While Nino’s makes fresh, quality produce available year-round, certain selections play a starring role during the holiday season. Whether you need the sweetest pumpkins for your pumpkin pie or the freshest cranberries for your cranberry sauce, we put only the best produce at your fingertips. Here’s just some of what’s waiting for you here at Nino Salvaggio’s:

Pomegranates

These fruits provide a feast for the eyes and the belly. They add vibrant splashes of color to holiday centerpieces and delicious flavor to your favorite recipes. And they’re good for you, too! When you eat the arils, the juice-filled, red gems found inside, you infuse your body with fiber, vitamin C and antioxidants. Juice the arils and use them in a holiday punch or add them to a holiday cocktail like Izmir Iced Tea or this wonderful Fresh Pomegranate Chutney.
 

Chestnuts

You’ve heard all about them in “The Christmas Song,”
which goes “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire/
Jack Frost nipping at your nose.” Interestingly, we
think of them as a holiday treat, but in some other
countries, they’re actually used as a substitute for the potato.
Wondering how you can roast this holiday memory-maker at home?
We have you covered with our simple guide to roasting chestnuts and this informative blog.
 
 

Pie pumpkins

When the pilgrims and the Native Americans sat down to that first Thanksgiving meal, they did have pumpkin, but sadly, no pumpkin pie. We can thank magazine editor Sarah Josepha Hale for publishing recipes that lead to the tradition of pumpkin pie as a holiday dessert. Keep in mind that a delicious pumpkin pie starts with a fresh pie pumpkin, which is about 6 inches around and sweeter than those pumpkins you typically use for carving scary faces. We’ve handpicked only the best for our Nino’s customers. Here are some additional tips for using fresh pumpkins in your recipes.
 
 

Herbs

Fresh herbs can really make your holiday meal, adding flavor to your favorite dishes. Herbs like thyme, bay, parsley, sage, and rosemary may make frequent appearances in both your holiday meals and your decorative displays. You can even craft a gorgeous holiday wreath using fresh herbs. Come to Nino’s for a full selection.
 
 

Roasting Squash

Squash is another favorite come holiday time. A roasted butternut, acorn, or buttercup squash is both classic and delicious as a side dish or even as the main course for a vegetarian holiday meal. The secret is in the freshness and choosing a squash with a firm, solid feel. No worries. We carry only the best and freshest here at Nino’s. Need recipes? Check Nino’s Squash Guide for a delicious Soy and Honey-Glazed Butternut Squash recipe.
 
 

Fresh Cranberries

As with pumpkin pie, it’s just not the holidays without
fresh cranberries to grace your table. Your holiday feasting isn’t complete until you’ve added
the delicious sweet tartness of homemade cranberry sauce to your plate. Keep in mind, though, that cranberries can make great additions to everything from desserts and salads to vegetable dishes and stuffing. Not only that, but they’re full of vitamin C and antioxidants, too. Fresh berries have
smooth, glossy skin that is firm to the touch and vibrantly colored. Buy fresh from Nino’s, and you can’t lose.
 
 

Premium California Yams

Candied yams and sweet potato casserole (use yams, they’re sweeter), these are the flavors of which holiday dreams are made. Mouth watering yet? With a dish this important to your holiday enjoyment, you want to buy fresh, choosing based on the skin, which should be tight, firm and unblemished, and the flesh, which should be firm. Our California yams, much better in comparison to southern varieties, are beautifully flavored, textured, and packed with nutrients. California Contessa Yams are a Covington variety, featuring a smoother skin, more uniform shape and a decidedly sweeter taste. Beauregard Yams are the common variety of yam grown in the south. They tend to be lighter and have less flavor than a Covington Yam. At Nino’s, we’ll have premium California yams for you all season.

You want to put the best meal possible on the table at holiday time. Trust Nino’s for the best in quality, fresh produce for your holiday cooking. All of the above crops are new to Nino’s for November, just in time for the holidays. We’ll stock them for you through Christmas.