Northern veggies – Berries – Vegetables – Melons – Tomatoes – Pumpkins
Produce Report
Northern veggies: The Salinas valley is recovering from the storms and cold of last week. Iceberg lettuce is half of its peak price from last week. Broccoli and cauliflower are also seeing much relief. Leaf seems to be coming off a little slower. Castroville thorned artichokes are peaking right now and we are seeing very good prices. Cilantro, parsley, green and napa cabbages are still high.
Berries: Blueberries are hitting astronomical prices. Air shipments have
been very light we hope to more volume the beginning of next week. Please
advise substitutions in the meantime. Blackberries are increasing volume,
prices are down and quality is very good. California raspberries are up slightly
as production has slowed down. The strawberry market has firmed up since
last week. Quality is still good considering the weather.
Vegetables: Italian and yellow squashes are looking excellent and prices
remain fair. Green and red bells are settling back down. Peruvian asparagus
shipments are in full force, we should see some very cheap asparagus soon.
Melons: Prices remain stable on both cantaloupes and honeydews. The
seedless watermelon market is improving and quality seems much improved.
Tomatoes: Baja round tomato volume is down slightly this week. Moderate
demand and good weather on the way, should keep this market steady.
Romas seem stable this week. Cherry tomatoes became extremely short
towards the end of last week. Grape tomatoes are a great alternative.
Pumpkins: Pumpkin volume is dwindling and demand has been stronger than
anticipated. We still have good volume on medium sizes but are running low on larger sizes.
The Specialties Report
Specialty Veggies- Baby beets of all types are extremely short. This is due to the summer season plantings being sparse, the little seeds do not do well in
that kind of heat. For the same reason the other baby root veggies go through a cycle at this time of year that usually resolves by late fall. Stringless Snap
Peas have come off recently and are a cool weather crop that has a great sweet flavor without the fibrous string to deal with. White Asparagus is a good
buy right now and as asparagus comes off it is something you could pair with green or purple asparagus which is also fairly reasonable.
Seasonal Items- Cape Gooseberries are coming in with fantastic sweet/tart flavor and the decorative “paper lantern” sheath, kind of like a tiny tomatillo.
The last of the mixed melons the Tuscan cantaloupe is on the way out and the price has doubled. It is definitely not specialty melon time right now.
Salsify is also known as oyster plant and it is a great root to work with at this time of year, a European favorite. We are seeing the new crop of sunchokes
a.k.a. Jerusalem artichokes coming in and they are getting more popular each year with their crisp texture and earthy, nutty flavor. Domestic Taylor
Gold, Yali, and Comice pears dot the flavor landscape, representing a variety of pear types that can be used in a variety of applications.
Local- Connelly Gardens has a slew of baby cherry heirloom tomatoes. Baby Zucchini with flower is another great item being offered from the
Ramona based fields of Tim Connelly. Still producing fine culinary herbs for the kitchens of our customers we are focusing on chives and mint with some
rosemary and thyme as well for good measure. Valdivia Farms is still producing beautiful heirloom tomatoes in Carlsbad with their mild climate.
Tags: Produce Reports
