Apples – The apple market remains tight this week as the new crop came in well below the normal crop size. We are projected to have around 100 million cases this year and this is compared to an average crop of around 125 to 130 million cases. This will make the third crop in a row that is considered below average. Expect product to remain tight through the New Year’s holiday this year with prices higher than normal throughout. The harvest is now finished and it’s all about managing the inventory at this point.
Broccoli – Markets are extremely volatile with California being the driver due to lack of supplies. Mexico is harvesting steady volume but with the holiday demand and West production issues, the markets are unsteady. Georgia is producing excellent quality but heavy rains from the tropical storm followed by cool temperatures means light supplies following the Thanksgiving holiday. Our local growers are winding down for the year but we still have some in stock.
Eggs – Wholesale prices for cartoned shell eggs continue to move higher and are establishing record highs each day. Offerings are light while supplies are light to moderate with moderate to good demand. The pace of trading is moderate and tempered by product availability. Wholesale prices for graded loose eggs continued to move higher, reaching record high levels by week’s end.
Lettuces – Iceberg, romaine and green leaf markets have eased off a bit, but we’re really seeing shortages in Baby lettuces like Arugula and Spring or Heritage blends. Supplies are drastically short with orders being heavily prorated. Please bear with us until supplies increase.
Oranges – We’re well into California navel orange season and quality has been beautiful. Florida orange growers are just beginning their season, but it’s expected to be very short lived with Hurricane Ian ripping the little bit of citrus that was growing off of the trees. We’ll feature them as long as they’re available.
Potatoes – The potato market remains strong on russets, reds, golds, and whites. Shortages in storage and holiday demand are continuing to add upward pressure on pricing. Large-sized russets are especially limited in supply. Shippers are saying that prices will continue to rise through the year as supplies dwindle.
Tomatoes – Markets continue to increase as we get closer to the time when Florida typically takes over with their harvests. There simply won’t be enough tomatoes coming from Florida to supply demand and prices are destined to get higher.
Q: In which year does New Year’s Day come before Christmas?
A: EVERY year.
