Fords Produce Company | Fresh Produce Distributor | Raleigh NC
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Monthly Archives: February 2026

Blueberries – Should continue locally well into July and then we’ll make the transition to more Northern states like New Jersey and Michigan.

Produce Supply Update May 29th, 2026 Good Morning! Asparagus – After many weeks of short supply and high markets, our domestic growers are kicking into gear and there’s plenty to go around. Now is a great time to feature it on your menus. Avocados – Mexico is changing seasons and there’s a short term gap effecting the market. Supplies dried up seemingly overnight but better conditions are expected over the coming weeks as new areas begin harvesting. Blueberries – Are cranking up in NC and the quality has been beautiful. We’re looking forward to a great season. Broccoli and Cabbage – both are going strong locally and quality has been gorgeous. Pricing has been very favorable too with the lower freight rates of close by farms. Corn– Is widely available now and quality and pricing are excellent! It’s been a tough spring but they’re finally past the hard part and the summer should be smooth sailing from here on. We’re looking at a great summer for corn. Grapes – It seems like the west coast grape season has just begun and they’re already looking to push volumes as they’re having a strong harvest and sluggish demand. Prices are lower this week. Lettuce – The leaf lettuce market is expected to remain firm to elevated over the next few weeks, led by romaine and romaine hearts, which continue to see the strongest demand and pricing support. Supplies out of California remain very light, and while some improvement has been noted, quality variability is still limiting relief, particularly on hearts and value‑added items. Melons – Honeydews, cantaloupes are finishing the offshore season and are starting domestically out west. Watermelons are coming on strong in Florida and prices are lower. Warmer weather makes it a great time to feature these. Oranges – Navel oranges will be soon finishing up for the season and we’ll start to see the transition to Valencia variety. Though a great orange, valencias are seeded. Strawberries – Supplies remain limited and quality has been suspect. We’ve seen a small amount of local strawberries available after the rains last week dried out. Squash and Zucchini – Our local farmers are cranking out the squash. Quality has been exceptional. Tomatoes – Local tomatoes are still a few weeks away but there are good supplies coming from Georgia and quality is great. Nothing in the English language starts with N and ends in G. Thank you for your business! Have a Great Week! Copyright Ford’s Produce 2026

Produce Supply Update May 29th, 2026 Good Morning! Asparagus – After many weeks of short supply and high markets, our domestic growers are kicking into gear and there’s plenty to go around. Now is a great time to feature it [...]

May 29, 2026 featured, Produce Supply Update
Corn, White

Produce Supply Update May 22nd, 2026 Happy Memorial Day! Apples – We are now in the heart of the storage crop season and the beginning of the import season. The storage crop is smaller than last year and therefore many varieties and packs are tighter than last year. Blueberries – Are cranking up in NC and the quality has been beautiful. We’re looking forward to a great season. Broccoli and Cabbage – Both are going strong locally and quality has been gorgeous. Pricing has been very favorable too with the lower freight rates of close by farms. Corn– Is widely available now and quality and pricing are excellent! It’s been a tough spring but they’re finally past the hard part and the summer should be smooth sailing from here on. Feature corn for your Memorial Day menus. Grapes – It seems like the west coast grape season has just begun and they’re already looking to push volumes as they’re having a strong harvest and sluggish demand. Prices are lower this week. Melons – Honeydews, cantaloupes are finishing the offshore season and are starting domestically out west. Watermelons are coming on strong in Florida and prices are lower. Warmer weather makes it a great time to feature these. Oranges – Navel oranges will be soon finishing up for the season and we’ll start to see the transition to Valencia variety. Though a great orange, valencias are seeded. Stone Fruit – Season has begun! We have cherries, nectarines, peaches, plums and apricots available. Strawberries – California had some hot days and then a lot of rain, which are the 2 worst things for a strawberry field. Supplies got extremely short seemingly overnight. Prices are up as a result. Squash and Zucchini – The local season has begun and we’re expecting a great year. Lots of farmers are harvesting all at once so I think we’re going to rapidly see some falling prices. Tomatoes – Markets continue to fall as supplies catch back up with demand. Quality, volume, and pricing are all getting better every day. Our local crops are still a few weeks out. I can always tell someone is lying just by looking at them. I can tell when they’re standing too. Thank you for your business! Have a Great Week! Copyright Ford’s Produce 2026

Produce Supply Update May 22nd, 2026 Happy Memorial Day! Apples – We are now in the heart of the storage crop season and the beginning of the import season. The storage crop is smaller than last year and therefore many [...]

May 22, 2026 featured, Produce Supply Update
Stone Fruit - Bing Cherries in a collander

Produce Supply Update May 15th, 2026 Good Morning! Apples – We are now in the heart of the storage crop season and the beginning of the import season. The storage crop is smaller than last year and therefore many varieties and packs are tighter than last year. As a result, we are seeing a rising market on many varieties, sizes, and packs, and this trend is expected to continue for the next couple of months. The most significant item that is down this year is the Gala apples. The latest storage report shows that inventory is down over 20% from last year. Blueberries – Started locally this week and they’re absolutely beautiful. Pricing is great and the berries are plump and delicious. Broccoli and Cabbage – both are going strong locally and quality has been gorgeous. Pricing has been very favorable too with the lower freight rates of close by farms. Corn– Is widely available now and quality and pricing are excellent! It’s been a tough spring but they’re finally past the hard part and the summer should be smooth sailing from here on. Melons – Honeydews, cantaloupes and watermelons are all lower. Warmer weather makes it a great time to feature these on your menus. Oranges – The crop is heavily trending toward the larger sizes of fruit, making smaller oranges very hard to source. Pricing is flipped upside from what it normally is, with the larger sizes typically fetching top dollar. Stonefruit – Season has begun! We have cherries, nectarines, peaches, plums and apricots available. Strawberries – Are all but finished locally though it was a great season. We’ll be moving to California growers Squash and Zucchini – Our local farmers are starting this week and we’re excited for the season to begin. We’re expecting a great year. Tomatoes – Markets continue to fall as supplies catch back up with demand. Quality, volume, and pricing are all getting better every day. Q: What’s a cucumber’s favorite sport? A: Pickle ball

Produce Supply Update May 15th, 2026 Good Morning! Apples – We are now in the heart of the storage crop season and the beginning of the import season. The storage crop is smaller than last year and therefore many varieties [...]

May 15, 2026 featured, Produce Supply Update
Blueberries – Should continue locally well into July and then we’ll make the transition to more Northern states like New Jersey and Michigan.

Good Morning! Produce Supply Update May 4th, 2026 Apples – We are now in the heart of the storage crop season and the beginning of the import season. The storage crop is smaller than last year and therefore many varieties and packs are tighter than last year. As a result, we are seeing a rising market on many varieties, sizes, and packs, and this trend is expected to continue for the next couple of months. The most significant item that is down this year is the Gala apples. The latest storage report shows that inventory is down over 20% from last year. Asparagus – Remains extremely short. With Mother’s Day this coming weekend things could get interesting. Prices are strong and large asparagus is really hard to find. Domestic production is set to crank up, but it’s not quite there yet. Blueberries – Are rolling in Georgia and they’re packed in pints vs. 6oz packs. Much better value on the pints and it should steadily improve as the weather warms. Our local guys are set to get started in just a few weeks. Broccoli and Cabbage – Cabbage is going strong locally, broccoli has just begun. Supplies and pricing are getting much better on both. Corn– Is widely available now and quality and pricing are excellent! It’s been a tough spring but they’re finally past the hard part and the summer should be smooth sailing from here on. Strawberries – Are really cranking up locally now. Our local farmers have moved out of the greenhouses and moved to fruit from the field and supplies are much stronger and the quality is gorgeous. You can see it at all the road side stands popping up everywhere. Feature them everywhere you can. Squash and Zucchini – Florida has wrapped up their season, but Georgia is cranking up and should move the market back down. Our local guys are still a few weeks out, but spring is on the way and we’re looking forward to a great season. Tomatoes – Supplies are getting more and more critical every week. Sighting big tomatoes is like seeing Sasquatch, nobody believes you if you say you did. Prices remain very strong this week but are expected to change rapidly over the two upcoming weeks. Next time you get a call from an unknown number, answer it by whispering “It’s done, but there’s blood everywhere.”

Good Morning! Produce Supply Update May 4th, 2026 Apples – We are now in the heart of the storage crop season and the beginning of the import season. The storage crop is smaller than last year and therefore many varieties [...]

May 1, 2026 featured, Produce Supply Update
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