Tomatoes --while Florida is far behind in production, Mexico claims to have a great looking crop and as supplies increase prices should begin to fall. The worst is over as prices are slowly beginning to fall. Grape tomatoes and romas are fairly reasonable, leaving gassed green Florida tomatoes and Mexican vine ripes being outrageously priced.
Lettuce--the worst was thought to be over, though prices remain very high. Supposedly the transition to Yuma lettuce should have pushed prices down, but high demand is forcing growers to pick lettuce while young, which is exacerbating the problem. Let's hope for warm weather in Arizona.
Berries --the warm weather in Florida has accelerated the crop, and significant volume should hit our market by mid December. Florida strawberries have been excellent over the past 5 years or so, so we welcome their arrival. Prices could be reasonable by Christmas.
Blueberries have begun being shipped from Chile as well as Argentina and Uruguay. The supposed gigantic crop has been downsized due to poor weather in South America. Blackberries from Mexico and Guatemala are a bargain, while raspberries remain stable.
Broccoli and Cauliflower--from California are following the lettuce market. Demand far exceeds supplies and prices are higher. As product moves further along in the desert, prices should come down.
Asparagus--felt a little bump from Thanksgiving, though prices will fall a bit this week. The market for asparagus is quite soft as over planting in Peru and Chile has stuffed the market.
Citrus --product is heating up here. Florida and Texas juice oranges have supplanted California valencias. As usual for this time of the year, the juice is a bit thin and pale, though certainly not offensive. Each successive variety will improve the flavor. California Navel oranges continue to gain maturity. Quality is quite good for this early in the season.
Cranberries--product seems to be dwindling quickly, so if you think you might need some product for the holidays, don't wait too long before purchasing them.
Mexican product--such as cucumbers, green peppers, zucchini and eggplant is coming on like gang busters giving relief to these commodities. Prices are dropping as supply exceeds demand here.
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( 2.9 / 178 )
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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