
2/20/10
Greetings Food Lovers!
February is Potato Lovers Month. To celebrate this momentous
occasion, which is an excuse by the potato growers association to increase
sales; shall we dig deeper into history?
The potato, which originated in Peru , took a long journey
to reach North America . The Spaniards took it back to Spain in the 16th
century; from there it made its way to Italy and Northern Europe, then to
Bermuda and the Virginia colonies of North America.
Potatoes are sensitive to chill damage, and warmer temperatures
will increase sprouting. Store potatoes at 45 to 50 degrees. Avoid prolonged
exposure to light; this will cause potatoes to turn green. Marie Antoinette,
wife of Louis XV, was known to wear potato blossoms as a hair decoration.
The first permanent potato patches in North America were
established in 1719, most likely near Londonderry (Derry), New Hampshire
. Did you know: The ' Idaho ' potato or 'Russet Burbank' potato was developed
by Luther Burbank in 1871. Clark is the Potato Capital of South Dakota.
It is also home to the world famous Mashed Potato Wrestling contest. I prefer
Jell-O!
Produce Talk
California Citrus
The navel orange and lemon markets are both stable this week
with some flexibility in price on volume business. Quality on navels are
outstanding. Minneola tangelos continue to be in strong supply. Murcott
mandarins will begin this week and are expected to arrive by the end of
the week. The Murcott mandarins are similar to clementines in that they
are easy to peel, seedless and have a deep orange exterior color.
Florida Citrus
The grapefruit and tangerine markets have not changed and
supplies remain good. The juice orange market is stronger with the start
of Valencias , which will run on the larger size.
Grapes
Grape supplies are currently tight. Due to the snow and blizzard
conditions last week, very little fruit was unloaded at the piers. Also,
since President’s Day was on Monday, the USDA will not be working until
Tuesday. Therefore, we can expect that grapes will not be available after
inspection until Wednesday. What does this mean, slight shortages and tight
prices.
Strawberries
Demand exceeds supply. The combination of rain in Mexico and
Southern California , limited volume from Florida due to the lack of blooms
during the January freeze, and the Valentine’s Day pull is going to keep
this market very firm. The quality of strawberries from California is fair
and shippers are not recommending that any of the fruit be sent further
east than the Mississippi River . The fruit is firm, but due to cloudier
skies, the fruit is showing excessive white shoulders and lighter colored
fruit. Expect to see drastic price drops during the first week of March
as both Florida and Southern California will be peaking with volume.
Tomatoes
Florida round tomatoes have become very limited. Almost all
tomatoes leaving Florida show signs of chill damage upon arrival. This means
that the tomatoes will have a spongy feel or give more slightly than usual.
Currently, the best source for round tomatoes is Mexico . Last week, I began
purchasing hot house product as the Florida tomatoes just were exploding
in the boxes. Much too much waste. Roma tomatoes from Mexico continue to
be steady. Grape and cherry tomatoes are also a bit tighter this week; however,
Florida still has enough volume to cover most demand.
Leaf Lettuce
Supplies exceed demand at this time. Coachella Valley , in
Southern California , has been receiving the best quality reports due to
the fact that this growing region did not receive as much rain; however,
their demand remains flat as well. I prices to remain weak during the next
7- 10 days. Although I was told this is a great time to promote leaf lettuces,
my supplier also told me to be aware that there are quality defects due
to the heavy rains from earlier this month.
Iceberg Lettuce
There are currently ample supplies of iceberg lettuce available
from the Yuma growing districts since demand is light. The heavy rains from
earlier in the month have caused some quality defects such as epidermal
peel on the outer leaves, the occasional broken mid rib and pink discoloration
to the mid rib.
Green Beans
The supply of green beans have tightened up due to recent
rains in Mexico . At the current time, both processors and bulk buyers are
sourcing from Mexico . Florida is expected to begin harvesting around the
first week in March. Hint: High Prices.
Cucumbers
The cucumber market was active last week due to heavy rains
in Mexico . The growing regions in Mexico received more rain again last
week and has further delayed harvesting and caused a decrease in product
availability. Expect prices to increase due to this shortage. There is a
fair volume crossing through Nogales , Arizona and the quality is reported
as good. Honduran product shipping through Florida is available, but the
quality is listed as fair.
Green Bell Peppers
Green bell peppers are in short supply and therefore, the
prices are very high. The rain in the Mexican growing regions caused growers
to stop harvesting for a few days. Weather did improve for a few days, but
then more rain fell late last week. Once again, growers were forced to halt
production until the fields were dry enough to begin harvesting again. Expect
prices to increase on bell peppers and the availability in Nogales , Arizona
to be limited. This market has been tightening up for a few weeks already
because Florida has only 25% of their normal volume for this time year due
to the damages of the January freeze.
Most buyers are forced to buy Mexican product. Look for this
situation to stay expensive until early Spring when the Southeastern growing
region begins their season.
Have a fruitful week!
2/12/10
Greetings Food Lovers!
THANK YOU!
These are the words I received countless times last Saturday
and Sunday from my customers as they came trudging in to my Supermarket,
searching out food staples or a special item for a chile recipe. What I
did was nothing special. I just came to work and opened the doors, the same
our family has been doing since 1892. It is a privilege to be of service.
Behind the door, if you are not in the food business, this
weather event does take planning. When we first got wind of the potential
storm, we found a great web site to monitor. http://philadelphiaweather.blogspot.com/
Planning is important. Customer traffic increases and the
purchases are larger. We have to take an educated guess to increase our
orders of bread, milk, produce and meat. Our suppliers deliver daily, which
makes it easy. Groceries are a different concern as we receive a big order
every Wednesday, so we have to estimate what we will need for the week.
During the big storm in 1996, the entire eastern coastal region was hammered,
a state of emergency was declared and for 4 days commerce was disrupted.
Dairy farmers couldn’t get their milk picked up and were forced to dump
milk when their storage tanks were full. Chicken farmers on the Delmarva
Peninsula couldn’t get the trucks out to deliver chickens to the processing
plants. Supermarkets couldn’t get supplies and customers were accepting
alternatives. All this because of snow. Imaging what can happen if something
serious occurs.
All this and a bag of beans!
Produce Talk
California Citrus
Navels supplies are good despite the rains. Quality and color
are outstanding. The lemons are going up in price. Quality of blood oranges
and Cara Cara navels are amazing!
Florida Citrus
This is an interesting time for Florida produce. The last
big freeze promised doom and gloom, along with sky high prices. Now reports
coming in tell us, wait a minute, it’s not so bad. Valencia juice oranges
will begin this week. This is the next variety as the season moves on. Expect
the pricing to be higher. There are ample supplies of Temple oranges and
growers are making deals to increase movement. Both red and white grapefruit
are looking good, but the larger sizes are still way up there in price.
Supplies of honey tangerines are good and the prices are reasonable.
Tomatoes
Doom and gloom! Florida is now entering into the shortage
period that was anticipated since early January. Most shippers have not
been harvesting, therefore, supplies are very limited.
Volume will be very sparse going forward, especially on small
sizes. Mexico will have good supplies on round and hothouse tomatoes. Plum
tomatoes remain in good supply from Mexico. This low priced market should
turn around within a week or two. Grape tomatoes will be in good supply
this week, but the market will turn quickly. Most shippers are entering
a production gap for a few weeks.
Strawberries
Currently demand is exceeding supply due to gaps in production
as Florida is recovering from January’s freeze, Mexico ’s rain that limited
harvest, and clean up from California ’s recent rains. Quality from California
is becoming better since most of the berries damaged by the rains has been
cleaned up. There are still excessive white shoulders and some lighter colored
fruit; however, expect these issues to improve during the week. This is
based upon Southern California avoiding any further rains. Florida is expecting
to flush their fruit during the week of February 22nd. At this time, there
is a lot of white fruit on the plants that look to be ready.
Stone Fruit
Cherries have finally ended. Nectarines are tight this week
with new arrivals expected shortly. There are good supplies of peaches and
plums. Apricots from New Zealand are outstanding, but the prices are high.
Grapes
The prices on red and white grapes, which was decreasing,
received a boost over the weekend. A vessel was delayed in arriving due
to the snow storm that hit the East Coast. This has caused a gap in supply
and moved prices up. By mid-week, markets are expected to return to normal
with a wide range of prices on various sizing of both white and red grapes.
Green Bell Peppers
The green bell pepper market has been active due to the full
affects of Florida ’s freeze. Prices increased, but shippers are keeping
prices “reasonable” because they are sensitive to the fact that too high
of prices will affect demand. There is fair volume crossing through Nogales
, Arizona on mostly larger sized bell peppers. Also, growing regions in
Mexico are expecting rain. If the rain is heavy, growers will need to stop
harvesting until the fields are dry. With these possible production delays,
market prices could go up and availability will become even more limited
as demand from East Coast buyers has increased.
Leaf Lettuce
Supplies currently exceed demand. The heavy amounts of rain
received during the past two weeks have pushed harvests together thus causing
shippers to price very aggressive this week.
Iceberg Lettuce
There are supplies of nice quality iceberg lettuce now available
out of the desert growing districts. Demand is light and prices are expected
to be extremely aggressive this week. The heads showcase a nice green color
and good weights.
Cucumbers
The cucumber market has been steady this week. Cucumbers crossing
through Nogales , Arizona have good volume and quality. The growing regions
in Mexico are expecting rain, which would delay harvesting. If the weather
does become an issue, prices will increase due to low production due to
the Florida freeze. Within the next few weeks vessels will be arriving from
Honduras which will reduce the strain on our supplies.
Green Beans
Steady supplies are arriving from Mexico at this time, but
prices remain high due to zero production from Florida . Expect the market
to remain stronger until late February or early March when production begins
again in the Southeast.
Celery
Pricing has decreased as supplies have increased and demand
is remaining soft. Moisture in the fields after the rains from a few weeks
ago along with mild temperatures has made for rapid celery growth. The desert
region is now almost to full-scale production.
Have a fruitful week!
2/7/10
Greetings Food Lovers!
In the thirty years of operating Kleins Supermarket, I have
never witnessed such a multifaceted approach of damaging weather conditions
such as we are presented with now.
Last week, I received a flood of emails alerting the industry
of intense storms approaching the California coast from the deep Pacific
Ocean region. This time of year, the central growing regions of California
receive about a half inch of rain. The first storm’s wallop was promising
5 to 6 inches in a 2 day period, with mountain snows promising 3 to 10 feet
of powder. This, plus the second storm, will stop workers from getting to
the fields, hamper transportation to the east and will curtail distance
shipping due to some of the harvest will just not have enough life to remain
stable.
Many Florida vegetable packinghouses remained at a standstill
Jan. 21 as Florida grower-shippers recover from nearly two weeks of freezing
temperatures that devastated their crops. State agricultural officials say
produce shipments have declined significantly and Florida ’s growers will
likely sustain hundreds of millions of dollars in losses. Packings have
ground to a halt in Immokalee — the principal winter tomato and bell pepper
growing region — and in Homestead and Belle Glade where growers grow and
pack other vegetables such as green beans, sweet corn and squash.
Fred Moore, a salesman for Five Bros. Produce Inc., Homestead
, said no one has been running green beans, which suffered up to 95% damage.
He said the Miami-Dade County production region also suffered up to 70%
losses on yellow and zucchini squash. Five Bros. tried to run a crop of
beans on Jan. 20 but because of the load having too much frozen and dehydrated
damage, the packer after an hour had to stop and dump all the beans into
the cull shoot, he said. “It is absolutely devastating what we have suffered
here,” Moore said Jan. 21.
Growers in Homestead, along with Belle Glade and Immokalee,
which also sustained heavy freeze damage, grows beans through late April
and early May. Spring bean plantings, however, remain unscathed and should
start on-time as normal in early March, Moore said. On Jan. 21, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture reported light supplies of green beans, with bushel
cartons at $45, compared to the market high of $11 at the same time last
year. The freeze is affecting markets of Mexican green beans, with 30-pound
cartons up to $32.95, more than twice the f.o.b. at the same time last year.
Buyers of Florida winter vegetables and tomatoes should expect
smaller volumes and higher than normal prices until the new spring plantings
mature.
Many of south Florida ’s packinghouses that would normally
be busy with green beans, sweet corn, bell peppers, squash and tomatoes
remain at a standstill, causing some prices to shoot to very high levels.
On Jan. 26, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said it expected Florida
beans, peppers and tomatoes of all types to decline in movement during the
next two weeks. We should see supplies down up to 75%.There will be a roller
coaster ride of supply and quality issues for the next two months.
Winter is prime time for lettuce in Yuma , Arizona with nearly
all of California ’s major lettuce grower-shippers relocating there to keep
leafy green supplies consistent. Growers continued to face muddy conditions
in Yuma , Ariz. , the week of Jan. 25 as a powerful storm dropped record
rainfall days before in desert growing region. Crews have been struggling
to get harvesting equipment into the fields, sometimes towing equipment
with trucks, and were forced to stop work during heavy rains.
Produce Talk
California Citrus
Growers were able to get into the fields and pick navel oranges;
however, more rain is expected. There is good availability on choice and
fancy fruit for the week and prices are holding steady. The lemon market
is steady on larger sizes, but smaller sizes are becoming tight and prices
are increasing. Ample supplies of Minneola tangelos, Pummelos, Blood oranges,
Cara Caras’ and
Clementines are available.
Florida Citrus
Grapefruit is peaking on the smaller sizes with limited amounts
of those real big ones we love to eat.
Growers are packing juice oranges, which are running on the
bigger sizes. Honey tangerines have good supplies on all sizes and we should
see great quality lasting into March. Temples and Orlando tangelos are in
great shape even with all the talk of gloom and doom from the Florida freeze.
Honeybell tangelos are finished for the season.
Grapes
The grape market is sloppy on both red and white seedless
varieties. Prices are everywhere with a variance of up to $10 a box depending
on size and color. There are great deals out there but the higher prices
are going for those extra large gems.
Strawberries
It has been over a month since I last saw some nice strawberries
and this situation will remain for some time. Southern California suffered
heavy rains last week. If the rains continue to taper off there should be
some availability early this week. Any strawberries shipped will show rain
damage and have a lighter color. Shipping farther than the Midwest was not
recommended; however, orders were still taken.
Central Mexico still has good supplies and Florida ’s supplies
are increasing, but expect the market to tighten towards the end of the
week. Expect most of the berries to be arriving from Mexico during the next
few weeks.
Cucumbers
The demand for cucumbers from Mexico should increase dramatically
by the middle of the week due to the shortage in Florida product. There
will be substantial market increases in Nogales on Mexican product as demand
grows and production is limited. The growing regions of Mexico received
rain last week, which halted some of the harvest. Supplies were light, but
should improve this week.
Asparagus
Asparagus remains high due to most shippers beginning to transition
from 11 lb. to 28 lb. packs. Mexican grown asparagus will be the majority
of the volume, although some Peruvian imports will continue to arrive in
Miami . The market could have a slight increase in demand this week, but
no price changes are expected.
Green Beans
The prices are going up and will remain higher as all product
is being sourced from Nogales in Mexico due to the freeze earlier this month
in Florida . Expect prices to remain high until late February when product
becomes available again from the East Coast.
Broccoli
Demand is down and good supplies of broccoli are available
from multiple growing regions. Shippers are making deals daily to try to
spark movement.
Green Bell Peppers
We will begin to feel the affects of the Florida freeze this
week. Normal volume is expected from Mexico , but high demand for product
will come from buyers that normally purchase from Florida . The high demand
for product from the East Coast will cause a dramatic upward trend in pricing
until Florida ’s spring crop begins. Also, Mexico had rain last week, which
prevented some shippers from harvesting. Due to this gap in harvest, supplies
were light, but are expected to improve as February begins.
Tomatoes
Supplies of round tomatoes continue to be steady. Florida
has cleaned up most of its supplies that were harvested prior to the freeze.
Expect to see prices climb within a few weeks. Most of the volume will be
from Homestead , Florida as growers were not as adversely affected by the
cold weather.
Plum tomatoes also remain in good supply. We should continue
at these low prices for another week until supplies become more limited.
Quality has been exceptional on all Roma tomatoes. There are ample supplies
of grape tomatoes for the next few weeks. Cherry tomatoes are very limited
at this time and are arriving from Mexico .
Zucchini
Prices remain reasonable on zucchini considering the damage
done in Florida , but yellow zucchini is extremely high. The rains in Mexico
are the reason behind these high prices since yellow is more delicate than
green and shows the sign of rainy weather.
Celery
Demand currently exceeds supply. Rain and cooler weather in
California has created shortages. Prices are up about 50 cents a bunch.
1/12/10
Well folks, if you have been complaining about the cold this
past week, put those worries away because there has been a whole lot of
suffering going on down in the deep south. I am not talking about just the
elemental pain and suffering, but serious calamities going on. This week
I have had a tidal wave of emails reporting near term disaster of crop freezes
in Georgia to Southern Florida . Heck, even my parents down in Del Rey ,
Florida told me that they had the heat on due to 20 degree weather.
Here is what we know. In our current economic climate, every
retail operation looks to promote produce as a vehicle to generate traffic
into the store. We work out deals with our suppliers who in terms work out
the deals with the growers and shippers. For example, retail ads may go
more heavily toward Texas citrus instead of Florida citrus, or California
berries instead of Florida strawberries. Making the move to other supply
regions can sometimes hurt the bottom line by increased transportation costs.
Florida farmers produce nearly all our nation’s domestically
produced fresh fruits and vegetables during the winter. There is much at
stake, both for our farmers and for consumers all across the United States
who count on Florida to provide them with fresh domestic produce in the
winter.
Strawberries, citrus fruits, and tomatoes cannot withstand
prolonged exposure to a hard freeze, considered by the National Weather
Service to be five hours below 27 degrees. With temperatures possibly dropping
to the high-teens last weekend, it is unclear how crops will weather the
chill. When you’re talking about temperatures in the mid-20s or even lower
in some areas for a sustained period of time, there’s only so much growers
can do. Along with strawberries, citrus fruits, and tomatoes, Florida broccoli,
cabbage, and corn are also at risk.
With several major crops facing significant losses, costs
most likely will rise. We just don’t know the duration or the total extent
of the damage.
Produce Talk
My product supplier told me to think of ways to make up for
the lost sales due to product shortages and high prices. California broccoli,
cauliflower, celery, lettuces, citrus (navels, minneolas, blood and cara
cara oranges, Fairchild tangerines, Satsuma mandarins) are all available
at reasonable prices with out damage due to the freeze. Imported produce
such as cantaloupes, grapes, stone fruit. Washington State apples will all
be in full supply at regular pricing. Customers see the value in these commodities.
This is our alternatives besides frozen or canned product due to the high
priced Florida product.
Strawberries
The strawberry market is having serious issues due to the
cold weather in Florida . Florida growers have water coated the plants nearly
each evening for the past 2 weeks. Temperatures over the weekend have prevented
any harvest on Monday or Tuesday. Fruit then looks to be available for a
few weeks, but will show signs of the excess water treatments. Long term
issues caused by this weather will be even more important to recognize.
Plants have not had any new blooms in nearly 2 weeks and it takes a plant
4 weeks to go from bloom to fruit. Therefore, at the beginning of February,
expect a 12- day gap in supply out of Florida . The freezing temperatures
have hindered harvest in Mexico as well, which has caused buyers to become
dependent on California product to fill orders. At this time, the Oxnard
region continues to produce sufficient supplies but at outrageous prices.
Tomatoes
The tomato market is showing some strength now that Florida
has been hit with extremely cold weather.
Damage is evident in some of the fields in the Immokalee area,
whereas Palmetto and Ruskin areas in Central Florida are harder hit. Expect
to see this market tighten and move up over the course of the next two weeks,
but especially as we enter February. Be aware that this market adjustment
is inevitable. Mexico will have some fruit, but it will not be enough to
offset the shortage in Florida . Grape and cherry tomatoes will be steady
this week, but the weather has also affected these crops. Mexican Roma tomatoes
are in good supply. This market spiked recently and will remain high as
we head into February
Florida Citrus
Growers watched as freezing temperatures entered the region
last week, although most citrus growers are reporting little damage. Most
of the damage reported is occurring in Central Florida . Some damage was
seen on Honey tangerines, which are a new crop. After growers are able to
access the damage from the past weekend’s cold weather and snow as far South
as Vero Beach , we will have a better idea how the market will be affected
in future weeks.
Iceberg Lettuce
The cooler weather from last week as caused some quality defects
on iceberg lettuce. Shippers are reporting blister and peel, as well as
the occasional dehydrated head. It is nearly impossible to find product
without these defects at this time. Field workers are trying to make the
appearance as appealing as possible by stripping the outer leaves at harvest,
but the defects are still apparent. Weights are lighter and overall sizing
is smaller as well.
Leaf Lettuce
Supplies exceed demand and carton weights have picked up.
Blister and peel is evident in most boxes of romaine that have been harvested
in Yuma . There are no signs of defects in the red and green leaf lettuces.
Market prices have finally weakened and look to remain soft due to the lack
of demand.
Broccoli
Broccoli demand has decreased since the holidays are over
and shippers are looking to make deals to reduce their supplies. The domes
are tight with good color.
Green Bell Peppers
The hard freeze in Florida and continued freezing weather
forecasts have caused the green bell pepper market to significantly spike.
Florida growers stopped harvesting peppers early last week and more than
likely will not start again until the middle of the week. The damage of
the freeze will not be determined until temperatures warm up and the quality
defects become apparent. Concerns include disease to the root of the system
due to extensive watering, blistering and stem decay. There is a fair volume
of green bell peppers arriving into Nogales from Mexico that may be an option
this week; however, look for this market to stay stronger until all of the
details of the Florida freeze are reported.
1/5/10
Happy New Year!
Those of us that had the luxury to take the week off between
Christmas and New Years Holidays are now shuffling back to work. It is the
same with the produce business. Many shippers and distribution centers were
forced to load up before the approaching holiday. Truckers took time off
to spend time with their families which presented issues.
By this time each year, the endless spans of green row crops
have left the Salinas Valley in California for warmer climates. Nearly every
crop heads south to the desert for the coldest part of the year, and many
companies become transplants themselves until March when production shifts
back north. These grower shippers will pack up portions of their processing
facilities and move then all the way to places like Yuma, Arizona, where
they are reassembled in as little as 48 hours for continuous production.
Winter travel. Growers are actually in the business of providing
food for us and searching out new locations to grow what we want. These
businessmen are busy this time of the year catching flights every week between
Salinas and Coachella or Yuma to check on the multiplicity of crops growing
to feed a hungry nation. And it is a hungry nation that wants its leafy
greens, celery, carrots and artichokes year round regardless of how cold
or snowy it is in much of the U.S.
Here in Philadelphia , the end result of the growing, reaches
our Philadelphia Produce Market. There on the sales side is the main mid-end
points for growers final product which will end up on our kitchen table
or in a restaurant kitchen. This is the dark side of our business. Everything
happens at night. There are personalities, schedules to be kept, demands
for product and product to be loaded onto trucks to make it to another destination.
Prices fluctuate for certain items; different buyers arrive at different
times, what happens when a seller is stuck with a glut of oranges (for example).
This is the economics of produce.
If one waits for quality products to come down in price as
the night moves to day, one might have to make compromises and accept a
lesser quality product. For example, Idaho potatoes are sold out, and then
one has to choose a North Dakota baking potato (I assume no responsibility
in slandering Dakota potatoes).
What goes first in the market often ends up on shiny plates
in the white table cloth restaurants and quality supermarkets such as Kleins
Supermarket.
So here it comes. We might be under snow like our recent blizzard
provide us, but California, Arizona, Mexico, Chile and so many Southern
Hemisphere countries continue to send boatloads and truck loads of fresh
produce to places where nothing is growing, including Salinas.
Eat well, live long and be happy.
Did you know
The Hass avocado was developed in 1926 and was patented in
the US in 1935. Hass avocados are a medium sized fruit, weighing 7 –10 ounces.
When ripe, the skin will turn a dark, purplish-black color,
and it will yield to gentle pressure at the stem end of the
fruit. Hass avocados should be kept between 50°F to 60°F .To ripen properly,
avocados should be stored outside of refrigeration. Once ripe, should be
refrigerated.
In the late 1920’s, Mr. Rudolph Hass, a postman, purchased
the seedling tree and started the new variety of Hass avocados in his own
orchard. Hass avocados are grown in California , Chile , Mexico , the Dominican
Republic and New Zealand . This provides us with a ready supply of fresh
fruit 365 days a year. Hass avocado trees have a tendency to bear fruit
only in alternate years. Avocados provide nearly 20 vitamins andminerals
in each fruit.
It’s great in salads, as a dip, a spread for crackers or on
a sandwich.
12/21/09
It’s that time of the year again. I don’t mean it’s beginning
to feel a lot like Christmas. It’s cold, the farmers are drinking coffee
and reading the paper in the mornings instead of getting up at the crack
of dawn to tend to the budding crops. However in several parts of the country,
the deep south, California and Arizona where they are growing our fresh
produce there have been issues.
Out west, the demand exceeds supply still is fueling a hot
lettuce market. We were lead to believe that the hot lettuce market would
cool down after Thanksgiving weekend is not the case and all signs point
to no letup on the immediate horizon.
Down in Florida , tomatoes are in the hot seat. Prices climbed
to regions where I was at the point of considering not to offer them to
my customers. Say what you want, but spending $3/pound for a tomato with
marginal taste does not win friends in my book.
Most of us know what our apples and pears look like, but not
many of us understand the undertaking it requires to get the product from
the growers to your favorite supermarket and on to your kitchen table.
It is December now, probably going on two months that the
Washington State Apple and Pear crop has been harvested. After the first
picks were processed, graded, packed and shipped, the remaining crop is
placed in storage rooms that have a controlled atmosphere. These rooms are
sealed and have less oxygen in the atmosphere to insure the product doesn’t
get over ripe. You might notice on apple or pear boxes “CA”. In this environment,
the fruit will remain perfect until it is released for shipping later in
the season. We can enjoy this great product till next harvest arrives.
Last week, I had lunch with Barry Clevenger from the Washington
State Growers Association. He gave me some interesting information.
While the orchards are dormant, there is still work to be
done. If an apple tree, or any fruit bearing tree, were left completely
alone, it would grow taller and taller. All the new shoots would be on the
outside perimeter of the tree. The best fruit would be on the outside of
the tree, as you moved deeper in, the fruit would get smaller and have less
color. In the darkest areas of the tree, there would be no fruit at all.
This type of management system would not work for production
agriculture. During harvest time, pickers use ladders to reach the higher
portions of the tree. If they didn’t prune the trees each dormant season,
it would be impossible to reach the high points. Pruners control the natural
growth of the tree and keep it "in a box". They trim the growth
to insure the tree is no more than 12 feet high and four feet of limbs radiating
out from the trunk, with a maximum diameter of eight feet. The newer plantings
are being maintained at only ten feet in height and five feet in total diameter.
This smaller tree structure keeps people on the ground where there are fewer
injuries and improves work efficiency.
It takes several months each off season to maintain the investment.
The first step is to use a mechanical hedger. They then work through the
blocks with highly trained crews who make the big cuts, the tough decisions.
They take the biggest, ugliest limbs that cause the most shade. Then crews
of workers with loppers to do the detail work. They remove the oldest, down
hanging, weakest spurs and the vertical branches. Their goal is to leave
branches that are in the right position to grow high quality fruit in good
sunlight where the fruit can hang free and clear away from the rub marks
that can be caused by wind and tree bark.
After the cutting, workers begin training and bending the
limbs to the positions, using kite string to tie them into empty spaces
in the right aspect to produce the best apples possible. The weather turned
cold recently, creating stiffer limbs with increases them to snap. It is
a never ending process, the leaves fall in early winter and reveals another
crop of big limbs that must be cut to make room for newer, younger, more
productive branches.
Each property has its own challenges: irregular shapes, canals,
roads, ponds, telephone poles, power lines, neighbors, rocks...everything
needs to be carefully planned so that future farmers on the ground will
not be wondering why in the world we planted trees where we did.
I think I will stick to just making a phone call, placing
my order, unloading the truck and stocking the produce case! God Bless the
farmers, growers and workers who help provide us with our daily food.
Produce Talk
Stone Fruit
The supply of Chilean cherries is good and prices dropped
from last week, my first order was sent back because they had more whiteness
than deep red color. The first arrival of peaches, black plums and apricots
from Chile will arrive early this week with nectarines coming in the following
week. Remember, they will be expensive.
Florida Citrus
Sunburst tangerines are small in size with heavy supplies
and the season will end by Christmas. There will be a gap on this item with
Honey tangerines starting around the beginning of January.
The volume of grapefruit is peaking on smaller fruit. Supplies
have been tight because of rain and holiday demand, therefore prices are
up a bit.
Navel oranges are limited and will finish by mid-December.
Hamlin juice oranges have a large volume on the small sizes. Supplies are
good on Tangelos, but are running heavy to the small sizes.
California Citrus
There is a good mix of citrus now with navels, Cara Cara navels,
Orlando tangelos, Minneola tangelos, Fairchild tangerines, Pummelos and
Oro Blancos. Blood oranges should start this week. Heavy rains are predicted
early in the week, which may delay the blood oranges and interrupt the supplies
on some of the mix varieties. There are plenty of navels already harvested,
so the rain will not affect this item. The lemon market continues to be
steady, but is showing some signs of strengthening.
Grapes
There will be beautiful California red and white seedless
grapes available through Christmas, which has been excellent all season.
There are good supplies of red and white grapes from Peru with the first
vessel from Chile due in early this week. Grape prices remain high and are
not expected to drop any time soon.
Strawberries
The strawberry market is very tight and FOB’s have reached
into the $20’s. Rain and below freezing overnight temperatures last week
has caused the harvest to halt in Santa Maria , Oxnard and Mexico . More
rain is expected, which will prolong this situation. Florida has started
with better production and volume will continue to increase throughout this
week.
Blueberries(my favorite)
The blueberry harvest is now underway. Currently, the blueberry
market is tighter for two reasons: (1) cold weather and (2) Chilean shippers
overloaded the vessels and did not leave behind enough product for air orders.
This week looks to have good availability, but we will see gaps in the markets
until mid-January.
Broccoli
Cooler temperatures have slowed production in Yuma . The market
is unchanged from last week and is still not expected to increase in pricing
for the week. Quality is fair, though we may start to see some purpling
on the domes due to the cold overnight temperatures. Product is currently
available for loading out of Salinas , Santa Maria , and Yuma . Broccoli
production will increase from the desert districts beginning next week.
Mexican product is available for loading out of Texas at aggressive prices.
Cauliflower
Lighter supplies of cauliflower, due to colder temperatures
have stabilized the market, but are expected to climb the early part of
this week. The product has nice white color and good weights. Florida will
help fill some of the gaps in supply since their product is now available.
Leaf Lettuce
Better leaf lettuce supplies are available this week. The
expected rain last week in Yuma was minimal, although certain areas saw
more precipitation. With colder temperatures and rain in the forecast, shippers
have tried to build inventories as high as possible last week. Quality and
appearance should steadily improve. Windy conditions in the desert may lead
to wind burned tips and excess dirt/dust.
Iceberg Lettuce
Growers are still experiencing issues with weight and size
on the new iceberg lettuce crop out of Yuma. Cooler temperatures and rains
over the last few days have added to these issues. There are still some
misshapen heads, but overall quality is fairly clean. The market is not
as strong as it was over the last couple of weeks and pricing is starting
to trend lower.
Tomatoes
Extra large fruit remains tight right now. Tomato prices have
been able to hold at these high figures due to demand. Florida ’s Roma tomato
supplies are increasing and Mexico still has good volume.
As Florida comes into more production over the next two weeks,
we should see the market begin to settle out. Quality on all fruit has been
gorgeous. Grape and cherry tomatoes are in great shape right now. Supplies
have improved in the past week and should continue this trend as we head
into the holidays.
12/05/09
The talk of the industry this past week is about our salads.
Weather has been the issue and as a result, you might have noticed, the
prices have skyrocketed. The California season is winding down and the winter
growing regions in Yuma , Arizona is just getting started. To give you an
example, the delivered price of a case of romaine went from about $20 to
$53 last week. Mind you, that price will be short lived. At that price shippers
were rationing supplies to wholesalers. If you are a lover of packaged salads,
Fresh Express Salad Company has been shipping about 25% of the product ordered
to my wholesaler. There you have it or maybe I will not!
Produce Talk
Clementines
Clementines from Spain and Morocco have limited volume until
the end of the week. The Moroccan clementines have better color than the
Spanish fruit at this time.
Florida Citrus
Florida red grapefruit has a steady volume with the fruit
peaking on smaller sizes. Larger size fruit remains tight, but volume is
slowly improving. Navels are experiencing a very short crop this season.
The navel season is expected to continue through mid-December. Hamlin juice
oranges are heavy on the small size fruit and growers are offering great
prices to move the product. Tangelos are now being packed by all growers
with very good volume. As with all the other citrus items this season, the
tangelos will also be on the small size. Sunburst tangerines will be available
until mid-December. These tangerines have a great sweet taste and are easy
to peal.
California Citrus
Production is very good on California navels this season.
The color on the navels is very nice and quality is outstanding. This season’s
crop is peaking on larger sizes. Look for prices to drop this week, but
not for the 3 pound bags, as the smaller sizes are in short supply.
Other Citrus
The lemon market is still very weak and quality is very good.
Growers are offering deals on all sizes to move product. Satsuma mandarins
will be available through mid-December. Orlando tangelos and Cara Cara navels
are expected to arrive by the end of the week. Blood oranges and Minneola
tangelos will start to ship by the third week of December.
Apples
The apple market remains the same this week with the exception
of Honeycrisp and Royal Gala apples. Honeycrisp apples will wrap up for
the season this week. The Royal Gala apple is smaller in size than anticipated
and the market price will start out on the high side and increase in price
as the season winds down.
Avocados
The market on Chilean avocados is very weak. By the end of
this week, the market price will start to inch up to match the price on
the Mexican avocados. Now is the time to buy!
Grapes
Green seedless grapes from Brazil continue to be available.
The predominant variety being offered is Sugarones with limited volume of
Thompson grapes. Despite overall volumes being much less than last season,
there should be enough product available through at least the middle of
December, hopefully providing a smooth transition into the first arrivals
from Chile . The earliest grapes from the Chile started to harvest last
week with the entire region harvesting 10 to 14 days. The first vessel is
expected to depart from Chile by November 29th and should arrive to the
US East Coast between December 8th and December 12th.
Strawberries
Oxnard and Santa Maria continue to be the main shipping points
for strawberries.
The berries are firm with good color and the overall quality
has a fair rating. Yields are beginning to wind down and the Fall crop from
California should be finished by mid-December. Central Mexico continues
to increase strawberry production and is crossing product into McAllen ,
Texas . Mexico will be the primary source of berries for December. Some
Florida growers will start picking next week, but volume will be very light
with fair quality. Look for wide ranges in pricing, depending on where Berries
come from.
Blueberries
Blueberry harvest is now underway and we should see good supplies
by the first of December. Blueberry acreage has increased in Argentina ,
Central Mexico and Chile this year, however yields are still only producing
numbers close to last year and that is why prices are staying up.
Iceberg Lettuce
Markets will continue to increase through this week. Shippers
have finished in Huron and are now harvesting out of Yuma . Quality in Yuma
is good. Weights are light, but the product is clean and has nice green
color. The only defect being noted is occasional windburn on the outer wrapper
leaves.
Leaf Lettuce
Demand exceeds supply at this time. Many fields were harvested
early due to the high demand over the past few weeks. Business is expected
to be slow over the next week and a half in order for customers to work
through holiday and transition inventories. The expected decrease in demand
along with new fields beginning in the desert region should decrease pricing
and increase supplies.
Celery
With the Thanksgiving holiday now over, supplies are currently
meeting demand. Shippers feel larger size celery will still be in the greatest
demand this week. Color is still a bit light, but no major quality issues
are present at this time. Oxnard celery is now available and shippers are
looking for business. Expect this market to remain steady or become weaker
this week.
Tomatoes
The round tomatoes market remains tight. Florida has had more
volume this week, but the prices haven’t changed since demand has been good.
Vine ripe tomatoes are now being harvested in Immokalee. Roma tomatoes should
be in good supply this week as Florida has ramped up in volume. Grape and
cherry tomatoes will continue to be tight this week. The weather in Florida
is expected to be cooler after Thanksgiving, which will limit yields since
the fruit will mature more slowly. Look for this market to remain active
for a couple more weeks.
Broccoli
Temperatures have cooled down, which has slowed production.
The market is currently unchanged and is not expected to increase in pricing
this week. Quality is good though we may start to see some purpling on the
domes due to the cold nighttime temperatures. Product is currently available
for loading out of Salinas and Santa Maria . There are a few shippers who
have started harvesting broccoli in Yuma . Mexican product is available
for loading out of McAllen , Texas and prices are aggressive.
11/22/09
With thanksgiving here, almost every household in America
hosting dinner will require celery for the stuffing and the tossed salad.
Celery is native to the Mediterranean and the Middle East
and was used by the ancient Greeks and Romans as a flavoring. The Ancient
Chinese used it medicinally. The celery that we all buy in the local supermarket
is Pascal variety, first cultivated in 1874 in Michigan . The two main types
of celery are Pascal and Golden Heart.
Celery is nutritious and versatile. It works well in salads,
sautéed or raw. You can add celery to your favorite stir-fry, use in stuffing
for their favorite holiday dishes, toss with pasta or even use as a pizza
topping. When purchasing celery, select fresh stalks that do not bend or
break easily or appear limp. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables, including
celery may reduce the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and the
development of cancer. Plus it tastes great!
Two billion pounds of celery are grown each year in our country.
Celery stalks, celery seed and celeriac (celery root) are each grown commercially
from different varieties of the plant. California produces more than two-thirds
of the celery grown in the U.S. and Florida produces about 20%.
In its 1897 catalog, Sears Roebuck & Co. advertised a
celery nerve tonic for sale. Per capita U.S. consumption of celery is about
9 to 10 pounds per person annually.
Celery Portabella Salad
Ingredients:
6 Ribs Celery with leafy tops
4 Lg. Portabella Mushroom caps
1 c. Flat leaf parsley
1 c. Arugula, chopped
1 c. Basil, torn
1 Lemon, juiced
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt & Pepper
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Directions:
Clean and slice celery thinly on an angle. Clean portabella
mushrooms with a damp cloth. Coarsely chop parsley. Combine all salad ingredients
and dress with lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place
dressed salad on four salad plates and top with cheese shavings by using
a vegetable peeler. Serve immediately. Servings: 4
Produce Talk
Dateline: California
Challenging weather conditions this past month that caused
numerous quality issues in the Salinas growing areas have not manifested
itself into major supply shortages on Romaine, Red and Green Leaf lettuce.
The poor growing conditions in the Salinas area and the young product coming
in from the Yuma, Arizona area have caused product yields both in the fields
and in the manufacturing plants to drop by better than 25%.
As a result, we will be seeing shortages as well as quality
issues. Some products, such as packaged salads will be taken off the production
runs until conditions improve.
In the mean time, we always have other options. The world
is not ending nor will it happen any time soon, regardless what the Mayan
calendar suggests in 2012.
Enjoy your family and friends! From the Klein family to yours,
have a fruitful Thanksgiving!
11/17/09
If you love tomatoes, they are going to cost you a whole
lot more for the next month or more. Florida is the only game in town on
the east coast and word of shorter Florida tomato supplies has sent the
tomato markets skyrocketing. Prices last week for a 25 pound box went up
$10/case, and that doesn’t include shipping costs.
Extreme heat and early rains stressed plantings and caused
a lot of bloom drop on the early plantings. Now, the later plantings are
also reported to be producing very light fruit. Buyers should expect decreased
supplies through mid- to late December.
Reports from the fields are in crisis mode. “They are picking
6-8 pallets to an acre, working one day a week. Some of them are walking
away from their crops. We have about another four weeks of this. From Thanksgiving
through December, it could be a very unusual year.” Reported one Florida
shipper. Recent winds from Tropical Storm Ida, which rolled through the
Gulf of Mexico Nov. 6-9, damaged Palmetto-Ruskin’s late plantings.
He said Immokalee, which is less than two weeks away from
starting its pickings, should also bring light production as temperatures
have continued to stay above average, which has harmed yields.
This situation will be for all tomatoes, round, plum, cherry
and grape. Summer is over!
With the fall weather upon us and the air becoming crisper,
thoughts of the approaching Thanksgiving dinner should be in our minds.
Besides the traditional turkey(even for the vegetarian writing this), our
dinner would not be the same without our crandberry sauce
The cranberry, along with the blueberry and concord grape,
is one of North America 's three native fruits that are commercially grown.
Cranberries were first used by Native Americans, whodiscovered the wild
berry's versatility as a food, fabric dye and healing agent.
Today, cranberries are commercially grown throughout the northern
part of the United States . Fresh cranberries can be stored in the refrigerator
for up to 2 months in a tightly sealed plastic bag. When buying your berries,
they should be shiny, plump and range in color from light to dark red. Cranberries
should be stored between 38°F to 45° F. If you love this berry, buy extra
bags now when they are in season and freeze for later use. Do not thaw the
cranberries, but to simply rinse in cold water and cook them as you would
fresh ones.
Dennis, Massachusetts was the site of the first recorded cranberry
cultivation in 1816. Contrary to popular belief, cranberries do not grow
in water. It takes one ton of cranberry vines per acre to plant a bog. The
cranberry got its name from Dutch and German settlers who nicknamed it the
“crane berry” due to the shape of its blossoms.
Produce Talk
California Citrus
The California Navel season is well underway. The color and
size of these navels have improved and prices are starting to come down.
The lemon market is weak with many of the growers looking for sales. Mexico
has flooded the market with an abundance of lemons, which has now impacted
movement and prices. Fairchild tangerines, Satsuma mandarins and Pummelos
are arriving. Oro Blancos, Cara Cara navels, Blood oranges and Minneola
tangelos will all start mid-December.
Clementines
Spanish and Morroccan clementines are available with good
quality and volume.
Florida Citrus
Volume is increasing on Florida large size grapefruit. Fall
Glo tangerines has now finished up and Sunburst tangerines (they are the
easy to peal type) are arriving. The navel orange market continues to be
tight, but with the California product arriving, does any body care! Hamlin
juice oranges are arriving with a smaller size but a nice sweet fruit.
Melons
Arizona is winding down on cantaloupes with only small size
fruit available. Melons from South America are arriving in Florida right
now and should be hitting the Northeast piers in two weeks. The imported
melons have only small size fruit available. Arizona honeydews are just
about wrapped up. Mexico is shipping good volume of fruit with flexible
pricing.
The offshore honeydew from South America will begin to arrive
in less than 2 weeks.
Strawberries
The fall crop is now in full swing with good availability
expected all week. Oxnard and Santa Maria have the best quality right now.
The Watsonville area has smaller berries with some bruising. Quality has
been the best we have seen in quite awhile.
Grapes
Grape markets are hopefully at their highest point. I have
been buying the biggest and the best in all varieties as the smaller fruit
is just not nice. Currently, the supplies on red grapes are tightening and
as a result prices are climbing.
Celery
As we are approaching Thanksgiving, which is the largest demand
period for celery, supplies are currently meeting demand. Expect prices
to gain strength later this week and continue through the holidays. Color
is still a bit light, but no major quality issues are present at this time.
Iceberg Lettuce
Shippers continue to fight quality issues in both the Salinas
and Huron growing districts in California . Light weights, puffy heads,
small frames, tip burn and rib rust are all issues that continue to affect
yields.
Currently, growers are fortunate if they get around 50% of
the cartons per acre they are supposed to. Most of these quality issues
are due to the rain in mid-October, followed by warm temperatures and humidity.
Demand is expected to exceed supply through the week. A few shippers have
started harvesting in Yuma this week. Quality in Yuma is fair with good
head size and clean lettuce. You might notice the issues when you break
open your packaged salad mixes.
Leaf Lettuce
Demand greatly exceeds supply with large shortages in the
market. Expect this market to remain active and volatile for about another
two weeks until Yuma is in full production. Changes in weather conditions
such as cold temps, precipitation or unexpected demand will significantly
affect the limited product that is left in the Salinas Valley . The following
quality issues are expected during early November: lighter carton weights,
excessive trim, lighter color and undersized heads.
Cauliflower & Broccoli
Lack of demand has caused an increase in supplies. Prices
have declined and shippers are looking for business. This could all change
once the Thanksgiving holiday begins. Markets will continue to rise and
fall until we get into stable supplies around the first of December.
Demand has decreased on broccoli and better supplies are available
this week. Quality has improved, although there may be some purpling on
the domes due to the cold nighttime temperatures in California . Broccoli
is currently available for loading out of Salinas and Santa Maria. Mexican
product is available for loading out of Texas . Yuma will begin harvesting
next week.
11/3/09
Turbulence.
California has received “varying climatic conditions” in
the Salinas Valley which has negatively affected the growth and quality
of romaine and iceberg lettuce. Over the past month, heavy rains, followed
by extreme heat and strong winds, interrupted harvesting. For the next weeks
we will see quality issues on packaged salad mixes as well as heads of lettuce.
Strawberries are another product facing shortages due to the weather. Expect
prices to go up due to market conditions.
Apples & Pears
The market on gala apples increased as the season transitions
into storage fruit. Two new varieties will be arriving this week, the Washington
Jazz and the Canadian Ambrosia apple. The pear market continues to be steady.
Bartlett pears are now being shipped in MAP (Modified Atmosphere Pack),
which will prevent the pears from ripening too quickly.
California Citrus
The last of the Valencia oranges will be finishing up this
week. The first load of navels has arrived. Large size navels will be limited
for 1-2 weeks until the volume increases. The lemon market took a dive with
the independent growers due to the supply of new fruit from Florida , Mexico
and Spain . Satsuma mandarins and Fairchild tangerines have a steady supply
with very nice quality.
Florida Citrus
Hamlin juice oranges have now arrived! The Florida navel crop
is small so far this season and the market is starting to strengthen. The
grapefruit market is still tight on large size fruit, but has dropped on
smaller fruit. Fall-glo tangerines are beginning to wind down for the season
just as we transition to Sunburst tangerines.
Avocados
With good volume of avocados arriving from Mexico , Chile
and the Dominican Republic , prices are unusually cheap right now
Grapes
The grape market is climbing and is expected to continue to
rise. The remaining supply of non-domestic white grapes are spread between
a few shippers who are asking top dollar right now. The market price on
white grapes is not cheap, but worth what you spend. Red grapes have not
experienced the price jump that white grapes have. The Autumn Royal variety
is the black grape to have, it has a phenomenal taste.
Strawberries
The berries from the Watsonville , California area are not
traveling well and most shipments East of the Mississippi are showing up
with excessive bruising and some decay. Find another fruit for the next
few weeks.
Iceberg Lettuce
Heavy winds in Huron this past week has caused quality issues
with the iceberg lettuce out in the transition growing region. Shippers
in the area reported wind gusts of 30 to 40 mph and described the area as
looking “like a dust bowl”. Because of these conditions, shippers expect
to find dehydration, fringe burn and dirt throughout the entire crop harvested
over the next couple of days. The weather issues in Huron coupled with the
end of the season in Salinas Valley are giving a very bleak outlook for
the next 2-4 weeks for both price and quality. Several shippers have already
sent out letters on company letterhead to alert customers of the severity
of the problems.
Leaf Lettuce
Demand exceeds supply at this time. Expect this market to
remain active and volatile until Yuma starts. The changes in weather conditions
significantly affected the limited product that is left in the Salinas Valley
.
Broccoli & Cauliflower
Supplies out of California have now decreased causing the
market to tighten again. Expect this up and down market to continue through
December due to weather and yields. Eastern broccoli is an option out of
Virginia for the next couple of weeks. The Eastern product will be branchy
and have a purple cast to the crown. Lighter supplies of cauliflower are
expected due to yields being down and demand increasing. Markets will continue
to have peaks and valleys until there are stable supplies of cauliflower
around the first of December.
Tomatoes
Round tomatoes have finally increased in supplies for the
time being. Prices have dropped significantly. All fruit right now is from
Palmetto, Florida and this will be the best quality fruit available. There
has been some great deals on hothouse grown roma tomatoes. These tomatoes
have been firm, clean and beautiful upon arrival. Grape tomatoes will be
in excellent volume, but pricing is not ideal. Central Florida is in excellent
production right now and quality has been great. Cherry tomatoes continue
to be very tight with limited supplies. Hothouse tomatoes are in excellent
supply right now on both clusters and beef from Mexico and Canada .
10/26/09
Spotlight on Romaine Lettuce
Romaine is an American term for this long leaf lettuce, also
called Cos lettuce. Romaine was believed to originate on the Greek island
of Cos , off of the coast of Turkey in the Aegean Sea. Romaine lettuce has
been cultivated and eaten cooked or raw for almost 5,000 years and may very
well be the oldest form of cultivated lettuce.
Did you know?:
California is the leading growing state in the US . About
25% of all lettuce grown in the US is used to make fresh cut or bagged salads.
Romaine lettuce takes 12 weeks to mature. All lettuce varieties are harvested
by hand in the field, packed into boxes or bins and immediately transferred
to a cooling facility.
Romaine Hearts with Greek Dressing
Ingredients:
4 sm. Hearts of romaine; ¼ Red onion, medium, thinly sliced;
20 Kalamata olives
2 Tb. Olive oil; 1½ Tb. Lemon juice; ½ tsp. Oregano, dried;
¼ tsp. Salt to taste; Black pepper,
freshly ground
Directions:
Wash romaine carefully and dry. Cut each romaine heart in
half, leaving the stem end intact so the leaves stay together. Top each
with a few rings of onions and place 5 olives in a small pile on the plate.
In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, oregano, salt and
pepper. Drizzle some of the dressing over each lettuce half and serve. Enjoy!
Produce Talk
Apples & Pears
The markets on all apples are relatively steady. Only Gala
apples showed a little strength going up by a dollar or two. The crop this
year will peak on larger fruit with small fruit being limited. The price
on Anjou and Bartlett pears showed a little flex on orders of substantial
volume.
Florida Citrus
The market will drop on small grapefruit next week. There
is good volume on these sizes, but larger fruit are limited and the price
on these will remain high. Navel oranges were on the tight side this week
due to a small crop on navels this year. Most growers were delayed from
picking last week due to the rainy weather leaving no fruit available. Hamlin
juice oranges started this week, but the fruit is small with little or no
larger sizes available. Supplies on Fal Glo tangerines are good and prices
are down. Sunburst tangerines will start in about two weeks.
California Citrus
Independent lemon growers were aggressive on prices this week,
with prices coming down about 20%. I guess they were frustrated dealing
with competition from imported markets. Valencia oranges are now in the
“death throws” of existence and we are waiting for the first California
navels. These navels are forecasted to load by Monday or Tuesday having
fruit to deliver for next weekend. The first Satsuma mandarins have arrived
in the 5 lb. gift box and 3 lb. packages. This fruit is seedless, peels
easy and tastes great.
Clementines
It looks like the first ships will be arriving with Spanish
fruit on November 2nd. Supplies will be light through November and prices
are predicted to hold firm throughout the month.
Grapes
The market will remain strong on grapes, both red and green.
As we move into November and into the holidays, look for prices to continue
to rise. The quality on the best fruit will be excellent with great taste
and extra large berry size.
Strawberries
The rain from last week caused harvesting disruptions. Growers
in the Watsonville and Salinas districts are just now getting back in their
fields to harvest after a week of stripping damaged fruit. Yields out of
both the Southern and Northern districts are going to be very light this
week.
There should be more fruit starting next week and decent availability
through the middle of November from the Southern growing regions. Quality
is best out of Oxnard and Santa Maria with the new fall crop.
Iceberg Lettuce
The market has weakened as high prices from the last two weeks
have finally caught up to the consumer and slowed demand. The rain from
last week has caused some quality defects. There is more pink rib, fringe
burn and lighter weights in the Salinas and Santa Maria Valleys . Some shippers
have started harvesting the fall crop out of Huron. Initial quality reports
from Huron show small head size and weights, but overall appearance is clean.
Some shippers will not be moving to Huron and will take the risk of shipping
out of Salinas until they transition to Yuma around the middle of November.
The market can fluctuate quickly during the next few months based on yields
and weather.
Leaf Lettuce
Expect this market to remain active and volatile due to being
at the end of the growing season in the Salinas Valley and about a month
before the Yuma area starts.
Changes in weather conditions or increased demand will significantly
affect the limited product that is left in the Salinas Valley . The following
quality issues are expected during October and early November during the
end of the Salinas Valley growing season: lighter carton weights, excessive
trim, fringe burn, lighter color and undersized heads.
Tomatoes
Look for the tomato market to improve over the next few weeks
as supplies begin to increase out of Palmetto and Ruskin districts in Florida
. Quality on crop pick fruit out of these areas has been absolutely beautiful.
Look for gorgeous large tomatoes all week. Roma tomatoes are also getting
into better supplies.
Grape and cherry tomatoes will be in excellent supplies out
of central Florida .
Hothouse tomatoes out of Canada should also be in good supplies
this week. Look for more Mexican shippers to begin over the next couple
weeks with better volumes. This will keep the hothouse market from moving
up.
10/13/09
High lead amounts found in imported candied, salted
dried plums
This news flash probably will have no effect on our eating
habits, it is important to pass this on.
Texas food-safety authorities are warning consumers not to
eat certain imported dried plums and products containing dried plums that
have high amounts of lead. On Oct. 1, the Texas Department of State Health
Services issued a consumer warning about several products, most of which
are sold as salted or candied treats in Asian and Hispanic markets, according
to a news release from the Texas department and posted on the Food and Drug
Administration’s site. While there was no conclusive evidence as of Oct.
1, Texas officials thought the dried plums and products containing dried
plums came from Asia . Excessive amounts of lead were found in products
tested at a Department of State Health Services laboratory.
For a list of products that may contain high levels of lead,
visit www.dshs.state.tx.us/foods/
All of us have been wondering, but the official results are
in! Americans prefer chocolate chip cookies more than three-to-one over
other cookie types, according to a survey commissioned by Downtown Cookie
Co. conducted by Impulse Research. Some 53% of adults polled named chocolate
chip cookies as their favorite. Peanut butter came in a distant second,
with 16% naming it their favorite. Oatmeal cookies came in third at 15%,
and sugar or shortbread cookies were fourth at 11%. About 5% of respondents
named "other" as their favorite. I prefer ginger snaps.
Produce Talk
Pears
Washington State has very good supplies on Bartlett and Anjou
pears along with Bosc just starting to be harvested. California still has
a good supply on Bartlett and Bosc pears. As the Washington State pear season
comes on strong, there will be some deals on the California fruit as receivers
look to prevent the transition.
Stone Fruit
With the exception of plums, we will be cleaning up on stone
fruit until the Chilean season begins. Both red and black plums are still
available out of California . Prices on this fruit have increased markedly
as a result of lighter supplies. The quality will not be as it was last
month.
Pomegranates/Persimmons
There are some early Wonderful variety pomegranates available
in California . If you have been wondering why they have cost so much in
the past years, consider all the various pomegranate juices in the market
place. Fuyu persimmons have begun with decent sizing available. This good
eating flat variety is now available. This is a firm eating fruit. You don’t
have to wait until it gets very soft.
Melons
California is winding down their melon season and Arizona
is just getting started with cantaloupe. The Arizona growers are stating
that this year’s cantaloupe and honeydew are some of the best they have
seen in years. California will wrap up on the King of the West label and
we will transition to the Del Monte label from Arizona . Expect the same
great quality from either region.
Grapes
Due to the summer heat taking its toll on the fruit, white
seedless grapes will be very tight in supply. There will be some lesser
quality fruit in most boxes. The premium product is the only product to
purchase if one wants white grapes. In the next 10 days, Autumn King white
seedless grapes will begin and the quality will improve significantly. Red
Seedless, Black Seedless and Red Globe grapes all have a steady supply and
market price with good quality.
Strawberries
Volume will continue to decline as we head into October, mostly
because of low producing acreage is being taken out of production. Markets
will remain at current levels through the week, but prices will gradually
begin to climb. Quality is fair at best.
Bush Berries
Steady supplies of domestic raspberries are available. The
market will strengthen as production declines in October. The Argentinean
blueberry season is soon underway. Acreage has been increased for this year
and the crop looks good. Current quality reports show nice clean fruit with
good sizing. Mexican blackberries are scheduled to start arriving in the
United States by the first week of October with the expectation of very
good quality.
Iceberg Lettuce
Fall plantings are getting started, which correlate to less
acreage being harvested. Demand is still light, which will help keep prices
in check. Quality has been good with clean heads and nice green color. The
fall transition to Huron, CA will start around October 15th and run for
a month. Yuma , AZ will begin to harvest around November 15th.
Leaf Lettuce
Good supplies of leaf lettuces are available for shipping.
Market prices continued to decline over the past week and there are deals
to be had. Heat related quality issues, such as tip burn and internal burn
continue to be the most significant factors affecting leaf lettuces. We
are now beginning to see some seeders as well. Shippers will be cutting
early to avoid internal burn issues or increasing trim to discard damaged
leaves.
Tomatoes
Shippers are finishing for the season in Virginia, Ohio, North
Carolina, and Tennessee while shippers in Quincy, Palmetto, and Ruskin,
Florida are gearing up for the fall season. Quincy , Florida has actually
started harvesting in a small way. The crop in Quincy is expected to last
about 4 to 5 weeks and the crop should be in great shape. The Quincy area
has had ideal growing conditions and the fruit should be looking very nice.
Shippers in Palmetto and Ruskin , Florida are set to begin harvesting the
first two weeks of October. The good news is that there shouldn’t be any
supply gaps this year as we make the move South.
California should be in good shape on vine ripe two layer
tomatoes out of the San Diego area. This deal with Oceanside Pole usually
satisfies the demands out West preventing additional pressure on the Eastern
market. This tomato crop should last into November.
Grape, cherry, and roma tomatoes should be in good supply
for the month of October. Florida is expecting better volume this month
on both items.
9/29/09
I can feel it in the air. Crisp cool evenings, some day’s
warmth other days cooler. It will be a short time now till we have our first
frost, but our local farmers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey are reporting
the fall growing season should (I emphasize) be highlighted by good quantities
of high-quality produce.
After a cool and wet June, which disrupted harvesting and
planting schedules and sporadic, localized bad weather events, the next
four weeks, look good. The fall season harvests spinach, lettuces, turnips,
radishes, white potatoes and sweet potatoes.
Many pumpkin growers, including a major NY shipper, are reporting
losses due to heavy rains this summer. NY product will be looking at at
least a third smaller than normal. Looking only at large-volume pumpkin-producing
states, the weather problems could be limited to New York . More normal
crops in Canada and Michigan could help meet East Coast and Midwest demand.
Expect to find higher prices as a result.
Produce Talk
Summer is over, it is time to say goodbye to your summer fruit
favorites.
Apples
Eastern apples have started! Jonagold, Cortland and Macoun
apples now arriving. The Washington State apple season is now in full swing.
As volume picks up, pricing will decrease on most varieties.
Pears
Washington State has very good supplies on Bartlett and Anjou
pears along with Bosc just starting to be harvested.
California still has a good supply on Bartlett and Bosc pears.
As the Washington State pear season comes on strong, there will be some
deals on the California fruit as receivers look to prevent the transition.
Stone Fruit
There are still very nice peaches available out of California
, but we have finished with New Jersey fruit. Both yellow and white nectarines
are available from California , but the volume is disappearing rapidly.
These nectarines should be done for the season next week. Both red and black
plums are still available out of California . Prices on these plums have
increased markedly as a result of lighter supplies. Say good-bye to pluots.
The entire product has been harvested and put into storage sometime ago.
Expect to find some perfect looking gems to not taste so very good.
Melons
California is winding down their melon season and Arizona
is just getting started with cantaloupe. The Arizona growers are stating
that this year’s cantaloupe and honeydew are some of the best they have
seen in years. California will wrap up on the King of the West label and
we will transition to the Del Monte label from Arizona . Expect the same
great quality from either region.
Grapes
Due to the summer heat taking its toll on the fruit, white
seedless grapes will be very tight in supply. There will be some lesser
quality fruit in most boxes, so plan to purchase the premium fruit to get
the best available. In the next 10 days, Autumn King white seedless grapes
will begin and the quality will improve significantly. Red Seedless, Black
Seedless and Red Globe grapes all have a steady supply and market price
with good quality.
California Citrus
The Valencia orange season will wrap up in the next 2-3 weeks.
Here is the update on the upcoming California Citrus season: Navels will
begin as early as October 15th. The crop will be similar in volume to last
year’s, but the fruit size will peak at larger sizes. By the end of October,
Fairchild tangerines and Satsuma mandarins will begin with Oro Blanco and
Clementines starting around mid-November. Minneola, Blood oranges and Cara
Cara navels will begin in December.
Florida Citrus
The Florida citrus season is just around the corner and almost
at full production. We have grapefruit now arriving with the Indian River
district scheduled to begin in two weeks. Fall Glo tangerines are here with
very nice quality.
The navel season has started, but we are waiting until the
color and flavor improves before purchasing. Quality is expected to improve
in the next 7-10 days. Ambersweet oranges have started, but we have opted
to wait for the true juice oranges to start in late October.
Broccoli/Cauliflower
Product is available out of California , Maine and Mexico
. The local deal has begun. Good supplies on cauliflower along with light
demand have made for a buyers market. Quality has been very nice with good
weights and nice white color.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes continue to be steady at this time. Supplies are
still in good shape across the board on all rounds and romas. Quincy , Florida
started running this week in a small way. Look for volumes to improve over
the next couple weeks as they overlap with the Tennessee crop.
Quality on rounds has been very nice.
Grape and cherry tomatoes have moved up in price this week.
The Eastern Shore and local season have ended. Growers have just started
to harvest in Georgia as they begin making their way back to Florida for
the winter season.
New crop grapes from Georgia look gorgeous with outstanding
flavor and quality.
Hothouse tomatoes from Canada will also move up in price
this week. The cooler weather and lack of sunlight has caused cluster and
beef tomatoes to mature at a slower rate pushing the price up. Quality has
been nice.
Lettuce
California growers are starting to move into the fall plantings,
which mean there will be less acreage being harvested. Quality has been
good and the heads have been clean with good green color.
09/22/09
Greetings Food Lovers
Here we go again.
A California grower-shipper has recalled 1,715 cartons of
spinach that may be contaminated with salmonella. Salinas-based Ippolito
International LP voluntary recalled bunched spinach distributed in 12
states and three Canadian provinces, according to a company news release.
The recall was announced after routine testing by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's Microbial Data Program detected salmonella.
No illnesses have been reported.
The spinach was distributed in California , Alabama , Arizona
, Florida , Georgia , Illinois , Indiana , Kentucky , Michigan , Minnesota
, New Jersey , New York , British Columbia , Ontario and Manitoba . There
are no worries for us in Pennsylvania ; however this just proves there
are problems and the system works.
A concerned grower in Salinas California reports, “This
is becoming an everyday occurrence with the micro-analysis available in
current quality control testing. Also, there was an interesting show on
CA cable describing the "Pig Bomb" as the dramatic increase
in wild pig population throughout the East, South, and West. These critters
are unchecked and one major cause of serious crop damage and transporting
bacteria to field crops in the U.S”
FDA orders reporting of probable problems
A new era of reporting potential fresh produce safety problems
to the Food and Drug Administration has begun. This solution has been
a long time coming. With all the food born illnesses reported in the media
over the years, consumers will now have a venue to discover the problems
from the source.
The FDA launched the Reportable Food Registry at http://rfr.fda.gov/
and the start of new reporting requirements on Sept. 8 - including a 24-hour
deadline for shippers and processors to tell the FDA if they find a "reasonable
probability" food will cause severe health problems or death.
In other news, researchers are awaiting Food and Drug Administration
approval of a laser etching system that supporters say could replace sticky
produce labels.
Scientists with the U.S. Department of Agriculture have
been examining a laser system that can etch product information directly
on individual pieces of fruit and vegetables much like a tattoo.
Produce Talk
Hot Topic! Just received from my supplier. Last week’s West
coast hurricane caused different levels of damage in Mexico which will
affect supplies to our markets during October and November. Tomatoes,
cucumbers, squash, zucchini, melons and peppers will be problematic considering
some areas received between 20 and 25 inches of rain in a 24 hour period
Apples & Pears
The imported apples season will be wrapping up this week.
Eastern apples are having a large crop this year and the shipments coming
in have excellent quality.
Washington State is expecting to have a similar size apple
crop as 2008, but the fruit size will run a little larger. The Washington
State and California pear season has started. Now arriving are: Bartlett,
Golden Bosc, Red, Comice, Seckel and French Butter.
Florida Citrus
Florida grapefruit and Fall Glo tangerines will begin to
arrive in a few days. This early season citrus is expected to have decent
flavor and real nice color. Florida citrus from the Indian River region
will arrive in 2-3 weeks.
California Citrus
The California lemon market continues to remain high and
pricing is expected to climb. Imported lemons has had little to no impact
on the current lemon market. Valencia oranges have higher pricing due
to the growers trying to stretch this product to last until the navel
season starts in middle of October.
Grapes
The white seedless grape market will be a challenge through
October. The hot temperatures took its toll on most growers causing many
of the growers to abandon the fruit still on the vine. My supplier told
me that the best value on white seedless grapes would be to purchase premium
product and just pay the higher price to get the best product and reduce
shrink. That is what I will do and unfortunately you will see higher prices
on these gems. The price on red seedless has been a little high as many
growers are struggling to start with Crimson seedless as they wait for
the fruit color to increase.
Melons
The Westside in California is winding down and pricing on
the better quality fruit is solid with little flexibility. Arizona will
start their Fall crop in about 2 weeks. Summer is over and with it a guaranteed
great tasting cantaloupe.
Stone Fruit
We will no longer being carrying peaches or nectarines from
New Jersey due to the recent wet weather that has affected the fruit.
The only game in town are California peaches that are very good quality
at a reasonable price. There are some nice looking white or yellow nectarines
from California , but remember they are now storage product and you might
get the occasional mealy tasting fruit. California red and black plums
have a markedly higher price this week due to the lighter volume of fruit
available.
Strawberries
An unexpected rainfall hit the Watsonville and Salinas growing
regions last week. Harvest schedules were disrupted due to the measurable
rain (some spots receiving in excess of a ½ inch). Growers had extensive
damage and had to strip the plants of all the rain-damaged fruit. The
berries that were packed will show some rain damage and are staying out
West, which is causing heavy prorates to East Coast customers. Growers
are finished with the stripping process and are now getting back to normal
production.
Bush Berries
Stable supplies of California raspberries are expected for
the remainder of September. The blueberry growing regions in the Northwest
are beginning to finish up, which is creating a demand exceeds supply
market. Expect the market to remain tight for the rest of the month. Argentina
blueberries will begin early October, but is not expected
to achieve good volume until the third week of the month. In the mean
time, you will find shrunken as well as moldy berries in your package.
I will wait for the fresh crop to arrive.
Iceberg Lettuce
California growers are starting to move into the fall plantings,
which mean there will be less acreage being harvested. The markets could
strengthen slightly over the next week or so due to less availability.
Current demand remains light, which will help keep prices steady. Quality
has been good and the heads have been clean with good green color.
Leaf Lettuce
Good romaine lettuce supplies are available for shipping
out of Salinas and Santa Maria . Market prices have declined over the
past week. Supplies were greater than demand throughout this week. Heat
related quality issues, such as tip burn and internal burn continue to
be the most significant factors affecting leaf lettuces. Shippers are
cutting early to avoid internal burn issues and increasing trim to discard
damaged leaves. There continues to be a wide range in quality.
Canadian romaine continues to be a good cheap option. Supplies
currently exceed demand for green leaf lettuce. Market prices have come
off over the past week and shippers are struggling to move product. The
most common quality defects affecting green leaf are uneven tops and some
wild growth.
Tomatoes
Vine ripe tomatoes will be in good supply from Ohio with
a value pricing and Jersey with high priced options again this week. Florida
is expected to begin harvesting next month.
Roma tomatoes continue to be on the tight side as Tennessee
is one of the only games in town. Volumes are very light out of the West
causing many buyers to step into the Eastern supply to fill these voids.
Quality has been excellent on fruit from Tennessee . Grape tomatoes are
in good supply.
09/08/09
Greetings Food Lovers
This summer we would all agree (I speak in the past as we
are now over Labor Day) would be called a great summer. OK, before you get
yourself up in an uproar, I had some great weekends down the shore and up
in the Poconos. But, the weather has been very inconsistent.
Farmers have been reporting to my produce buyer that it was
way too cold at the start and now they have too much rain. If you thought
for a minute farming was easy, forget about it. That is one tough job and
I thank God most of them are really good at it or the rest of us would be
in trouble.
Recently I read an article about farmers and a conversation
with consumers. One interview didn’t understand how the farmers had to work
so hard. All this person had to do was to go down to the local supermarket
and get her produce and other food items, so why worry about the farmers.
HELLO. This was an actual reply. It just is proof that many people are so
ignorant about food supplies in our country. We are so very fortunate living
here in the U.S as well as those in Western Europe . We produce enough food
for all of us and have enough surpluses to export. That creates jobs.
Other parts of the world are not so fortunate. They have to
deal with political crisis, drought, poverty, financial instability and
so much more.
Thank you farmers for taking the risks, all of us are receiving
the rewards. Happy Labor Day!
What is the hottest chili pepper?
Red Savina Habanero is believed to be the hottest chili pepper.
This pepper originated in 1994 in the U.S.A. This pepper is twice as hot
as your average orange habanero and 65 times hotter than the hottest jalapeno
chile pepper.
Produce Talk
Strawberries
Harvest projections have continued to decline since peak production
in July. Supplies will continue to decline as we head into the fall months.
The market remains stable because demand has been light over the past week.
Prices have firmed up as the holiday pull is going. Quality remains a challenge
for most shippers and bruising seems to be the biggest issue at destination
points. Most product is expected to arrive with bruising.
Bush Berries
Stable supplies of California raspberries are expected for
the remainder of the month. September should be a great time to enjoy this
tender fruit. The quality is great!
The blueberry growing regions in the Northwest are beginning
to finish up, which is creating a demand exceeds supply market. The party
is over!
Iceberg Lettuce
There is no significant change expected this week. The higher
temperatures over the weekend have caused some lighter color product.
Leaf Lettuce
Temperatures from the Central Coast to Santa Maria in California
were very warm last weekend. Heat related quality issues; such as tip burn
and internal burn are expected to become more of an issue later this week.
Bug damage and mildew are the most prominent quality issues affecting Romaine
at this time. Shippers may be cutting early to avoid internal burn issues
or increasing trim to discard damaged leaves. There continues to be a wide
range in quality.
Supplies have been meeting demand for Green Leaf and will
continue to do so. The most common quality defects affecting Green Leaf
are uneven tops and some wild growth. Eastern Canada has been shipping some
nice product except for the coating of dirt forcing one to wash and wash.
Cucumbers
Areas in the East, such as Michigan and New Jersey , are
currently producing good volume but will finish up soon. Quality is fair
to good. We will soon need to start looking to the West Coast to fill our
needs but the problem could be the approach of Hurricane Jimena . The hurricane
could potentially cause damage to some Sonora fields, which would cause
a delay on their cucumber production. During this time we will see high
prices on cucumbers in the West, especially if the fields are affected by
the hurricane.
Asparagus
Product is coming primarily from Peru as Mexico has finished
up. Volume out of South Peru is starting to increase and we should start
to see more volume next week. Markets have strengthened a lot and will likely
stay strong for a couple of weeks until the Southern district of Peru gets
going.
Broccoli
No extreme changes are forecasted over the next ten days.
All growing districts are expecting steady supplies to continue. Besides
California , Maine and Canada are producing stable supplies for the East
Coast markets. Mexico is now crossing product at the borders. The quality
out of Mexico is fair at best, with some knuckled domes and hollow core.
09/01/09
Greetings Food Lovers
Plenty of fine organizations drive home the message of promoting
fresh produce. Especially of late are efforts aimed at getting kids to eat
more fruits and vegetables. Let us not forget about the adults like former
President Bush the first proclaiming, I hate broccoli!”
State and Federal government agencies promote healthy eating
but the process began so many years ago with the most important person in
our lives, our mother.
It’s like the old bit about two kinds of mothers who send
their kids off to school. One mother leans out the front door and yells,
“Come back! You forgot your books!” The other kind of mother hollers, “Come
back! You forgot your LUNCH!”
As homage to Mother Klein, she told us the old adage, “School
is important, eat your breakfast because you can’t go to school and think
on an empty stomach”
As school once again gets back into full swing it’s time to
focus on what gets stuffed into those lunch bags for students and adults
alike. Healthy and much cheaper than the lunchroom options.
Here are a few examples what to push for the brown-baggers:
Vegetables: easy-to-pack items such as celery and the multitude
of cut carrots. Package up sliced peppers; snap peas; cucumbers; cherry
tomatoes; broccoli and cauliflower florets — all with or without little
packs of dressings for dipping.
Fruits: Most any fruit works, but small sizes serve especially
well for junior’s Snoopy-adorned lunch pail. Besides favorites of apples,
stone fruit, bananas, pears and citrus. Some fruit scores especially big
with kids, such as cherries or grapes.
My favorite lunch box from the old school days? Three Stooges.
With bananas — hands down. Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.
Produce Talk
With back to school talk, the initial harvest of pumpkins
is expected to begin on approximately Sept. 5.
Move over, hot dogs and nachos. Apples, peaches, bananas and
other fresh fruits are now being served at the Yankees' and Mets' baseball
stadiums in New York . Could we possibly see this healthy options with the
Phillies?
The spinach growers are having problems out west and there
are now reports of shortages so severe that there will be rationing on quantities
for the next month or so.
Stone Fruit
There are still plenty of peaches out of California , but
volume is not as high and pricing remains steady. White peaches are also
available, but supplies are dwindling out of New Jersey . Production of
all peaches from New Jersey should finish in about 7-10 days. Both yellow
and white nectarines are available. Supplies and pricing remain steady on
nectarines. New Jersey ’s nectarine crop is now finished...
Red and black plums are now available out of California .
Due to lighter supplies on this fruit, prices have increased. The supply
on apricots has completely dried up. There may be still a few cases available,
but expect pricing to be very high.
Grapes
The market has shown no change since last week. There is still
a wide range in pricing depending on the size of the fruit. The red seedless
market could start to show some strength as Flames wind down and the Crimson
season begins.
Apples
This week, the Eastern apple crop will increase in volume.
We are looking forward to September to see additional varieties arriving
of: Paula Red, Jersey Mac, Gala, Honeycrisp, Cortland and Macoun. Red and
Gold Delicious will begin in October along with a few other varieties.
Growers in Washington State are now harvesting Ginger Gold
apples and will start to harvest Royal Gala apples this week.
California Citrus
The Valencia orange supply will begin to tighten up as many
small independent houses finish up in the next week. Prices will continue
to increase for the rest of the season, which ends in October. The lemon
market remains strong even though imported product has started to arrive.
Florida Navels
Some growers are seeing about 25% less in crop due to the
freeze last year that killed some dead wood in the trees. There is also
a shortage of crop due to the drought conditions after the bloom period.
Florida Grapefruit
The expectation for this year’s crop is good fruit with average
sizing. Expect high prices to offset the problems that were documented due
to the rains in June and July.
Bush Berries
continue to have good supplies. Cooler nights will certainly have
an impact on the maturity of the fruit, which will limit yields. Jersey
is still shipping product, this year the prices were much higher than years
before due to the cool and damp early summer.
Stable supplies of California raspberries are expected
for the remainder of the month. September will be great time to enjoy
raspberries with full production coming out of Oxnard and Watsonville.
The blueberry growing regions in the Northwest are beginning
to finish up, which is creating a demand exceeds supply market. Expect the
market to remain tight for the remainder of the month.
Tomatoes
The market on round mature greens and vine ripes should remain
steady as September arrives. The Eastern Shore growers along with Tennessee
shouldgn="left">
California will be gearing up, which should keep demand on
the West Coast and Midwest satisfied. Quality is excellent so far. Roma
tomatoes should remain steady for the next couple week with slightly increasing
supplies out of Tennessee , Ohio and Pennsylvania .
Grape and cherry tomatoes are in excellent supply this month.
Local growers are
having an outstanding year with production on both items and
excellent quality. Our main local grower in Ephrata , PA uses Haygrove High
Tunnels, which enables him to continue harvest into October keeping the
plants extremely healthy and extends the growing season.
08/24/09
Spotlight on California Seedless Grapes
The grape is one of the oldest fruits to be cultivated, going
back as far as biblical times. Spanish explorers first introduced the fruit
to America approximately 300 years ago. Californians have been cultivating
grapes for more than two centuries. Some of the most popular ways for usage
of this fruit is in preserves, canned in jellies or dried into raisins
Grapes are small round or oval berries that feature semi-translucent
flesh encased by a smooth skin. The combination of crunchy texture and sweet-tart
flavor has made grapes an ever popular between meal snack, as well as a
refreshing addition to both fruit and vegetable salads.
Grape Trivia
Grapes are actually 80% water. The average American eats 8
pounds of grapes a year.
California produces 98% of the fresh grapes grown in the United
States . The belief that grapes had healing properties dates back to ancient
times. In ancient China , grapes were mixed with snakes, frogs and other
creatures to cure sickness. One of the least known facts about grapes is
that grapes are really berries.
Produce Talk
Stone Fruit
There are still plenty of peaches out of California , but
volume is not as high and pricing remains steady. White peaches are currently
not in excess as demand equals supply, which is keeping prices elevated.
Both yellow and white nectarines are available. Supplies and pricing remain
steady on nectarines with demand exceeding supply. There are some nectarines
being harvested in New Jersey.
Plum volume has suddenly dried up out of California , especially
for black plums. This is an unusual situation for this time of year and
many suppliers are scrambling for product at the moment. This should become
easier to manage as soon as Sun World brand begins with their Angelenos.
Apricots are available out of Washington and Idaho . There
is some fruit available out of California as well. The fruit is very nice
with good color and flavor. Look for volume and quality on this fruit to
decline due to the unseasonably warm weather in the Northwest.
Cherries
Say good-bye to your little friends. The cherry crop has wound
down and we are, for all intent and purpose, finished with cherries.
Cantaloupes
This is the last chance to take advantage of great tasting
product as prices will gradually climb heading into the end of the month.
There will be a good supply from California for the next two weeks. After
that, many growers experience a lull in their supply with quality on the
downhill.
Grapes
The market has shown no change since last week. There is still
a wide range in pricing depending on the size of the fruit. The red seedless
market could start to show some strength as Flames wind down and the Crimson
season begins.
Avocados
Avocado supplies have started to increase from Chile and in
turn the market took a significant tumble.
Apples
This week, the new Eastern apple crop will increase in volume.
We are looking forward to September to see additional varieties arriving
of: Paula Red, Jersey Mac, Gala, Honeycrisp, Cortland and Macoun. Red and
Gold Delicious will begin in October along with a few other varieties. Growers
in Washington State have started to harvest Ginger Gold apples this week
and Royal Gala apples next week.
California Citrus
The Valencia orange supply will begin to tighten up as many
small independent houses finish up in the next two weeks. Prices will continue
to increase for the rest of the season, which ends in October. The lemon
market remains strong showing little effect from the import product arriving.
Strawberries
Demand has remained steady as production has continued to
fall off causing the market to continue to climb. Production has fallen
off by about 30% over the past two weeks as we are well past the peak season
in the Northern growing region. Quality issues, especially bruising are
still a major issue at receiving point on the East Coast.
Blueberries
Blueberry prices have continued to climb as the recent high
temperatures in the Northwest did severe damage to availability. Michigan
is starting to wind down and is unable to handle the increase in volume.
Look for pack sizes to change within the next few weeks, as we will be sourcing
from British Columbia . The quality is not what we expect.
Iceberg Lettuce
California lettuce supplies have been steady over the past
week, but volume is set to fall off this weekend. Look for the market to
strengthen for this reason. Canadian iceberg is available at cheaper prices
than California and should help to keep the strengthening California market
in check. Quality out of both regions has signs of lighter head weights
and pale color.
Tomatoes
The tomato market has gained some strength this past week
as supplies have decreased. Local growing areas in New Jersey and Pennsylvania
are suffering this year from late blight, which is caused by cooler than
normal temperatures and wet weather. This is causing many local growers
to lose their crop. Look for pricing on rounds and romas to be higher.
08/19/09
Spotlight on Plums
There are more than 200 varieties of plums available today.
Plums have risen in popularity, becoming the second most cultivated fruit
in the world (surpassed only by apples). Ripe plums can range in texture
from firm to slightly soft. They have a wide variety of delicious flavors
ranging from deliciously sweet to tasty tart.
Plums belong to the Prunus genus of plants and are relatives
of the peach, nectarine and almond. Plums can be divided into two distinctively
different groups that are known as Japanese plums and European plums. In
65 B.C. Pompey the Great introduced the plum tree to the orchards of Rome.
When you bring plums home, they like a high humidity atmosphere
when you store them. Keep them dry. They are highly sensitive to freezing
injury, so if you have a very cold spot in your fridge, keep your plums
in the other area.
The white powdery film which sometimes covers the fruit is
called bloom, a substance produced naturally by the fruit. The black plum
is native to Japan and China , and grows on tall trees that bloom in the
spring. Black plums in their dried form are prunes. About 90 percent of
the plums consumed in the United States are grown in California . Plum trees
are grown on every continent except Antarctica .
Produce Talk
The local Jersey lettuce crop is all but over now. The past
weeks there have been some very nice product arriving from eastern Canada
, but the past few days the product arriving has been affected by the same
weather we have had here in Phila. Heat and rain produces heavy mildew and
leaf burn. I will be offering great California product instead.
Baking potatoes from Idaho ’s storage crop are now finished
and the new crop potatoes should be ready in about 2 weeks. We will see
great California spuds to hold us over till then.
This is a reminder to prepare your customers to see bruising
on all strawberries. As Frank has reported from the vendor community, we
should expect to see bruising on California strawberries this month. Stores
should cut back displays and keep stock rotated well.
Strawberries
Bruising on all strawberries. Demand has remained steady,
as production has continued to fall off causing the market to continue to
climb. Production has fallen off by a total of about 30% over the past two
weeks as we are well past the peak season in the Northern growing region.
Quality issues, especially bruising are still a major issue at receiving
point on the East Coast.
Blueberries
Blueberry prices have continued to climb as the recent high
temperatures in the Northwest ( Washington State and British Colombia) did
severe damage to availability and Michigan is winding down and unable to
handle the increase in volume. Look for pack sizes to change within the
next few weeks, as we will be sourcing from British Columbia .
Iceberg Lettuce
California lettuce supplies have been steady over the past
week but volume is set to fall off this weekend. Look for the market to
try and strengthen for this reason. Canadian iceberg is available at cheaper
prices than California and should help to keep the strengthening California
market in check. Quality out of both regions has signs of lighter head weights
and pale color.
Leaf Lettuce
Demand has been week and is expected to stay that way. Quality
issues such as internal burn, tip burn and some ribby heads are showing
on the California product. Canadian red leaf and romaine are in good supply
green leaf is tighter due to smaller heads.
Green Bell Peppers
Local growing regions of Pennsylvania , New Jersey and New
York are all harvesting strong numbers. Quality is excellent as product
is crown pick (first harvest).
Cucumbers
Michigan, New York , New Jersey and Pennsylvania are all
now in full swing with harvesting cucumbers. The weather has finally cooperated
with growers and supplies are plentiful. The recent high temperatures have
pushed the product to ripen quicker.
Asparagus
The only game in town now is imported product arriving from
Peru . There is limited availability and the shippers are trying to increase
the prices due to this fact. With the lower demand due to a nice selection
of local grown vegetables, the price increased might not work out.
Broccoli
The small gap in supply out of California has passed and deal
will be available again.
Maine growers are in full production now and have supply that
is plentiful. Many growers are using the California markets to gage how
they should be pricing. Remember that Eastern product is purpler in color
and have larger beads on the florets.
Cauliflower
Harvest numbers have started to increase and prices have
dropped. Quality reports are excellent stating that the heads have nice
white color.
08/04/09
With the summer heat now finally upon us, some of my favorite
fruits are here in peak form. Cantaloupes, honeydews and more. Melon varieties
are now endless! Casaba melons do not have an aroma. Crenshaw melons can
weigh up to ten pounds with a unique sweet and spicy flavor. Canary melons
are similar to the casaba melon with a succulent flavor. Galia melons taste
like a cross between a cantaloupe and a honeydew.
Many melons
originated in the Middle East and spread its popularity across Europe .
Melons are members of the cucurbit species which are thought to originate
in Southern Mexico and Central America. The key melon season runs from April
through December with crops coming from California , Arizona , Texas , Georgia
and Florida . In the “off season”, we receive our melons from Central America.
One of the earliest records of melons is in an Egyptian tomb painting from
2400 B.C.
Melons thrive in long, warm and frost-free seasons, making
the southern part of the U.S. ideal for growing them. On average, it takes
about 10 to 15 bee visits for proper pollination to grow melons.
Spotlight on Pluot
The latest high-flavor stone fruit attracting oohs and aahs
from consumers is the pluot. Each variety offers vibrant color, rich juice,
overwhelming sweetness, and smooth skin. The varieties vary in color from
golden yellow to green to dappled red to almost black and are available
from late May through October.
Pluots are a hybrid fruit that is part plum and part apricot.
They are known for their sweetness and flavor. A pluot’s flesh is extremely
sweet due to their high sugar content. Pluots have an intense flavor with
citrus overtones and nutritionally they are full of vitamins A and C. They
are semi-freestone fruits, so their flesh will separate from the pit fairly
easily.
Pluots are typically ¾ plum and 1/4 apricot. Today there
are more than 80 different varieties of pluots, most of which come from
California . Pluot trees were introduced first to the home garden market
in 1989. The name “pluot” is trademarked by plant geneticist Floyd Zaiger,
who originated the hybrid fruit some 20 years ago. When a pluot has ripened,
its skin will lose its shine. One more thing, they cost about $3.99 lb.
Ouch!
Produce Talk
Cantaloupe
The Western cantaloupe market is steady and is predicted to
hold steady for the next few weeks. Due to the markets being flooded with
locally grown product, the demand for cantaloupe is very light. The quality
on Western melons is very nice with larger sizes being shipped east again.
Local cantaloupes have started this past week from Lancaster County and
should look good for the next 3-4 weeks. This year, most growers have planted
Athena and Aphrodite variety, which have excellent flavor profiles along
with great shelf life. FYI, some farmers deliver their harvest with horse
and wagons! King of the West brand Honeydews have been running fantastic.
If you haven’t tasted this great vine ripened melon, you are missing a real
treat!
Grapes
There is a wide range in pricing on red and green seedless
grapes. Quality is good on both colors with the determining factor on price
being size. The best fruit with extra large grapes will hold the market
with little flex in pricing. There are deals to be had on large size fruit
and even better deals on medium size grapes. Black seedless and red globe
(with seeds) grapes have nice quality too.
California Citrus
The market on Valencia oranges is strong with the pricing
continually increasing. The lemon market is steady, but supplies are not
as abundant.
Imported Citrus
Navel oranges from Chile , Peru and South Africa along with
Minneola oranges, cara cara oranges and clementines are now available. Prices
on all imported citrus have been soft due to lower demand. The quality on
all imported citrus has been excellent.
Strawberries
The berry season out of Salinas/Watsonville is now past its
peak and production is off by about 20% from last week. Demand has remained
steady causing markets to increase over the past several days. Berry size
is still on the larger size and is colored at 95% to full red. There are
no significant quality problems at the shipping point, however the fruit
is not making the ride to the East Coast without problems. The major issue
on arrival is heavy bruising.
Bush Berries
Blackberry availability is now past its flush of fruit and
prices have reacted by going up. Availability is limited. There are still
good supplies of California raspberries through the end of the month.
Blueberry markets have crashed, as product is available from
three different growing regions: New Jersey , Michigan and British Columbia
. New Jersey is at the tail end of their season and taking offers to clean
up through the rest of what they have. Michigan and British Columbia have
board prices that are $2 less than Jersey . Enjoy now, the party is almost
over!
Cherries
As a result of the hot weather, northwest cherry production
is declining and the quality is going to become scarce. The past weeks,
prices haven’t been this low in years. As the supply tightens, prices will
go up and quickly!
Tomatoes
Round vine ripe tomatoes will be in excellent supply for the
month of August. Growers on the Eastern shore of Virginia , Maryland , and
Delaware will be in the peak of their harvest during the month. Jersey product
has had issues according to my suppliers.
Stone Fruit
Both yellow and white peaches are still available out of California
. New Jersey has volume on good peaches. Both yellow and white nectarines
are in the peak of the harvest from California , but as a result of higher
demand yellow nectarines are tight. Volume on both black and red plums has
increased and the fruit coming out of California is very nice. Apricots
are available out of Washington and Idaho . This fruit is very nice with
good color and flavor. Look for volume on this fruit to decline due to unseasonably
warm weather in the Northwest.
Leaf Lettuce
The high prices on California green leaf and romaine lettuce
from last week was due to high demand and limited availability due of mildew
problems. This market was short lived as inventory continues to build this
week and prices fall dramatically. Expect wide ranges in quality on product
from California . Canadian leaf is available at prices much cheaper and
at the moment better quality than California product.
Iceberg Lettuce
Although shippers continue to fight mildew issues on product
out of California , prices have come down due to diminishing demand. Expect
to see lighter weight heads due to the need to peel off the outer leaves.
Canada is also now shipping lettuce from Quebec region.
07/24/09
Spotlight on Peppers
Bell peppers are native to Mexico , Central America and South
America . Peppers were named by Christopher Columbus and Spanish explorers
who were searching for peppercorn plants that produce the spice known as
black pepper. In 1492, Columbus and his explorers discovered sweet and hot
peppers in the West Indies and took samples back to Europe.
There are two types of peppers — bell (mild) and chili (hot).
California leads the U.S. in bell pepper production, followed by Florida.
The taste of peppers varies with maturity — red have the
most color and sweet flavor, while green peppers are bitterer. Yellow and
orange fall somewhere in between. Bell peppers are a versatile vegetable
and can be used in stir-frys, casseroles and omelets. They are not generally
served by themselves, except on a vegetable tray.
Produce Talk
Apples and Pears
Red Delicious, Gold Delicious and Granny Smith apples are
the only domestic apples with good volume available. There are a few clean
up deals on Fuji , Gala and Pink lady apples. There are plenty of imported
apples from New Zealand and Chile available to meet the demand.
Pears
Imported pear suppliers are making deals on current inventory
in preparation for the California Bartlett pear season that will begin in
one week. Washington State will look to clean out their inventory of Anjou
pears. This year’s pear crop in California is expected to have a higher
volume with the fruit having a clean appearance.
Citrus
The California orange prices are going up with very few deals
even on the second quality fruit. Imported navel oranges from South Africa
, Australia and Peru have a good supply. These imported navels have good
color and flavor.
The market on lemons remains strong with little flex in price
for California fruit. Since the California lemons are getting a good price,
Spanish and Chilean growers have now raised their prices and demand has
exceeded supplies.
Cantaloupes
The cantaloupe market is sloppy right now with supplies exceeding
demand and prices are falling. These melons look great and taste even better!
Just like watermelons, cantaloupes out of Georgia are done. Quality has
gone down hill, and growers are pulling the plug. Look for new fields to
be harvested out of North Carolina and Virginia this week with growers beginning
in Pennsylvania and Delaware the following week. The local east coast variety
is different from the California product we are used to. Don’t wait for
it to get on the soft side. It will taste like “mush”, they must be eaten
firm.
Avocados
The Hass avocado has a strong market with short supplies
due to the small crop in California . Mexico product is winding down and
Chile has not yet begun.
Stone Fruit
Both yellow and white peaches are still available out of California
and volume is steady. Deals on yellow peaches have not materialized, and
white peach prices remain steady. New Jersey has volume on good peaches
if you are looking for more locally grown fruit.
Both yellow and white nectarines are available. Supplies have
increased on nectarines, but as a result of higher demand yellow nectarines
are tight. Look for nectarine prices to level off and stay at current rates
for the next week. Quality on nectarines is going to continue to be very
good. Volume on both black and red plums have increased and the fruit coming
out of California is very nice.
Dapple Fire and Sweet Treats pluots have arrived. Expect to
pay about $4 a pound for this great tasting fruit.
Apricots are available out of Washington and Idaho . This
fruit is very nice with good color and flavor. The prices are still very
high.
Cherries
Skeena variety cherries are available and on their way. Bings
are, for all intent and purpose, done. Northwest cherry quality remains
very nice and the prices are at the bottom.
Grapes
The volume on red seedless grapes has hit its stride in the
Arvin, Delano and Fresno areas. There is a wide range of pricing depending
on size with some deals on medium-large and large fruit. The color and flavor
on all sizes is very good. White seedless grapes have a stronger market
as the Coachella district is finished and the Arvin and Delano area is slow
to start. The grapes that are arriving are big, green grapes with very good
flavor. There are nice big, full color black seedless grapes shipping from
this same area.
Strawberries
The Salinas/Watsonville districts are now over their peak
harvest volume. Supplies have tightened, prices have increased and will
sit at their current levels for the remainder of the week. The berry sizing
is getting smaller. Most of the product has good appearance and sheen with
full, red color. You may find some bruising, especially next week due to
the warm weather we are currently experiencing.
Blueberries
California and Northwest blueberries are available for loading
in Watsonville . New Jersey is going through it final flush of fruit and
will be finishing in the next ten to fifteen days. You will now see the
reasonable prices going up and up.
Broccoli
The combination of good supplies and lack of demand from the
East Coast due to regional product has created a weak market. California
shippers want to make deals. Product out of Maine will start on July 20th.
Iceberg Lettuce
Lettuce supplies are lighter due to less acreage in the ground
and mildew issues. Growers have been fighting mildew during the last couple
of weeks. Growers need to peel the outer leaves in order to clean up the
heads, which is affecting the overall weight in the box. Lighter weights
are expected throughout the month. Markets are slightly higher and will
remain at their current levels for the rest of the week.
Leaf Lettuce
The green leaf and romaine market out of California has gained
some strength over the past few days. Due to consistent mild temperatures
over the past two weeks along the Central Coast of California and the morning
fog lingering until the early afternoon, this has caused the products growth
to be slower. These two factors combined with lighter summer harvests has
allowed demand to surpass the supply.
Tomatoes
We are all waiting for Jersey product to arrive in volume,
but with the weeks past damage from the rains, it has been a struggle.
Tomatoes continue to be in great supply out of Virginia ,
North Carolina , and Alabama . I have had some great and absolutely beautiful
vine ripes from Alabama cutting full red with outstanding flavor. Next week
I should have some great “romas” plum tomatoes from a local grower, Paul
Zook from Ephrata , PA.
Grape and cherry tomatoes also remain steady. Most of the
supplies are being harvested in Virginia and quality has been great.
07/12/09
Last week was the start of the Washington State cherry season.
You will see in your favorite supermarket the standard Bing cherry, which
has a deep red color and exceptionally sweet taste. Arriving on the heels
of the Bing is the Rainier , or Queen Ann cherry.
The Rainier is an exceptionally large yellow cherry with a
bright red blush, giving it a distinctive appearance among sweet cherry
varieties. Rainier cherries are available late June to early August. These
cherries were bred in 1952 by crossing the well-known Bing variety with
the Van cultivar. The Rainier cherry is the sweetest, prettiest and most
pampered of cherries. It’s a finely textured variety with firm, clear flesh
and colorless juice.
It is possible to freeze cherries. To properly do this, the
cherries must be rinsed, drained and packed in freezer proof containers
with any excess air removed.
Melons
Cantaloupes remain steady with good supplies, great color
and sugar. Some growers are seeing a gap which will keep prices from falling.
Lopes are arriving from Georgia and California . Honeydews are arriving
mostly from California , the prices have been coming down to summer prices.
The premium brands, such as King of the West, are holding the higher prices,
they are worth the difference.
Citrus
There is a short supply with a strong market on California
Valencia oranges. Most growers are packing twice a week in order to extend
product late into the season. The lemon market remains strong even with
the arrival of Chilean and Spanish imports. Grapefruits remain strong with
light supplies. South African navels are in good supply with great quality
and flavor. Clementine's will be in good supply for the next few weeks with
cheap prices.
Limes
Limes from Mexico will begin to start showing the stress of
the summer heat. Expect to see lighter colors and 25% to 30% blanching until
the new crop starts in the fall.
Stone Fruit
California yellow and white peaches are still available with
good supplies. There may be some deals on yellow peaches as the week progresses
with white peaches remaining steady. Peaches from New Jersey are good if
looking for locally grown fruit. Nectarines are available in both yellow
and white color with increasing supplies with good quality. Expect yellow
nectarines to be tight as a result of high demand. Prices are expected to
level off and stay at the current rate for the week.
Plum supplies have increased on both black and red plums with
great quality on the fruit from California .
Pluots continue to be available in steady volumes. Expect
two new varieties to start the next week in house. The Dapple Fire which
resembles a dinosaur egg, and the Sweet Treat which is a green pluot and
is great eating.
Apricots are becoming more available out of Washington with
good color and flavor.
Grapes
The new crop came on fast in Bakersfield and Arvin districts.
The hot weather brought the fruit on so there are aggressive prices on some
very nice grapes with great color and size. The Fresno area is not far behind
so look for that market to weaken further.
Strawberries
Prices have continued to fall out of the Watsonville and Salinas
district, as supplies will continue to be plentiful through July with great
size and color.
Iceberg Lettuce
Lack of demand has kept the prices down. Light plantings in
the summer months in California coupled with hot humid temperatures are
back and causing mildew problems. Expect a spike in the market.
Celery
Prices remained the same this week as product is coming out
of the Salinas Valley . Freight prices out of California will be something
to watch over the summer especially on celery because of the limited number
of cases that fit on a truck. 50% of the delivered cost of celery is due
to freight at the current time. Michigan summer celery has begun and prices
to the East Coast are $4 to $5 cheaper per case than the product from California
.
Cucumbers
The market has remained high due to light availability from
the East Coast. North Carolina , Virginia and New Jersey are all shipping
product. Expect this market to stay active for the next two weeks as other
regions will start.
Tomatoes
The market on round tomatoes remains on the weaker side. Supplies
continue to increase as more areas begin to harvest. East Coast growers
and packers on the eastern shore of Virginia have started for the season
with very nice quality. Vine ripes from Alabama have started and the product
that has arrived looks sharp! There are Jersey tomatoes around, but they
are expensive and the first of the season “pushed” to ripen quicker so farmers
can get higher prices. Wait a few weeks.
Grape tomatoes are very steady with shippers finishing up
down south. Virginia is now shipping grapes with excellent quality. Roma
tomatoes remain tight with light supplies. Tennessee and Virginia should
be seeing better volumes in the next two weeks with good quality.
07/07/09
Spotlight on Nectarines
Nectarines have a yellow flesh that has a noticeable pink
tinge, with a distinct aroma and a more pronounced flavor. There are over
150 varieties of nectarines that differ only slightly in size, shape, taste,
texture and color. Gaining popularity as a mainstream fruit, two or three
new varieties are introduced every year.
Nectarines are available in white-flesh and yellow-flesh varieties.
The white-flesh variety of the nectarine has a lighter taste than the traditional
yellow-flesh and is less acidic. This summer sensation is aromatic, firm
and has a very attractive bright, deep coloring. A plump fruit, nectarines
are a pretty orange-yellow with striking red markings.
When taking them home, keep them in the refrigerator if you
are not going to use them quickly. Ripen the fruit at room temperature.
Keep your nectarines away from moisture, they will decay and become moldy.
The word 'nectarine' means sweet as nectar and this is very
likely the obvious origin of the name. Nectarines are thought to have initiated
from peach seeds and possibly derived from China 2,000 years ago. California
grows over 95% of the nation’s nectarine crops today. One Chinese emperor
was so enthralled with nectarines that he and his people referred to them
as the “nectar of the gods.” Nectarines are actually a subspecies of the
peach that lacks the gene for fuzz.
Produce Talk
California peaches, plums and nectarine volume was expected
to drop off the first half last week as temperatures peaked at 108 degrees.
After mid-week highs around 104 degrees, temperatures will start declining
down to the 100 degree mark at the end of the week. On the East coast, farmers
are concerned with the exorbitant amount of rain that is hampering the growth
of their product.
Cantaloupes
Cantaloupes from Georgia will continue to be harvested as
new growers from North Carolina get started. Usually the best quality “lopes”
come from the California Bakersfield and the Westside area, and this is
the fact now. Now that the July 4th holiday is over, we should see pricing
start to come down.
Watermelon
Growers in Georgia are experiencing an excellent supply of
watermelon with deals on all sizes. The quality is OUTSTANDING and will
only improve as the weather conditions remain hot and dry.
Apples & Pears
Prices are a little firmer on Red Delicious apples due to
the low volume as shippers concentrate on packing and shipping cherries.
There is an abundant supply of Gold Delicious and Granny Smith, especially
on small sizes. Excellent supplies of imported Gala, Granny Smith, Pink
Lady, Braeburn and Fuji apples. California Bartlett pears will start around
the 3rd week of July. There are good supplies of imported Packhman and Bosc
pears and Washington Anjou pears are still shipping.
Honeydews
Honeydew out of Turlock and Firebaugh remain steady with great
quality. King of the West will be the feature label in the premium lines
with excellent quality. Great news! This label usually arrives in August.
Citrus
There is a good supply and steady pricing on California Valencia
oranges. Expect good prices and opportunities on. The lemon market remains
strong even with the arrival of Chilean fruit. California supplies are limited,
so prices are staying firm. South African navels are now arriving by boat.
Stone Fruit
California yellow and white peaches are still available with
good supplies. Look for prices to come down beginning next week as the holiday
is over. Southern peaches are done and New Jersey has started with great
quality fruit.
Nectarines are available in both yellow and white color with
increasing supplies and very good quality. Prices are expected to come down
this week.
Plum supplies have increased on both black and red plums with
great quality on the fruit from California.
Pluots are available on both the Flavorosa (black) and Honey
Red (red) varieties. Expect more varieties to start as the season progresses.
Apricots have limited supplies with good color and flavor.
Washington cherries are fantastic looking with great quality.
The price remains very low for this time of year.
Grapes
California red seedless grapes came on fast in Bakersfield
and Delano area with Fresno/Visalia right behind. Great quality, color and
size are expected on the red seedless grapes.
The California white seedless market is steady as the Coachella
area will start to come to an end. Central California is still 2 weeks away
from starting. Expect great deals on Mexican red and white seedless with
plenty of good quality fruit. With the transition into US fruit, expect
great deals to keep inventories moving.
Strawberries
Limited availability over the past week has been due to shippers
from Watsonville and Salinas peaking a week early. There will be plenty
of fruit to come by now that the holiday is behind us. Expect a decline
in prices as we move into the next week.
Bush Berries
Raspberries from California have now ended creating a small
gap in supply and increased pricing. This shortage will be short lived as
volume should increase by the last 2 weeks of July. California blackberries
are now in full swing with aggressive promotions due to the large volume
and competition from the Carolinas.
New Jersey blueberries are available with good pricing. California
Driscoll’s blues have been arriving with aggressive pricing due to the competition.
Iceberg Lettuce
Shippers are making deals to keep product moving again. Expect
prices to be weak due to the lack of demand. The quality issues that were
seen over the past two weeks have all cleaned up. Quality is good with green
color and no signs of mildew.
Leaf Lettuce
Excellent supplies out of New Jersey have kept leaf prices
on the East Coast down. Look for prices to slightly increase as Jersey product
is set to finish in the upcoming week. Canadian shippers are ready to pick
up the slack after Jersey is done with limited up charges for the added
freight. Red leaf from California is priced reasonably but Romaine is still
expensive. California prices have come off slightly as the mold problems
caused by humidity a few weeks ago are now gone.
06/30/09
Here we are with the July 4th weekend arriving. This date
has been marked on my calendar for some time. This is the traditional week
for the start of the Jersey Blueberry season. With this in play, we should
soon see Jersey tomatoes. A word of caution on the first of the season tomatoes.
I was told years ago that the Jersey farmers pump them full of chemicals
to get them to the market faster. The first of the season always brings
much higher prices.
Did you know
There are approximately 30 different species of blueberries
with different ones growing throughout various regions. Blueberries grow
in clusters and range in size from a small pea to a marble. The blueberry
is the second most popular berry in the United States ; the strawberry is
number one.
Blueberries were not cultivated until the beginning of the
20th century, becoming commercially available in 1916. Blueberries have
a sweet taste when mature, with variable acidity. The fruit is a false berry
with a flared crown at the end. The berries are pale greenish at first,
then reddish-purple and finally blue upon ripening.
The native Americans were the first to introduce berries to
their diets. Blueberries are related to azaleas, camellias, heathers, and
rhododendrons. Colonists in America used blueberries to make gray paint.
Ninety percent of the world’s blueberry production comes from the United
States . Blueberries will not ripen once they are picked.
Produce Talk
Problems in California .
Foggy and damp conditions have caused major problems with
red and green leaf lettuce and romaine. Mildew has created crop damage and
shippers will not send product to the east coast. We have very nice New
Jersey lettuce available. But, our recent pattern of rain in the past weeks
created product to be delivered sandy and dirty. If you do not wash and
wash, your salad will have a crunchy taste.
Melons
The watermelon market is very tight right now with limited
production from North Florida and Georgia. Due to earlier weather issues,
shippers are experiencing much lower yields this year. A typical grower
will harvest approximately 60 bins per acre vs. 25 bins per acre this year.
This is a significant shortfall considering that we are heading into the
4th of July.
Cantaloupes, and honeydews are winding down in the Southwest,
but Bakersfield has started in a small way with the Westside starting on
Monday, which should keep prices under control. However, they should be
much cheaper this time of year but they are not.
Apples & Pears
Prices are a little firmer on Red Delicious due to most shippers
will not pack for the next two weeks as they concentrate on packing cherries.
Other prices were steady with the exception on Gala apples as packers look
for some movement because of light demands due to the availability of imported
fruit. Bosc pears are tight with a few New Zealand fruit hitting around
July 1st. There are good supplies of Packham pears. Chilean and Argentine
Anjou pears are limited, but we will have Washington fruit available through
this month. California Bartlett pears will start around the 15th of July.
Imported Citrus
Our first South African navels will arrive by June 30th. There
is a good supply of Clementines from Chile and a few lemons.
California Citrus
We have a good supply on Valencia oranges from California
. The lemon market is strong even with the start of Chilean fruit. The first
arrivals from Chile sold out quickly and did not have much of an impact
on the market at this time. Think lemonade, the demand is strong.
Stone Fruit
Peach supplies out of the Southeast is very light. Growers
are throwing a lot of fruit out because of disease and weather related problems.
Jersey will start by the end of the week. California has good supplies with
good color and quality and prices came off a little. Nectarines have good
supplies, color and size. Prices are steady. Plum supplies are good on both
red and black plums. Prices are firm on larger fruit with cheap deals on
smaller fruit.
Cherries
California cherries are finished and Washington State starting
with good volume on Bings. The sugar content is much higher than last week.
Grapes
The market on red seedless grapes finally broke this week.
Most growers started in the Bakersfield and Delano area with 19-pounders
causing Mexico to drop their prices to keep inventory moving. California
fruit is expected to be down this week. The market on white seedless was
a little steadier with Mexican fruit being at the low end of the market.
Strawberries
Lack of demand and strong production have weakened the market
drastically. Shippers out of Santa Maria and Watsonville are looking to
make deals on what they have.
California are beginning to lighten up in volume with the
first large wave of production ending. Blueberries are now available from
New Jersey , but at more of a premium price than California or Carolina
product. Look for the continued split market as the other growing regions
wind down and Jersey continues to build. Rains last week kept growers in
Jersey from picking fruit, but the gap will be short lived as production
in the fields continue.
Iceberg Lettuce
California shippers are harvesting lighter numbers now due
to decreased planting and the competition from the local growing regions
on the East Coast and Canada . The cool overcast weather on the California
coast hasalso played into the harvest numbers being smaller.
06/23/09
Spotlight on Raspberries
Raspberries belong to the genus Rhubus, which is part of the
rose family. They are a very flavorful fruit with a tart-sweet, almost floral
taste that can not be duplicated. A bramble fruit and cousin to the blackberry,
raspberries once flourished wild in North America . For obvious reasons,
raspberries were considered a luxury well into the mid 1800’s. Besides the
popular red color, raspberries also come in black, gold and purple.
Unlike blackberries which are relatively firm, raspberries
are hollow and are extremely fragile. Raspberries are derived from two species,
the wild red raspberry and black raspberry. The purple type is a cross between
the black and the red berry and the yellow type is a mutant red raspberry.
There are over 200 species of raspberries. Our domestic raspberry is harvested
from early summer to fall.
One of the main things to consider with this delicate fruit
is that it is highly perishable. Keep it cold to ensure the longest possible
shelf life for you.
Produce Talk
Stone Fruit
Peaches are available out of California and the Southern growing
regions and volume is increasing. Due to the cool weather pattern hovering
over both the growing regions, prices have yet to make their summer drop
in prices. remaining steady.
Yellow and white nectarines are being harvested. Quality on
this fruit continues to be very good, but do not look for any big price
drops until after the Fourth of July. Both black and red plums are available
out of California . Look for volume to increase over the next week, but
prices are still on the high side.
Apricots are available, but in limited volume and quiet expensive.
This fruit is very nice with good color and flavor.
Cherries
Cherries finished packing in California last weekend. This
fruit is very nice with good size, color and flavor. Washington has now
started to pack the Chelan variety. These cherries are very nice looking
fruit and volume in Washington is ahead of schedule.
Cantaloupes
The market on cantaloupes is hot. Fruit has been arriving
in very large sizes with very little smaller melons available. The prices
are very expensive for this time of year
Grapes
The market on red seedless is firm and will remain strong
until red grapes begin in 2-3 weeks in the Bakersfield and Delano area.
At this moment, there is only one growing region harvesting in California.
Prices dropped on white seedless grapes due to good volumes
coming out of Mexico . The best deal will be on Mexican fruit, which is
15 to 20 % cheaper California grapes.
Lemons
The cost on California fruit is strong with little to no flex
in pricing at this time. The first arrival of Chilean fruit will hit this
weekend and the price will be a little less because of the absence of freight
charges from California . Chile product arrives in the Phila area by boat.
Oranges
Florida Valencia juice oranges are done for the season. We
will only see domestic oranges from California until the winter season begins.
California navel oranges will also conclude this weekend with navels arriving
from South Africa on June 30th.
Apples & Pears
There are no real changes in the apple and pear markets. Product
will be moving from Washington fruit to New Zealand and Chilean fruit on
most of the varieties of apples. There are a lot of smaller sizes in Washington
and the prices are very aggressive on smaller fruit. Anjou pears will be
available for another month from Washington , but they are showing their
age with marks on their skin. California will start with the new crop in
the middle of July.
Strawberries
Lack of demand and strong production have weakened the market
drastically. Shippers out of Santa Maria and Watsonville are looking to
make deals on what they have.
Bush Berries
Raspberries from California are beginning to lighten up in
volume with the first large wave of production ending. Look for prices to
continue to increase throughout the rest of the month. Blackberry production
out of California is now building. Blueberries are now available from New
Jersey, but at more of a premium price than California or Carolina product.
Look for the continued split market as the other growing regions wind down
and Jersey continues to build. Rains last week kept growers in Jersey from
picking fruit, but the gap will be short lived as production in the fields
continue.
Iceberg Lettuce
California shippers are harvesting lighter numbers now due
to decreased planting and the competition from the local growing regions
on the East Coast and Canada . The cool overcast weather on the California
coast has also played into the harvest numbers being smaller. Quality reports
are showing signs of light mildew due to the cool foggy days.
Tomatoes
Round tomatoes continue to be steady with most of the supply
arriving from Quincy , Florida and South Carolina . Volumes are still on
the lighter side, but should improve as Western buyers fulfill their needs
from California growers. Tennessee Mountain grown tomatoes are set to begin
the second week of July. With the arrival of these tomatoes, it will add
some relief to the market on round vine-ripes and mature greens. Roma tomatoes
are in better shape as volumes out of Mexico have increased. A few shippers
have started with the greenhouse grown programs from Mexico and the fruit
has been beautiful.
Grape and cherry tomatoes volume have increased significantly
and will only get better over the next two weeks. Quality has been very
nice
Cucumbers
There are sufficient supplies available out of the East Coast
with low pricing, but play attention to quality. Hot weather in Georgia
is taking its toll on anything not planted on plastic. Many shippers are
having problems with arrivals due to soft ends, shriveling and light green
color. These problems are not isolated to Georgia cucumbers, but are also
on Carolina and Virginia product. Due to growing problems, we might see
a very fast price increase.
Asparagus
Demand is fair at best as the New Jersey deal has ended. The
only domestic production is coming out of Michigan at more premium prices.
06/18/09
Stone Fruit
Yellow and white peaches are available out of California and
volume is increasing. Due to the cool weather pattern hovering over the
growing region, prices are remaining steady. Southern peaches are arriving
and the quality is getting better.
Yellow and white nectarines are being harvested. The cooler
weather in the growing areas this past week (70 degree highs on some days)
has slowed production. This aberrant weather pattern may cause slight shortages
in availability for now, but next week should be back to normal. Quality
on this fruit is going to continue to be very good, but do not look for
any big drops in pricing until after the Fourth of July (Supply meets Demand).
Both black and red plums are available out of California .
Look for volume to increase over the next week.
Cherries
Cherries will be packing in California through The 19th of
June. This fruit is very nice with good size color and flavor. Washington
State should begin packing sometime around June 17 with the Chelan variety.
Some deals are already being offered from Washington on 12 row cherries
(these are the smaller size).
Watermelon
Supplies have become limited this week as growers finish up
in Northern Florida and make the move into Georgia . Most shippers are estimating
a 30% – 40% loss on crops in Georgia , which will certainly cause a stronger
than usual market heading into the 4th of July. Look for higher prices over
the next couple weeks.
Strawberries
Due to the cool, overcast weather that has been hanging over
the California coast, berry production continues to be lower than normal
levels. FOB prices have remained in check due to the other seasonal fruits
that are weakening the strawberry demand. Quality of the fruit is good with
the occasional full red and some green seedy tips that are seen most on
the Albion variety.
Bush Berries
California raspberry production is at excellent levels that
will continue through the rest of June and into July. Blackberry levels
are building. Blueberries are now available from California and North Carolina
. Blueberry prices continue to fall as they anticipate the start of Jersey
. New Jersey blueberry growers will begin to scratch this weekend and have
the first product available to ship Monday with reports of good volume by
Friday. Look for split markets on blueberries based on where you are sourcing
product.
In the early part of the week, Jersey fruit will get a premium
price, but this will be very short lived, as volume will build fast.
Celery
The growers in the Salinas Valley have started harvesting
this past week adding additional volume to the numbers available out of
the Oxnard area. The market is weak with both growing regions producing
for the next two weeks. Currently, freight is more than the product itself.
Quality is good and has good, green color.
Iceberg Lettuce
Due to the cool overcast weather that has lingered over the
California Coast , harvest numbers have been lighter. Iceberg lettuce prices
have remained steady due to the availability of East Coast product. Later
this month, we will start to see lighter planting from the California growers
due to competition from the local growers on the East Coast and Canada .
The growers in California has seen significant drops over the summer months
for the past two years. Look for markets to stay relatively steady until
one of the growing regions needs to push. There are currently some quality
defects with product out of California due to the foggy morning conditions
leaving some light mildew.
Green Bell Peppers
Prices remain higher due to the lack of availability out of
Georgia . Storms from earlier in the year continue to have a negative affect
on the product grown in the Southeast. We should see a drop in the market
soon as we begin to source product from North Carolina . The start of North
Carolina coupled with California ’s Bakersfield region starting will help
the market drop.
Tomatoes
The tomato market will remain extremely tight over the next
two weeks. Supplies are basically finished coming out of central Florida
for the season. Some growers are finally beginning to harvest in Quincy
, Florida , and farther up the road in Beaufort , South Carolina . This
market will take some time to turn around. Although these areas have started,
the supplies are not enough to offset demand and provide relief to these
higher prices. Quality on all rounds has been good. Roma tomatoes remain
steady with better supplies to begin in South Carolina . There are also
increased supplies crossing from Mexico into McAllen , Texas . This will
help to alleviate additional pressures from the East as this will satisfy
needs in the Midwest . Quality has been excellent.
Grape and cherry
tomato supplies are increasing out of South Carolina . Look
for this market to be the first to slide. Quality has been excellent.
Asparagus
The asparagus market has firmed up and is relatively steady.
New Jersey has finished up, Washington State is finishing and most of the
product is being sourced from Michigan . Demand is now only expected to
be fair at best because of the increased pricing.
06/11/09
Many of you have seen on TV or heard about the quality problems
with the potatoes in Florida. The good news is that we were already near
the end of the Florida season and starting to talk about sourcing from Carolina
and Arizona . The bad news is that the shortages at the end of the Florida
season will cause gaps in supply that will have the market to spiking significantly.
The same rain amounts that have affected corn, peppers, cucumbers,
green beans, squash, athena cantaloupes, watermelon and tomatoes. There
will continue to be severe quality issues due to the heavy rainfall that
has occurred. Gaps in supply will be unavoidable until we move into growing
region that have had better weather.
Pears
The Northwest Anjou pears are now finished for the season.
Anjou and Packham pears have now arrived from Argentina along with Bosc
pears from New Zealand .
Grapes
Mexico did not produce the expected volume of red seedless
grapes and California is struggling with color. With these two factors in
play, the grape market remains tight with little decrease in price and is
expected to remain high for the next two weeks. Mexico and California are
doing a bit better in volume and supplies for white seedless grapes.
Melons
Arizona continues to struggle to get rolling on cantaloupes.
Supplies have been light and the pipeline is dry leaving the market desperate
for fruit. The East is having weather issues affecting Athena melons. Combining
all these factors, the market prices are very high with little to no fruit
available. Honeydews from Texas and Arizona have good supplies on all sizes
and prices are down.
Citrus
Within this past week, grapefruit supplies became very short
in California . Prices shot up. My supplier told me that they have to book
loads a few weeks in advance to ensure product will be shipped t. As of
this week, grapefruit will be non-existent until this Fall when Florida
’s season starts. California navels are still available with very nice quality.
The navel orange price has leveled off and should remain steady.
Navel supplies should last through June. Valencia oranges
from Florida will be available for one more week while California supplies
are just arriving. Valencia orange prices are much less expensive than navels.
The California lemon market continues to climb with many independent
growers finishing with their crop. Lemons from Chile and Mexico are expected
to arrive in the next 2-3 weeks. Expect lemon prices to climb much higher
until volume picks up again. Mexico lime supplies and fruit size has started
to improve. Expect lime prices to drop drastically over the next week.
Stone Fruit
Yellow and white peaches are available out of California and
volume is increasing. Prices are slowly dropping and quality is steadily
improving. Southern peaches are available. We will see quality and taste
improve in the weeks ahead.
Yellow and white nectarines are being harvested. Quality on
this product is steadily improving and pricing will continue to decline.
Black and red plums are available out of California . Pluots
are loading this week and should be available early next week.
Apricots are now available with very nice color and flavor.
Cherries
Cherries have increased in volume and the sizing tends to
be on the large side. The growers will still be packing mostly Bings. As
of now, it looks like California should finish packing about June 19th and
Washington should begin packing sometime around June 12th. Washington should
begin with the Chelan variety in low volume about June 12th.
Bush Berries
Blueberry prices continue to fall as shippers out of both
California and the Carolina ’s are looking to promote product due to increased
volume. New Jersey is looking to start shipping blueberries somewhere between
June 15th and June 18th. Raspberries production is beginning to peak in
California .
Strawberries
Volume on berries is falling off slightly due to cool and
overcast weather that has been along the California Coast for the past two
weeks. Demand is down on berries, however because of all of the other seasonal
fruit that is now available, there should not be any significant increases
in prices.
Iceberg Lettuce
There are currently lighter numbers being harvested due to
the cool overcast weather that has been hanging over the California Coast
. This has caused prices to increase by several dollars, but prices have
now leveled off and should remain steady. Due to the current economic woes
going on in the country and the increased use of local product last year,
California growers will be cutting down their plantings of lettuce starting
now. This decrease in planting is due to the anticipated competition from
Canada and the East Coast to be similar to what they experienced last year.
Leaf Lettuce
The leaf lettuce market is extremely weak as competition from
New Jersey has significantly affected the demand out of California . Overall
quality is good from both growing regions. California has several defects
right now such as: dehydration and burn.Product is still being shipped with
these defects. As the New Jersey season winds down, look for product out
of Canada to start between June 8th and 10th.
Green Beans
So far each week, the green bean market continues to be a
roller coaster of prices. C & E Farms out of Virginia hasnow started
and this will help alleviate some of the pressure that has been on the Georgia
growers. Look for prices to slowly, but steadily fall until we start with
the local deal in July.
Corn
Heavy rains from two weeks ago have severely affected the
availability of corn. There is limited product out of Georgia and it is
all being shipped with the notice of worm damage and dirty husks.
Vidalia Onions
Prices are now fluctuating as we are working off of storage
and shippers are trying to conserve inventory to get into the month of July.
05/26/09
Americans enjoy one of the safest and safest, most affordable
food supply in the world. To keep it that way, to keep it that way, many
state Universities offer educational programs help reduce sources of foodborne
illness, from the farm to the consumer's plate. Recently the federal government
installed a program of traceability from the grower to our kitchen. It seems
that our politicians finally heard us after years of outbreaks. With all
the rules and regulations in place we still have constant updates for problems.
Last week there was a salmonella outbreak with alfalfa sprouts. The system
is in place and the word now gets out quicker.
A major food shipper in Monterey California, Salyer American
Fresh Foods has closed up due to the economic conditions (banks tightened
the money supply) and have left an estimated $12 million in vegetables ready
for harvest, forcing growers to sell at a loss - if they can find buyers
in a market now inundated with product intended for Salyer American. One
grower said his company has broccoli, cauliflower and several varieties
of lettuce contracted and could be forced to plow the product under rather
than harvesting and selling below their costs. This is serious money as
their costs are $4000 per acre and they dedicated 30 acres of product per
week.
It might be a speed bump for us or we just might see higher
prices with one shipper out of the pipeline.
In other news last week, Florida was hit by a huge tropical
storm. Everything growing down there has been affected. Lucky for us, it
is now late spring and there are other sources for our fresh produce.
Produce Talk
Apples
Vessels have started to arrive with imported new crop apples.
Give the New Zealand and Chilean Braeburn, Fuji and Jazz apples a try!
Pears
Washington State will only have a couple more weeks of Anjou
pears left from the 2008 season. There are good supplies for imported pears
available with shipments ending in mid-June. Look for California Bartlett
pears starting in mid-July.
Grapes
The last of the Chilean red and white seedless grape will
be sold over the holiday weekend. The California Perlette with Superior
, Sugarone and Flame seedless grapes will be arriving this weekend. The
market price is starting to come down and there will be a significant drop
in price on the Mexican fruit.
Florida Citrus
Supplies on Florida oranges are very light this week due to
heavy rains in Florida . Market price on all sizes are up $2-$3 dollars,
but this might not be a weather related problem but one of the season ending
and supply is tight.
California Citrus
California navel oranges will be available for another 2 weeks
with much higher prices. The first load of Valencia oranges will be loading
this week with limited volume, the new crop will cost much less than navels.
California grapefruit has good supplies and quality.
Cantaloupe
Offshore cantaloupe will be finishing up this week. The importers
will be dealing on price to be sure to get rid of their remaining inventory.
Cantaloupes were definitely impacted this past week from the rain in Florida
. Quality in the fields that received significant rainfall is sub-par, so
most shippers are not harvesting. Cantaloupes will hold water causing shelf
life to be limited and eating quality to be fair. Product will not be shipped
until reports from the growing areas improve and the growers have had multiple
dry days before harvesting begins again.
Stone Fruit
Yellow and white peaches are available out of California and
volume is increasing. They are starting to ship larger sizes now. Prices
should begin to decline next week as holiday shipping is done. Southern
peaches are available, which is great. The travel distance and quality is
usually much better.
Nectarines are going strong and are starting to ship the larger
sizes. Quality on this product should be good and price will begin to decline.
Apricots are available and will be loading for arrival next
week. This fruit will be very nice looking and good eating. Prices are reasonable
.
Cherries
California cherries continue to be in short supply due to
the high amount of culls being removed during packing. Look for a gap in
cherry production next week until the bing cherries begin harvesting around
June 1.
Bush Berries
Pint blueberries out of North Carolina have started and are
priced pretty aggressively to start. There are still a few smaller pack
sizes out there mostly coming from California . The California fruit will
be available through the month of June. New Jersey is set to start their
harvest about June 15. California raspberries are in full swing and prices
are very aggressive. Now is the time to promote these raspberries. Blackberry
prices are the highest market of all berries as we wait for transition into
California to finish.
Iceberg Lettuce
Quality is finally looking good as most heads are full, green
and clean in appearance. Deals are being made due to inventory levels being
so high. This is expected to continue through the month of June.
Leaf Lettuce
Jersey leaf lettuce is now starting to hit high volume levels.
California has very good supply right now and quality is excellent. There
is Jersey product available but a word of caution. It is normally very sandy
or gritty. You will have to wash is several times.
Green Bell Peppers
Heavy rains in Florida have stopped growers from getting into
the fields to harvest causing some gaps in supply that have caused the wholesale
prices upward. Nogales ( Mexico ) is now done with the pepper deal for the
season and western peppers will now be sourced from the Coachella area of
California .
Tomatoes
Tomatoes have been extremely weak this past week as volumes
out of Palmetto have been heavy. Quality on fruit has been excellent, but
this will turn around very fast. Many of the growing areas in central Florida
received anywhere from 5 – 10 inches of rain. Tomatoes harvested near the
Memorial Day holiday will show signs of skin check on the shoulders, scaring
and the shelf life will be somewhat limited compared to that of the new
crop harvested during ideal conditions. Hothouse tomatoes may be the ticket
for the best looking fruit over the next couple weeks. Grape and cherry
tomatoes should remain steady.
Asparagus
The market is showing signs of weakening as product is coming
out of California , Washington , Michigan and New Jersey . There are multiple
market prices based on where product is being sourced.
Corn
Current weather situations in the Belle Glade Florida growing
region has severely diminished the ability to harvest corn. This has caused
some growers to enact the “Act of God” clause to work their way through
the situation. The timing for this is horrible, but the positive is that
prices did not increase.
05/20/09
Each week, I attempt to have a dialogue with you about the
market conditions of the produce industry and how it affects both our pocket
and nutrition. This week, before starting with food, I want to talk about
an opportunity for you.
You might have noticed in stores and restaurants in Fairmount,
The Fairmount Passport. The Fairmount Business Association is currently
sponsoring this great idea. You can pick up your Passport at Kleins Supermarket
and other participating businesses. You have to visit 5 businesses and get
your Passport stamped. When you fill it up, drop it off or mail it to the
Fairmount CDC on 2206 Fairmount Ave. Each week, a winner will be named and
rewarded with a prize offered by participating Fairmount businesses. Give
it a try.
The heat is coming soon. There is no better way to spend a
few moments during the heat of the day with a nice cold thirst quenching
watermelon.
Seedless watermelon range in size from 10 to 20 pounds on
average. The fruit is oval to a round shape with a sweet flesh that is usually
red or yellow in color. Every part of a watermelon is edible including the
rind(but you won’t find me eating it!). The outside color will vary depending
on the variety of the watermelon. A watermelon should be heavy in size and
have a creamy yellow spot from where it sat on the ground.
Watermelons have a high level of antioxidants, which help
fight cancer and other diseases. All varieties of watermelon can be classified
into four general categories: picnic, ice-box, seedless and yellow flesh.
You can also find the seedless variety as a long melon. It will have a dark
rind with a narrow light green or yellow stripe. Often they are called an
Allsweet type, which is the larger seedless melons and has become a favorite.
You probably didn’t know: early explorers used watermelons
as their canteens to carry their water.
Though watermelons are commonly considered a fruit, they are
actually a vegetable. Watermelons are 92% water. In 1939, seedless watermelon
were developed by treating the un-pollinated flowers of watermelons with
a specific acid. Watermelons take 70 to 80 days to grow.
Produce Talk
Apples
This is the time of the year when our domestic supply begins
to dwindle to just a trickle. The benefits of having a demanding food palate
suggest other nations in the southern hemisphere grow and ship to where
the demand is strong.
Washington State Braeburn apple volumes are dwindling, but
new fruit from New Zealand is looking very nice. Granny Smith apples from
Washington State continue in light supply with New Zealand being the place
to be on this variety. Limited supplies on Gold Delicious apples out of
Washington State and New Zealand is starting in the next 7-10 days. Chilean
Fuji apples have a limited supply. Gala apples are available out of Washington
, Argentina , Chile , and New Zealand . As a result of having so many growing
areas going at the same time, pricing on Gala apples is very reasonable.
Red Delicious apples also have good volume out of Washington State and the
quality remains good.
Pears
Pears are basically all off shore from Argentina . Anjou ,
Bosc and Packham (barlett type) varieties are all available, but the quality
currently is only fair.
Cherries
Cherries have started out of California with the first variety
being Brooks. There has been somewhat of a shortage due to the high percent
being culled. Quality is improving, but prices are remaining on the high
side.
Apriums
This cross between an apricot and a plum, which boasts outstanding
flavor, is now available out of California . Reports of quality show it
to have good color and sugar. This fruit is the best eating stone fruit
available.
Plums
Hopefully we will see some decent varieties beginning this
week. The red beauties, which are available now, have a history of shipping
poorly with very little flavor. Be careful. The price will be high!
Peaches
Both yellow and white peaches are available out of California
with light volume. They will arrive with a nice size fruit but prices will
remain on the high side. Some southern peaches are becoming available and
that is what you should wait for.
Nectarines
Nectarines are starting slowly and what you will see will
be small in size. This fruit should be good but pricing will remain on the
high side.
Grapes
The Chilean grape season is winding down with only a few white
seedless grapes available. Mexico and Coachella are up and running with
Perlettes, which are the first of the season whites (and usually on the
tart side) and Flame (red) seedless, but superiors(next crop white seedless)will
not begin out of California until next week. The market price is dropping
on Perlettes with Mexico having the best price right now.
California Citrus
Navel oranges will be available for the next two weeks, but
pricing will be much higher. Valencia oranges are in good supply. The prices
should start to decrease as many receivers are switching to Valencia oranges
for price. The lemon market is strong with pricing on the rise for 115 ct.
fruit and smaller. Rio Star and Star grapefruit are abundant at very good
pricing.
Florida Citrus
Florida grapefruit has now finished up. Valencia oranges are
the only citrus available out of Florida and the delivered price is cheaper
than California .
Cantaloupe/Honeydew
It is the end of the offshore cantaloupe season with Southern
California starting this week and Arizona starting the following week. Prices
are dropping as the glut of Athena binned melons from Florida are flooding
the market. It is the same story with honeydews as the transition from offshore
product has started.
Strawberries
Santa Maria growing district is coming up on its peak season
and product has been excellent. The favorable weather conditions in California
over the past week have helped the Northern growing region of Salinas and
Watsonville begin to harvest. Be aware that extremely high temperatures
are expected, which may affect the quality of the fruit that arrives to
the East Coast at end of next week. Look for prices to remain steady as
long as growers do not have to remove too much fruit due to the heat.
Bush Berries
Raspberry production continues to build and the F.O.B. pricing
at shipping point continues to fall. Look for great prices on this great
fruit by the end of May or early June as the California supply will start
to peak. Blueberries continues to improve as product is now shipping from
Florida and California . Blueberries out of North Carolina will start soon
and at that point the industry will begin to change the pack size to pints.
Iceberg Lettuce
Prices are very aggressive on lettuce and now is the time
to buy because there are no significant quality defects. The warmer temperatures
forecast for next week have growers worried about heat related damage. Time
will tell
Leaf Lettuce
The market has finally come off. Transition is fully complete
to the Salinas Valley and availability is good. The quality issues such
as dehydration and lighter color are now past. Local product out of New
Jersey has also started. My wish would be for the price to come way down.
Asparagus
The supply chain is full as product is shipping from Washington
, Michigan , New Jersey and even Peru. The prices are over the board based
on where product is being source from.
05/04/09
You knew it was coming. As sure as there have been scores
of articles this year about how to stretch your food budget by planting
a garden, we can now brace ourselves for a whole new kind of "how to"
article. We will be advised eight ways to Sunday how to avoid the "swine
flu" (I'm afraid that attempts to call it H1N1 will fall on deaf ears;
Swine flu has entered the vernacular)
I have received updates from my supplier, which most likely
comes from the Federal Government. It suggests if one is feeling ill: stay
home, contain your cough, and wash hands frequently and to avoid crowds.
So far so good. It is all very logical. But the guidelines
continue with: Eating and drinking
Eating and Drinking — Do not eat or drink after others without
complete sanitization of containers or utensils. Swine flu can be transmitted
by contact with infected eating utensils. The life span of a virus is different
for each and can vary from as much as 48 hours to 100 years depending on
the hardiness of the virus. Although there have been no known cases of swine
flu transmission through fruit and vegetable consumption, there does seem
to be some concern about the possibility. The best bet is to buy locally
grown fruits and vegetables if possible. Make sure you wash your fruits
and vegetables with water, and soak for greater effectiveness. Washing and
using chlorinated rinses have not been proven to work. So far there have
been no cases of swine flu transmission through fruits and vegetable sources.
It is disconcerting to see such advice given to consumers.
If consumers are urged to eat only locally grown fruits and
vegetables, the direct implication is that fruits and vegetables from another
state or country are unsafe.
While eating "locally grown produce" seems to be
saintly advice and above reproach, it is in fact a disservice to both consumers
and marketers of fresh fruits and vegetables. Let's see such groundless
advice end before it gains momentum.
By the way, the last tip is to: Visit your doctor. With any
luck, the doctor should advise you to eat more fruits and vegetables.
Produce Talk
Strawberries
Very strange weather patterns have affected availability
of fruit even though product is shipping from all three growing regions.
High temperatures had the first affect on fruit during the end of last weeks
harvest when some shippers had to throw product away due to the excessive
heat. The second weather related factor was the rains that hit the growing
regions last weekend causing growers to strip fields on Monday and Tuesday
of this week and the final weather related issues are the post rain cooler
temperatures of lower than 65 degrees that slow the growth process of the
plant and fruit. The weather related issues coupled with Mothers Day pull
will leave small gaps in supply for the next week.
Bush Berries
Good supplies of California raspberries are now available
and prices are falling by the day. Blueberry prices have fallen the middle
of this past week as now both Florida and California have fruit available.
Blackberry prices will slightly increase as we are still in the transition
period from Mexico to California .
Iceberg Lettuce
Production out of Santa Maria and Salinas is now in full
swing. Prices are relatively stable even with the weather issues that were
mentioned last week. The biggest quality issues still remain tip burn, sunscald
and rib russeting on the outer wrapper leaves.
Leaf Lettuce
Quality has improved on all varieties since last week along
with prices decreasing. Boston lettuce is still the most expensive of the
lettuces due to it being the most delicate and suffering the largest amounts
of damage from the warm weather. Red and Green leaf prices have come off
by several dollars. Romaine supplies continue to exceed demand. of the proper
crisping methods to help with quality even though quality has improved.
Cucumbers
There is a split market starting to form based on weather
you are sourcing product from Florida or Mexico . Volume out of Mexico is
fair due to the hot weather causing production to fall off therefore driving
the market up. There should be availability until late May early June out
of this area. Product from Florida is readily available and prices are very
aggressive and should stay this way for the next several weeks. Look for
prices to increase as we get closer to Memorial Day.
Green Bell Peppers
There has bee a huge glut of production in South Florida
that has driven the markets down severely over the last week to the point
that selling prices are lower than production costs. With that said, look
for prices to move back up over the next ten day as production moves to
Central Florida and then Georgia where product is running a week behind
schedule due to heavy rains and late frost last month.
Asparagus
The market is holding steady as product is coming from California
, Washington and New Jersey . Demand is only fair at best right now. There
are large gaps on price based on where product is being sourced. Michigan
is set to start the week of May 11th.
Spring is here, summer fruit should start arriving soon!
04/27/09
Greetings Food Lovers!
Ok, here we go again. California is the story. When our country
relies on one region for our fresh produce stuff happens. “recent adverse
growing conditions” was the subject of a recent email I received from my
supplier.
The Salinas Valley has been besieged by severe weather related
quality challenges. Last week we experienced two days of high winds, 40
to 50 MPH. Also, we had two nights with freezing temperatures. The last
three days daytime highs have been 90 to 100 degrees. This drastic weather
has and will continue to affect product quality. This can result in fringe
burn, wind damage, wilt, discoloration, bruising and decay.
These same plants have been in the ground for 90 days, they
are weakened and stressed. We are not experiencing anything near the conditions
necessary of providing product all of us are normally accustomed to. We
are being careful in harvest selection, tarping field loads, and cooling
product as-soon-as it arrives to our cooler. Some defects and problems are
not detectable at time of harvest.
So where do we go from here? California is also reporting
problems with strawberries due to the extreme heat and rain for last weekend.
This is bad news as I have been enjoying eating them on a daily basis. Time
will tell!
Here is what we know about the coming weeks
California growers early reports
Peaches
Packing will begin in about two weeks. Estimates are around
50,000 cases! That is just one label reporting.
Apricots will start packing towards the end of the week of
May 4th. Apricots are a spring item and look for a 6 week season ending
around June 15th.
Plum harvest will start around May 15th with red beauts.
The Black Diamond series will start around May 22nd with light volume through
June until growers “kick into high gear” July 1st.
Nectarines will have 3500 boxes of nectarines packing between
May 6th -14th. They will ship during the same time period as the peaches
out of Bakersfield .
Grapes
Coachella Mexico is projecting to start red seedless around
May 10th. Light volume through May and normal in June. Superior white seedless
will be available around May 15th on very light volume. Our peak weeks will
be the 4 weeks of June. Organic Superiors should start around June 10th
and be available over a 3 week period. Midnight black seedless will start
May 24th with light volume for 2 weeks and will pick up starting the week
of June 8 up to when we will see product arriving from California in July.
More News
Citrus
Texas grapefruit has finished up this week and Florida is
experiencing sporadic supplies. California Ruby Red grapefruit will arrive
this week.
Valencia oranges from Florida have abundant supplies, great
flavor and very nice quality. The California navel season is just about
concluded with growers switching over to Valencia orange packing. Navel
oranges will be available into May with pricing slowly rising, especially
on smaller size product.
The lime market is strong with a high demand on larger size
limes. Most growers have little to no fruit available with product arriving
on the small size. This supply issue is expected to last through June. The
lemon market is also firming up and pricing will continue to inch up as
we move into warmer weather. Supplies are good on lemons from California
. Lemons from Spain , Mexico and Chile are
expected to arrive in 3-4 weeks, which will keep prices lower
due to the competition.
Grapes
The market on red and white seedless grapes continues to climb.
The demand on red seedless has increased due to suppliers limiting white
seedless grapes for quality issues and escalated pricing. The white seedless
grape market will continue to struggle until product from Mexico and California
starts in two weeks. Don’t be surprised if you don’t find white seedless
as your favorite supermarket wishes to
avoid problems.
Corn
Florida’s late spring corn crop is now in production and prices
have dropped significantly. Warm weather is coming and now is a good time
to enjoy this sweet tasting vegetable.
Tomatoes
The Florida tomato prices are beginning to slide as growers
begin to harvest the spring crop. Growers are anticipating a solid crop
for the month of May.
Canadian grown hothouse tomatoes are starting to arrive in
large qualities. Quality is fantastic with those big beefsteaks and the
tomatoes on the vine
Green Bell Peppers
Prices are cheap with Florida in full production. Mexico is
getting one last harvest in and the extra large size product is now available
out of the Coachella growing region.
Cucumbers
Large increases in volume out of both Florida and Sonora ,
Mexico are causing the market to crash. Low prices are expected to continue
through next week. The quality on the Mexican product is superior to product
coming from Florida . The only cost differences between the two is the freight
to get product here from Nogales . Florida product has more yellow belly,
where the
Mexican product is dark green throughout.
Asparagus
Both demand and supply remain steady. Washington State has
started with light volume. New Jersey and Virginia will be starting next
week with better volume. The Stockton/Lodi area of California continues
to produce limited volumes. Look for a slight drop in price as all four
regions are producing with prices going back up until Michigan begins around
May 11.
04/13/09
Spotlight on the Grape Tomato
The grape tomato is in fact grape shaped and generally has
a thicker skin than cherry tomatoes. This small tomato has a very sweet,
juicy and flavorful taste. Originally introduced as an exotic item in upscale
grocery stores, the grape tomato has become extremely popular for both produce
growers and consumers alike. In Southeast Asia , the grape tomato was originated
by combining the thicker skin of the beefsteak-style tomato with the size
and flavor of the Italian Roma tomato.
Grape tomatoes grow in clusters on a small vine and harvesting
can be very labor intensive. The fruit must be picked at a point when the
color is changing from light pink to a hint of red. A green grape tomato
will not continue to ripen off the vine, and a red grape tomato will be
overripe by the time it reaches the store shelves.
Do not refrigerate any variety of tomatoes. It stops the ripening
process and not allow the full flavor to come through. Grape tomatoes can
be stored in your home on the counter and used as needed for salads, side
dishes or just as a snack. Ripe grape tomatoes will hold at room temperature
for 2-3 days.
Produce Talk
Strawberries
Production continues to be good out of the Southern California
growing region. Supplies out of Santa Maria growing region continue to increase
and should play a significant role in prices dropping starting early next
week. Product out of Florida is still available and will continue to ship
through the month of April however warm weather will play a major role in
the quality of the product. Until all production is coming from the Santa
Maria look for product to show signs of quality issues.
Bush Berries
New crop Florida blueberries have started. This will help
fill the gaps being created by the short supplies caused by the end of the
season in South America . There is a huge diffence in prices between the
South American product and the Florida product. Florida is about .75 cents/pack
more! Considering the shorter distance, I consider that highway robbery!
California is not set to start shipping fruit until the end of April. Blackberries
are in good supply and continue to be a great ad item. Raspberry availability
is still very limited and will remain that way through the rest of the month.
Celery
California celery continues to run large and have good weights.
Prices are remaining steady, as there is significant price competition out
of Florida . Product out of Florida is lighter in color and case weights
are up to ten pounds lighter. Transition in California to the Oxnard growing
region is set to start the middle of the month.
Iceberg Lettuce
The market is up and should remain that way until the week
of 4/13 when good supply starts out of Salinas . Production out of Huron
is underway but supplies are limited due to less acreage being planted because
of the California water crisis. Due to the limited volume out of Huron and
Salinas most orders are still being pushed to Yuma . Product out of Yuma
is the last plantings and quality issues such as rib rust, misshapen heads,
light weights and tip burn are all evident.
Leaf Lettuce
Like the other crops leaf lettuce is transitioning to the
Salinas growing region but there is no significant volume forecast until
the week of 4/13. Markets are extremely high on Green Leaf and Red leaf
with Romaine being slightly cheaper. Product coming out of Yuma is showing
the affects of excessive heat in the fields during harvest. This will be
most apparent on the butt end of the product where you will see dehydration
and heavier amounts of discoloration.
Green Bell Peppers
Prices on peppers continued to come off this week as supplies
out of Mexico and Florida both increased. Mexico will only go for a few
more weeks until production out of Coachella begins.
Cucumbers
Transition between growing districts combined with truck strikes
in Mexico and a late start to the Florida product have had cucumber price
at their peak. Look for these prices to fall and fall fast as Florida started
harvesting this week and looks to have steady production all of next week.
Asparagus
The market remains very strong as is customary at this time
of year. Mexican product is all but finished and the Stockton/Lodi region
out of California is limited in volume. Demand looks to remain strong and
volume will be limited as Easter approaches. Quality out of the northern
growing regions is much better than the others.
Broccoli
There is better production on crowns(without the stems) as
we move into the weekend and this market looks poised to fall even more
next week. The gap between growing regions is closing as there is better
production coming from the northern growing regions in California . Bunches
of broccoli will stay a little pricier as both first and second passes in
the field are being used to cut crowns.
Green Zuccinni
Prices are on the floor as warm weather in Florida has caused
plants to produce in excess.
04/02/09
Greetings Food Lovers!
One of the tell-tale signs of Spring are the abundant displays
of fresh asparagus in your favorite supermarket. Asparagus is a member
of the lily family and grows from a crown that is planted about a foot
deep in sandy soil. It can be found in green, purple and white varieties.
Green asparagus is the most common in the United States , while the white
is more popular in Europe. Widely cultivated for it’s tender, succulent,
edible shoots, asparagus cultivation began more than 2,000 years ago.
When selecting asparagus, look for bright green stalks with
purple tinted buds. Store at 37o to 41o F and stand in shallow water or
ice. One important thing to remember when storing fresh asparagus is to
never mist the tops of the vegetable. The wet tips will cause rapid decay.
Good quality product will be firm and have close, compact tips.
Under ideal conditions, an asparagus spear can grow 10"
in a 24-hour period. There is a recipe for cooking asparagus in the oldest
surviving book of recipes, Apicius’s third century AD De re coquinaria,
Book III.(which I keep with my cookbooks for references, my wife translates
it for me). The name asparagus comes from Greek meaning "sprout"
or "shoot". Asparagus was called the "Food of Kings."
King Louis XIV of France was so fond of it that he ordered greenhouses
built so he could enjoy asparagus all year-round.
Produce Talk
I am a strong believer in a market economy. I feel that
market conditions, whether it is the stock market, the produce market
or what ever is in a supply and demand situation should be determined
by what the forces will pay.
With this in mind, a peek into control tactics. Several
weeks ago, when the California strawberry season was just ramping up,
buyers were looking for advertising deals for the national chain stores.
When they approached the strawberry growers association, they growers
did not want to “push” their crop this year. Their thoughts were on maximizing
their earnings on the available product, so no deals for the April holidays.
Well, things didn’t work out so well with that concept,
the buyers found other deals to use for sale items and the strawberry
shippers were left on the dock, so to speak. Now they are asking anybody
to take product at any price just to move it through the pipeline.
A lesson in greed. Now they will take any price, consumers
win, prices for the next week or two should be lower. Enjoy it now!
Be wary of the Florida strawberries, although at cheaperprices,
quality will be weaker because they have been in the heat. The berries
out of California are now coming from Santa Maria and are large with good
quality.
Grapes from Chile
Seedless grapes are now more ample in supply. Many grape
suppliers are looking to move white seedless
grapes, so deals can be made on price. The red seedless
market has more volume, but little to no room on price.
Citrus
Even though California is experiencing a shorter crop this
season, there is a lot of fruit available. Demand has not met expectations
due to the higher prices and ad quotes. Growers are only seeing moderate
sales and are scrambling to obtain more orders to move the product.
The lemon market is still quite cheap with deals on large
fruit. Minneola tangeloes are selling very strong
with deals on choice fruit.
The Florida grapefruit prices are picking up as the season
begins to wind down. Look for prices to increase in the next week. Honey
tangerines are finishing up, but product will be available with low volume
into April. Valencia juice oranges are in good supply.
Stone Fruit
The Chilean stone fruit season is starting to wind down
with California ’s season just around the corner.
Tomatoes
The tomato market seems to be gaining strength this week
as volume begin to slide from Mexico and
Florida. Another factor putting pressure on the market is
the lack of product crossing from Mexico into Nogales due to a truck strike.
Product will be sitting idle on trucks in Mexico until this issue is resolved
causing orders to be cancelled or pushed off until a future date.
This will push buyers into the Florida market causing this
market to spike and the pipeline to clean out. The
truck strike should be resolved over the next day or so.
Growing conditions remain very good in Florida and the arriving
product is great. Look for excellent size this upcoming week as the majority
of the tomatoes will be very large. Roma tomatoes became very tight this
past week. Mexico has been the biggest game in town, but volumes have
dropped significantly. Florida is also very light with fruit. Look for
this market to be the most aggressive and highest
priced. Tomatoes on the vine will be in decent supply this
upcoming week.
Iceberg Lettuce
Markets are remaining steady as we are now transitioning
to a the Huron region. The end of the season product from Yuma has had
severe defects that affect the appearance dramatically. Expect to seedefects
such as weak tips, russeting and light color on product from Yuma , all
of which are exempt from scoring on arrival. The Salinas growing region
should start sometime during the first week of April.
Asparagus
The short lived flush of product from Mexico finished the
middle of this week and we are now seeing the normal short supply situation
we are used to for the Easter pull period. Prices have climbed six to
eight dollars since Tuesday and will continue to climb as all product
will be coming out of the Stockton/Lodi growing region.
Broccoli
Look for the broccoli market to remain strong due to product
gaping as the desert growing region finishes.
Demand continues to exceed supply. Broccoli crowns(no stems)
will be even harder to come by with only a limited number of fields in
the Northern growing districts that can produce crown material.
03/25/09
Greetings Food Lovers!
You might have noticed foraging down the produce aisle of
your favorite supermarket the prices of corn and beans might be way too
high priced for your shopping budget. A series of freezes hit Southern Florida
in late January into early February all but destroying the crop. As a result,
less supply with a strong demand, pushed prices way up for the remaining
available crops. Mexican beans are coming up but due to the situation, shippers
are asking more for their supplies.
Cantaloupe Spinach Salad
The rule of thumb is to follow your nose when choosing a cantaloupe,
the sweeter the smell the better the melon. The other rule is softness on
the opposite end from the navel of the fruit. If it has give, it is time
to eat. Guatemala way down in Central America has been shipping north some
fine product at reasonable prices. They have a nice sugar level. Try this
great recipe I discovered!
4 cups Spinach Leaves flat not curly
1 cup Cantaloupe sliced
1 cup Avocado sliced
½ cup Red Bell Pepper diced
2 tablespoons Mint leaves, fresh & chopped
1 tablespoon Mint Apple Jelly
1½ teaspoon White Wine Vinegar
3 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
1 Garlic Clove minced
Directions:
Divide spinach between 2 serving plates. Arrange half the
cantaloupe and half of the
avocado in a circular pattern over the spinach on each plate.
Sprinkle with diced red peppers and fresh mint. To dress the salad, mix
together the mint jelly, vinegar, oil and
garlic. Drizzle over both plates of salad. Serve immediately.
Produce Talk
Strawberries
Growers are looking to finish the season in Florida and Central
Mexico and the warmer weather has some growers already pulling plants out
of production because the quality of the fruit will not be good enough for
them to ship. California continues to build inventory as the Santa Maria
growing region is now shipping some fruit. Shippers are pricing the berries
very aggressively to push volume. As long as the weather is good, we should
see nice supplies arriving for the Easter/Passover holidays
Blueberries
Blueberries from South America are finishing up and the prominent
pack size is changing back to the 4.4 oz. clamshell. Look for prices to
remain higher until California and Florida crops start in April.
Citrus
The market on Florida grapefruit will get stronger as the
season winds down in the next 3-4 weeks. Prices will increase as supplies
decrease. Honey tangerines coming from Florida are about finished and prices
have jumped. Supplies on Florida Valencia juice oranges are good with deals
available on volume business.
With a shorter crop for California citrus, many growers are
finding themselves with an abundance of inventory and are making deals to
move product. The California lemon market remains flat with cheap deals
on the larger size fruit.
This week, California grapefruit shippers have kicked off
their season and soon that will be the only game in town. Thick skin and
not as sweet as Florida .
Grapes
White seedless grapes are abundant in supply with growers
looking to move volume. The best deals are on large and medium-large fruit
at aggressive prices. Red seedless prices are moving up due to the transition
to a later maturing variety
Iceberg Lettuce
There are issues that are showing up now as the growing season
in Yuma Arizona is ending. Expect to see lighter colors, tip burn, early
decay and lighter weights in most products. Growers will be transitioning
to the Huron California growing region on the week of March 23rd. This transition
to a new growing region should help the quality issues, but due to water
issues in the Central Valley , supplies can be limited and market will be
active.
Leaf Lettuce
The leaf lettuce market is weak due to product shipping from
Yuma and also now from Oxnard and Santa Maria . I have been told to be extra
cautious about deals if buying out of the Yuma growing region. The product
from Yuma has heat related quality issues. Growers will make deals to move
the product before they leave for Huron. Growers will finish up in Yuma
in approximately one week.
Asparagus
There has been a significant drop in prices in the middle
of the week. California has two regions harvesting at the same time, creating
a small flush in the market. Take advantage of these prices over the next
week, because prices will start to climb when the desert deal finishes and
just before the Easter/Passover holiday begins and prices will go back up.
Broccoli
The broccoli market is stronger right now out of California
. Yuma has finished and Santa Maria and Salinas have not started. Expect
this market to stay strong for one more week.
Tomatoes
Hothouse tomatoes out of Canada have been absolutely beautiful.
Look for supplies and quality to remain excellent. Tomatoes on the vine
from Canada have also started in a light way. Look for excellent size to
each cluster and bright, fresh, and green stems.
Round tomatoes out of Florida will remain steady this week
with pricing holding firm and excellent quality. Look for sizing to improve
as some farms are harvesting only the larger sizes.
Grape tomatoes have tightened up significantly this past week.
Look for pricing to begin moving up as volumes drop. The cooler weather
from a few weeks ago is finally showing its affect and causing some buyers
to procure product out the West.
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