The Market Report - By Ken Klein

 

7/3/08

Greetings Food Lovers!

Does your Kitchen have bad breath?

Garbage Disposals are a major source of “lovely” smells, with the exceptions of our kitchen trash cans. To eliminate nasty odors from your disposal, add baking soda and sliced citrus peels, or an old lemon skin and grind away. To deodorize your microwave oven, add four tablespoons of lemon juice to one cup of water in a microwave-safe, four cup bowl. Boil for five minutes in the microwave, allowing the steam to condense on the inside walls of the oven. Then wipe down the inside with a dry paper towel.

One might ask why are prices going up? One major reason would be that truck rates from the west coast to the east are currently between $8,000 to $9,000 and it is possible that the peak of the season in July and August may bring a five-figure rate for the first time in history. Freight rates have never been this high. The higher rates are due to the extreme costs of diesel fuel. A typical, relatively new semi-tractor trailer can average about 5 to 6 miles per gallon going cross country. This is double from last year and it keeps going up.

The cost of fuel is not only raising the price of the trip, but is causing a lot of problems for the truckers. With the current high prices, truckers can’t afford to fill up without and advance. When they pull into a truck stop and it costs $1,000 to fill the tank.

In the past, truckers would receive four $200 checks to make it through the cross-country trip. Now they need $3000 to $4,000 just for fuel, they also have to make their finance payments or need tires along the way. The only thing truckers can do to save money is to drive slower.

This is a reality we will be living with for the foreseeable future.

Tomato update

It has been three weeks since the news hit, the Food and Drug Administration still has not pinpointed the source of the Salmonella outbreak in fresh tomatoes. Daily, customers ask me if they are safe to eat. I say yes, but some are purchasing and some are not. According to the FDA, 19 Florida counties and Baja California have been cleared as the source and have approved shipments from those regions. Grape, cherry, tomato-on-the-vine and Canadian hot house tomatoes were never part of the problem

As of June 19, the FDA’s list of approved sourcing areas for roma, plum and round red tomatoes had grown to include nearly 40 states and six foreign countries.

Produce Talk

Melons

Hot weather in California and Arizona has taken a toll on the melons. Growers are finishing earlier than expected, and the Bakersfield area in California will not be running until the middle of next week. Cantaloupe quality has been nice. The honeydews have had good quality, but appearance has been marginal.

Southern Peaches

There is a gap in the supply this week from Georgia and South Carolina due to lack of rain and extreme heat. Most growers have not picked all week, but hope to pick this weekend and have fresh product by the beginning of the week.

Grapes

There is a good supply on all grapes as we head into next week. California and Mexico both have nice supplies of red and white seedless going into the holiday. Coachella , Mexico season is coming to their end with a strong demand for their products as they are cheaper than the same product coming from California . Many of us fear the Mexican product due to “sanitation” issues. Although I can not vouch for this issue, it does not stop me from eating their products.

Strawberries

The crops have been affected by temperatures of over 100 degrees in the growing regions in California . Most shippers have lost fruit due to bruising, burn and small sizing. The supply is expected to remain light for the next few weeks. Prices have held steady as temperatures return to normal.

Pineapples

Central America will have a shortage going into July. Watch for prices to rise.

Citrus

This market has not changed much since last week. Available are Late Lane navels, which are expensive and Valencia oranges from California . Imports from Australia and South Africa will begin the end of July. Grapefruit is now shipping from California . The supply from Florida is very limited and is not very pretty.

Bush Berries

If you take a drive down the shore, you should see the trucks in the fields and workers picking the Jersey blueberries. They are big, sweet and plump. Prices are expected to come down next week. We shall see. Raspberries and blackberries are very nice and priced lower than months ago.

Cherries

California is now finished. The small amount of fruit that is left will be kept in state. Washington State is now shipping product. Quality and flavor are great; however prices remain high due to a short crop.

Corn

Movement has been slow for some shippers. Some local product is available, but the product is not as mature as the Georgia and Carolina product. Demand is expected to increase over the week. It is a great time to enjoy this great sweet taste or summer. Go for it!

Happy 4th. Have a fruitful week!

 

 

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