Stone Fruit --it's the time of year that most of us are anticipating the arrival of peaches, apricots, cherries, nectarines, etc. Well, product is beginning to be harvested and the pipelines will slowly begin to fill. One of the first tasty fruits to arrive will be California white flesh peaches. We have a truck picking up some Snow Angel peaches today from a highly respected small, tree ripe grower, and the product should be available next week. Another one of my favorite early pieces of fruit is the Apache apricot, which is a relatively new, exquisite apricot. They come on early so don't miss out!
Asparagus--well, yes Peruvian product has already come back on the scene, but we are receiving a smattering of Michigan and Washington state product. A few warm days in our state will push the harvest along rapidly, and then these high prices will fall.
Broccoli --prices should begin to fall this weekend. Cool California weather and trucking prices have been the culprits of these high prices.
Fiddlehead Ferns--a sure sign of spring, these unfurled fronds of the fiddlehead fern are a favorite of some chefs in the area. This cold weather has curtailed the harvest around Michigan which along with Maine are two of the major states which supply the ferns. We should have some available this weekend.
Green Beans--prices have significantly dropped from the last few weeks. Clipped beans and French beans (haricovert), are usually stable.
Yellow Squash and Zucchini--most product has shifted from Mexico to Florida. Zucchini's are fairly inexpensive, while yellow squash is much higher.
Celery--prices have skyrocketed for this staple of the trinity, so says Emeril. Freight is a major culprit of this very heavy carton. Fennel prices have also begun to rise.
Mint--don't forget the Kentucky Derby is a big mint event. Is there another one?
Tomatoes--prices are starting to climb for large slicing tomatoes as Mexican product dwindles. Grape tomatoes remain quite inexpensive while romas remain in the low to mid $20's. Canadian on the vine tomatoes, or 15# hot house tomatoes are a bargain.
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( 2.7 / 197 )Once upon a time, California grew a great deal of asparagus, until its big neighbor to the south, named Mexico, was able to grow it much cheaper. Well, this year, many California growers took their asparagus out of production, and lo and behold their season is just about finished. Are you kidding me! It's only April and Mexico and California are about finished for the season. In a normal year California asparagus overlaps product from Washington State, Michigan, New Jersey and Ontario, Canada. When the above group is done usually in late June or maybe July, then product shifts back to Chile and Peru for the rest of the year. Well, there is already product from Peru back on the market. Of course, the buyers at Frog Holler are instructed to bypass this South American product, if possible, even if it's less expensive. This week (at least today) we have fresh Washington State asparagus in 28 pound crates and California in 11 pound crates.
Other news:
Tomatoes--the market for all varieties except romas, has fallen apart. The winter freeze in Florida has pushed back their harvest to now, and the high winter prices we experienced has led to good pricing today.
Broccoli, cauliflower and lettuce--cool weather in the Salinas Valley, where most of the above is coming from, has slowed down the harvest. This has led to high prices. As the weather warms, prices should fall.
Onions--Vidalia onions have started. I have always felt them to be overrated and usually overpriced. There ability to hype their product even makes politicians envious. The first Vidalias I've seen this year have a very rough looking, thin skin, indicative of rushing their product to market. Pricing is not too bad for these first onions at about $21 for a 40 pound box. As for spanish onions, we'll probably switch to new crop onions from Texas or Mexico later this week. These are not storage onions, so their skins will be very thin also.
Zucchini and Yellow Squash--prices are reasonable for both as Mexican product competes with Florida product.
Mint--Kentucky Derby is around the corner as is Mojito season. Mucho Mint.
Morels--snow in Washington State has delayed harvest. Midwestern morels are slowly poking up their head, though not enough to provide much relief. Place your orders early in the week if you need some.
GRADUATION WEEKEND
This weekend is one of the busiest of the year. Please try to call in orders for specialty items early in the week. The earlier you let us know the better we can take care of you.
Correction--in my last blog I misrembered how to correctly spell the country Chile (not Chili), and it is autumn there now, not spring. Yes, fresh apples are harvested in the fall. Sorry about that.
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( 2.8 / 86 )Ah, yes, snow on Sunday and Spring on Monday. With sun no less! You have to have a strong constitution to live in Michigan. It never ceases to amaze me, how unbelievably beautiful late April and May are around here. There's no stopping spring now as I notice all kinds of things popping up in my yard. It is a bit early for rhubarb and morels, but wild leeks, also known as ramps have begun. Pricing is reasonable at about $12.50 per pound. Fiddlehead ferns, another sure sign of spring, should begun very soon if this supposed nice weather comes as advertised. So, what else is this week of spring bringing to the produce industry.
Tomatoes--greater supplies out of Florida are pressuring the market downward. Prices of all types are coming off this week. The tomato market often see-saws at this time of the year. Canadian tomatoes on the vine and 15# hot house tomatoes are the best bargain right now. It would be nice to see some tasty heirloom tomatoes soon.
Limes--just in time for Mojito season, the lime market is also coming down. Limes come in either 10 pound boxes or a 40 pound box, so if you can use the equivalent of 4 small boxes, buy a big case and save some money. Almost all limes we sell come from Mexico.
Gala Apples--are now coming from Chili. It's spring there, so these apples are fresher than other varieties. Bartlett pears are also coming from South America (Argentina), so they're basically new crop also.
Cantaloupes--are transitioning from Central America to Arizona and California. Prices are higher until U.S. product begins harvest. Honeydews seem to be stable, while watermelon supplies are good and are the most consistent of the 3 melons.
Green Beans--have spiked in price after a good ride. Product is still coming from Florida. Wax beans are also available.
Fava beans and English Peas--these two vegetables are another sign of spring. The best English Peas are organic ones from Del Cabo Farms in Mexico. Both vegetables require quite a bit of time and labor to prepare, but they sure are tasty.
Onions--new crop red and yellow onions from Mexico and Texas are now being harvested, though they command more money than old crop onions. We've switched to new crop red onions, but are hanging with less expensive storage Spanish onions. They'll start to sprout if exposed to warm weather, so we're keeping an eye on it.
Herbs--the buyers at Frog Holler keep looking for the best herb deal for our customers. We've experimented with various packs and suppliers, and have decided on our new pack which is a plastic clamshell 1/4 pound package for quantities less than 1 pound. We feel this package protects the product and gives you the best shelf life.
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( 3 / 65 )Well after a few weeks of stable or low prices, markets are moving upstream in a hurry. Three factors seem to be the main culprits. Much higher freight costs to get product here, cool evenings in California growing areas which are slowing production and the end of the harvest in the desert area.
Cauliflower and Broccoli--prices are in the low to mid $20's for both products.
Asparagus--Mexico is winding down and no other state besides California has begun harvest yet. Prices are starting to escalate. A bit of purple asparagus is available as a special order. Ask Matt or Eric for availability.
Lettuce--prices are higher for all varieties including romaine hearts. Packing sheds for spring mix and baby spinach are gearing up in the summer growing areas in the Salinas Valley. Until they are in full gear there is often a bit of a gap in quantity or quality.
Tomatoes--prices are high for all tomatoes except grape tomatoes. Mexico is winding down for the season and Florida and California have not picked up the slack.
Blueberries --Chili is finally finished for the season and new crop Florida berries have begun. The first berries are huge though prices are much higher.
Strawberries--a bit of good news as strawberry prices seem to be relatively stable.
Artichokes--a sign of spring as supplies increase for all sizes--from baby chokes to 18 count artichokes.
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( 2.8 / 63 )Hello Everybody,
This is a good time to capitalize on values in the produce world. With all the negative talk out there about the economy, and crazy oil prices, and mortgage crises, and the highest commodity prices for corn and soybeans ever, the produce world is quietly humming along. This bargain period will probably be short lived. Prices for trucks hauling product around the country will hit record highs this year, once again making the cost of freight higher than the cost of the product being shipped. That's one compelling argument for buying more local produce, eh! As soon as the weather improves and nationwide demand picks up, today's oversupply will quickly tighten up, but that shouldn't hinder us from enjoying the abundance of fruits and vegetables this weekend. Here's a snapshot:
Berries --California strawberries are about to begin in the major region of Watsonville, California, in addition to the high volumes now being produced in Oxnard and Santa Maria. The result is lower prices for nice berries. Raspberries, on the other hand, are one of the few very tight and expensive produce items. Blueberries still seem to be in this holding pattern of cleaning up product from Chile while holding Florida's product at bay. That's okay by me since those berries need a bit more time to mature.
Lettuce--is now being harvested from several areas resulting in depressed prices for the moment. As the desert deal finishes (very soon) prices will stiffen a bit. Quality is predominantly very good!
Peppers--prices for all colors are down, down, down.
Sweet Corn--it's time to include corn on your menus if you're so inclined. The spring deal has begun, prices are much lower and should stay this way for awhile. No need to wait for the local deal here.
Celery--if you want a workout, just lift a crate of celery a few times a day. They must way about 60 pounds and for under $20, that computes to cheap. Anyone need a few stalks of celery in their Bloody Mary.
Fennel--not quite as heavy, this is another bargain that doesn't get enough play in my opinion.
Cucumbers--seedless cukes are ridiculously inexpensive, while the slicing or pole cucumber market is very reasonable.
Tomatoes--okay, so the news isn't as rosy here. Prices took an uptick this week as prices of all varieties have gone back up. At least we've been able to stay on top of supplying red juicy tomatoes. That is one of our number one goals at Frog Holler.
Grapes--we're shifting from flames to crimsons in the red grape department as the Chilean season continues to wind down. Quality has been very good the past month or so for both green and red grapes. This is the time of the year for the special muscat grape, which I've only seen distributed from Chile. They're very tasty.
Melons--this has been a disappointing year in the melon department, especially for cantaloupes. A great deal of hype went into wonderful new varieties, but the weather in the major growing areas just didn't cooperate. Prices are beginning to rise for "offshore" cantaloupes after a few weeks of major oversupply, and it shouldn't be too long before the beginning of the California deal.
That's it for this blog and by the way, thanks for tuning in.
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