Hurricane Ian is doing its Historically devastating damage as I write this newsletter. We don’t yet know how badly it will affect the produce world, but it will certainly hurt many farms and disrupt transportation for a while at least. Prices are expected to go up on most eastern vegetables as heavy rains and wind damage the crops in the field and curtail harvesting efforts for a time. We’ll let you know more as the situation develops.
Asparagus – Late arriving vessels from Peruvian asparagus shippers have tightened up the asparagus market. Prices are higher for the limited product available.
Avocadoes – Peruvian farms are finishing up for the year right as Mexican farmers hit full swing. Supplies are strong on fruit supplies and prices are lower again this week.
Blueberries – Northeastern states have finished and we’re moving back to California for a short while until imports begin.
Corn – Michigan farms are all done and everyone is looking to Georgia to kick off their season. Supplies are tightening up and prices are expected to climb over the coming weeks.
Herbs – A note from our herbs supplier…. “Due to the unprecedented heat wave, we experienced over the last several weeks in San Diego County, our Edible Flowers & some microgreens were affected, causing low availability & quality issues. We are working diligently to improve our availability as quickly as possible.”
Lettuce – Remain priced at higher levels due to short supplies. The recent heat has pushed some fields to maturity ahead of schedule. Overall quality is reported as fair as damage from the recent heat wave is evident in much of the lettuces.
Peppers – We expect markets to remain stable this week, but conditions will start to react as Georgia was getting ready to start harvesting this week. Michigan and the Northeast are still harvesting, but everyone was counting on Georgia as the new region with pepper. Let’s hope the storm doesn’t have a major impact on the crop.
Potatoes –Idaho potato shippers are dropping prices, especially on the smaller sizes of spuds. Pricing is getting lower each week on everything but the largest sizes.
Strawberries – Hot days in California’s berry fields have strawberry growers warning everyone of less than desired quality. With the berries starting out in a weakened state due the high temps when picking, they are showing a lot of bruising caused by shipping.
Q: Why did Cinderella lose at Wimbleton?
A: Because her coach was a pumpkin.
