A tomato dicing assembly and method for making tomato cubes from a tomato includes a cutting guide member, support member, and spike tube member that each has a tubular shape configuration that fit together concentrically. The cutting guide member includes a tubular wall extending longitudinally between proximal and distal ends, the cutting guide member including a cutting member defining a plurality of first cutting slots and body section defining second cutting slots transverse to the plurality of first cutting slots. The support member includes a continuous side wall defining having a closed upper end defining a plurality of holes spaced apart in a predetermined pattern and an open lower end. The spike tube member has a closed top including a plurality of spikes extending outwardly and are received through the plurality of holes when the spike tube member is received into the support member.

Blending devices can be used to blend material in a container such as a reusable container or a disposable liner, such as a paper or plastic cup. In some instances, a reusable container can be coupled to an adapter that includes a blade assembly to blend a food product. The food product can be blended directly within the container when the container is coupled to the adapter. In further instances, the reusable container can selectively couple a liner or multiple different sizes of liners to the adapter. The food product can be blended within the liner without any of the food product coming into contact with an interior of the container.

A method for treating cannabis comprises treating a feedstock of cannabis and obtaining treated feedstock comprising comminuted cannabis; pneumatically conveying the treated feedstock to a cyclonic separator; and, subjecting the treated feedstock to a first cyclonic separation stage and obtaining a first stream of treated feedstock separated out of a fluid stream by the first cyclonic separation stage and a first fluid stream having a reduced level of treated feedstock.

A blender system with a shearing blade assembly is shown and described. The blender system may include a container and a shear blending assembly attached thereto. The shear blending assembly may include a cutting blade, a shearing blade, a shear mechanism, and bearings operably coupled with a blending base. The shearing blade may force foodstuff through apertures of the shearing mechanism. The foodstuff may be drawn through a cut path of the cutting blade. The cutting blade may cut the foodstuff.

A crimped strip of thin sheet metal (such as aluminum foil) or metal composite material that surrounds a pie crust from the body of the pie to the under edge of the pie crust. and protects it from burning or over-browning while cooking. The two outer edges of the strips width are crimped so that the final product, when viewed from the side, assumes a circular appearance. The crimped and moldable strip accommodates a variety of pie diameters and pie crust heights and designs because of its easily adjustable and moldable qualities. The crimped and moldable pie baking strip is malleable, the length can be cut to size, and the ends can be folded together to secure its position. It is designed primarily as a single use item to address an unmet market need.

A self-contained, consumer-ready product from a coconut that has a seed-case, a layer of coconut meat inside of the seed-case, and an internal cavity containing sterile coconut water, in a condition that is ready for a consumer to access and remove the sterile water within the coconut, and a method for providing such a product. One method comprises forming an aperture that extends through the seed-case of the coconut but does not extend through the layer of coconut meat; forming a coconut pre-product in a first location, by affixing to the apertured coconut a closure member that is adapted to close the aperture and to be easily removed by a consumer in a second location different from the first location; and providing a self-contained, consumer-ready coconut product, by associating, with the coconut pre-product, a pre-selected plunger member that includes an elongated lance member that the consumer slides within the aperture after removal of the closure member in the second location and penetrates through the layer of coconut meat and into the internal cavity containing the sterile water.

A self-contained, consumer-ready product from a coconut that has a seed-case, a layer of coconut meat inside of the seed-case, and an internal cavity containing sterile coconut water, in a condition that is ready for a consumer to access and remove the sterile water within the coconut, and a method for providing such a product. One method comprises forming an aperture that extends through the seed-case of the coconut but does not extend through the layer of coconut meat; forming a coconut pre-product in a first location, by affixing to the apertured coconut a closure member that is adapted to close the aperture and to be easily removed by a consumer in a second location different from the first location; and providing a self-contained, consumer-ready coconut product, by associating, with the coconut pre-product, a pre-selected plunger member that includes an elongated lance member that the consumer slides within the aperture after removal of the closure member in the second location and penetrates through the layer of coconut meat and into the internal cavity containing the sterile water.

An apparatus and method are provided for automatically making a pocket sandwich. The apparatus includes a platform configured to support a wrap (such as pita bread, tortillas, or the like) and a rotatable food pocket arranged at a center of the platform. A folding paddle is configured to rotate toward and away from the center of the platform, being placed at a location with respect to the platform such that motion of the folding paddle toward the center of the platform folds a portion of the wrap. The holding arm has a tip at a free end thereof, being movable in a vertical direction toward and away from the center of the platform. The holding arm is configured to contact the wrap and hold the folded pleat in place while the food pocket rotates with respect to the platform to permit the folding paddle to generate a successive pleat.

Improved methods and apparatus for dry hulling or dry peeling harvested crops, particularly pistachio nuts, are disclosed. The methods and apparatus of the present invention provide crop harvesting with great efficiency resulting in consistently high percentages of hulled or peeled crops and low percentages of nut breakage, without increasing processing times regardless of the sizes of the crops being hulled or peeled. The methods and apparatus of the present invention also provide for a relatively small overall machine footprint, plus easy and efficient removal and replacement of the impingement drum to accommodate for different drum speeds, different crop sizes, different bolt patterns, different bolt sizes, and other variations allowing embodiments of the invention to be used on a wide range of nuts and vegetables of different varieties, sizes and shapes.

An apparatus for the comminution of a botanical feedstock includes a vessel, a screen positioned in the vessel above a first feedstock outlet and spaced from the top of the vessel, and a blade rotatably mounted above and generally parallel to the screen. The blade has a leading side, a trailing side, and a radial blade length. At least a portion of the leading side has a cutting edge and at least a portion of the trailing side has a downwardly extending trailing portion. The downwardly extending trailing portion has a lower edge having a plurality of discontinuities along a radial length of the trailing portion. The cutting edge is spaced from the upper surface of the screen by a first distance and a lowermost portion of the lower edge is spaced from the upper surface of the screen by a second distance.