Well, we've dressed up our newest Frog Truck with "Lady Frog" or maybe she's Froggie Mama. It's about time we've graced Ann Arbor with a lady frog, don't you think? You should know our style by now. Every new truck gets a new Frog "cartoon" which we hope puts a smile on your face. There's enough serious stuff going on out there, so we try to keep things on the lighter side while we truck around the city trying to deliver you the best produce around. I love it when I see kids in a car pointing at our trucks, laughing their heads off. Our good friend and, of course, local artist Zeke Mallory, has painted all the Frog trucks. Thanks Zeke, for the smiles you've put on our faces. Check out his work on his webswite at www.zekemallory.com
While we're at it, we've just about met our goal by having a fully refrigerated truck fleet. This is to insure that your food is delivered to your dock at temperatures between 32 and 42 degrees. Frog Holler Produce Co. is in the process of obtaining its HAACP certification, a food safety acronym which stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points. After 9/11 and its terrorist implications, and way too many incidences of Salmonella and other disease producing organisms over the past 5 years or so, governmental agencies are trying to combat this problem by instituting a range of policies to help assure food safety. Beginning at the farm would be a good place to start, but I won't get pulled into politics right now. So, we at Frog Holler Produce, are stepping up to the plate by instituting new policies which will increase our awareness of delivering food safely to you. This will eventually include traceability which will enable the food chain to trace a tainted product back to a particular farm. I thought my new Android could do this stuff. What are apps for anyway? This has become such a big deal, that many companies seem to place a higher value and price on their policies than on the quality and taste of the food itself. We appreciate and understand the role that food safety plays in the distribution process, but our reputation for quality and service will still be our calling card. We would love for you to come visit us in our new and improved facilities if you get the chance. Your support has enabled us to grow and assist us in servicing you better. It is a 2 way street!
Thanks once again,
Froggie Rick (as some called me back in the day)
Froggie Mama (she's the newest Frog in town)
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( 2.9 / 172 )The lettuce market hit $40. Are you kidding me! Yup, romaine lettuce, romaine hearts and red leaf lettuce are in the $40's. That's nothing to celebrate about! Iceberg lettuce, boston and green leaf are in the $30's. How about tomatoes you ask? They're squirrely,too. Gassed green Florida tomatoes are in the mid $30's, as are Mexican vine ripes and roma tomatoes. Is this a bad dream or what? Oh, did I mention that Hurricane Ida which rained on Guatemala, is affecting their produce exports?
Lettuce--continues to be in this funk due to California rain storms which occurred in mid October. All California leafy greens are affected such as spring mix and baby spinach. Product is tender and saturated with water. Patience will be needed to get through this.
Tomatoes --demand exceeds supplies leading to higher prices. Actually the quality of the early season Mexican tomatoes seems quite good, though supplies are very limited. Florida gassers are just getting going leading to higher prices. We're struggling to keep up with color, though we should be on top of that this weekend.
Broccoli and Cauliflower--prices seem to be receding here, especially for cauliflower. Hopefully this is a sign that the lettuce market will follow suit.
Asparagus--prices continue to rise fueled by rain from Hurricane Ida and other vegetables being higher. Why should asparagus be left behind?
Parsley--those big bunches from Texas are about to be shipped. They must have large handed farm workers in Texas that pack the herbs. Everything is bigger in Texas they tell me. Prices are higher. Pretty soon most greens will be coming from Texas. Look for knobby onions, chard, dandelion greens, cilantro, endive and escarole and kale.
Cucumbers--as Mexican supplies increase, prices drop a bit. Quality is excellent. Seedless cukes, on the other hand, are in short supply as Canada is about finished for the year and no one has taken her place.
Zucchini and Yellow Squash--prices are falling fast and both Mexico and Florida increase production. Hard shelled squash, on the other hand is finishing up locally and prices are rising.
Citrus--the season is here. Seedless Clementines from Spain and Satsumas from California have hit the market. We prefer the satsumas now as they seem to have more maturity, though next week could be a different story. Larger pickings of California navels are dragging the market down. Florida and Texas grapefruit are shipping larger loads each week, and prices are falling. We are beginning to squeeze grapefruit juice if you're interested.
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( 2.6 / 114 )One of the first lessons I was taught in the produce business back in the early 70's, was that "Every Day is a Different Day." It really is a truism of the buyers mantra. What makes the buyers job so interesting (and difficult), is that you really need to look at all products, everyday. There are not many instances where you can just "pull the lever", and buy today what you bought yesterday. A good buyer will touch, taste, smell and view today's product, while cultivating an instinct of what might happen tomorrow or the day after that. Prices go up, prices go down, quality goes up and quality goes down. Wait until tomorrow and the product you passed on today might be gone. It can truly be a humbling experience. I say this because all of my blogging is based on the latest information I can muster, but that as we now know can change in a flash. Here's today's latest info.
Lettuce--the lettuce market is extremely variable and fragile right now. Almost all lettuce has transitioned to Huron, which is a very short lived deal. Sometime in mid to late November, the whole deal moves to Yuma, Arizona and California's Cochella Valley for the winter. What tends to happen is that the growing conditions in Yuma are less than perfect right now. Days are short and traditionally there is not enough heat and light to jump start the crop. So we're stuck with an area (Huron), which has received too much rain and Yuma/Cochella which is not ready to take over. This is also affecting baby spinach and spring mix which have been tender and wet.
Here's a snippet of an e mail we received from one supplier regarding romaine lettuce.
ROMAINE QUALITY NOTICE
"Unseasonable weather is causing Pink Rib, Windburn, Mildew and Cracked Rib." I'm not even sure what all these monikers mean. "Please look at all romaine products upon arrival, and do not accept the product if it does not meet your standards. We will not be issuing credits for any romaine products during this period of time." In English this means that growers are saying quality is poor but if you must have it, don't ask for credit." Wow!
Blueberries--from Argentina and Uruguay have hit the market and prices are beginning to come off a bit. Quality is quite good. My instinct says prices will drop rapidly since Chile is sitting on a record crop. Let's see.
Strawberries--the strawberry market is very tight mostly due to poor weather. Product is now coming from Santa Maria and Oxnard, though no California areas are exempt from the recent rains. Prices are higher and quality is hit and miss. Driscoll is one of the few strawberry packers around and they are taking advantage of it.
Limes--the market is soft and prices are dropping.
Lemons--are being sourced from many locations and prices are lower also.
California Navels--have hit the marketplace. Prices have opened around $30 for 72-88 counts. Product is a bit immature.
Asparagus-- prices finally move up a bit. We'll have to wait and see if the Thanksgiving push will alter prices significantly.
Green Peppers--prices have jumped here also. As the Mexican crop ripens, prices should come back down.
Arugula--B&W baby arugula or rocket has returned to the scene after dealing with a bout of bad weather. Quality seems to have returned to normal.
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( 2.8 / 113 )Many of the vegetables that skyrocketed in price last week have already crashed back down to Earth. This includes broccoli, cauliflower and iceberg lettuce. Markets will probably be a bit unstable for the next few weeks as new growing areas get situated. The real test will be where supplies are as the holidays approach. Here's a look at today's produce report.
Broccoli and Cauliflower--both California grown vegetables have dropped significantly in price and now hover around the $20 mark. Broccoli crowns have dropped also.
Brussels Sprouts--this fall vegetable has dropped a bit also and the quality is excellent. We are able to procure beautiful Holland baby brussels sprouts on a pre-order basis if you're so inclined.
Lettuces--as the lettuce supplies transition to the Huron District of California, supplies begin to increase. This has affected the iceberg lettuce market drastically as prices have plummeted. Leaf and romaine prices are a tad behind.
Cucumbers --have a two tiered pricing system right now. Southern cukes from Louisiana and Georgia, are less expensive, though quality is variable, while the more expensive cucumbers being shipped from Mexico are significantly nicer. Seedless cucumbers are in a bit of a gap as Canada is finishing for the season, while Mexican hot house seedless cucumbers are just beginning. Prices are higher.
Peppers--as the local markets finish up for the season, new crop peppers are demanding higher prices. Quality is very good. This will also be true of all "specialty" peppers such as poblanos, Hungarian hots, jalapenos, serranos and habeneros.
Lemons and Limes--the shift toward cooler weather lessens the demand for these fruits and prices are dropping.
Specialty Mushrooms--chanterelles, lobster mushrooms, and maitake or Hen of the Woods have been the "specialty" mushrooms of choice as of late. The prices are reasonable and the quality has been very good. Many of you have jumped on these mushrooms for menu choices, and we appreciate it. We'll keep bringing seasonal mushrooms to the table if the demand is there. Give Matt, Cindy or Mike a call if you're interested.
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( 3.1 / 131 )Many vegetables currently sourced from northern California have risen in price dramatically. Cool weather and fewer daylight hours have slowed production to a halt. Recent heavy rains have compounded the problem. This is the tail end of the Salinas growing season and items like lettuce, baby spinach, spring mix, broccoli and cauliflower are about to transition to the Huron district and Yuma, Arizona. It could be a bit premature for those areas to pick up the slack. This November like weather in October is adding to the problem, since it has prematurely ended several local deals in the Midwest and East Coast.
Lettuce--is probably more susceptible to rain and cold than other vegetables. Cases have been running a bit light in weight. Iceberg, and all romaine products are higher. We're still able to ride the coattails of the end of a few Michigan growers who have a bit of leaf and boston yet. Once there is a hard freeze, that deal will be done.
Broccoli and Cauliflower--prices are hovering in the high $20's and low $30 range for both vegetables. Higher demand and waning local deals for these fall crops is pressuring the market higher as well as the cool weather is not helping products mature. We talked to one local grower who has 15 acres of cauliflower under production. The cool summer has just not matured the crop as usual. He said if things turn out right, he could have a bumper crop by Thanksgiving.
Celery--prices are starting to climb after several months of being quite reasonable.
Tomatoes--have gone up in price everyday this week. Luckily we have a few Michigan tomatoes to ease us in to this situation, but plan on tomatoes being over $1 per pound later this week. Grape tomatoes are following suit, though romas are stable for the time being. This situation is not uncommon at this time of the year as California is the only major player for vine ripes, while gas green tomatoes usually transition to California and then Florida. Relief usually comes once Mexico begins major volumes.
Berries--there is virtually an empty pipeline out there in the world of blueberries. Prices for the little that's available is in the $50-$60 range. The solution will come once Argentina begins shipping, which should happen shortly. Raspberries prices are creeping higher, and the quality is showing some signs of stress from recent rains. They still taste quite good, though the color is getting darker as the California deal is ending. Product will transition to Mexico, any day now.
Blackberry prices have come off a bit and the quality is improving. Unfortunately these varieties are quite sour, unlike the tasty blackberries we've had most of the summer.
Strawberries are rising also as fewer growers are left in the game. The recent rains are creating havoc here. We've received e-mails from distributors saying next week berries could be an issue. We'll have to wait and see.
Not all is bleak, though. There are still quite a few produce items that you can use to keep food costs lower. Here's a look.
Pineapples--prices are lower and quality has improved.
Peppers--a few local deals around the country is keeping this market soft. Both red and green peppers are quite reasonable.
Squash--this is the time for great deals on local hard shelled squash. Lots of choices and pricing is favorable. Don't wait too long since a hard freeze will cull the crop. Zucchini and yellow squash have transitioned to Georgia and Mexico keeping prices reasonalbe.
Eggplant--another good menu item for keeping costs down. Enough local product is in the pipelines to keep the market from moving higher.
Root Vegetables--this is the time of year when quality is at it's peak. Several local products are available including potatoes, carrots, turnips, and parsnips.
Potatoes--a huge crop of russet potatoes is contributing to low prices. A great menu choice here.
Asparagus--it's unusual to see other main stream vegetables go higher, and asparagus stay stable. But that's what's happening due to overproduction in South America. We'll see what Thanksgiving brings.
Apples--just about all local varieties are currently available. The late ripening apples which are the best for pies are staring to show up. These are Idareds and Northern Spy's. Prices are extremely reasonable for this huge local crop.
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