Libby's, Libby's, Libby's

Aw, come on, sing it with me: "When it says Liby's Libby's Libby's on the label, label, label, you will like it, like it, like it, on your table, table, table." Now you all know how old I really am!
That jingle was popular for years through the seventies.

Today I have some Libby's news to share. Not alarming news but news none the less.



This little can of pure pumpkin puree may be in short supply this season. I read a comment on another forum that indicated a shortage. A distributor was only able to secure two pallets of pumpkin for the entire season. There are several reasons he could have had problems securing additional pallets.

One, and probably the biggest reason is that he didn't book his purchase soon enough. This happens all the time. Libby's just like other purveyors are in the business of selling their product. If you book early, you are guaranteed your product. If you hesitate, and wait to place a firm 'buy' you're at the mercy of your supplier. Libby's pumpkin is responsible for 50 million pies a year! The pumpkin needs to be sold, and if you can't get off the dime and place an order, you'll get the "you snooze, you lose" response from a supplier. This kind of hesitancy also drives prices up for the buyer. Pumpkin will be available, at what price, however?

The second reason is an actual shortage of pumpkin. Pumpkin is an organic product. All kinds of problems exist in the cultivation of produce. Early freeze, lack of water, too much water, infestations, you name it. There could have been a crop failure that would affect supply. In this case the buyers are encouraged to get their firm orders in early, and even still, they may be allocated a perentage of their request. When you deal in a product that is subject to acts of nature, there is always a chance that there could be a crop failure at any time. Suppliers will work with you to get a portion of your needs, but a history of buying from them will reign supreme. An established account will always get preference, even if you are a small time buyer. If you have a good buying history with a supplier, you have a good chance of having something set aside for you in the event of a problem crop.

Third a "short-term" shortage could be caused by transportation problems or weather related shipping issues. A shipment that was expected in early September, could be delayed for six to eight weeks due to these types of problems. Once I had a railcar full of canned corn blanks shipping from Idaho to Wisconsin to be labeled. It disappeared from the radar screen. No one could tell me where it went. This was in early September. In March the following year, after the spring thatw, they found my corn. The rail car had fallen off the train while the train went too fast around a bend. My railcar was found at the bottom of a ravine. The canned corn was found, but delays in shipment occurred!

Communication is the key. Knowing your suppliers, keeping abreast of their situation and having a good rapport with them cannot be overstated.

So, back to the shortage. I don't know all the details why this guy couldn't get more pumpkin, but, I still ran down to my local store and bought the last five cans they had on the shelf!

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In the Pink!

In the Pink
Originally uploaded by foodchronicles.

Emily at La Dolce Vita has asked anyone and everyone over to her place! Well, actually she has asked that we join her in getting "In the Pink". October is, as many of you are already aware, Breast Cancer Awareness month. Emily has asked all food bloggers to get involved by making something pink between October 7 and 9th and post it to our blog to commenmorate this important month. This is my entry. Red Velvet Cake with pink buttercream icing. I read about this event at the last minute! So I whipped up a Red Velvet cake this morning.




I let it cool while I was at church. When I returned home three hours later, I made up the frosting and iced the cake very quickly. This has become the "as the sun sets on this event" tribute cake. It doesn't look all that great from an icing standpoint, but what it lacks in esthetics it makes up in taste. It is moist and the buttercream is just like velvet. (I have learned a couple of things in the past week at the bakery!)

While I don't personally know anyone that has been affected by this horrible disease, I have read the effects of its ravages of loved ones by different people on the net. One that strikes to the heart of it is Greg and Cheryl Hammond. I am not sure if Greg is doing a fund raiser this year or not, but stop by, read his story and be ready to have your heart wrenched.

These stories must end. We need to find a cure. We need to stop having women and men die from a disease that should be curable. We can all make a difference in one way or another - just get involved.

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Starbucks Redux

John Moore, over at Brand Autopsy has an excellent series of articles entitled Tribal Knowledge defining the success that is Starbucks. He is also going to do the same with Whole Foods.

I have been a reader of his for quite sometime and I must admit it is addicting. Addicting not only because he writes well, but also because what he writes adds value to a business owner. If you have ever thought of owning a business, are an independent contractor or even a 1099 employee this knowledge is valuable. Read it to find out how it applies to you in business. For those of you thinking you need to tweak your business model or figure out why things are working or not where you work, you need to add Brand Autopsy to your reading list. Put it at the top. Go through his archives! John is making quite a name for himself with his spot on in his analysis of all things business.

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Help Wanted

Attention Kentuckians! Gordon Foods is opening a new production warehouse in Shepardsville, Kentucky. They're hiring 200 people to staff the new Production facility recently built there. They will begin operations soon! From the ad:

For production and packing positions, take your resume to the express personnel office on Hwy. 44 in Shepherdsville between 8 and 5 Monday through Friday. Those jobs pay from $11.65 to $16 an hour.

For administrative or management positions, email your resume to keith.masoud@gfs.com.


I don't know anything about Kentucky or the cost of living there. Is this a good wage? It certainly is better than a food packing plant in SoCal! Displaced workers? Here's your opportunity.

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Red Velvet Cupcake

red velvet cupcake
Originally uploaded by chockylit.

I was cruisin around the blogs and came across this excellent post at Cupcake Bakeshop.

This post is why Cupcake Bakeshop is a favorite of mine. She gets her baking going and then her chemical engineer brain kicks into gear and you learn some very good stuff. Not only does she explain the difference between baking powder and baking sugar, but she soews you the effect of using one or the other, or a combination of both.

Excellent! I love this kind of info!

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Comparison Shopping

I love to shop. Well....I love to drive everyone around me crazy while I shop. Most of the fun for me, while shoping, is to make sure I am paying the lowest possible price for said item. That means uncovering every source, going from shop to shop, checking quality, distance and, if needed, returnable convenience. I rarely return anything but nowdays they have these little computers that track your shopping habits and if you return something at the same store outside of their programmed norm, they'll ban you. Great. Another little piece of irritation to deal with these days.

However, as usual, I Digress. Maybe I should change the name of the blog to I digress. Hmmm.

Comparison shopping does have its advantages. Like this morning I was cruising some favorite places on the net and came across this jem:



What?!? You can buy a log that grows Shitake mushrooms. And if you're careful it will grow them for years! They are difficult to kill and should do well with even the blackest of thumbs! Boy howdy! This one's a keeper. So I click on the link and find it at Red Envelope. While Red Envelope is a nice site, with lots of good items, I was suspect that the $38 price for said Shitake log couldn't be beat. So off I went to google for a Shitake log. Bing, we have another site! Shop.com has an equally as enticing Shitake log for only $20.

My words to the wise are: Comparison Shop. Check the shipping charges, taxes and return policies before you hit send. ;-)

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Top Science Pictures

copyright 2005 David McCarthy

This is the winning picture in the close-up category of Visions of Science competition this year. It is a close-up, very close-up view of a grain of salt and a peppercorn. Interesting. See more of the pictures at the BBC.

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