Everyone's undefeated and we're hopeful to get back to our rightful place of excellence. I must be talking about the Wolverines and not the Lions, right. One of these years maybe the Lions will -----. Personally, I hope Ron English does great things with EMU.
Football is fall, and with that being said, new produce items will soon be available. As the weather turns cooler, all root crops will sweeten up, and apples will color up. I understand that Michigan has an enormous crop of apples this year. We are the 3rd leading producer of apples behind Washington and New York. This is the beginning of the end for many summer crops, so enjoy what's left. The recent rains are creating a bit of havoc for crops like tomatoes and melons, and we could use a sunny warm spell to give a nice push for crops lasting longer into the fall.
Let's take a quick look at a few things:
Berries--we've had the good fortune of a good long ride with summer blueberries, but the party is coming to the end. Prices are much higher and the berries are much tarter. Michigan and British Columbia are two of the last places for harvesting North American blueberries. Michigan, by the way is now into its last variety of the season, the Elliot variety. It tends to pucker you up, but is known to be one of the better freezing varieties.
Blackberries have moved to Guatemala and the quality has been just fair. The California blackberries had been excellent as their new varieties are quite good to eat out of hand.
Strawberries from California seem to keep ticking along. Prices hit an occasional bump here and there, but by and large quality has been quite good.
Raspberries from California have been quite reasonable, and if cooler weather out there prevails it will only help the quality.
Grapes --from California are at there peak. Both red and green grapes are of good size with good crunch and finish. Prices are reasonable. By the way if you're interested, Michigan Concord grapes are quite late this year, and won't be mature until the end of September or the beginning of October. That's very late!
Pineapple--prices have come off considerably from a few weeks ago. Quality still seems to be hit and miss.
Pomegranates--the first early varieties of pomegranates have already hit the market. Is it still really only August? Any fruit touted for anti-oxidant properties has a reason to hit the market early. Big bucks!
Asparagus--from South America is on the rise. Jumbo asparagus is a bit difficult to source right now.
Avocados--there's good news and bad news here. The good news is that the market continues to drop in price due to the onset of avocados from Chile. The bad news is that it has be come difficult to source ripe avocados. No one wants to get hung with product on a sliding market and no one is hanging onto product and ripening it as the market drops. These avocados from Mexico are like rocks and take time to ripen. By the way, Chilean avocados are excellent for pressuring the market lower, but not good for making guacamole. Historically their oil content is no where near California or Mexican avocados. They are pretty, though!
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( 2.8 / 42 )Hey, if you have some free time this weekend, you might want to check out hollerfest, a 3 day music festival held at Frog Holler Farm, located in the Irish Hills. It's a beautiful 140 acre farm, complete with forests, swamps, a great swimming hole, orchards and prairie. The King family has graciously opened up their home to create this inspired music festival. Bring you sleeping bag and tent and stay for the weekend if you want. For more information check out their website at www.hollerfest.com. It should be a great way to kick back and enjoy what's left of the summer.
So what's going on in the produce world, you may ask? We're just chugging along in the midst of the Michigan harvest season, bursting with fresh produce. Just about everything is currently available from our prolific state. This is the time of the year to pig out on vegetables that are so good and fresh. You have about one month left to be gluttonous, so go for it! How many servings of fruits and vegetables a day does the FDA recommend?
Tomatoes--heirloom tomatoes are now in good supply with several varieties in the mixed pack. Several growers are supplying us, so we should be in good shape. The commercial market has actually stiffened a bit with prices of romas and slicing tomatoes on the rise. The industry is currently fighting a potentially devastating airborne virus which is affecting several farms. It started in New York state and the virus is supposedly a relative of the potato leaf roll virus which wiped out the Irish potato crop in the mid 1800's. It has spread to some Michigan farms and growers are on edge waiting to see if they will be affected. Stay tuned!
Cucumbers--after bragging last week how cheap they were, the slicing cuke market has edged up a bit. Seedless cucumbers still remain very inexpensive.
Peppers--this is the time to seek out specialty peppers. All sorts of varieties from anaheims, poblanos, mini sweets, serranos, habaneros, cubanelles, hungarian hots, and many more are now available. Great time for roasting on the grill. Green peppers remain a bargain.
Melons--many varieties are available here also. Watermelons can be yellow, orange, red with seeds, (which used to be the only watermelon) or red seedless. California cantaloupes are superb right now as are honeydews, canary melons and crenshaw melons. Honeyrocks, anyone!
Sweet Corn--is at its peak right now. This is the time of the year, where I could have sweet corn virtually every night till I get my fill. Sweet and tender, who knows how long it will last.
Apples --it seems as if what's left of last years' apples or southern hemisphere apples are quite reasonable. This includes Granny Smith, Fuji, Pink Lady, Red and Golden Delicious. New crop California Gala apples have begun, and they are asking a steep price for them. Michigan apples are just cranking up with varieties like earli golds, sunrise, Pristine, Jersey Mac. The first major variety is Paula Reds and they should begin next week.
Pears--new crop California pear season is currently being harvested. Bartletts are moving from river to mountain (the higher the better) and other varieties like bosc, red bartlett and seckle are available or right around the corner. Michigan, is a bit player in the pear world, and we should have some local pears soon.
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( 2.6 / 16 )Here we are in the dog days of August in the sleepy summer hamlet of Ann Arbor. We will morph into a college town in a few weeks and have our version of traffic jams and lines at the banks and markets around town. In the produce world, there is a plethora of fresh wonderful fruits and vegetables, though there is not enough people around to share them with. Prices of most commodities are very reasonable making it a chefs dream. Here's a look at what's going on!
Avocados--the market is finally showing signs of weakness after a run of very high prices. We should see some serious relief next week. Hurray!
Sugar Snaps and Pea Pods--here, too, prices are rapidly dropping. Prices for better quality product is less than $20 for a ten pound case.
Tomatoes--this summer's cool weather has not been perfect for tomatoes, and demand for local product exceeds supplies. Believe it or not, growers are having problems with having enough ripe tomatoes for the demand that is out there. A good supply of heirloom varieties still seems to be about a week away. Prices are reasonable for all types of tomatoes.
Peppers--green peppers are abundant from Michigan growers and prices are favorable. Colored peppers from hothouses in Canada have been reasonable all summer. A large variety of specialty peppers are now available locally. Among them are habenero, anaheim, poblano, serrano, jalapeno, cubanelle, sweet banana and Hungarian hots.
Eggplant--common varieties of large black eggplant are available locally, and prices are lower. It's still a bit premature for abundant varieties of small, various colored "cool" eggplants.
Cucumbers--are a bargain for most types, and quality is excellent. Slicing cucumbers and seedless cucumbers are about as inexpensive as they get. Pickling cukes are a bit harder to come by. If you need pickling dill, just ask.
Carrots--the Michigan and Canadian crops have begun and prices are lower. This is true for 25# bags as well as 1 and 3 pound bags. Quality is very good.
Broccoli and Cauliflower--prices are lower for both. We are currently sourcing broccoli from Michigan, while California cauliflower has come off its high prices of the past few weeks.
Lettuce--several local deals across the country have lowered prices for all types of lettuce. Quality is improving for all types.
Mangos--the Mexican season is drawing to a close, as the Keitt variety is currently being shipped. Mangoes from Brazil are now entering the market, which is a sign the season is drawing to a close. They just don't have the same great flavor and texture we've been accustomed to over the past several months. Bye bye, mango season!!
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( 2.7 / 10 )After a weeks' vacation and another week getting my computer fixed after a power surge, I'm good to go again. Here we are in August, which around Michigan signifies goodies such as honeyrocks, tomatoes, corn and peaches. In fact this is probably the best time of the year if you're a fruit lover, since there is so much exceptional product to tantalize your taste buds. Here's a look!
Melons--from California abound in August. Variety melons like crenshaw, galia, and canary melons are now available. Cantaloupes and honeydews are being harvested in the prime Mendota area, where the scorching heat could effect the quality of the crop. Watermelons are moving to Indiana with Michigan next on the horizon. Michigan honey rocks have begun which completes melon-0-rama.
Grapes --move up to the San Joaquin Valley, the main California growing area for the rest of the summer. Thompson seedless and the Princess variety are the main green grapes while flames dominate the red grape variety for awhile. Quality is much improved and prices are lower. This is the season for champagne grapes, which if you didn't know are the fresh version of the dried zante currant which is popular to bake with around the holidays.
Blueberries--are quite inexpensive this summer season since both Michigan and New Jersey seem to have large, high quality crops.If you are inclined to freeze some, this would be the week to purchase, as the market seems to be at its bottom. We are able to purchase 5 or 10 pound cases, with a few days notice.
Cherries--I believe this has been one of the largest crops in history and certainly one of the least expensive. The late maturing Washington state crop missed most of the July 4th business, and growers had to drop prices to help move the crop. When do you last remember cherries selling for less than $2 per pound. Michigan sweet cherries are about finished for the season as growers up north switch to harvesting their tart cherries.
Peaches--Michigan growers are about to begin harvest of the popular Red Haven variety. The Michigan peach crop should last into the beginning of September, though the next 3 weeks should be the peak of quality. There is nothing quite like the taste of a Michigan peach!
Citrus--in the old days, the summer months used to focus on non-citrus fruits, but these days, citrus is imported from many countries and is well represented in the super market. Australia, South Africa, Peru and Chile all compete for business away from home. Their lineup includes navel oranges, clementines, minneola tangelos, tangerines as well as lemons. Speaking of lemons, prices are quite high approaching the mid to high $30's. Limes, on the other hand remain a bargain.
Apples --the first California gala apples appeared late last week, which signifies the start of the 2009 apple season. There is plenty of last years huge crop to still be moved from Washington State, as well as fruit from Chile and New Zealand. Honeycrisp apples will be here before you know it.
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( 2.9 / 9 )We're in the thick of summer now and several vegetables are shifting areas. The Midwest is one of the areas we're waiting on for many of the commodities. They include sweet corn, green peppers, eggplant, tomatoes. All of these vegetables thrive in hot weather, which we've been short on, and in all instances demand exceeds supplies, leading to higher prices. All products which like cool, wet weather are thriving locally. Those include lettuces, greens of every kind, cabbages, etc.
Here's a look!
Sweet Corn--is the hottest thing on the market right now. Summer means sweet corn, but Michigan and Indiana are slow to go and southern states are finishing up. Prices are high, though quality is good. A bit of heat should bring on the local corn deal rapidly.
Avocados --might be hotter than corn, except they don't really signify summer, like corn does. The avocado market continues to climb and prices are reaching new heights. It will get worse before it gets better! We've been able to secure #2 avocados, which taste fine, but are not the prettiest and are much less expensive. If this source dries up, you may see prices in the, dare shall I say it, $70 range.
Peeled Garlic--from China is another product on the rise. How long could we expect it to be so inexpensive?
Sugar Snaps--all the good stuff is being sourced from Peru, and the supplies are limited. Product from the other major player, Guatemala has been of poor quality leading to a supply shortage. Pea pods, on the other hand have been nice from both countries, therefore prices are low.
Lettuce--our weather has been quite good for lettuce products, once we got past the deluges a few weeks back. The local Boston lettuce, in particular, has been outstanding.
Zucchini and yellow squash--are a tale of opposites. Zucchini prices are steady, if not dropping, while yellow squash is on the rise.
Eggplant--which has been a bargain for months, has taken a rapid jump. Here's another instance where Michigan product should help relieve the situation.
Onions--good news is on the horizon here. Prices appear to show signs of weakness and should start to fall.
Tomatoes--seem to be on a bit of a roller coaster ride as of late. Now it appears as if 25 pound 5x6 tomatoes are beginning to inch up in price, while romas and grape tomatoes show signs of dropping. All hot house tomatoes remain steady. There are still very few good options for a tasty vine ripe tomato. We'll probably just have to wait for the local deal to begin.
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