As we enter the stretch run of the California grape season, a new variety called the Pristine grape should hit the market in early October. Developed over the last 20 years by Anton Caratan, this late season green grape is purported to be sweet and crunchy and extends the grape season. It is currently marketed only by Sun Fresh, Four Star Fruit and Delano Farms. I'm not familiar with this particular variety, but since other fruit disappears from view at this time, this could be a nice addition to the late summer (early fall) fruit selection.
Blueberries--from Argentina are poised to come on the heels of the domestic blueberry season. The South American blueberry deal is a relatively new phenomenon. It seems as if the Chilean blueberry deal catapulted onto the scene just a few years ago, and now Argentina and Uruguay have joined the fray. The anti-oxidant properties associated with blueberries have opened the floodgates for farmers to shift land to this hot commodity. As the Michigan and British Colombian crops wind down for the year, the northern province of Tucuman in Argentina is about ready to begin air freighting blueberries to the U.S. For your geography lesson, the deal then shifts to the main growing area of Concordia. The transition to berries from Argentina fills the gap until Chile begins shipping around December. These usually come by boat to the U.S. Blueberry growers look at other commodities that are now year round and say why not us.
Organic Apples--are now being treated with organic carnauba wax to "enhance the eating experience" of organic apples. Most apples are pressure tested during harvest, and there is a direct correlation between higher pressure and crunchiness. Wax on apples is applied to retain the "crunchy" factor or higher pressure testing. Without wax, the apple industry claims that apples lose about a pound of pressure per day on the retail stand. The organic industry has therefore created an organic wax to keep apples from getting mealy.
Nuts and Dried Fruits--the United States is certainly doing its part in going nuts! We've had back to back high volume and high quality nut harvests, though increasing world demand and poor growing seasons oversees, keep nut prices high. I'm not sure how the nut and dried fruit industry came to be associated with the produce industry, but since it is, I'm here to report on it! The domestic pecan crop is huge this year. Did you know that Georgia is by far the leading producer of pecans, followed by New Mexico and Texas. Walnuts and almonds also appear to have one of the largest grossing harvests in the history of either crop. The pistachio crop is also touted to be very large, and U.S. pistachios are prized oversees. When I was young, most of the pistachios sold in the U.S were from Iran and ofter red in color. The good ones were extremely tasty, though often infested with small worms. The U.S. pistachio industry did not even exist then, but soon took the world by storm with its clean and very large nuts. Needless to say there is not a huge market today in the U.S. for Iranian pistachios.
New crop medjool dates have entered the marketplace and as usual they are soft, sweet and delicious. The crop is harvested from the Cochella Valley in the California desert. Also dried calimyrna figs from Greece have appeared on the market in one 24x1 pound units. Soon we will also see California black mission and calimyrna figs as well as the incomparable Turkish dried figs. Yum!
Strawberries--have been a bit "under the weather" or "hit and miss" lately, due to rain in the growing area of Watsonville. The good news is that strawberries are beginning their transition further south, back to Santa Maria and Oxnard where the whole California deal gets going in the spring. This should take us through the fall and then we'll be touting the arrival of berries from Florida.
Romaine--the romaine market is in a supply exceeds demand situation, and prices are falling for all romaine products. Take advantage of these lower prices while they're around.
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( 2.9 / 141 )Yes, as of 5:18 p.m., September 22, summer is officially over. Food cravings begin to change as shorter days and cooler nights signal the waning of the summer bounty. Get your fill of sweet corn, local tomatoes, honeyrocks, peaches, plums, and nectarines, as they will soon disappear until next summer. Sure we obtain product from outside the U.S., but 12 degrees and snow, doesn't really signify a sweet juicy peach in my book.
Fall is certainly one of the most colorful times of the year, even in the produce industry. Pumpkins of all sizes and several colors, gourds, corn stalks, gigantic sunflowers, and a bevy of hard shelled squash, seem to duplicate the gorgeous colors of the turning of the leaves. Add to that the many shades of golds, reds, greens and yellows represented by our pears and apples.
Here's a look at what's happening in the produce world:
Apple Cider--the first cider of the year from Hy and Ruby was made exclusively from Macintosh apples, and thus was a bit one dimensional and thin. This weekend's pressing will add gala apples to give a bit more depth to the cider. Shortly after, golden delicious, empires and cortlands will be added to the mix to create the flavor we love in a good cider.
Pears--fall is pear season and the varieties keep on rolling in. Currently we are seeing bartlet, red sensation, bosc, Asian pears, and French butter pears. Shortly we should see my favorite comice pears and seckel pears. Did you know that seckel and bosc pears ripen from the inside out, so don't let them get too soft or they'll turn to mush.
Artichokes--fall and spring are the seasons for artichokes, and supplies are increasing each week. Shortly we should see a range of sizes from 12 count to 36 count, as well as baby artichokes. These "chokes" are from northern California in Castroville, the artichoke heart of the world.
Asparagus--the market can't get much traction and prices remain somewhat soft. Peru is looking to take some asparagus land out of production and shift it to avocados and mangos.
Onions--the fall harvest gears up and prices come off a bit. Quality is excellent for all types of onions.
Blueberries --shift from being packed in full pints, to 6 oz. containers as the Michigan harvest is about finished. Product is expected to shift to Argentina sometime in October.
Concord Grapes--are now available from Michigan. The season is extremely late, though quality is very good. If the frost keeps out of the vineyard, and we get our fair share of sunny days, the quality should be extraordinary and we could product through much of October.
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( 3.1 / 112 )Here's a quick look at what's happening this week.
Apples--more Michigan varieties become available on the western part of the state. The light sandy soil there, hastens the ripening of the crop so varieties appear a week or so early west of Kalamazoo. Varieties include: Honey crisps, galas, early goldens, Macintosh, red corts, graham spy's, and Paula reds. Fresh apple cider should begin next week. Yes, fall is here.
Squash--hard shelled varieties from Michigan are gaining maturity and prices are falling. Varieties include butternut, acorn, buttercup or kabocha, sweet dumpling and sweet potato or delicata. Even various pumpkin varieties are beginning to show up. Yes, it is truly a sign of fall. On the other hand, zucchini and yellow squash vines are petering out for the season. Quality has been mediocre recently. Product should begin coming from elsewhere soon.
Berries--the raspberry market has strengthened considerably, and prices are higher. Blackberries are being sourced from Guatemala and the quality has been fair at best. The strawberry market has begun to strengthen and prices are higher here, too.
Broccoli and Cauliflower--are fall vegetables and we should be in for a good ride of high quality and fair prices. Both vegetables are sourced from many states including Michigan, California, Maine, New York and Washington which all have commercial volumes. Both are good staple menu items for the nest few months.
Brussels Sprouts--are another vegetable which thrives in the fall, though only California grows commercial volumes. Prices are lower.
Cucumbers--prices begin a seasonal climb as many local deals wind up for the season. Seedless cucumbers, which have been a real bargain for the last month, have also begun to climb.
Eggplant--prices are low as the fall harvest begins. Another good menu item for the next few weeks.
Cantaloupes--the main summer crop up around Mendota, California is coming near the end. Melons are beginning to have a greener cast as fields are being stripped. The harvest will move to the desert in Arizona in a few weeks and stay there until December.
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( 2.5 / 61 )Ah, yes, another month is in the books. We've moved to the month of good sleeping weather, so good in fact, I've had trouble getting out of bed in the morning. It being so dark in the morning now doesn't help. By the way, if you not booked this weekend, check out the Detroit Jazz festival at Hart Plaza. I believe it's the largest free Jazz gig in the U.S., and the lineup is superb as usual. There are not many places left to hear Jazz these days and if you're a jazz fan, come on out and support this great three day free concert.
By the way, here's some current produce news:
Potatoes--the market is dropping for all types, as new crop potatoes from various states begin their harvest. New crop russet potatoes are coming from Washington state, Idaho, Wisconsin and Nebraska. Prices for all sizes are lower. Red potatoes are now coming from Minnesota and Wisconsin, and prices are lower for both A and B reds. Yukon Gold potatoes are still a few notches higher than the above potatoes. Michigan white potato harvest is well under way and prices, as usual, are very reasonable.
Cucumbers --all vine type vegetables are hitting end of season mode, and prices are climbing. This includes the summer squash family. Seedless cukes remain a bargain. I was in Chicago over the weekend and the tapas restaurant I went to served a thin slice of Cucumber in my water. It was a nice touch!
Peppers--stuff 'em, chop them, saute them, dice them or however you use them will be good for your bottom line. Prices are 1980's cheap. Michigan red peppers are starting also and are a great deal.
Lettuce--all varieties of lettuce except iceberg, have started to climb. Summer's heat in Salinas has taken its toll on the lettuce crop, causing a bit of a shortage of high quality product. Romaine and associated romaine products are leading the way. Green leaf, red leaf and boston are several dollars per case higher.
Sweet potatoes--last years' kiln dried crop is about finished for the season, and new crop "green" sweet potatoes are now available. The skins are always tender on these sweet potatoes so handle them gently. New crop California red sweet potatoes are also available. California is supposed to have a huge crop of sweet potatoes this year, so maybe we'll get to see some of their varieties.
Peaches--the Michigan peach season is rapidly winding down for the season. A few more weeks is about all that can be expected from this wonderful fruit. Get your fill now!
Blueberries --are approaching a luxury item now as prices approach $40 per case. We've procured a handful of 10# lugs at a better price for this weekend if you can use them.
Brussels Sprouts--prices have come way off for this fall and winter vegetable. Prices were outrageous for these sprouts during the summer, but fall is brussels sprout season. I just had some wonderful roasted brussels sprouts the other night. Frog Holler is able to procure baby brussels sprouts from Holland each week. What a treat!
Pomegranates--the season has begun for early season variety pomegranates. This is a sure sign of fall. Prices are high to begin with.
Peanuts--fall is also peanut in the shell time. Nothing better than eating peanuts while watching the "game".
BY THE WAY, GO BLUE!
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( 2.9 / 53 )Just about a week before the first kickoff of the year in our fair city.
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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