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Notes from the Green Grocer --
October 18, 2005
LETTUCE MARKET:
Iceberg Lettuce: Growers
took prices up last week but slow demand is causing
them to recede. Romaine: Is maintaining
a little strength but is still quite affordable;
quality is still very good. Green Leaf,
Boston, and Red Leaf: Supplies
in Salinas and Santa Maria are surplus, pricing
remains flat. Romaine Hearts:
No changes to report. Spinach:
Prices are low: expect sandy product due to rains...
More about lettuce
. . .
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BERRY NEWS: Strawberries: Rain
over all of California will cause quality issues;
prices are up. Long Stem Strawberries:
Expect wet berries; prices are strong. Blueberries:
Oregon berries are small but very
sweet; this is your best berry this week. Blackberries:
Prices are firm with supply unable
to keep up with demand; fruit from Guatemala
is very tart. Raspberries:
Look good now but will no doubt incur rain damage...
More
about blueberries...
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TOMATO UPDATE:
Roma Tomatoes: Fruit
is mostly from Baja; prices are moving up. Two
Layer Repack Tomatoes and Loose
Tomatoes: The market is heading up too;
Northern California is cleaning up and Baja is unable
to pick up the slack; quality is good. b Good fruit
is at a premium; prices are up. Yellow Tomatoes:
Supplies are better and prices are falling off.
Grape Tomatoes and Teardrops:
Prices are much stronger on grapes and unchanged
on grapes: grapes are running small. Heirloom
Tomatoes: Supplies are good so far and
prices remain excellent...
More
about tomatoes... |
 FRESH
FRUITS: California Haas
Avocados: Prices have leveled off; quality
is excellent. Chilean fruit is a little short and
prices are up a bit. Bananas: No
change; supplies are very good. Cantaloupe
and Honeydew: Dews are very good but cantaloupe
quality is marginal; rain in Arizona combined green
cast fruit is causing fruit to have low sugar content;
dews on the other hand are excellent; firm, crisp,
and dripping with sugar. Mixed melons are about
done, only Casaba, Santa
Claus, and a few Tuscan Melons.
Watermelon: California is winding down
and prices are up. Green and Red Grapes:
Quality is excellent; prices are up. Lemons:
Supplies are long; prices are low on all
sizes. Limes: Rains continue to
fall in Mexico; prices remain higher than usual.
Juicing Oranges: California Valencia’s
are in good supply; prices are good. Grapefruit:
Texas Rio stars have started but the  California
marsh ruby is still the better fruit; Texas only
has small sizes and they are very tart; we will
check them out again next week. Hawaiian
Papayas: Quality is really good and prices
are steady. Pineapples: Supplies
are lighter and larger sizes are short; prices are
up slightly. Plums: Black Angeleno
is the variety of choice; supplies are light but
there is still enough to go around. Nectarines
and Peaches: Not very
good, anything left may look good but will be brown
in the inside. There are good supplies of Apples,
Cranberries, Figs, Kiwi’s, Gold Kiwi’s,
and Mangoes.
More
about papayas...
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 FRESH
VEGETABLES:
Artichokes: Quality is good
and prices are going nowhere. Asparagus:
Standard and large are Chilean while jumbos are
predominately California grown, prices are stable.
Bok Choy and Napa Cabbage:
Prices have leveled off. Blue Lake
Beans: Quality is good; good local and
Mexican supplies; prices are low. Broccoli:
Good supplies in Santa Maria and Salinas; bunched
and crowns are both cheap. Cauliflower:
The market has fallen off; prices are down.
Cabbage: Supplies of California
green are very short; prices are up. Celery:
Supplies are good; prices are flat. Cucumbers:
This commodity has turned around; prices
are very strong. Eggplant: Quality
is good; prices are unchanged. Red Onions:
Prices are good. Yellow Onions:
Supplies are better; prices have leveled
off. White Onions: Prices are low.
Curly Parsley and Italian
Parsley: Supplies are good and prices are
unchanged. Green Bell Peppers: Prices
are still low; Red and Gold Bell  Peppers:
Supplies are lighter; prices are heading up.
Squash: Gold Zucchini: Quality is good;
prices are unchanged. Green Zucchini: Cool
weather is retarding growth; supplies are short
and prices are firming up. French Haricot
Vert Beans: Growers are in to new fields;
prices are off. Yellow Wax Beans: Supplies
are a little short; prices are up again. Baby
Squashes: All varieties are a little short
due to rainy fields; prices are up. There are good
supplies of Chard, Kale, Carrots, China
Peas, Hard Squashes, Pumpkins, and Snap
Peas...
More
about eggplants...
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As with all fresh fruits and vegetables, the market
could change daily . . .
Further
description of all the fruits and vegetables mentioned
above can be found at Whole
Health Foods and Wegman's
Online Produce Encylopedia.
Archives
October 18, 2005
October 11, 2005
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