September 27-28, at the Santa Margarita Ranch. APG was there in full force with pistachio sample packs for all, the Pistachiomobile, and a raffle where consumers had the chance to win a month’s supply of pistachios. American pistachios were also featured in cooking demonstrations with Chef Jeff Wiesinger of Jeffreys Catering (Paso Robles, California) preparing a rustic open-faced avocado sandwich with arugula pesto, pistachios and crisp cucumber. Then, Sunset magazine’s Associate Food Editor, Elaine Johnson, created a delicious menu of pan-grilled rib-eye steaks with pistachio butter and asparagus. Click here to view and download the recipes prepared by Elaine Johnson and Jeff Weisinger, or to view a video where Elaine Johnson shares the many reasons why she loves pistachios. More than 10,000 food, wine and beer enthusiasts attended the popular event.
This September as harvest was in full swing, APG hosted #PistachioHarvest2014, a tour that took 28 invited international key opinion leaders from the worlds of nutrition, media and gastronomy from San Francisco to the Central Valley to witness how pistachios are grown, harvested, processed and prepared in recipes. Guests and APG Ambassadors arriving from the U.K., Spain, Germany, Italy and across the U.S. were impressed to find there was much to learn about pistachios, their nutritional and culinary benefits, and the people behind the product. APG members awaited guests to greet them at two special dining events: lunch under the trees at the home of Maxine and Richard Paslay and a farmstead-style dinner at the home of Janice and Larry Lowder. To see the social media feed from this event, click here.
Research suggests that pistachios have numerous benefits and may help to maintain good health, support an active lifestyle and reduce the risk of nutrition-related diseases. In September, APG shared the good news with over 30,000 registered dietitians, sport nutritionists and nutritionists with an infographic highlighting the top five reasons why they should recommend American pistachios.
For more information about the many health benefits of pistachios visit http://AmericanPistachios.org/nutrition-and-health. 1. King J, Blumberg J, Ingwersen L, Jenab M, Tucker K. Tree Nuts and Peanuts as Components of a Healthy Diet. J Nutr. 2008.Sept;138(9):1736S-1740S. 2. Tomaino A, Martorana M. Arcoraci T, Monteleone D, Giovinazzo C, Saija A. Antioxidant activity and phenolic profile of pistachio (Pistacia vera L., variety Bronte) seeds and skins. Biochimie. 2010 Sep;92(9): 1115-22. 3. Gentile C, Tesoriere L, Butera D, Fazzari M, Monastero M, Allegra M, Livrea MA. Antioxidant activity of Sicilian pistachio (Pistacia vera L. var. Bronte) nut extract and its bioactive components. J Agric Food Chem. 2007 Feb 7;55(3):643-8. 4. Flores-Mateo G, et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013;97:1346–1355 5. Baer DJ, et al. British J Nutr. 2012;107:120-125. 6. Kendall CWC, et al. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2011;65(6):696-702. 7. The PREDIMED Study, Estruch R, et al. New England J Med. 2013 Apr 4;368(14):1279-1290. 8. United States Food and Drug Administration, Qualified Health Claim, July 2003 http://www.fda.gov 9. Lewis PB et al., Clin Sports Med 2012;31:255–262 10. Mohr CR. Timing Your Nutrition. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (2012).
As we wrap up another season, processors and most growers are elated over the low navel orangeworm (NOW) damage experienced this year. Discussions with the NOW researchers and crop consultants suggest there are several factors that worked in our favor besides us just getting lucky. Dr. Joel Siegel and crop advisers have trap data suggesting that the overwintering NOW population was markedly less this season than 2013 and 2012. The new adult lure is also reported to have greatly improved the ability to identify the beginning of new generations. However, we still lack the ability to correlate trap catches with potential damage. NOW flight activity also appears to be correlating with the degree-day system. Dr. Siegel has suggested using January 1 as an arbitrary beginning date, rather than initiating heat unit accumulation after establishment of a true biofix (consistent moth catches from the overwintering generation in late March to early April). Several individuals suggested there was better awareness of possible spray timings through the efforts of Nichols Farms, who distributed a regular degree-day update covering most of the pistachio growing regions. Crop consultants I spoke to said this prepared growers for considering recommendations for treatment, and illustrated the importance of prompt response, since they saw how rapidly heat units were accumulating. Great job, James! Read More ‌
In celebration of Oktoberfest, American Pistachio Growers offered beer and pistachio lovers the chance to win a month’s supply of pistachios and a six-pack of APG-branded pint glasses. To participate, Facebook fans and Twitter followers were simply asked to share their favorite way to eat pistachios and to name their favorite Oktoberfest beverage they believed complimented the pistachios the most. This one-week promotion resulted in 12 prize winners and generated over 215,00 impressions, and over 4,000 engagements (clicks, comments, retweets and favorites). APG’s Oktoberfest promotion was supported with social media posts on Twitter and Facebook, as well as paid media campaigns on both social channels.
APG is now a sponsor of KSEE24’s Central Valley Today’s Valley Delicious, a weekly series that connects consumers with local farmers. The show’s mission is to educate consumers about the tremendous agriculture activity that happens here in the Central Valley. The show airs weekdays at 3 pm. American pistachios have been featured on the show with topics covering our Clovis Farmers Market Pistachio Party, the Pistachio Harvest featuring APG member Bill Seaman in Chowchilla, and Trelio’s Chef Chris Shackelford preparing a decadent dessert using pistachios. To watch these segments click on the links below.
APG Executive Director Richard Matoian talks about the 4th Annual Pistachio Party.
Trelio’s Chef Chris Shackelford creates goat cheese wrapped in phyllo dough served with pistachio butter, fresh figs and white chocolate panna cotta with pistachio sponge.
Bill Seaman, from Seaman Nursery in Chowchilla shows Alex Delgado the workings of a pistachio orchard.
APG invited food bloggers and Italy’s leading culinary and lifestyle journalists to a press event with Italy’s top female chef, Viviana Varese, and APG Nutrition Ambassador and President of Food Education in Italy, Giorgio Donegani. The event took place on September 25 in Milan at Eataly Smeraldo, Eataly’s lecture halls complete with high-end kitchens and areas for viewing artisans at work. Chef Viviana Varese of Alice Restaurant created a culinary feast of sweet and savory dishes for the media to sample. APG Nutrition Ambassador Giorgio Donegani detailed the pistachio’s nutritional profile, focusing on the nut’s benefits for active lifestyles. Twenty-four members of the media attended, representing Italy’s leading online and print publications, websites, food blogs, and lifestyle television. Eataly, is a high-end Italian food market/mall chain comprised of a variety of restaurants, food and beverage stations, bakery, and retail items. Regarded as Italy’s temple of gastronomy, the large market offers the best of Italian foods and ingredients. To watch a video of the event or to view and download the recipes created by Chef Viviana Varese click here.
Viviana, chef for Alice Restaurant of Eataly, is one of the most famous female chefs in Italy. Her style is a Mediterranean cuisine with a modern touch and specializes in seafood. Named “Young Emerging Chef,” from the Gambero Rosso Guide, and “Woman Chef of the Year,” by Identità Golose, her restaurant Alice, in 2012, also gained a star in the prestigious Michelin Guide!
Thanks to APG and Shanghai’s American Trade Organization (ATO) and Tudou Media (China’s largest social media web service, with 40 million monthly visitors), the Chinese media learned about American pistachios—from farming to processing. APG growers, Ted and Zachary Sheely, who led the orchard tour, pointed out the unique farming and harvesting methods our growers use. Then at the pistachio processing plant, APG member Jim Zion explained the advanced technologies that guide our pistachio industry. APG’s ambassador, Miss California 2014, Marina Inserra also gave an exclusive interview with the media. She said that pistachios are her official snack because they contain many nutrients and vitamins essential for healthy hair and skin. Later, Haiying Zhang, APG Marketing Project Manager, Asia, shared some marketing activities planned for China. The interviews, expected to result in four million impressions for APG, will be released in the October/November time frame.
In preparation for the upcoming 2015 APG Miss California China Tour, APG’s Judy Hirigoyen and Haiying Zhang visited Alibaba, headquartered in Hongzhou, China, where they met with its TMall team. A promotional partnership that would coincide with the tour, scheduled for January 2015, was discussed. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. recently made history with its record-breaking initial public offerings (IPO) at the New York Stock Exchange on September 19, 2014. Alibaba is now valued at $231.4 billion, larger than Amazon.com and EBay Inc. combined. TMall is the largest business-to-consumer e-commerce platform in China, and is operated under Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
APG exhibited at Annapoorna World of Food trade show in Mumbai, India, September 24 to 26. This is the fourth year that the USDA has endorsed this event featuring a USA pavilion with 10 exhibitors. The FAS Mumbai Agriculture Affairs Office provided a market briefing to the U.S. exhibitors on a variety of issues that affect commercial decisions, which included India food laws and regulations, changes in consumption patterns, development of new commercial hubs, labeling requirements, and other changing market trends. APG interacted and discussed business opportunities with potential India importers, distributors, and high-end hotel executive chefs. Pistachio samples and literature highlighting the nutritional benefits of American pistachios were also distributed.
Make plans now to attend the pistachio industry’s BIGGEST event of the year, American Pistachio Growers Annual Conference. Activities include high-power presentations, a thrilling Gala on the flight line at Miramar (an active duty Marine Corps Air Station) a new “Members Only” Club 49 lounge in the exhibit area, an evening bonfire with s’mores, and much more. Members receive substantial discounts and are first in line with room reservations, sponsorships and exhibit opportunities. Sign up today by visiting our NEW Conference website APGPOWER.ORG