Pistachio Harvest in the News APG’s Brand Ambassador Miss California Runner-Up in 2014 Miss America Pageant ACP Figures for 2012-2013 Crop Released British Ale Lovers Go Nuts for American Pistachios Pistachio Party at Clovis Farmers Market
The 2012-2013 pistachio harvest kicked off with pistachio farmers throughout California, Arizona and New Mexico literally shaking the nuts off their trees. Over the course of several weeks, millions of pounds of pistachios will be processed, roasted and shipped all over the world. With the pistachio harvest underway, APG is busy conducting interviews and sharing the good news about pistachios. Recently APG’s Executive Director Richard Matoian was interviewed by ABC30 (KFSN) about the upcoming harvest. To watch the interview on ABC30 Fresno, click here.
APG’s brand ambassador Miss California, Crystal Lee, won runner-up in the 2014 Miss America pageant. She competed against fifty-two other women representing the United States, including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. A San Francisco native, Miss California is fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese, and obtained a Bachelor of Arts and a Master’s degree from Stanford University in four years. Her talent is ballet and her platform is “Women in STEM” (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).
The Administrative Committee for Pistachios (ACP) shipments were announced on September 12, with the following figures to report for the 2012-13 crop year (September 1, 2012 to August 31, 2013): • • • • •
Overall shipments are up by 2.9%: 460,609,751 pounds shipped both domestically and internationally Domestic shipments were down 3.4% over the previous year: 170,483,531 vs. 176,450,187 Export shipments were up by 7%: 209,126,220 vs. 271,106,460 Western European shipments have rebounded with an 11,000,000 pound increase over the previous year. China/Hong Kong, as a single country, continue to lead in export shipments with 122,425,328 pounds being shipped during 2012-2013.
More specific data can be found on the ACP website at www.acpistachios.org.
Over 51,000 ale lovers attended the Great British Beer Festival held at London’s Olympia, August 13-17. Hosted by the Campaign for Real Ale, the festival’s goal was to get more consumers drinking beer with more of their favorite foods. With over 8,000 different ales brewed by more than 1,000 British breweries, there is a huge range of flavors to match just about any dish or snack. To help demonstrate how real ale can be paired with a variety of pub snacks, the Great British Beer Festival hosted the first ever “Nuts & Beer” tutored tasting sessions. American Pistachio Growers and Beer Sommelier Jane Peyton joined the effort and hosted six “Nuts about Beer” tasting sessions highlighting the snacking occasions of pistachios and beer as well as the health benefits of both. They also paired different beer styles with different flavored American pistachios including teriyaki, garlic and thyme. Attendees were given samples of pistachios and recipes for each of the flavors tasted. Over 450 consumers attended the testing sessions. According to Peyton, “In Britain, real ale is back in fashion and ‘beer and food’ matching is popular. By raising the profile of beer and food pairings, the Great British Beer Festival hopes to encourage thousands of beer lovers to start spreading the word to their friends and local pubs all across Britain.” Participation in the beer festival resulted in extensive media coverage for APG, reaching over 5 million consumers through pre-promotional activities and published interviews with Jane Peyton. APG’s logo was also included on the festival’s website, tasting tickets, and on posters and banners in the festival’s tasting rooms.
Over 5,000 hiking destinations, previews of the latest in hiking gear, and expert advice on topics ranging from how to pack your backpack to what foods are best to eat when hiking attracted over 35,000 to TourNatur - Germany’s popular hiking and trekking fair. Held from September 6-8 in Dßsseldorf, more than 2,000 APG sample packs and nutritional flyers were distributed.
Nearly 160 professionals and 22,000 amateur cyclists competed in the Vattenfall Cyclassics, while 800,000 spectators cheered them on. American Pistachio Growers provided the athletes and the guests in the VIP lounge with healthy pistachio sample packs.
Germany’s Women’s Run Series covers the four German cities of Hamburg, Frankfurt, Cologne and Munich. Due to popular demand, American Pistachio Growers sample packs were included in race goody bags for the second running season. An established sporting event, the race attracted a large audience, the local media and widespread coverage for APG sponsorship of the event.
The 2013 Men’s Health Urbanathlon in Hamburg was sold out in a record-breaking four days. Athletes who missed the registration had a chance to participate in APG’s raffle to win one of ten race entries promoted in the popular magazine Laufen.de. Over 4,500 fitness enthusiasts participated in the Urbanathlon’s 12K run obstacle course with 13 obstacles and more than 1,000 stairs reaching over 820 feet high.
“Powered by Health” was the slogan of this year’s Frankfurt Triathlon, in which more than 1,700 athletes competed on August 4. American pistachios perfectly complimented this year’s race initiative to raise awareness of stroke prevention. A Pennsylvania State University study published June 2012 in Hypertension, the American Heart Association journal, reveals that including pistachios in a healthy diet may positively reduce the body’s response to the stresses of everyday life.
International Congress of Nutrition September 15-20, 2013, Granada, Spain
Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics Food Nutrition Conference & Expo October 19-22, 2013, Houston, Texas
Annapoorna World of Food India September 23-25, 2013, Mumbai, India
International Food Editorial Council October 28-30, 2013, Portland, Oregon
Yield: 4 Servings
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons pistachio paste
Scotch Eggs
Ginger Tomato Ketchup
Frisée Salad
6 ounces beef, ground 80/20 2 egg yolks 1 piece orange (zest) 1 tablespoon juniper berry, crushed 1 tablespoon oregano, chopped 1 cup flour 2 eggs 2 tablespoons soy milk 1 cup Panko bread crumbs ½ gallon peanut oil 1 tablespoon vinegar 1 tablespoon salt
½ ounce ginger, peeled and chopped ¼ ounce garlic, peeled and crushed ¼ ounce Tamarind paste 1½ ounces brown sugar 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1 ounce tomato paste 4 ounces canned peeled tomatoes ¼ ounce hot mango pickle
1 cup Frisée 2 pieces asparagus, thinly sliced ½ piece carrot, thinly sliced ½ cup pistachios, toasted and chopped 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Salt and black pepper to taste
Finish with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil Black pepper to taste
Method: Scotch Eggs Boil two eggs in a pot with vinegar and salt over high heat for 14 minutes. Shock the eggs in ice water. Peel and then dry with kitchen towel. Measure 3 ounces of ground beef and season with orange zest, oregano, crushed juniper berry, salt and black pepper. Make a thin patty and embrace the eggs to the shape of large eggs. Bread with flour, egg yolk and soy milk mixture, crushed Panko bread crumbs twice and fry with peanut oil at 375 degrees until golden brown. Place in the oven for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove and let rest.
Ginger Tomato Ketchup In a pot, boil all the ingredients, simmer for 20 minutes, and let cool.
Salad Toss Frisée, asparagus, carrot, salt and pepper with red wine vinaigrette. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios.
Presentation: Spread pistachio paste on a plate. Cut the Scotch Eggs in half and arrange 4 pieces on top of pistachio paste; drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Finish with cracked black pepper. Serve with salad and ginger tomato ketchup.
Come join APG and the pistachio industry at the Pistachio Party in old town Clovis, during the Clovis Farmers Market, on Friday September 27 from 5:30 to 9pm. This is APG’s third year sponsoring the “last Friday night” of the Farmers Market to celebrate all things PISTACHIO! Various flavors of pistachios, along with free sample bags of pistachios, will be given away. Chefs from The Institute of Technology Culinary Academy will be creating and sharing pistachio dishes for the audience to sample and market vendors will be selling their own delicious pistachio treats as well. For more information, visit oldtownclovis.org