A Smashed Pumpkin for a Great Cause
It was a dark and stormy night...no scratch that. It was a perfect fall day outside of Central Market Westgate. The grackels were cawing and the sun was shining, and there it sat, proudly awaiting its fate. After weeks of perching in Protein Alley, it was time for our proud pumpkin to come back outside to meet its maker, but not without fulfilling its dreams first.
The pumpkin's destiny was to raise money to give to the Capital Area Food Bank by selling a "guess the weight" ticket. $1 bought you a guess, and help it did – overall, $670 was raised!
Many guesses were made, some good and some bad, but only one could win. Drum roll please...the pumpkin weighed 1,143 pounds!!! Mike Fitzgerald of South Austin was the lucky winner of a $300 Central Market Thanksgiving Shopping Spree! Great guessing Mike!
(Insert sad music here). And now, for the pumpkin's dramatic exit. There it sat in the beautiful morning sun. We cranked up the chainsaw and began cutting, orange flesh was flying everywhere. The pumpkin split open revealing its alien-like insides. The seeds were then harvested and sent back to the farmer to ensure future prize-winning offspring. A moment of silence please...and now let's celebrate Thanksgiving!
Wild Honeycomb and Raisins-on-the-Vine Now Available in CM Produce
Two new naturally sweet dry items are now available in Central Market Produce departments: wild honeycomb and raisins-on-the-vine.
Trim Your Table With Festive Floral Designs
We have the perfect arrangement for your holiday table – a 5" cube vase bursting with texture and of course with a Central Market twist! Includes Asiatic lilies, rosemary, seeded eucalyptus, kale, artichokes, waxflower, stock and leucodendron. Flowers are freshly harvested from California and hand-designed by our expert designers. We can add additional flowers to enhance the arrangement, or it is available to take as-is for easy, yet impactful holiday decor.
Available through Thanksgiving, starting at $35. Stop by or call your Central Market Floral department and reserve yours today.
We also have other freshly made stylings available for your feast, or we can custom-make an arrangement to your liking, even using your favorite vase or container. The possibilities are endless!
Beaujolais Nouveau is Here!
Beaujolais Nouveau is Here!
French law specifies that this fresh and fruity wine be released on the 3rd Thursday of November and that the Gamay grapes used must be hand-harvested and from free-standing, individual vines. Here at CM North Lamar, we'll be celebrating on the 19th by pricing the George Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau at $7.99--a savings of $6.00! And, due to perfect weather and growing conditions, experts say that this vintage may be the best in the last 50 years.
Located in the Burgundy region of France, where winemaking dates back to Roman times, the growers, vintners, and the consuming public are in a state of pure excitement and anticipation as one of the truly memorable vintages of Beaujolais nears its way to our tables and glasses. One advantage the Beaujolais Nouveaus have in their vinification is the method known as carbonic maceration. This process gently extracts the juice from the grapes reducing the amount of acidity normally found in the grape skins and lending the resulting wines an early accessibility and freshness. This lush fruity style lends itself to be paired beautifully with turkey, ham and all the Thanksgiving trimmings.
Beaujolias Nouveau should be consumed within the first year after bottling, but Beaujolais Villages and Cru Beaujolais have cellar lives that far exceed their youthful counterpart. The most approachable Gamays in terms of value are the Beaujolais Villages. They are soft and fruity and pair well with lighter fair such as fish, fowl, cheese plates, etc. The Cru Beaujolais’ are usually priced between the low $20.00 range and top out, in most cases, in the mid $30.00 range. Examples of these Cru vineyards include Morgon, Fleurie, Moulin-A-Vent and Brouilly to name a few. These wines approach the complexity of the Pinot Noir grape and are much more ageworthy and pair well with heartier foods like cassoulet, duck confit and red meats such as lamb or beef.
We encourage you to stop by CM North Lamar on this Thursday to sample our Gamays and celebrate the Beaujolais Nouveau!
Central Market is giving you the gift of time this holiday season!
CM Cooks up the savings at Fort Worth
Swing by our CM Cooks! station at the Fort Worth Central Market this week for great savings on two delicious products. Our friendly chefs demonstrate the best ways to prepare easy and flavorful meals, and you can even sample the recipes before you buy the ingredients. Pick up an in-store coupon and save on these two holiday helpers.
From now through the 17th, save $1.50 on Olde Thompson Spice Grinders. These convenient grinders make holiday meals easy by giving you fresh, flavorful spices and herbs in just the quantity you need. Their exclusive grinding mechanism has a lifetime guarantee, and was originally designed for commercial use. Each mill is assembled by sonic welding – eliminating screws which can come loose in long term use. The ceramic grinding mechanism is fully adjustable from a coarse to a fine grind. Olde Thompson boasts over 60 years of experience in the spice industry to ensure you receive only the finest quality herbs and spices.
Pick up a box or two of Village Mixes to keep on-hand for holiday visitors. We carry these scrumptious mixes in five varieties: Pumpkin Spice Spread, Walnut Pie Crust, Pecan Pie Crust, Best Ever Brownies and Apple Crisp. Their Pumpkin Spice Spread won the Best New Product award at the New England Products Trade Show in 2004. All of their packaging features original folk art designed by award-winning folk artist Lisa Carpenter. Make any holiday – or just an ordinary day – especially delicious. The Pumpkin Spice Spread makes a wonderful appetizer, and for the finishing touch of any holiday feast, serve mouth-watering Apple Crisp made with their easy-to-prepare topping or make your favorite pie made even tastier with the unbelievably good Walnut or Pecan Pie Crusts. The Best Ever Brownies live up to their name! Save $1.00 through Nov. 24th.
Fort Worth Central Market's CM Cooks! station is open 7 days a week from about 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Bordeaux is Back!
Better with Bordeaux
MUST HAVE PRODUCTS FOR YOUR HOLIDAY TABLE
Keller's Sculptures Butter – Turkey Shaped Butter will be a perfect addition to your holiday table!
White Toque Frozen Herbs – An assortment of herbs that you can keep in your freezer and use just the amount you need. Choose from Chives, Italian Blend and Parsley.
Texas Sweet Creations Cranberry Relish – Made in Texas, these relishes are lovingly handcrafted by two Fort Worth Texas sisters from an old family recipe. The unique blend of fruits and spices will compliment your holiday table. Choose from Original Cranberry Pineapple Pecan Relish and Chipotle Cranberry Pineapple Pecan Relish.
La Donatella Profiteroles – Cream puffs from Italy, filled with chantilly cream and covered with a delicious cocoa sauce. Perfect for last minute guests or that late night sweet tooth. Just keep in your freezer and thaw when you have a craving!
La Donatella Tiramisu – Over 2 pounds of delicious Tiramisu from Italy. Perfect for last minute entertaining.
Gillian's Foods Wheat & Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie – Great tasting and gluten free! This dessert is great for everyone at the table to enjoy. Find it in your store's Frozen department.
Nouveau Thursday at Central Market, 11/19
Beaujolais Nouveau is a red wine made from Gamay grapes produced in the Beaujolais region of France. It is the most popular vin de primeur, fermented for just a few weeks then officially released for sale on the third Thursday of November. This "Beaujolais Day", or "Beaujolais Nouveau Day" sees heavy marketing from the producers, with races to get the first bottles of the vintage to different markets.
Beaujolais Nouveau is a purple-pink wine that is particularly lightweight, even by the standards of Beaujolais. The method of production means that there is very little tannin, and the wine can be dominated by fruity, ester flavours of bananas and pear drops. These are enhanced by the frequent recommendation to serve the wine lightly chilled, at approximately 13°C (55°F).
It is enjoyed worldwide as a fresh wine offering a taste of the recent harvest. In particular, many wine lovers look forward to the nouveau of France's renowned "King of Beaujolais," producer Georges DuBoeuf. These wines are bursting with delightful fruit aromas.
Here at Central Market, we'll be ready at 8 a.m. on Thursday, November 19th with Georges DuBoeuf Beaujolais Nouveau at one of the lowest prices in Texas! Be sure to stock up for holiday parties because, like Christmas, the Nouveau comes but once a year!
Maine Root All-Natural Hand-Crafted Soda Does it again with Pumpkin Pie Soda
Central Market was one of the first to discover this hand made soda crafted in Maine with family roots in Austin. Now Matthew and Mark Seiler have made their personal salute to the holidays with this very limited production soda. In Texas you will only find it in Central Market and each store has received their small allotments today. With flavors of Vanilla, Nutmeg, Clove and Allspice, it tastes like pumpkin pie in a bottle. It is made using only the finest ingredients and they use fair trade organic cane juice as the sweetener.
Mark tells me (he’s the Austinite) that it goes great with Tito's vodka and a splash of grenadine. He calls it the “Headless Horseman”. Kids and adults alike will find it makes a great float with vanilla or caramel ripple ice cream. Try it on ice or as a festive holiday punch base. Put on your mixologist apron and start creating. I’d love to hear what your favorite creation is and I wouldn’t be surprised if there aren’t some possible rib braising applications for this soda too. Enjoy it while it lasts.
