The new apple crop is now in the last stages of harvest. The crop is coming in smaller than projected and is now projected to be in the 110-million bushel area versus projections in early August of 135 million. This crop will be around 25 million bushels short of the crop from last season. They had an early freeze during harvest that will cause a lot of losses but we won’t know the extent of the damage for another few weeks.
Strawberries remain extremely limited, with shippers cutting back or not accepting orders right now. Heat in the fields caused a lot of damage, which was then followed by chilly weather slowing down growth. The fall season is beginning in a small way, but they expect demand to exceed supply for the next few weeks.
Tomato markets remain very high with limited harvests coming from Georgia. Mexico is trying to get started to capitalize on the higher prices but it’s about a month away from their planned harvest date. Florida is approximately 3-4 weeks from any significant volume that will change the markets for the better. Expect high prices for the coming weeks.
Cooler weather is wrapping up many of the local products for the season. Cucumbers, squash, zucchini and other vegetables are winding down. We do still have plenty of freshly harvested local sweet potatoes, even white and purple ones from Johnston County!
Also, the cooler weather is great for greens like kale, collards, turnip and mustard greens. Quality has improved with the warmer weather passing. Leaves are much darker green than we see during summer.
Lettuce farmers in California are still struggling to fill orders. Romaine, Green Leaf and Iceberg are staying in very short supply with good quality very difficult to come by. Pricing remains higher on the very limited supplies.
Mexican Avocados are reaching their peak and shippers are lowering prices to move product. Now is a great time to feature them with prices very attractive.
Q: How does a train eat?
A: Chew Chew.
Q: What is brown and sticky?
A: A stick.
