Notes from the Green Grocer -- December 27, 2010

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In Season Right Now:
Persimmons, Pomelo, Dragon Fruit, Horn Fruit, Spitzenberg, Honey Crisp, Pomegranate, Chocolate Persimmons, Cinnamon Persimmons, Quince Buddha Hand, Baby Corn, Brown Turkey Figs Mushrooms: Matsutake, Hedgehog, White Elf Blue Lobster, Yellow Chanterelle, Black Trumpets Yellow Foot, Purple Asparagus, Baby Sweet Yams Baby Pineapple, Rainier Cherries, Red Current Green Gooseberries, Fresh Rhubarb, Kumquats


Item of the Week: (See This Week's Hot Sheet)


Tomato Report: The Tomato market is finished in California. Mexico is now the main supplier of all tomatoes for the West Coast. 4x4 and 4x5's are in good supply. Expect prices to follow suit. Cherry and Grape tomatoes have good quality; prices have gone down. Yellow and Red Teardrop tomatoes have limited supply and are higher priced. Expect Roma tomatoes to have good quality and prices to be on the decline. Red Cluster and Baby Heirloom Cherry tomatoes have good quality and price.

Lettuce Report: Romaine Lettuce is experiencing some quality issues like Fringe Burn. However, overall quality and supply are expected to be good. The supply on Romaine Hearts remains tight, but is expected to get better by next week. Iceberg supplies continue to be steady partly due to lack of demand. Some visible blistering may be seen but expect overall quality to be good. Leaf Lettuces have good supply and don't seem to be affected with the same quality issues as Romaine. However, Green Leaf may see some Fringe Burn.


Berry News: The Strawberry fields in Oxnard and Santa Maria, California, were under 5 feet of water from the week's pervious storms .Expect 3-4 weeks before picking can begin again. Quality issues like water damage, white shoulders and mold have been seen. We will have Strawberries from Mexico. Expect supplies to be tight and prices to be high. Blueberries are now coming out of Chile. Quality, supply and price are good. Blackberries are coming out of Mexico, and their quality has greatly improved. Price and supply are good. Raspberries have good quality, but are higher priced. Best choice of all is Blackberries.

Fruit Report: Lemons are in good supply out of California. Most varieties of Oranges are available with good supply. There is still availability on Valencia113's. Navel Oranges have hit the market. Expect good availability on small to mid-size fruit but limited supplies on the larger size profile. Limes still have good quality but prices are higher .No Texas fruit is available, however, California Limes are. Their color is slightly pale, but their juice remains good. Grapefruit is coming out of Florida. They have great quality but are higher priced. Avocados: We carry both Mexican and Chilean varieties. While the Chilean has a longer shelf life, Mexican has a higher Oil Content. If you can avoid holding the Mexican Avocado for more than 2 days, you will have superior quality without any black cutting into the fruit. Apples: The Washington Crop of Gala, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious and Granny Smith apples are available. Melons: Expect mixed quality with Cantaloupe and Watermelon. However, Honeydew has good quality and higher sugar content. Pineapple and Mangoes have good quality and prices. (See This Week's Hot Sheet)

Vegetable Report: Asparagus: Quality is fair and prices have increased dramatically. We will carry the best quality possible weather it be Honduran, Mexican or Peruvian. Peppers: Red and Yellow Bell Supplies are tighter; quality is fair and prices are a lot higher. Green is best choice and best priced. (See This Week's Hot Sheet) Squash: Getting supplies from Nogales. Squash prices are good on Butternut, Spaghetti, Acorn and Italian. Short supply and higher priced on Medium and Straight Neck Yellow. Watch for prices to lower once Holiday demand is over. Cauliflower: Expect good supplies and quality for the next few weeks. Prices are decreasing. Broccoli has come down in price and supplies look good. Potatoes: Idaho and Russet Baker are still in the higher price range; however, the 80ct. Russet Baker has great pricing. (See This Week's Hot Sheet) This pricing is due to higher demands and lower availability, especially on the larger varieties. (40, 50, 60, and 70's) Prices should start to come down on the larger sizes. The Washington and Idaho crops are in full swing. Prices are about half as much on smaller 80, 90, and 100's. The overall quality is very good. Mushrooms: A large variety of Mushrooms are available like Matsutake, Hedgehog and Chanterelle. You can expect great pricing on Yellow Chanterelle's. (See This Week's Hot Sheet)

As with all fresh fruits and vegetables, the market could change daily . . .



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