Red and green cabbage, zucchini, yellow and cousa squash, fresh herbs
including arugula, thyme, curly and flat parsley, dill, oregano,and rosemary, green onions, mini bunch carrots, bunch beets, bunch radishes and turnips, romaine, green and red leaf lettuce, cucumbers, pickling cucumbers, broccoli, mustard, turnip and collard greens and strawberries. The list keeps getting longer. Remember this is a list of what Frog Holler can currently obtain, though not necessarily in our inventory. If you're interested in any of the above items, just let the Frog Guys know.
Other market news:
Cantaloupes and Honeydews--California is experiencing extremely hot weather, which is burning up the melons. Prices are beginning to escalate and pickers are being forced to pick melons a bit on the less ripe side.
Lettuce--the California heat is not sparing the lettuce crop. It's getting stressed and prices are higher for all California lettuces. What a great time for Black River Farms in Michigan to begin. They do a great job!!
Celery--has returned to a normal state after very high prices.
Fresh Figs--the season has begun for black figs which are now around $30 for a case of 12 pints. Fresh figs have become very hip in the retail and food service industry these past few years. Last night, I had some figs which were baked at 400 degrees and put in a salad with asparagus and blue cheese. Yum!
Sweet Cherries --Washington State is slowly getting started, though they have a relatively short crop. We hope to get some Michigan sweets and tarts from the western part of the state as soon as next week.
Green Beans --are virtually non-existant as rain in the mid Atlantic states has curtailed production. Prices are over $40 per crate. Michigan is only a few weeks away, and that should help a ton.
Tomatoes--I don't think any more substantial reports have hit the airwaves regarding the salmonella tomatoes. Currently, Frog Holler is offering tomatoes from South Carolina which come in a 25 pound (though they are a heavy 25# box) as well as 15# Canadian hot house tomatoes and Canadian tomatoes on the vine. The South Carolina tomatoes are a "home grown" type of tomato which are good tasting and a great price. Grape tomatoes remain high, though there seems to be pressure to fall, and roma tomatoes are just so so.
Berries --New Jersey, the leading producer of blueberries along with Michigan, has begun their harvest and prices continue to fall. This is a great time to bring blueberries into your menus as product should be plentiful for a few months. Currently blueberries are in the low $20's for 12 full pints. California strawberries have felt the pressure from many local deals around the country, so their prices have been depressed in the past few weeks. Prices are starting to rise as the heat takes its toll and local deals wind up.
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( 3 / 96 )Are you kidding me. This is the new summer in Michigan. Well I'm sure it will warm up soon, right! Here's some updates on fruits and veggies.
Did you know that trucks hauling freight from West to East are having trouble navigating the Mississippi River. Floods along the river are causing traffic problems.
Asparagus--it's getting to be the time when asparagus shifts back to Mexico and Peru. We still have good quality "local" asparagus, but it's basically coming only in 28 lb crates. The nice stuff is now coming from Quebec. Jumbo asparagus is quite scarce and prices are much higher.
Sugar snaps and peapods--summertime is the off season for these products in Guatemala and Peru. Prices are higher and product is not as consistent as we are used to during the rest of the year. It's a good time to give these a break and look for something a bit more seasonal.
Green Beans--are due to switch to Tennessee, which must be a good thing, since these Georgia beans have been rough. They've experienced quite a bit of rain in Georgia which has hurt several of their crops.
Celery--prices are easing off after a run of unbelievably high prices.
Onions--greater supplies are pressuring the market to come down. Prices are beginning to come down.
Tomatoes--it's strange how little information is coming out on the salmonella incident. Several states have been cleared to sell their product, but there still is no culprit. Let's hope the fast food chains, i.e. MacDonald's, Wendy's, etc. don't start using tomatoes before this thing is cleared up, otherwise prices will go through the roof. By the way, most of the tomatoes we are currently using are coming from Louisiana. Kentucky and California tomatoes, should be the next tomatoes available. That will be a good thing.
Melons--from California are very tasty right now. The honeydews have been exceptional and the cantaloupes by and large have been very good also. A few specialty melons have reared their pretty heads. That list would include galia, crenshaw, santa claus, canary, and orange flesh honeydews to name a few.
Sweet Cherries--are finishing up from California and just beginning from Washington state. Michigan sweet cherries, which we have great contacts for, are around the corner. If you're interested in Michigan tart cherries, let us know so we can get your order on the list.
Cauliflower and Broccoli-- prices are higher, mostly due to higher freight costs.
Peaches, Plums and Nectarines--are in high gear from California. White fleshed peaches and nectarines are very tasty right now. Have I mentioned that almost 25% of peaches and nectarines grown in California are of the white fleshed variety. That's mind blowing to me, though growers have realized the current trend doesn't warrant that and are pulling some trees out. Black splendor plums are currently available which is one of my favorites. It is a large, sweet red fleshed plum.
Cucumbers--Michigan cukes might begin this weekend, if not, next week for sure. That should drop prices a bit and certainly improve quality. Mini seedless cucumbers have become available again.
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( 2.9 / 78 )The FDA has still not declared they know the source of the salmonella outbreak, though it appears they have relaxed the number of areas on the "hot list". California tomatoes appear to be okay and many or all counties in Florida are ok. That is a bit vague and we hope to have more definitive information later today or tomorrow. The one thing for sure is that the price of tomatoes is rapidly escalating. Grape tomatoes are approaching $30 and 15 pound hot house tomatoes are near $25. The market should crash as soon the source is found.
Other stuff:
Michigan produce includes: strawberries, asparagus, bunch radishes, romaine lettuce, broccoli, mustards, collards, dandelion greens, zucchini, yellow squash, green cabbage, and arugula.
Blueberries--quality has improved dramatically, and prices have fallen. 12 full pint cases are about $35 per case.
Strawberries--why does the weather always get hot, rainy and steamy just as Michigan strawberries begin. Well, it's happened again this year. These berries are very tender, but can be extremely tasty if they don't get waterlogged. We do not warehouse Michigan strawberries, so if you're interested, get on the list. California berries are stable.
Mangoes--we've received a beautiful lot of haden mangoes for the weekend. Um, what a tasty piece of fruit!
Morels, ramps and fiddleheads--are virtually done for the year. There are some odds and ends around, but the heat means it's time to switch to other products.
Stone fruit--excellent varieties of California yellow and white flesh peaches and nectarines are available, and plums should pick up steam next week. Cherries from California are less expensive and Washington State product should begin soon. Many varieties of apricots are available also.
Broccoli--this hot weather has quickly brought on the spring broccoli crop, so he's having a fire sale this weekend. We'll be able to sell it for $12 per case. Such a deal!
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( 2.9 / 62 )As you have undoubtedly heard, there has been a salmonella outbreak caused by tomatoes that have infected several people across the country, though none in Michigan as we speak. As of this morning it hasn't been determined where the exact source of this outbreak occurred. Roma tomatoes and "red round" tomatoes are the targeted bad tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, any tomato "on the vine" and tomatoes from certain states or countries, including Canada, are not on the FDA warning list. This is not a recall, but a consumer warning. For the time being, Frog Holler Produce Company has decided to only offer tomatoes from areas not associated with this outbreak. The best option we see for general sandwich or slicing use are Canadian hothouse tomatoes. For folks who use roma tomatoes we've sourced small Canadian tomatoes which have fallen off the vine. They come in 11 pound boxes. These choices could change any day as this situation continues. If you want to check out more information on this outbreak, you can go to www.fda.gov.
As we find out more information on this situation, we'll keep you posted. If the tomato options we've chosen are not working out for you, let us know and we'll see what else is available.
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( 3 / 59 )Many of us in Hockey Town are bleary eyed from late Red Wing Games. Well cheers to the Red Wings for bringing The Cup home. While we were busy watching the games the produce world has taken a step toward summer. The heat this weekend will hasten the local asparagus season as prices have already taken a minor tick upwards. But then again local strawberries will begin to ripen and be available any day now. Here's a look at a few other produce items:
Raspberries--the heat in California has pushed along the raspberry season and prices are lower. Berries are sweet but tender.
Blueberries--product is being packed only in pints now, and quality is surprisingly below average. We have hopes for Mississippi berries due this weekend. Can't wait until Michigan starts, because they are the best.
Strawberries--prices are stable and quality has been very good for California berries.
Peppers--are lower for all varieties. A gap between first and second picking of colored peppers increased that market recently, but supplies are returning to normal. Green pepper prices have fallen considerably and quality has improved.
Mushrooms--domestic porcini mushrooms have begun and this is a deal to jump on. Michigan morels are still available and prices are lower.
Potatoes--storage supplies are dwindling for storage baker potatoes as prices are much higher. Red potatoes shift from Florida to Arizona and new crop California yukons have begun.
Onions--prices are higher for yellow and red onions. Texas onions are finished for the season as supplies shift to California.
Tomatoes--prices are lower for Mexican tomatoes which include vine ripe slicers and romas. There is a glut of on the vine tomatoes which has lowered their prices. Grape tomatoes are stable. We're still waiting for a consistent heirloom deal.
Melons--cantaloupes are very good right now and prices are down. Honeydews and watermelons are very good also. Other varieties like crenshaw, galia, tuscan cantaloupes, etc. are right around the corner.
Fresh figs--the season is just getting underway. California has two fig seasons. The first starts in the desert or in Cochella Valley, and the second or main season is in the Central Valley. The second season is usually much tastier and more reasonable. Prices of the desert figs should drop in a few weeks.
Michigan Products--include arugula, green cabbage, bunch radishes, and collard, mustard and turnip greens, as well as asparagus.
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