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, weights, and quality issues 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.
