A surprising "buy local" product

[lemniscate]

http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/food/188064

I'm going to try these very soon. I'm impressed with the technology and attention to quality. I need to be schooled on shrimp. I didn't realize most shrimp we eat is not from the US.

http://www.desertsweetshrimp.com/index.html

from the article:

"Fry them, boil them, grill them, chop them into salads. Everybody loves shrimp — tasty, succulent and straight from the Arizona desert.

Uh, that's right, some of the best-tasting shrimp you can buy, according to its own surveys, comes from a shrimp farm in Gila Bend, which is southwest of Phoenix along Interstate 8.

Shrimp in the desert? Sort of takes the sea out of seafood.

The farm raises "desert sweet shrimp," a product it shamelessly declares to be "the world's best-tasting shrimp." Gary Wood, whose family owns Desert Sweet Shrimp, said that in taste tests at fairs and exhibits, their shrimp wins 95 percent of the time. It is lower in iodine and contains less salt and no additives, he said. "

This is cute!

quote: "He said the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago buys his shrimp to feed its exhibit animals because the product is pure. Some animals practically demand the desert shrimp. "Otters are finicky eaters," Wood said."

The "green" part described:

"Our niche is we're locally grown, and it's sustainable aquaculture," Wood said. "We don't ever discharge the water." The water from the ponds is used to irrigate other crops, alfalfa and olive trees.

"We've shown the plants grow twice as fast with this system," Collins said. That led to two new products, a buttery-tasting olive oil, also sold on the Internet, and a thriving nursery trade in landscape olive trees.

The smart water system used on the farm was studied at the University of Arizona's Environmental Research Laboratory, where researchers, including Kevin Fitzsimmons, have been developing healthier shrimp stocks and eco-friendly production techniques."

(edited for clarity and in case the link goes bye-bye, thanks gfron1!)

Edited June 20, 2007 by lemniscate (log)

[docsconz]

Interesting. They sell mostly via the internet at www.desertsweetshrimp.com.. In the article linked to above the company claims that their shrimp wins taste tests 95% of the time. If they are tasting against other farm-raised shrimp, I don't doubt it. I would be impressed if it was against fresh Gulf of Mexico or Florida Shrimp. I would be really impressed if it was against Mediterranean reds.

The biggest hurdle they face, IMO, is the cost of shipping. I was all set to place an order to try the shrimp. Two pounds of the extra jumbos (about 21-24 count) cost about $30, but the minimum shipping outside of Arizona (FedEx 2day) effectively doubled it and FedEx overnight essentially tripled the price. I'm all for spending more for a superior product, but I'm not willing at this time to spend that much to try an unknown product. Maybe they will be at the Fancy Foods Show in NYC. If so, I'll try it there. If not, I will wish them luck.

[lemniscate]

Yes, it seems Arizona ordering makes it more economical. I ordered the jumbos and it was about $5.80 shipping. I'll post a review when I get them.

Interesting. They sell mostly via the internet at www.desertsweetshrimp.com.. In the article linked to above the company claims that their shrimp wins taste tests 95% of the time. If they are tasting against other farm-raised shrimp, I don't doubt it. I would be impressed if it was against fresh Gulf of Mexico or Florida Shrimp. I would be really impressed if it was against Mediterranean reds.

The biggest hurdle they face, IMO, is the cost of shipping. I was all set to place an order to try the shrimp. Two pounds of the extra jumbos (about 21-24 count) cost about $30, but the minimum shipping outside of Arizona (FedEx 2day) effectively doubled it and FedEx overnight essentially tripled the price. I'm all for spending more for a superior product, but I'm not willing at this time to spend that much to try an unknown product. Maybe they will be at the Fancy Foods Show in NYC. If so, I'll try it there. If not, I will wish them luck.

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[lemniscate]

Well, I really liked these shrimp. I compared them to the Costco frozen shrimp and the Desert Sweet Shrimp are very superior in texture and flavor. I just did a simple peel and eat serving. The Desert Sweet were called "e-z-peel" with the vein removed. The shells were very easy to remove. Everyone at the dinner preferred the "local" shrimp. They were sweeter and crisper. I will be buying them again.

The Costco shrimp, which I had been buying all along and liked just fine, had a mustier flavor and kind of a wateriness to the texture. So, now I have been schooled a bit on shrimp quality.

[docsconz]

Well, I really liked these shrimp.  I compared them to the Costco frozen shrimp and the Desert Sweet Shrimp are very superior in texture and flavor.  I just did a simple peel and eat serving.  The Desert Sweet were called "e-z-peel" with the vein removed.  The shells were very easy to remove.  Everyone at the dinner preferred the "local" shrimp.  They were sweeter and crisper.  I will be buying them again.

The Costco shrimp, which I had been buying all along and liked just fine, had a mustier flavor and kind of a wateriness to the texture.  So, now I have been schooled a bit on shrimp quality.

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Fascinating. Thanks for the report. If only their shipping costs weren't so high, I would order some.

[sparrowgrass]

We have a shrimp producer right here in Iron County MO. He has varied success--as I understand it, they are very temperature sensitive, and we are right on the edge of their tolerance limit for cool water.