Notes from the Green Grocer -- March 7, 2011

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In Season Right Now:
Mangosteen, Rambutan, Baby Corn, Hedgehog Black Trumpets, Baby Sweet Yams, Blood Oranges, Rhubarb, Baby Kiwi, Kumquats Cape and Green Gooseberries, Cherimoya, Manzano Chiles, Fresh Orange Habanero Chile Parsley Root, Sun Chokes, Sapote Sugar Cane, Red Fresno Peppers, Romanesco Dragon Fruit, Star Fruit, Passion Fruit


Item of the Week: #6263 Pickle Half Sour 90/100ct 5 Gal $22.00


Tomato Report: Frost and Cold weather related conditions in Mexico have caused price hikes in most all of the Round Tomatoes for California consumption.4x4, 4x5's 5x5 and 5x6's have good quality; but prices are higher. Expect tight supply issues because of the weather related problems. Cherry tomatoes are in short supply and are higher priced. Grape tomatoes are coming out of Mexico. They are extremely short and very high priced. Yellow and Red Teardrop tomatoes have good quality; best choice of all tomatoes. Roma tomatoes have good quality but the price has also started to rise. Heirlooms out of Baja have good quality and price.

Lettuce Report: Romaine Lettuce is experiencing quality issues like Blister, Epidermal Peel and Tip Burn. Overall quality is expected to be fair to poor. Expect tight supply and extremely high price. Romaine Hearts are in VERY short supply with a lot of quality issues. Expect smaller head sizes and lighter weights. Prices are very high. Iceberg is running very tight and experiencing Airborne Sclerotina, Mildew and Epidermal peel. In addition to quality issues, prices are still holding on the high side. Leaf lettuce is showing Blister and Discoloration. Green Leaf is the best choice of all lettuces on quality and price.

Berry News: Strawberries are coming out of California. Crops are being picked out of Santa Maria, Oxnard Orange County and soon Watsonville. Recent rain has seemed to have no visible effect on the berries. This may lead to great supply and quality through the rest of the season, provided weather holds up. Blueberries are coming out of Chile and Mexico. We will carry Chilean until Mexican crop improves. Quality and supply remain good. Prices are low. Blackberries are coming out of Mexico. Quality and supply are good and the price is coming down. Raspberries are coming from Mexico and California. Prices are getting better and quality remains good.

Fruit Report: Lemons are coming out of California and prices are coming down. We have good inventory. All varieties of Navel oranges have good availability out of California. 113ct Valencia Oranges are available out of Texas, while sugar content is high, supply is getting tight and prices are starting to rise. Expect good availability on small to mid-size fruit but limited supplies on the larger size profile. We are now getting Grapefruit out of California and Texas. The profile is that of a Ruby Red variety. Price has improved and quality is good. Clementine's have good availability and price. (See This Week's Hot Sheet) Limes are coming out of both California and Mexico. The Californian Limes are paler in color and the juice is not as good as the Mexican Limes. Mexican Limes have much better quality however they are more expensive. Prices on all Limes have finally started to trend downward. Avocados: We carry both Mexican and Chilean varieties. While the Chilean has a longer shelf life, Mexican has a higher Oil Content. California Avocados are currently on the market; however, expect another week until they take the place of the Chilean fruit as oil content and ripeness improves. Prices on all Avocados have increased. Stone Fruit: Peaches, Nectarines, and Plums are available out of Chile. Honeydew has good quality with high sugar content. Cantaloupe is also good with fair amount of sugar. Watermelon quality is suspect. Sugar count is low. It is best to stay away. The best of all Melons is Honeydew.

Vegetable Report: Asparagus: Quality is good but prices are creeping higher. Otherwise, Asparagus supply and quality out of Mexico is good. Blue Lake Bean price has started to come down. We're getting supplies from Florida and Mexico. French Beans: Quality is good and prices have lowered .Red and Yellow Bell Pepper supplies are fair; price is pretty good on both. Green Peppers are more expensive. It is best to stick with the Red or yellow. Squash: Squash prices have gone down considerably and quality is good. Cauliflower: Supplies are fair and prices are higher. Broccoli quality has declined and price is creeping up. Broccolini and Rapini have a tighter supply. Celery quality has improved and prices are coming down. There is visible improvement on Spring Mix Color and supply. Large size profile Potatoes are very short in supply. Freezing conditions have led to a decline in storage crop. It is best to stick with smaller a size profile. However, even smaller Potato's are higher priced.

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



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