Spotlight

• Welcome to November! Asparagus – After a tough couple of months of short supplies, both Peru and Mexico are cranking up and should have good supplies going into the holiday season. Pricing is coming down. Broccoli – Is going strong locally and quality and pricing are excellent. Broccoli likes chilly weather. Cabbage – Became more available last week as our neighbors in the NC mountains began harvest. Celery – You can count on celery to always go up every year as we get closer to Thanksgiving. People who haven’t bought a stalk of celery since last Thanksgiving suddenly need it for several Thanksgiving recipes, creating a yearly shortage in the market. Cucumbers, Peppers, and Squash – Have tightened up as Georgia wraps up their season and Florida is not quite ready. Mexico has gotten started and will add a lot of needed volume to the market. Greens – Cooler weather here in NC is really helping the quality of our local greens shippers, and also getting more people in the mood to eat collards and kale. Holiday greens are in the ground, with no planting skips so we should have plenty for Thanksgiving. Lettuce – Supplies are extremely limited across the industry in romaine and all lettuces. The market remains at unprecedented levels and continues to escalate. The previous weather issues and the quality problems associated with them have drastically impacted all yields and weights. Good quality is coming, but it’s still a couple of weeks away. Melons – The west coast domestic season has wrapped up due to the heavy rains and hot weather. New melons from new fields have been much better. Potatoes – Farmers are finishing up or finished with harvest in nearly all growing regions. Quality and sizing look good across the board. We will see demand start to increase over the next week or two as everyone tries to get ahead of the Thanksgiving pull. Look for pricing to remain steady for the foreseeable future. Tomatoes – Our local farmers have had a fabulous season with so many gorgeous tomatoes available. They are expecting a frost this coming week that will wrap it up. Get them while you still can. I knew a guy who worked 12 hours a day to put food on his family’s table. He was a great man, but a terribly slow cook.
• Happy Halloween! Apples – Washington growers are in full swing harvesting the Gala and the Honeycrisp apples. Both of these new crops are projected to be larger than last year. We are projecting to have excellent supplies of most varieties for the upcoming season. Broccoli – Is starting locally and quality and pricing are much better than what was available on the west coast. Beautiful product at a great price. Cabbage – Became more available last week as our neighbors in the NC mountains began harvest. Corn – Fall sweet corn remains at great pricing and the quality is the best we’ve seen in years for fall corn. Now is a great time to feature them on your menu. Cucumbers, Peppers, and Squash – Have tightened up as Georgia wraps up their season and Florida is not quite ready. Mexico has gotten started and will add a lot of needed volume to the market. Greens – Cooler weather here in NC is really helping the quality of our local greens shippers, and also getting more people in the mood to eat collards and kale. Holiday greens are in the ground, with no planting skips so we should have plenty for Thanksgiving. Lettuce – Supplies are extremely limited across the industry in romaine and all lettuces. The market remains at unprecedented levels and continues to escalate. The previous weather issues and the quality problems associated with them have drastically impacted all yields and weights. Good quality is coming, but it’s still a couple of weeks away. Melons – The west coast domestic season has wrapped up due to the heavy rains and hot weather. We’re starting to see some imported melons Potatoes – We are approaching the home stretch for the harvest of russet potatoes from Idaho. We are looking at a large crop of high- quality potatoes. Markets will be stable for the upcoming year. Strawberries – Got even tighter last week, with rain and other weather issues in California wiping out their harvests. Our local farmer has had beautiful berries and he expects to have them through Christmas. I took a pole recently. 100% of people don’t like when their tent falls down.
• Good Morning! Apples – Washington growers are in full swing harvesting the Gala and the Honeycrisp apples. Both of these new crops are projected to be larger than last year. We are projecting to have excellent supplies of most varieties for the upcoming season. Broccoli and Cauliflower – Are suffering from the warm, humid weather that is effecting strawberries and lettuce. Our local farmers are scheduled to begin broccoli this coming week and that should improve. Cabbage – Became more available last week as our neighbors in the NC mountains began harvest. Corn – Fall sweet corn is going strong in Georgia, and Florida is getting started too. Supplies are very strong and farmers are selling it at great prices to move the volume. Cucumbers, Peppers, and Squash – Changed this week as Georgia farms finish up their first harvest. We’ll start seeing harvests in Florida shortly which should improve supplies. This chilly weather is slowing growth for our local farmers. Greens – Cooler weather here in NC is really helping the quality of our local greens shippers, and also getting more people in the mood to eat collards, kale and turnip greens. Holiday greens are in the ground, with no planting skips so we should have plenty for Thanksgiving. Lettuce – We continue to have lighter supplies of all leaf items due to the past weather patterns in the Salinas Valley. Demand increased pace as well and will continue to hold a firm market. The weather has caused decreased yields and weights and quality issues and in the product. Supplies remain extremely limited, and pricing is very strong. Work your product closely because the shelf life will be shortened by the quality issues. We’re expecting these problems to last a few weeks until the seasonal transition to new fields is complete. Potatoes – We are approaching the home stretch for the harvest of russet potatoes from Idaho. We are looking at a large crop of high- quality potatoes. Markets will be stable, and prices are likely to remain low for the foreseeable future. We should not see a lot of change until the holiday pull starts in early November. Strawberries – California berries have been on the struggle bus for the past few weeks. Fortunately we have some local berries beginning which should help cover the gap and improve quality. Q: Why couldn’t the pasta go into the house? A: Because they had gnocchi.
• Good Morning! Apples – Washington growers are in full swing harvesting the Gala and the Honeycrisp apples. Both of these new crops are projected to be larger than last year. Overall, the new crop is projected to a very large crop, and we are projecting to have excellent supplies of most varieties for the upcoming season. Asparagus – Peruvian remain behind in supply and pricing is staying strong.. Broccoli and Cauliflower – Are suffering from the warm, humid weather that is effecting strawberries and lettuce. Supplies drastically tightened up last week and prices jumped with the short supply as everyone was scrambling to find product. Cabbage – Became more available last week as our neighbors in the NC mountains began harvest. Corn – Fall sweet corn is beginning in Georgia, and it sounds like they’re going to have the best season in many years. Supplies and quality are excellent. Cucumbers – Are in a glut nationwide. Everyone seems to be harvesting cucumbers currently and prices are at rock bottom. Greens – Cooler weather here in NC is really helping the quality of our local greens shippers, and also getting more people in the mood to eat collards, kale and turnip greens. Holiday greens are in the ground, with no planting skips so we should have plenty for Thanksgiving. Lettuce – Markets jumped way up last week, with warm weather in CA bringing on quality issues and heat related viruses in the product. Supplies tightened up, but demand has not followed yet so we’re not sure what this market will do or if it really has the legs to increase beyond the short term. Potatoes – We are seeing excellent supplies and quality as harvest progresses, and storage fills up. There will be plenty of russets with a good mix of sizes out of Idaho. Markets are stable and will likely remain so until the holiday pull begins. Reds and yellows remain plentiful out of multiple regions. It looks like we are in for smooth sailing. Strawberries – After two weeks of humid weather, warm nights, and occasional showers, all growing area are being challenged with quality issues, including overripe, bruising, soft fruit, pin rot, and potential mold and decay on arrival. Some growing areas are still being harvested but their production is winding down for the season. Tomatoes – Going again locally, but volumes are much more limited than they were this summer. A seal walks into a bar and the bartender asks “What’ll it be?” The seal said “Anthing but a Canadian Club.”
• Good Morning! Apples – Washington growers are in full swing harvesting the Gala and the Honeycrisp apples. Both of these new crops are projected to be larger than last year. Overall, the new crop is projected to a very large crop, and we are projecting to have excellent supplies of most varieties for the upcoming season. Asparagus – Peruvian growers seem to be catching up to demand and pricing is easing downward from the highs of a couple of weeks ago. Blueberries – Are rapidly winding down domestically. They had a great summer, but they’ll be gone soon. Pricing is up on the more limited supply. Broccoli – Is coming back strong, with better supplies and down markets. Cucumbers – Are beginning locally again as well as in Georgia. Supplies are strong and pricing is great. European cucumbers are becoming more available and pricing is down on those too. Melons – of all sorts are widely available and quality is excellent. The end of summer is causing lesser demand and keeping pricing on the lower side. Peppers – Of all types and colors are plentiful as every farmer seems to be harvesting again from multiple growing regions. Potatoes – Harvest continues on russet potatoes out of Idaho, and we are seeing good quality and sizing. As long as the weather remains favorable, we will have a large crop and excellent supplies for the entirety of the storage season. Squash– Though we have limited harvests going on here with the cooler weather, Georgia has begun their season in a big way and product is in very good supply again. Pricing is down. Many varieties of hard squashes are beginning to become available. Strawberries – Hot weather in California fields is weakening the berries and they’re having a shorter shelf life than normal. Work them closely. Tomatoes – Going again locally, but volumes are much more limited than they were this summer. “I am going bananas!” Is what I tell my bananas when I leave the house.
• Good Morning! Apples – Washington growers are in full swing harvesting the Gala and the Honeycrisp apples. Both of these new crops are projected to be larger than last year. Overall, the new crop is projected to a very large crop, and we are projecting to have excellent supplies of most varieties for the upcoming season. However, some varieties remain limited for the next couple of weeks as we wait for those varieties to start harvesting. Asparagus – Mexico’s season ended earlier than expected due to heavy rains that flooded fields and damaged crowns, significantly reducing production. As a result, demand has shifted to Peru, putting pressure on the market, which is expected to remain tight and strong. Blueberries – Are rapidly winding down domestically. They had a great summer, but they’ll be gone soon. Pricing is up on the more limited supply. Broccoli – Is not as widely available as it has been as a lot of eastern growers have finished and the demand falls back on California shippers. Grapes – Inventories remain high as demand hasn’t picked up enough to clear out older stock. The California grape crop is of excellent quality, and growing conditions have been ideal, leading to a harvest that’s about three weeks ahead of schedule, which could result in an earlier-than-usual end to the season. Melons – of all sorts are widely available and quality is excellent. The end of summer is causing lesser demand and keeping pricing on the lower side. Peppers – Of all types and colors are plentiful as every farmer seems to be harvesting again from multiple growing regions. Potatoes – Harvest continues on russet potatoes out of Idaho, and we are seeing good quality and sizing. As long as the weather remains favorable, we will have a large crop and excellent supplies for the entirety of the storage season. We’re expecting an excellent season this year. Squash– Are going locally again and will probably continue through the first frost. Many varieties of hard squashes are beginning to become available. Strawberries – Hot weather in California fields is weakening the berries and they’re having a shorter shelf life than normal. Work them closely. Tomatoes – Going again locally, but volumes are much more limited than they were this summer. Sugar is the only english word that spells the “sh” sound with “su”. I’m pretty sure that’s right.
• Good Morning! Apples – Washington growers are in full swing harvesting the Gala and the Honeycrisp apples. Both of these new crops are projected to be larger than last year. Overall, the new crop is projected to a very large crop, and we are projecting to have excellent supplies of most varieties for the upcoming season. However, some varieties remain limited for the next couple of weeks as we wait for those varieties to start harvesting. Asparagus – Mexico’s season ended earlier than expected due to heavy rains that flooded fields and damaged crowns, significantly reducing production. As a result, demand has shifted to Peru, putting pressure on the market, which is expected to remain tight and strong. Blueberries – Are rapidly winding down domestically. They had a great summer, but they’ll be gone soon. Pricing is up on the more limited supply. Broccoli – Is not as widely available as it has been as a lot of eastern growers have finished and the demand falls back on California shippers. Grapes – Inventories remain high as demand hasn’t picked up enough to clear out older stock. The California grape crop is of excellent quality, and growing conditions have been ideal, leading to a harvest that’s about three weeks ahead of schedule, which could result in an earlier-than-usual end to the season. Melons – of all sorts are widely available and quality is excellent. The end of summer is causing lesser demand and keeping pricing on the lower side. Peppers – Of all types and colors are plentiful as every farmer seems to be harvesting again from multiple growing regions. Potatoes – Harvest continues on russet potatoes out of Idaho, and we are seeing good quality and sizing. As long as the weather remains favorable, we will have a large crop and excellent supplies for the entirety of the storage season. Squash– With the cooler weather, harvests are slowing down all over and pricing is ticking upwards on the more limited supply of summer squash. Many varieties of hard squashes are beginning to become available. Strawberries – Hot weather in California fields is weakening the berries and they’re having a shorter shelf life than normal. Work them closely. Tomatoes – Going again locally, but volumes are much more limited than they were this summer. I went to the doctor with hearing problems. He said “Can you describe the symptoms?” I said “Homer’s a fat dude and Marge has blue hair.”
• Is it September Already?! Apples – We are now entering the fourth week of harvest out of Washington this week. The growers are now in full swing harvesting the Gala crop, and this is what they will mostly be harvesting this week. Some of the growers will also begin to harvest some limited quantities of early premier strains of the Honeycrisp this week as well. The main harvest of Honeycrisp will not begin for another week to 10 days. Asparagus – Mexico’s season ended earlier than expected due to heavy rains that flooded fields and damaged crowns, significantly reducing production. As a result, demand has shifted to Peru, putting pressure on the market, which is expected to remain tight and strong. Blueberries – Are rapidly winding down domestically. They had a great summer, but they’ll be gone soon. Broccoli – The dam broke with broccoli supplies and several northern states are harvesting good volume and pricing is way down this week. Corn – The corn market is trending up slightly in the run up to the last holiday of the summer. A few of the Midwest growing areas are seeing decreased yields due to heat and higher rain fall than usual. Enjoy corn on your Labor Day! Grapes – Inventories remain high as demand hasn’t picked up enough to clear out older stock. The California grape crop is of excellent quality, and growing conditions have been ideal, leading to a harvest that’s about three weeks ahead of schedule, which could result in an earlier-than-usual end to the season. Peppers – Volume is much better and the market has gone down with the increased supplies. Potatoes – Harvest has started on new-crop russet potatoes out of Idaho as well as other regions. There is still a long way to go with the harvest, but so far we are seeing good yields and good quality. If the weather continues to stay favorable over the next 10-12 weeks, we will have a large crop once again. Squash– Is getting started again locally this week with zucchini and yellow squash both available again. Local cucumbers should be available again this coming week also. Tomatoes – Are starting again locally and should be available until the first frost. Get them while you can. The waitress asked if I wanna box for my leftovers. We went 3 rounds before she knocked me out.
• Happy Labor Day! Apples – We are now entering the third week of harvest out of Washington this week. The growers are now in full swing harvesting the Gala crop, and this is what they will mostly be harvesting this week. Some of the growers will also begin to harvest some limited quantities of early premier strains of the Honeycrisp this week as well. The main harvest of Honeycrisp will not begin for another week to 10 days. Asparagus – Mexico’s season ended earlier than expected due to heavy rains that flooded fields and damaged crowns, significantly reducing production. As a result, demand has shifted to Peru, putting pressure on the market, which is expected to remain tight and strong. Blueberries – Are rapidly winding down domestically. They had a great summer, but they’ll be gone soon. Broccoli – The dam broke with broccoli supplies and several northern states are harvesting good volume and pricing is way down this week. Corn – The corn market is trending up slightly in the run up to the last holiday of the summer. A few of the Midwest growing areas are seeing decreased yields due to heat and higher rain fall than usual. Enjoy corn on your Labor Day! Grapes – Inventories remain high as demand hasn’t picked up enough to clear out older stock. The California grape crop is of excellent quality, and growing conditions have been ideal, leading to a harvest that’s about three weeks ahead of schedule, which could result in an earlier-than-usual end to the season. Peppers – Michigan is getting into good volume with bell pepper now, and the markets are sliding with the increased supplies. Red, orange and yellow have become extremely tight and prices are up. Potatoes – Harvest has started on new-crop russet potatoes out of Idaho as well as other regions. There is still a long way to go with the harvest, but so far we are seeing good yields and good quality. If the weather continues to stay favorable over the next 10-12 weeks, we will have a large crop once again. Squash– Is getting started again locally this week with zucchini and yellow squash both available again. Local cucumbers should be available again this coming week also. Tomatoes – Are starting again locally and should be available until the first frost. Get them while you can. I told my wife “Your underwear is way too tight.” She said “Then wear your own.”
• Good morning! Local Produce – Rain, rain, rain is what the farmers are talking about. Many items are on pause until the fields dry out. Tomatoes should be back into good volume in another week or so. Apples – We are now entering the third week of harvest out of Washington this week. The growers are now in full swing harvesting the Gala crop, and this is what they will mostly be harvesting this week. Some of the growers will also begin to harvest some limited quantities of early premier strains of the Honeycrisp this week as well. The main harvest of Honeycrisp will not begin for another week to 10 days. Asparagus – All sizes of asparagus will be extremely limited throughout August. Prices are higher on the limited supply. Broccoli – The dam broke with broccoli supplies and several northern states are harvesting good volume and pricing is way down this week. Corn – Was really tight a week ago, but our neighbors to the north are pulling plenty of beautiful product again. Melons – Local watermelons are in great supply. Though our local cantaloupes and honeydews are slowing down, the west coast is reaching peak season. Quality and sweetness is at its best of the year right now. Peppers – Michigan is getting into good volume with bell pepper now, and the markets are sliding with the increased supplies. Red, orange and yellow have become extremely tight and prices are up. Potatoes – Many farmers finished packing old crop russets in Idaho, and will begin packing new crop Russets any day. Following their last round of test digs in the fields, it appears that the 2025-26 potato crop is showing a slightly larger size profile early on, and quality is excellent. Idaho and most of the major potato-producing areas have had favorable growing conditions this summer, which will bode well for size-profile, quality, and yield, both early packing out of the field, and into storage. Squash– Is getting started again locally this week with zucchini and yellow squash both available again. Local cucumbers should be available again this coming week also. Tomatoes – All the rains last week wiped out the local tomato deal until the fields dry out. Too much rain causes the fruit to crack and split and go bad very quickly. They’ll be back up and running as soon as the weather improves. Q: What do you call a pumpkin that works at the beach? A: A life gourd.
• Good morning! Local Produce – Rain, rain, rain is what the farmers are talking about. Many items are on pause until the skys clear. Apples – Harvesting of the first apple variety from Washington’s new crop has begun, with Gala apples currently being picked in limited quantities. The full harvest is expected to continue through November, and early forecasts indicate a strong crop across all growing regions. Gala apples are the first to be harvested, followed by Honeycrisp. Asparagus – All sizes of asparagus will be extremely limited throughout August. Prices are higher on the limited supply. Broccoli – The dam broke with broccoli supplies and several northern states are harvesting good volume and pricing is way down this week. Melons – Local watermelons are in great supply. Though our local cantaloupes and honeydews are slowing down, the west coast is reaching peak season. Quality and sweetness is at its best of the year right now. Peppers – Michigan is getting into good volume with bell pepper now, and the markets are sliding with the increased supplies. Potatoes – Many farmers finished packing old crop russets in Idaho, and will begin packing new crop Russets any day. Following their last round of test digs in the fields, it appears that the 2025-26 potato crop is showing a slightly larger size profile early on, and quality is excellent. Idaho and most of the major potato-producing areas have had favorable growing conditions this summer, which will bode well for size-profile, quality, and yield, both early packing out of the field, and into storage. Squash– Is getting started again locally this week with zucchini and yellow squash both available again. Tomatoes – All the rains last week wiped out the local tomato deal until the fields dry out. Too much rain causes the fruit to crack and split and go bad very quickly. They’ll be back up and running as soon as the weather improves. Q: What is brown and sticky? A: A stick Q: What is orange and sounds like a parrot? A: A carrot
• Good morning! Apples – Harvesting of the first apple variety from Washington’s new crop has begun, with Gala apples currently being picked in limited quantities. The full harvest is expected to continue through November, and early forecasts indicate a strong crop across all growing regions. Gala apples are the first to be harvested, followed by Honeycrisp. Asparagus – All sizes of asparagus will be extremely limited throughout August. Prices are higher on the limited supply. Broccoli – High temps in California fields continue to cause quality issues in broccoli and caused shortages nationwide. Prices are staying strong. Corn – Our local growers are having one of the best seasons in memory. All of the rain has really kept the corn fields cranking. Supplies and quality have been excellent all season long. Nationally, corn is in a short supply but our local guys have been clutch in keeping us well supplied. Lettuce – Iceberg lettuce supplies remain consistent. Romaine, red and green leaf supplies are all steady with reports showing great overall quality and good weights. Peppers – Michigan is getting into good volume with bell pepper now, and the markets are sliding with the increased supplies. Potatoes – Many farmers finished packing old crop russets in Idaho this week, and begin packing new crop Russets this coming week. Following their last round of test digs in the fields, it appears that the 2025-26 potato crop is showing a slightly larger size profile early on, and quality is excellent. Idaho and most of the major potato-producing areas have had favorable growing conditions this summer, which will bode well for size-profile, quality, and yield, both early packing out of the field, and into storage. Squash – Is getting started again locally this week with zucchini and yellow squash both available again. Tomatoes – We still have plenty of local tomatoes, and they’ve been beautiful. The heirloom varieties had suffered from all of the rain, but the fields have dried up now and the farmers are off to the races again. Summertime is tomato time, so feature them everywhere you can while they’re available. I enjoy eating menudo, foie gras, and lengua. But my wife thinks all that stuff is just offal.
• Good morning! Local Produce – We still have tomatoes, corn, squash, peaches, eggplant, peppers, and melons. Broccoli – High temps in California fields continue to cause quality issues in broccoli and caused shortages nationwide. Prices are staying strong. Corn – Our local growers are having one of the best seasons in memory. All of the rain has really kept the corn fields cranking. Supplies and quality have been excellent all season long. Cucumbers – Have been hit or miss locally due to all of the rain, creating shortages. Northern growing areas are hitting their stride now and they’re plentiful again. Lemons – Always rise in price during the summer months due to the increased demand for lemonade and iced tea garnishes. Suppliers are struggling to keep up with demand. Lettuce – Iceberg lettuce supplies remain consistent. Romaine, red and green leaf supplies are all steady with reports showing great overall quality and good weights. Melons – We have beautiful local watermelons, cantaloupes and honeydews. The quality and flavor have been excellent. Peppers – Michigan is getting into good volume with bell pepper now, and the markets are sliding with the increased supplies. Potatoes – Idaho potato farmers are starting their harvest this coming week. Then, they’ll get them in the sheds and begin the curing process so that they’ll last through the winter. This year has been an exceptionally smooth one for them, with supplies timed out just right to last until the new harvest. Squash – Is getting started again locally this week with zucchini and yellow squash both available again. Tomatoes – We still have plenty of local tomatoes, and they’ve been beautiful. The heirloom varieties had suffered from all of the rain, but the fields have dried up now and the farmers are off to the races again. Summertime is tomato time, so feature them everywhere you can while they’re available. The dentist looked at my teeth and asked “Do you smoke or drink coffee?” I said “I drink it.”
• Good morning! Local Produce – We still have tomatoes, corn, squash, peaches, eggplant, peppers, and melons. Asparagus – Both supplies and pricing have improved this week. The domestic has finished so everyone is shifting to Peru for their ‘grass. Broccoli – High temps in California fields have created quality issues in broccoli and caused shortages nationwide. Prices are staying strong. Corn – Our local growers are having one of the best seasons in memory. All of the rain has really kept the corn fields cranking. Supplies and quality have been excellent all season long. Cucumbers – Have been hit or miss locally due to all of the rain, creating shortages. Northern growing areas are hitting their stride now and they’re plentiful again. Lettuce – High temps throughout California’s Salinas Valley growing region are causing heat-related issues, primarily on lettuce and tender leaf items. Supplies on good quality green items remain limited, but weak demand following 4 th of July has prices falling off. Melons – We have beautiful local cantaloupes and honeydews. Enjoy them while they’re here. Peppers – All of the rain that we’ve had is causing big problems for our local farmers. NC should be the major supplier for pepper right now, but wet weather has really hurt supplies. Pricing has risen a lot this week due to the shortages. Potatoes – Sweet potato Thank you for your business! Have a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving! Copyright Ford’s Produce 2016 farmers have been running out of stock this spring and summer and they’ve gotten extremely tight. They will begin harvesting again in September and October and we should see pricing ease downward at that time. Idaho continues to see shortages in all sizes, especially their larger sizes. They expect to begin harvesting new crop russets in the next week or two. Tomatoes – We still have plenty of local tomatoes, and they’ve been beautiful. The heirloom varieties have suffered from all of the rain and the farmers are having a difficult time picking them before the fruit starts cracking. It’s supposed to be dry this week, so hopefully they’ll be available again soon. I asked my waiter if the soup was vegetarian. He said “Sir, it hasn’t eaten anything its whole life.”
• Good morning! Local Produce – We have tomatoes, corn, squash, peaches, eggplant, peppers, and melons. Asparagus – Both supplies and pricing have improved this week. The domestic has finished so everyone is shifting to Peru for their ‘grass. Broccoli – High temps in California fields have created quality issues in broccoli and caused shortages nationwide. Prices are staying strong. Corn – Our local growers are having one of the best seasons in memory. All of the rain has really kept the corn fields cranking. Supplies and quality have been excellent all season long. Cucumbers – Finished early locally due to all of the rain, creating shortages. Northern growing areas are hitting their stride now and they’re plentiful again. Grapes – Are in good supplies from Mexico and California vineyards. Quality is great and pricing is very favorable. Lettuce – High temps throughout California’s Salinas Valley growing region are causing heat-related issues, primarily on lettuce and tender leaf items. Supplies on good quality green items remain limited, but weak demand following 4 th of July has prices falling off. Melons – We have beautiful local cantaloupes and honeydews. Enjoy them while they’re here. Peppers – All of the rain that we’ve had is causing big problems for our local farmers. NC should be the major supplier for pepper right now, but wet weather has really hurt supplies. Pricing has risen a lot this week due to the shortages. Potatoes – Idaho is starting to see some shortages in their larger sizes as we reach the end of their storage season. Pricing has been fantastic all year but we’ve seen it begin to rise as the storage supplies run out. Tomatoes – Summertime means it’s tomato season! They are widely available locally and just about every variety you could ask for. It’s been beautiful fruit and several variety of heirlooms are available locally too. I passed out once on a carousel. But then I came around.