Shoppers at the new Kowalski's Market in Eagan, MN, got a fresh taste of California in late November when Castroville, CA-based Ocean Mist Farms served artichokes as part of the store's grand opening.

Ocean Mist Farms served 1,800 servings of grilled, fresh, long-stem artichokes with artichoke hummus on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 20-21. The Ocean Mist Farms demo team showed shoppers how to use a potato peeler to remove the outside strands of a long-stem artichoke to prepare it for cooking.

Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer has announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is planning to purchase 2.9 million pounds of fresh-cut apple slices in two-ounce bags, which it will donate to child nutrition and other domestic nutrition assistance programs.

The SE Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference, sponsored by the Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Association and the South Carolina Peach Council, has announced that the 2009 trade show has been completely sold out.

Bridgeport, NJ-based Albert's Organics is now Primus-certified at its six distribution centers located throughout the country.

Salinas, CA, is once again in the hot seat.

Canadian and U.S. officials are investigating an E. coli outbreak that has sickened 30 people, nine of whom were hospitalized, in southeastern Ontario.

TUXPAN, JALISCO, MEXICO -- The acquisition of the exclusive rights to several University of Florida-developed blueberry varieties that require few to no chill hours to thrive has enabled SunnyRidge Farm Inc. to develop a Mexican blueberry program that it debuted Nov. 21, here.