It's that time of year.... Equal Exchange Banana Month. You will find the freshest 🍌 materials here to support your retail displays. POS cards, Posters, Hanging Mobiles and more! Earl’s is a Banana House! Check out Earl’s Banana Ripening Guide and Banana Handling and Receiving Guide and ask your Earl’s Sales Rep how we can help build your banana program.

During the winter months many growers move their operations from the Salinas and San Joaquin Valley down to Yuma, Arizona and the California desert. As the weather warms up historically in March, the growing areas move north from Mexico and the California desert to the Salinas Valley.

The Peruvian Mango season is finished, and Mexico isn’t producing enough fruit to keep up with demand.  It can't be understated how much the conventional market effects the organic market, as the organic market share of mangos is incredibly minimal. Once we get into peak season we will see supply, quality, and price issues disappear.

High temperatures and humidity for an extended period of time create the perfect conditions for aphids and mildew quality issues. This week temperatures in the California desert regions moved into the low 80’s and all desert vendors are seeing increasing mildew and aphid pressure on warm veg items.

Artichokes from California's central coast have a beautiful frost kiss. The frost causes the outer layer of the artichoke to turn brown, flake and peel when the temperature reaches below 32 degrees. Although the brownish color may not look pretty, frost kissed artichokes have a more intense nutty flavor. Once cooked, the brown disappears, leaving a delicious green artichoke!

Apples and pears are enjoyed long after being harvested in October/November by keeping them in storage. Storage delays the normal ripening and aging process. As we move into the New Year most of the fresh storage supply has run out and we can expect most apples and pears from the Pacific Northwest to be coming out of controlled atmosphere storage (CA Storage). Think of sleeping beauty under a spell and how she never aged a day until she woke up.

The California Hass avocado season historically starts as early as January/February in San Diego and works its way north as each area of California finishes their harvest and another area begins.  The beginning of the year is when the California Hass Avocado must pass the minimum allowed level of oil content before being picked. Understanding the geography of where your Hass avocado is grown will help you choose the best flavor.

Kumquats are a unique member of the citrus family and are thought to come from China.  The two main varieties of kumquats are the sweet and tart oval shaped Nagami and the sweet round Meiwa.  There are many other varieties of kumquats and hybrid kumquats including the Mandarinquat.

Sweet potatoes are commonly seen labeled as yams, when in reality they are most likely sweet potatoes. Many years ago the U.S. government decided to label sweet potatoes by their color to make things easier. The creamy white flesh ones are labeled sweet potatoes and the orange fleshed ones are sometimes labeled yams.  The USDA requires that sweet potatoes labeled as yams also be labeled as sweet potatoes. Chances are likely that you are buying sweet potatoes regardless of what the label says. Are you still confused?