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Category Archive: News

1. Meeting the Future of Monterey County Agriculture

   September 27, 2016 11:58 pm

   Earlier this week, a group of nearly 30 students from California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) participated in an off-campus program dedicated to gaining insight into the local Ag industry. As part of this program, the students toured fields, coolers and a processing facility in Monterey County. We’re proud that Taylor Farms’ Foodservice processing facility was one of the featured locations, and we’re excited about the future talent entering our industry.

   

   Taylor Farms Foodservice salad processing facility tour

    

   

   Taylor Farms Foodservice salad processing facility tour

   

   Field tour stop with CSUMB students

   Following the tours, the students participated in a job/internship fair and networking reception hosted by the Grower Shipper Association of Central California. At the event, students garnered an in-depth understanding of Monterey-based agriculture companies, while also learning about career and internship opportunities available.

   “The CSUMB tour was filled with top-notch local talent,” said Katrina Gargiulo, marketing, Taylor Fresh Foods. “As we continue to innovate and grow, Taylor Farms is always in search of intelligent and motivated new employees with unique skill sets.”

   

   Networking reception hosted by the Grower Shipper Association of Central California

   CSUMB strives to connect members of the Grower Shipper Association with college students interested in jobs in our local agriculture industry, and we’re happy to be a part of it. The participating students are majoring in a range of programs at CSUMB including Biology, Environmental Science, Environmental Studies, Business and CSUMB’s future major, Crop & Soil Science.

   

2. Flavorful Fall is Here

   September 22, 2016 8:16 pm

   Today marks the official first day of Fall. We hope you’re as excited as we are about this time of year – leaves are changing, weather is becoming crisp and cold, the holidays are quickly approaching, and some of our favorite vegetables are now in season! To celebrate, we are showcasing some of our favorite fall recipes to utilize these fresh and delicious veggies. (But really, who needs an excuse for good food?)

   Full recipes are below, and check out all of our recipes here.

   ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

   

   Warm bowl of fresh Fall squash soup

   INGREDIENTS:

   • 2 lbs. Taylor Farms Butternut Squash Cubes
   • 1 medium sweet yellow onion, chopped
   • 4 tbs. fresh sage chopped
   • 4 Tbsp. butter
   • 6 cups chicken broth
   • 1 small Gala apple, diced
   • 1 cup heavy cream
   • Fresh lemon juice
   • 1 Tbsp. honey
   • Sea salt
   • Black pepper
   • 1/4 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

   DIRECTIONS:

   Preheat oven to 375°F. Place Taylor Farms Butternut Squash Cubes in baking dish and pour 2 cups chicken stock over squash.

   Place squash in oven and bake until tender, about 20 minutes, then let cool.

   While squash is roasting, melt 3 Tbsp. butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, sage, and nutmeg and reduce to low heat. Cover and cook until onions are translucent; about 8 minutes. In a separate small sauce pan, make sage butter by browning remaining butter and adding sage once brown.

   Stir and remove from heat.

   Stir in diced apple and remaining stock. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered until apples are tender; 12 minutes.

   Once squash is roasted add to saucepan mixture and let simmer for 6 minutes.

   Puree squash pan mixture in a food processor until smooth. Add puree back to pan and season with salt & pepper. Garnish with roasted walnuts, honey and sage butter.

   Pear & Walnut Salad

   

   INGREDIENTS:

   • 3 cups Taylor Farms Butter Lettuce
   • 3 cups Taylor Farms Hearts of Romaine
   • 2 Ripe Asian Pears, sliced
   • 1 cup candied walnuts
   • 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
   • 1/4 cup Italian Herb Dressing

    

   DIRECTIONS:

   In a large salad bowl blend butter and romaine lettuces.

   Add pear slices, walnuts and goat cheese. Drizzle with dressing and toss.

   Serve and enjoy!

    

   SPINACH SOUP

   

   Taylor Farms Spinach Soup

   INGREDIENTS:

   • 5 cups Taylor Farms Spinach
   • 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
   • 1/2 cup milk
   • 2 white onions, chopped
   • 2 carrots, chopped
   • 2 celery ribs, chopped
   • 2 cloves garlic, smashed
   • 2 handfuls mushrooms, sliced
   • 1 Tbsp. black pepper
   • 5 cups water
   • Parmesan cheese

    

   DIRECTIONS:

   In a large pot, boil 5 cups water with onion, carrots, celery, garlic and mushrooms to make homemade vegetable broth. Once boiling, bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.

   In batches, place equal parts spinach and vegetable broth, in blender or Vitamix and puree until smooth. Repeat with remaining spinach and broth. Place soup in original vegetable broth pot and heat. Add in olive oil and milk; whisk well.

   Once soup is hot, ladle soup in bowls and top with cheese. Serve and enjoy!

   Cheers to a Flavorful Fall for All!

3. Celebrating Our Team All Year Long

   September 5, 2016 8:03 pm

   On Labor Day and all throughout the year, we celebrate and thank the thousands of people whose hard work, dedication, creativity, and skill make Taylor Farms successful – our employees. It is their combined efforts that make it possible to deliver fresh and wholesome produce to our customers.

   At Taylor Farms, employees are family and we believe that you take care of your family every day of the year. To show our appreciation and respect to our team, we have a variety of special programs celebrating them throughout the year.

   The health and well-being of our employees is always a priority, this is why we contributed to the opening of the Health and Wellness Center in Gonzales to help ensure our employees and their families get the health care they need. We also designed and built a new generation of automated harvesting machines that provide workers with ergonomic workstations. Most recently we went into the fields with the Labor of Love program to honor a harvester crew with a hot breakfast, Walmart gift cards and letters of thanks for their hard work.

   

   Our employees’ families are an extension of Taylor Farms and we wish each of them an enjoyable Labor Day!

    

4. 6th Annual Food & Wine Festival Brings Focus to Oldtown Salinas

   August 15, 2016 10:00 pm Leave a Comment

   This past weekend the historic streets of Salinas were host to the 6th Annual Food and Wine festival (August 11 – 13). Taylor Farms is proud to have been a sponsor of this wonderful, independent event.

   

   The festival is ran by a group of dedicated volunteers in partnership with the non-profit Oldtown Salinas Foundation. It raises funds for a variety of worthy non-profit organizations, including: The Boys and Girls Club of Monterey County, the Oldtown Salinas Foundation, the Greenfield Police Explorers and Sun Street Centers.

   

   The festival kicked off with a mixer on Thursday, a Wine Maker’s Gala dinner Friday, and the main event on Saturday. Saturday’s main events consisted of exhibits and booths featuring a variety of local wines, artisan craft brews, live music and the best in culinary arts the Salinas Valley has to offer. At the Taylor Farms booth, we were sampling two of our Chopped Salad Kits,the Farmhouse Bacon and Mediterranean Crunch.

   

   “We take pride in organizing an all-volunteer led event supported by dozens of dedicated Salinas residents, who appreciate the fine wine and good food and are excited about this year’s festival,” said Rosemary Soto, chairwoman of the 2016 festival.  “The event is brought to you by the incredible support of local organizers, performing artists, businesses, merchants, wine makers and masters in the culinary arts who simply want to share the beauty and richness of the Salinas Valley.”

   With Salinas as our hometown, Taylor Farms is happy to support this event year after year. Just a year ago Oldtown, dubbed the Salad Bowl of the World, became home to our Taylor Farms headquarters, as well.  

   

   Roman Gonzales, Katrina Gargiulo, Gilbert Gamez, and Emily Roth of Taylor Farms

   According to Soto, the mission of the festival is “creating a space where Main Street comes to life with a celebration of pride in our community – of the arts, culture, wine and food.”

5. New Organic Chopped Salad Kits Expand Taylor Farms Chopped Offerings

   August 8, 2016 8:59 pm Leave a Comment

   Today’s busy families looking for convenient, healthy organic produce now have a brand new option — Taylor Farms® Organic Chopped Salads Kits.

   As consumer demand for organically produced goods continues to show double-digit growth, the market for chopped salads continues to grow at a record pace. Today’s introduction of the innovative, full-solution Organic Chopped Kits builds on the success of the original range of Taylor Farms Chopped Salad Kits.

   “Taylor Farms brought the original chopped salad kits to market in 2012. The innovation generated a new sub-segment within the salad kit category now valued over $460 million,” said Mark Campion, retail president of Taylor Farms. “The time is right to bring this growth-generating product line into the organic segment.”

   Campion said Taylor Farms chopped salad kits have been selling faster than any other brand in the market – now representing more than a third of this market.

   There are three premium Organic Chopped Salad Kits, each featuring layers of flavor. The kits include fresh vegetables like broccoli, celery, carrots, cabbage and romaine.The kits also include organic toppings like quinoa crisps, pita chips, sunflower seeds, chia seeds and pepitas, along with exclusive dressings.

   

   The three varieties are available:

   • Organic Toasted Sesame Chopped Salad, with organic romaine, green cabbage, carrots, green onions, sunflower seeds, quinoa crisps and toasted sesame dressing.

   • Organic Sriracha Ranch Chopped Salad, with organic green cabbage, romaine, radicchio, carrots, green onions, cheddar cheese, pepitas, tortilla strips and Sriracha ranch dressing.

   • Organic Asian Ginger Chopped Salad, with organic romaine, broccoli, radicchio, green onions, celery, chia seeds, pita chips, ginger and honey dressing.

   “Consumers prefer organically produced food because of their concerns regarding health, the environment, and animal welfare,” said Bryan Janes, vice president product development of Taylor Farms. “Our new Chopped Salads bring a full solution to consumers, enabling them to quickly put together great-tasting restaurant-inspired salads that contain multiple ingredients and textures – all featuring a combination of lettuces and vegetables.”