Spotlight

• Happy Labor Day Weekend! Local Produce – Squash, Zucchini, and Cucumbers are starting again. The cool nights last week slowed production from the vines, but they’re going strong now. Tomatoes are still going strong with many varieties available. Local heirlooms are in a bit of a gap right now though. Apples – We continue to have good supplies of apples for this time of year out of Washington and on imports from Chile as well. Some new crop pears are available now and we should begin seeing early maturing varieties like galas and golden delicious very soon. Blueberries – Are rapidly coming to an end domestically. The heat got too much for the bushes and suddenly the farms just didn’t have any product to ship. Chilean growers are getting started and we’ll begin seeing imports very soon and that should add some necessary volume to the markets. Citrus – Valencia orange and lemon markets continue to be elevated due to limited availability and a reduction in crop size. Excessive heat in California has limited harvesting windows. Subsequently, there is a surcharge on labor wages. The heat has taken a toll on quality, so expect mostly choice grades available. Corn – Fresh sweet corn is in still in good volume in the north and quality is excellent! There was a bit of a price jump with the increasing demand for the holiday weekend. Eggs – Markets always climb in the heat of summer, with many egg farms losing chickens in the hot weather. This year as well farmers are dealing with the avian flu causing the destruction of millions of laying hens. The shorter supplies are keeping pricing strong. Surprisingly, the higher prices are only effecting white eggs. Our cage free eggs are at a locked price, thus we get a better egg for our customers at a lower price than typical white eggs. Potatoes – We received our first shipment of new crop Idaho baking potatoes this week and just Wow! They are beautiful. We’re looking at a great season if they continue like this. My daughter asked if the mango was ready. I said no it’s yellowey?
• Good Morning! Local Produce – Squash, Zucchini, and Cucumbers are starting again. The cool nights this week are slowing production from the vines, but they’re producing. Tomatoes are still going strong and melons are still widely available. Apples – We continue to have good supplies of apples for this time of year out of Washington and on imports from Chile as well. Most varieties and packs have good availability, and quality is holding up very nicely this season. Supplies out of storage in Washington are still above average for this time of year on many varieties. There are a few varieties and packs that have tightened a little and are resulting in some higher pricing. Citrus – Valencia orange and lemon markets continue to be elevated due to limited availability and a reduction in crop size. Excessive heat in California has limited harvesting windows. Subsequently, there is a surcharge on labor wages. The heat has taken a toll on quality, so expect mostly choice grades available. Crops were originally projected to have larger yields this season, but use caution as supply is going to get tighter as we move through August. Corn – Fresh sweet corn is in huge volumes in the north and quality and pricing are excellent! Eggs – Markets always climb in the heat of summer, with many egg farms losing chickens in the hot weather. This year as well farmers are dealing with the avian flu causing the destruction of millions of laying hens. The shorter supplies are keeping pricing strong. Surprisingly, the higher prices are only effecting white eggs. Our cage free eggs are at a locked price, thus we get a better egg for our customers at a lower price than typical white eggs. Potatoes – Some growing areas are beginning harvest now for their fall crop of reds, whites, yukons and even russets. We have our first shipment of new crop Idaho baking potatoes on the road headed this way and we’re looking forward to fresh new potatoes and improved quality. Q: Why do fish swim in salt water? A: Because pepper water makes them sneeze.
• Good Morning! Avocados – Have had a tough summer. It started out with USDA inspectors getting kidnapped in Michoacan, Mexico. So… the USDA refused to allow imports of Mexican avocados for about 2 weeks until they could sort out the security of the inspectors over there. This caused a gap in supply, raising prices for a few weeks. Now availability from orchards in Mexico has become very limited and we can expect a much lower amount of fruit coming into the U.S. California. Peru will soon be at the tail end of their respective seasons, so pricing volatility will be present for the rest of August. Citrus – Valencia orange and lemon markets continue to be elevated due to limited availability and a reduction in crop size. Excessive heat in California has limited harvesting windows. Subsequently, there is a surcharge on labor wages. The heat has taken a toll on quality, so expect mostly choice grades available. Crops were originally projected to have larger yields this season, but use caution as supply is going to get tighter as we move through August. Eggs – Markets always climb in the heat of summer, with many egg farms losing chickens in the hot weather. This year as well farmers are dealing with the avian flu causing the destruction of millions of laying hens. The shorter supplies are keeping pricing strong. Surprisingly, the higher prices are only affecting white eggs. Our cage free eggs are at a locked price, thus we get a better egg for our customers at a lower price than typical white eggs. Grapes – Temperatures in the Central Valley growing regions have finally cooled down to the mid-90s this week. The cooler weather will help increase inventory levels due to the return of full picking days. Melons – Local melons of all types are still making it to market, though quality has suffered due to the heavy rains last week. Melons of all types are growing seemingly everywhere now (it is summertime afterall) keeping pricing low and making it a great time to feature them. Potatoes – Some growing areas are beginning harvest now for their fall crop of reds, whites, yukons, and even russets. We’ll happily be into new crop baking potatoes soon and enjoying the better quality. I was riding by a dairy farm near my house and saw a cow playing the harmonica. Astonished, I drove up to the barn and asked the farmer about his cow. He replied, “Yeah, she’s a moosician.”
• Good Morning! Avocados – Have had a tough summer. It started out with USDA inspectors getting kidnapped in Michoacan, Mexico. So… the USDA refused to allow imports of Mexican avocados for about 2 weeks until they could sort out the security of the inspectors over there. This caused a gap in supply, raising prices for a few weeks. Now availability from orchards in Mexico has become very limited and we can expect a much lower amount of fruit coming into the U.S. California and Peru will soon be at the tail end of their respective seasons so pricing volatility will be present for the rest of August. Citrus – Valencia orange and lemon markets continue to be elevated due to limited availability and a reduction in crop size. Excessive heat in California has limited harvesting windows. Subsequently, there is a surcharge on labor wages. The heat has taken a toll on quality, so expect mostly choice grades available. Crops were originally projected to have larger yields this season, but use caution as supply is going to get tighter as we move through August. Eggs – Markets always climb in the heat of summer, with many egg farms losing chickens in the hot weather. This year as well farmers are dealing with the avian flu causing the destruction of millions of laying hens. The shorter shorter supplies are keeping pricing strong. Surprisingly, the higher prices are only effecting white eggs. Our cage free eggs are at a locked price, thus we get a better egg for our customers at a lower price than typical white eggs. Grapes – Table grape growers continue to navigate through the extreme heat, and we are now starting to see the impact to the industry. Certain varieties are taking the heat better than others and growers are optimistic that the back end of the season will not be nearly as impacted. Melons – West coast melon growers have plenty of honeydews and cantaloupes available, and quality has been excellent. Our locally grown melons will wrap up due to the wet weather. Pineapples – Are extremely tight right now. The main growing areas of Mexico and Costa Rica are having quality issues, resulting in very little fruit making US standards for import. Expect pricing to stay strong for the upcoming weeks. When you die, people cry and yell for you to come back. But when you do, they freak out.
• Local Produce – The local season is slowing down as farmers reset for fall crops. We have all kinds of tomatoes, including heirloom varieties, blueberries, and watermelons available now. Avocados – Have had a tough summer. It started out with USDA inspectors getting kidnapped in Michoacan, Mexico. So… the USDA refused to allow imports of Mexican avocados for about 2 weeks until they could sort out the security of the inspectors over there. This caused a gap in supply, raising prices for a few weeks. Now availability from orchards in Mexico has become very limited and we can expect a much lower amount of fruit coming into the U.S. California and Peru will soon be at the tail end of their respective seasons so pricing volatility will be present for the rest of August. Corn – Our local corn harvest has finished. We’ve moved to more northern fields for the fresher corn and they have plenty everywhere in the northeast. It’s continuing to be a great year for corn. Eggs – Markets always climb in the heat of summer, with many egg farms losing chickens in the hot weather. This year as well farmers are dealing with the avian flu causing the destruction of millions of laying hens. The shorter shorter supplies are keeping pricing strong. Surprisingly, the higher prices are only effecting white eggs. Our cage free eggs are at a locked price, thus we get a better egg for our customers at a lower price than typical white eggs. Melons – West coast melon growers have plenty of honeydews and cantaloupes available, and east coast farms are harvesting Athena cantaloupes as fast as they can. Locally we have cantaloupes and watermelons in great availability and pricing. Tomatoes – Are the most interesting thing happening locally and they’re rolling right along. Big, ripe, and juicy, we’re enjoying a great season. We have local romas, vine ripened tomatoes and even some heirloom varieties beginning. The chef who invented tiramisu passed away recently. Everyone at the funeral was in tiers.
• Produce Supply Update July 26th, 2024 Good Morning! Local Produce – The local season is slowing down as farmers reset for fall crops. High heat and lack of rain finished many crops early, though some hot weather crops continue to thrive. We have all kinds of tomatoes, including heirloom varieties, blueberries, and watermelons available now. Squash, peppers and other items will be back again in the fall. Blueberries – Are still widely available locally and they’re having a great season. Quality has been beautiful, but it’s getting close to time to move north for better quality. We’ll be getting our next shipment from Michigan. Corn – Has been awesome all season locally. BiColor is still readily available. The dry weather has been rough on corn growers and some fields finished up earlier than normal. Eggs – Markets always climb in the heat of summer, with many egg farms losing chickens in the hot weather. This year as well farmers are dealing with the avian flu causing the destruction of millions of laying hens. The shorter supplies are keeping pricing strong. Grapes – Mexican grapes are winding down, with better quality coming from California now. The hot weather has caused some quality issues for farmers, so we’ll have to see how the rest of the season goes for them. Melons – Watermelons are in peak season locally and our local farmers are bringing lots of melons to the market. Quality has been great, just like you’d expect this time of year. Peaches – South Carolina peach farmers are still having a great season and a strong harvest. Plentiful supplies and beautiful quality are causing farmers to lower prices for this week. They’re into free-stone varieties now. Strawberries – High temperatures in California fields have tightened up supplies, and markets continue to creap upwards. Tomatoes – Are rolling right along locally and they’ve been gorgeous. Big, ripe, and juicy, we’re looking forward to a great season. We have local romas, vine ripened tomatoes and even some heirloom varieties beginning.
• Local Produce – The local season continues to move forward. We have all kinds of tomatoes, including heirloom varieties, blueberries, corn, peppers, and watermelons are available now. We’ve reached peak season on many items, and we’ve passed the sweet spot for summer squashes and cucumbers. Blueberries – Are still available locally and they’ve had a great season. Quality has been beautiful, but it’s getting close to time to move north for better quality. We’ll be getting our next shipment from Michigan. Corn – Has been awesome all season locally. BiColor is still readily available. The warm weather finished other colors up prematurely. Eggs – The main reason egg prices are increasing again is because highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks occurred on five U.S. egg farms this year as of April 24th, 2024, causing approximately 9.5 million layers to be depopulated, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Grapes – California is harvesting now. The hot weather has caused some quality issues for farmers, so we’ll have to see how the rest of the season goes for them. Lettuce and Greens – Record high temps in California fields have caused big headaches for the shippers out there. With the thermometer topping out at 100-120 field hands can only be in the field for a few hours, so they’re not harvesting enough to meet demand. Also, that kind of temperature is really tough on the product, causing quality issues on the limited supply. Onions – New Crop onion season has begun and pricing is much more affordable and quality is much improved over the storage crop. Vidalia has begun their sweet onion season and are poised for a great season also. Potatoes – We are at the tail end of Idaho russet potatoes. While there are plenty of potatoes left to get us through to the harvest in August, we are seeing quality start to decline, especially on larger sizes. The quality issues are adding increased pressure on the market and showing in higher pricing on the larger sizes. Strawberries – High temperatures in California fields have tightened up supplies, but demand hasn’t been that strong, so markets are still fairly low. Tomatoes – Are rolling right along locally and they’ve been gorgeous. Big, ripe, and juicy, we’re looking forward to a great season. We have local romas, vine ripened tomatoes and even some heirloom varieties beginning. I grilled a chicken for 2 hours on Friday and it still didn’t tell me why he crossed the road.
• Local Produce – The local season continues to move forward. We have tomatoes, blueberries, yellow squash and zucchini, cucumbers, peppers, corn and cabbage available now. We’re reaching peak season on many items. Blueberries – Are still widely available locally and they’re having a great season. Quality has been beautiful. Corn – Has started in North Carolina fields and they’re starting out beautifully. BiColor was the first variety to become available, but white corn started at the end of this week. Grapes – Chilean grapes are finishing up, with Mexican and California growers carrying the baton now. Quality is very nice on the new crop grapes. Melons – Watermelons are coming into better volume in Georgia, and our local farmers are expecting to be into solid volume around July 4th. Onions – New Crop onion season has begun and pricing is much more affordable and quality is much improved over the storage crop. Vidalia has begun their sweet onion season and are poised for a great season also. Peaches – South Carolina peach farmers are still having a great season and a strong harvest. Plentiful supplies and beautiful quality are causing farmers to lower prices for this week. Potatoes – Idaho Russet pricing is still very good with the heavy crop they have in storage. Overall the supply in their storage warehouses has been good, so it’s been a smooth spring and we should easily transition to the new crop without any crazy markets. Strawberries – Nationally strawberries are in a glut. Lots of production, but light demand because of all of the other fruits available during summertime. Prices are about as low as they get right now. Squash & Zucchini– Locally they have been beautiful and supplies are increasing with the warm and dry weather. The heat this weekend my cause a bloom drop and a shortage, we’ll have to see. Tomatoes – Have started locally and they’ve been gorgeous. Big, ripe, and juicy, we’re looking forward to a great season. We have local romas, vine ripened tomatoes and even some heirloom varieties beginning. Q: What’s made of leather and sounds like a sneeze? A: A shoe
• Produce Supply Update March 22nd, 2024: Asparagus – Are seeing a little bit of strength with Easter coming next weekend, but solid supplies out of Mexico and Peruvian fields making strong harvests. Quality has been very nice. Cabbage – Supplies are good and steady for the next several weeks. Warmer days have the fields bringing better volumes and heads sizing up. Corn – New seasonal harvests from Florida fields have got the corn deal rolling. Pricing is much better and we’re starting to see some size on the corn now that the temperatures are climbing. Cucumbers – As predicted, the market has begun to fall off on cucumbers. Florida finally has started their harvest and Mexican weather has warmed to allow better volumes. Prices are down considerably this week. Melons – Honeydew and cantaloupes demand remains light across the country. Most of the production is currently arriving from Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. With sluggish demand, importers are looking to make deals. Quality remains very nice. Lettuce – Iceberg lettuce supplies remain limited this week with most growers reporting good supplies of romaine, green leaf, and red leaf. A recent hailstorm, combined with colder than average temperatures over the past two weeks, have impacted iceberg quality and decreased yields. Harvesters are trimming off outer leaves at field level to help keep the pack nice, but weights are lower as a result. Peppers – We are finally starting to see both Florida and Mexico with decent volume at the same time. We do need to remember that Florida will continue to experience peaks and valleys on yields due to previous weather. For now, we should see steady volume in the next two weeks. Colored peppers rose last week on light volumes. Strawberries – Are in a glut situation with several growing areas overproducing more berries than the market can use. Prices are very favorable right in time for Easter weekend. Tomatoes – Are finally settling downward as warmer weather in Florida is bringing on the crop. Quality and pricing are both improving rapidly on all varieties. Q: Why do cows have hooves? A: Because they lactose