Just because we have snow on the ground doesn't change the fact that it is officially springtime. The onset of April usually signals changes in where some products come from. Here are some examples:
Onions --Even though there are still quite a bit of storage onions in the pipeline, the spring Mexican crop is about to begin shipping. These new onions have thin skins as they are not built for storage. I don't see problems with the fall storage onions yet, though as the weather warms up they tend to begin to sprout. That's a good time to switch. I enjoy knob onions from Texas or Vidalia at this time of year.
Blueberries--there's been a glut of inexpensive Chilean blueberries for at least a month, though the overall quality has been just fair. New crop blueberries from Florida are just starting to be harvested, though prices will be quite a bit higher. Florida has increased its plantings of blueberries in recent years to fill the usual gap between South America and the Georgia and North Carolina crops.
Mangoes--the wonderful Mexican mango crop is picking up some steam. Ataulfo or Champagne mangoes are the first good tasting mango of the season. The haden variety is the next good one that follows. Both varieties are creamy tasting and virtually string less.
Asparagus--is shifting from Mexico to California. Can Michigan be far behind--well yea!
Green Peppers--Florida is beginning to dominate the green pepper deal and prices are starting to fall this week. Quality appears to be very good.
Red and White Potatoes--beautiful quality potatoes are in the midst of the short Florida potato season. All sizes are terrific.
English Peas and Fava Beans--these two vegetables are a sure sign of spring. They're just getting started out of Mexico and prices are still a bit high, about $55-$60 for a 25 pound case.
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( 3 / 109 )Ah, yes! Food holidays always put some pressure on the market, and this year is no different. Easter is very early this year, though in some ways I think that works in our favor. Florida is in the beginning stages of its spring harvest for many commodities, while Mexico still has significant volume of many items. Here's a breakdown.
Asparagus--California hurries its harvest to reap some of the business created by Easter sales. Prices are slightly higher, though the quality of both Mexico and California product has been excellent.
Green Beans--are another favorite Easter vegetable. Prices rebound a bit from last weeks' very low prices. I hope we can find beans a bit younger and more tender.
Tomatoes--made an about face late last week, as prices of slicers and romas headed higher. I'm unclear as to the near future of this market, since Florida is shipping more product, but Mexican product seems to be slowing down. We've been able to source high quality product.
Broccoli and Cauliflower--seem to move to the same music. Both veggies are higher due to Easter demand and lower supplies out of the desert. By the way, the desert deal, which includes all varieties of lettuce, broccoli and cauliflower, is winding down as product gets ready to shift to the Huron District in about a month. This is a short lived deal that gives way to summer's major growing area in the Salinas Valley .
Lemons and Limes--are going crazy. Prices are higher for both.
Lettuce--prices are relatively stable here, though the iceberg market is a bit higher. Good quality boston lettuce has been the only difficult buy. Quality has been generally good for other varieties.
Corn--not many good choices here. The spring crop is just getting underway, and prices are high for "percentage" corn. Ears are very young and not fully filled out. Once this straightens out, spring corn is usually excellent through its journey from Florida to Georgia, Illinois, Ohio and eventually Michigan.
Berries--it's been a challenge to keep in nice strawberries for the past couple of weeks. California just hasn't had enough volume to satisfy everyone's needs. Florida still has good volume, though their product is just too tender right now. An encouraging note is that prices seem to be coming off a bit for this huge strawberry week. That means that California is kicking it up a notch. Raspberries continue to be expensive, as Driscoll has the market to itself. Blueberries, which have been over planted in South America leading to very inexpensive prices all winter, seem to be on an uptick. Prices are inching higher.
Red and White Potatoes--these new crop Florida potatoes, are some of the nicest spuds of the year. All sizes are available, the most special being red and white creamers. These 50 pound boxes are pricey, but oh so nice.
Now that you've endured this Frog Blog, I'll entertain you with a Bugs Bunny cartoon. Happy Easter.
Just click on the link below and enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHQZBXJxCbA
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( 2.6 / 80 )
Another winter storm is brewing and there are some bargains to be had in the produce world. Overall, demand is soft around the country for several produce items and prices are lower. This weekend only, we are offering the following:
Cantaloupes--$10.50 per 6 count case. Both Costa Rica and Guatemala are flush with melons, and supply exceeds demand. Good for us!!
Pineapple-$13 for nice Costa Rican product. Once again there is more supply than demand, and product needs to move out. Don't they know that Easter (huge pineapple holiday) is right around the corner?
Broccoli--only $11.50 per case. The hits just keep on coming.
Seedless Cucumbers--$10.50 per case of 12.
Chinese Peeled Garlic--$15 for a case of 4 jars of 5# peeled garlic. That's 20 lbs. of peeled garlic. If you buy just 1 jar, the price is $4.25 per 5# jar.
Other News
Tomatoes--the market is showing some signs of weakness. Next week, prices should be lower for slicing tomatoes and romas.
Green Beans[/i--new spring crop green beans are coming in from Florida, and prices are way down. Fresh wax beans are available also. Quality is excellent!
Green Peppers--Prices are much higher for green peppers. Florida's crop hasn't begun yet, and Mexico's supply is in a bit of a gap.
Eggplant--the same story here. Prices are higher as Mexico dominates the scene.
Pea Pods and Sugar Snaps--good quality is hard to come by. Prices are reasonable.
Onions --it appears that prices will remain weak for awhile. Mexico is about to start harvesting a large crop, and there is a fair amount of storage onions left to sell. Not a profitable year to be an onion farmer.
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( 3 / 97 )You're probably conjuring up pictures of the lovely Chiquita Banana donning her fatigues and marching throughout Latin America struggling for her independence. Well, not exactly. I am referring to the price of bananas which is on the rise due to extreme bad winter weather in banana growing areas culminating with these torrential floods in Equador. A state of emergency has been declared by their president. Below are some pictures sent to Frog Holler showing some of the damage in the banana fields. The Force Majeure clause (Act of God) has been invoked which overrides contract pricing, therefore prices are escalating. But while I was googling Chiquita I came upon the original Chiquita Banana commercial, created by Disney, and I felt compelled to put it on this blog. For anyone who grew up with this commercial it brings back memories. Click on the link below if you care to view it.
View Chiquita commercial (YouTube)
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( 2.9 / 143 )So, we were off by a week or so, but the tomato market has begun its vertical rise. Starting with slicers and romas, the market is up about $10 from last week. Tighten your seat belts.
Broccoli and Cauliflower--both products are inexpensive and high quality.
Asparagus--prices are inching upwards, but only by a little. 28 pound cases are still the way to go.
Lettuce--the market has been stable for awhile now and continues to do so.
Potatoes--new potatoes from Florida have begun, beginning with red A and B sizes. New white potatoes will follow shortly. For me this is one of the first signs of spring in the south, with the digging of these fresh new potatoes.
Red Peppers--this market is on fire with prices approaching $25 for an 11 pound case. Quality has been good.
Berries --strawberries continue to come from Florida and California. California product is much healthier. Prices are stable. Raspberries are mostly from Mexico with prices tending to be a bit lower. Blueberries from Chili are winding down as prices creep higher.
Kiwi--supplies from Italy, Greece, and the U.S. are diminishing as we wait for the South American crop to mature. Prices are higher.
Mangoes--good news here as the first champagne or ataulfo mangoes are crossing the border from Mexico. Once these get the kinks out of the first few shipments, the wonderful Mexican mango season will be upon us. One of the best fruits out there!
Pineapples--from Costa Rica remain a terrific bargain.
Lemons--supplies are much lower than demand as the lemon market escalates. Arizona and off shore product is low and California can't pick up all the slack. Smaller sizes are more expensive than larger sizes.
Pears--d'anjou pears from the northwest are still plentiful as are bosc pears. Bartlett pears from Argentina have just begun if you prefer bartletts. Quality is usually terrific for these pears. The first shipment was a bit green though the next boat should be better.
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