Happy Thanksgiving!
Broccoli and Cabbage – Are still going locally and quality and pricing has been really nice.
Celery – Rises every year in anticipation of the increased demand of the holidays. People who don’t buy celery any other time of the year have to have it for their Thanksgiving and Christmas recipes. So, just like clockwork it goes up in price every year in November and then falls off in January.
Grapes – Are arriving at our ports from South America already, but California is still packing red seedless varieties. The overlap of growing areas should make the transition a smooth one this year and keep pricing very favorable.
Lettuces – Of all varieties remain extremely tight as the first fields in the Yuma growing region have been slow to develop, impacted by hotter weather in the early growth stages. This transition between growing areas happens every year, but some are smoother than others.
Melons – Mexican farmers are well into their season now and quality and volumes are very good. Pricing is down due to the lower freight costs on shorter delivery routes. They have plenty of cantaloupe, honeydews and watermelons, though the cooler months see a lot less demand than summertime.
Tomatoes – We continue to see the reeling effects of Hurricane Helene and Milton. Supplies remain drastically short on all varieties and are reaching their most critical level currently.
Peppers – Volume in Georgia continues to be down due to the hurricane damage, though Florida is trying to get harvests going. Mexico should be harvesting good volumes now but they’ve been plagued with disease and cool temperatures slowing their volume.
Potatoes – Especially sweet potatoes are a big part of menus for the holidays and fortunately there’s plenty of all varieties for your menus.
Q: Which side of a turkey has the most feathers? A: The outside.