Ke lawe nei ʻo Florida Specialties i kahi manawa ma nā pīni ʻōmaʻomaʻo. ʻAʻole ia ʻo ka ʻōlelo ʻana ʻaʻole i hoʻopuka ka mea ulu a me ka packer o South Florida iā lākou - ʻo lākou ka mea kanu mua o ka hui. Akā ke hoʻāʻo nei lākou i nā pīni ʻōmaʻomaʻo ma ke ʻano hou, i hoʻopaʻa ʻia no ka mākeke hoʻohui waiwai, kahi mākeke ʻaʻole i ʻimi mua ʻia e ka hui.
"Ua koho mākou e komo i loko o nā pīni ʻōmaʻomaʻo i hoʻopaʻa ʻia no ka mea ua manaʻo mākou he holomua kūlohelohe ia no kā mākou hui," wahi a Chris Todonato, ka luna kūʻai no Florida Specialties.
"ʻO ke ala e hele ai nā ʻoihana ʻoihana, ua manaʻo mākou ʻo ia ke ala e makemake ai nā mea kūʻai aku e hele, ʻo ka hapa nui ma muli o ka ʻoluʻolu."
Ke kūʻai ʻia nei nā pīni ma lalo o ka inoa ʻo Blue Ribbon, a ʻoiai ʻaʻohe manaʻo maoli ma hope o ka hōʻailona a i ʻole ka inoa, ua hoʻolālā ʻia nā mea ʻelua e hopu i ka manaʻo o nā mea kūʻai aku ma nā hale kūʻai kūʻai, e hōʻike ana i nā kaula polū makaʻala ma luna a me lalo. ʻo ka ʻeke akaka ʻē aʻe. Aia ke kikowaena i kahi lipine uliuli, ka hōʻailona hōʻailona o nā pīni ʻōmaʻomaʻo hou.
"ʻAʻohe mea kūʻokoʻa e pili ana i ka hōʻailona, akā makemake mau ʻoe e hoʻolālā i ka ʻeke e kū ai," wahi a Tordonato.
No ka hoʻolālā ʻana i ka puʻupuʻu e kū nei, ua huli ʻo Florida Specialties i kahi hui hoʻolālā kiʻi kūʻokoʻa ma Florida i ʻike ʻia no ka hana ʻana me nā ʻoihana hoʻohui waiwai. He hui ia ma waena o ka hui hoʻolālā kiʻi a me Florida Specialties, ʻo ia hoʻi ka mea nona ka hui, ka pelekikena a me ka hui kūʻai. Ua hoʻopau ka ʻeke i kāna hana hoʻolālā i ka mahina ʻo Dekemaba, a ua wehe ʻia ka huahana ma mua o ka ʻoihana huahana ma ka hōʻike ʻana o ka Southeast Produce Council, Southern Exposure, i Malaki.
Ua lawe mai ka hui i nā lako hoʻopili hou no nā pīni ʻōmaʻomaʻo, e ola ana i ka hoʻomaka o ʻApelila. Ua hoʻokō ʻia ka holo hoʻāʻo kūleʻa i ka lā 9 ʻApelila, a ua hoʻokuʻu ʻia nā pīni ʻōmaʻomaʻo i ka lawelawe meaʻai a kūʻai aku ma hope o ka mahina, i ka manawa kūpono e hoʻokō ai i nā koi o ka mākeke.
"ʻO ka mākeke maʻamau i kēia lā he 10 oz. a me 12 oz. ka nui, hoʻopili maʻalahi no ka ʻohana ʻehā, "wahi a Jeff Stepanovich, ka mea kūʻai aku no Florida Specialties.
No ka hoʻokō ʻana i kēlā mākeke, e hāʻawi ʻia nā pīni i ʻekolu nui: 12 oz., 2-lb. a me 5-lb. pūʻolo. E kūʻai ʻia nā pūʻolo 12 oz i ke kūʻai aku, aʻo nā pūʻolo 5 lb e kūʻai mua ʻia i ka lawelawe meaʻai. Eia nō naʻe, e loaʻa ana nā pūʻolo 12 oz no ka lawelawe meaʻai a me nā hale kūʻai.
Manaʻo nā ʻelele ʻoihana e pili ana i ka mākeke no nā pūʻolo hou.
"Manaʻo wau he mea nui ia, no ka mea makemake ka poʻe i ka ʻoluʻolu o kēia mau pūʻolo, a ʻoi aku ka nui o ke koi no lākou," wahi a Tordonato.
"ʻOi aku ia no ka maʻalahi, no nā ʻano hana paʻa a mākou e alakaʻi nei. He mea wikiwiki a olakino.
He mea nui ka pīni ʻōmaʻomaʻo no Florida Specialties mai ka hoʻomaka ʻana o ka hui ma Homestead, i ka makahiki 1986. Ua hoʻoneʻe ʻia ke keʻena poʻo i Immokalee, kahi i kēia lā, ʻekolu hapaha o ka hana ʻana o ka mahiʻai, me ka eggplant a me nā pepa e hoʻopuni ana i ka hapa nui o nā pī. koena hapaha o ka mahiai 2,000-eka ma ka hema o Florida.
ʻAʻole ulu ka mea kanu a me ka mea packer i nā ʻano ʻano pīni ʻōmaʻomaʻo, akā koho ʻo ia i nā ʻano ʻano i hōʻoia ʻia ma mua o nā ʻano ʻoi aku ka pilikia. Akā, ʻaʻole ia manaʻo ʻaʻole lākou makemake e hoʻāʻo i nā ʻano ʻano hou.
"Makemake mākou e noho me nā ʻano ʻano i hōʻoia ʻia, akā ʻaʻole mākou hopohopo e hoʻāʻo i nā ʻano ʻano hou e ʻike i ke ʻano o ka hana ʻana," wahi a Tordonato.
"ʻAʻole mākou e ulu i nā ʻano like ʻole - ke loli wikiwiki nei nā hua, a ʻokoʻa lākou i kēlā me kēia makahiki."
ʻO ke koena o 500 mau ʻeka i hoʻolaʻa ʻia i ka eggplant a me nā pepa, me nā bele, jalapenos, cubanelles a me poblanos, akā ua hana pū lākou i ka ʻōpala a me ka cantaloupe i nā makahiki. Kūʻai hou ʻia kā lākou laina huahana ma o nā hale kūʻai kūʻai a me nā lawelawe meaʻai. Hāʻawi ʻia nā pīni ʻōmaʻomaʻo i nā pahu pahu nui, ʻoiai ke kūʻai aku nei nā pepa i nā pahu 1 1/9-bushel.
Ua koho ʻia nā pīni ʻōmaʻomaʻo no ka mākeke i hoʻohui ʻia ma mua o nā waiwai ʻē aʻe o ka hui ma muli o ko lākou kaulana, akā no ka mea ʻoi aku ka nui o ka mākeke no ka waiwai-hoʻohui ʻia, nā pīni ʻōmaʻomaʻo i hana ʻia ma luna o ka pepa a i ʻole eggplant. ʻAʻole nui ka mākeke no nā pepa i hana ʻia a i ʻole eggplants. Akā ua koho ʻia nā pīni ʻōmaʻomaʻo no ka mea ʻoi aku ka nui o nā ʻeka mahiʻai.
Hāʻawi nā pūʻolo waiwai i ka hui e hoʻololi i ka hana ʻoiai e mālama ana i ka mana maikaʻi o ka huahana.
"Hoʻokumu kēia i kahi puka hou no kā mākou pīni, a hiki iā mākou ke lawe i ka mana nui me kā mākou huahana," wahi a Tordonato.
ʻAʻohe manaʻo o Florida Specialties i kēia manawa e hoʻonui i nā mākeke waiwai i nā makahiki e hiki mai ana, akā ua wehe lākou i ka hiki, no ka mea hiki ke loli maʻalahi nā koi o nā mea kūʻai aku, a ʻo ia nā koi o nā mea kūʻai aku e kōkua i ke kuhikuhi ʻana i kahi e koho ai ka hui. e huli hou aku.
"ʻO ka wā e hiki mai ana he kumu i kēlā me kēia hihia. Ke hoʻololi nei nā koi o nā mea kūʻai aku, e hoʻololi mākou me lākou, "wahi a Tordonato.