-
NEW!
• Murcott Mandarins
• Gold Nugget Mandarins
• HoneyBell
• Kent Mangos (Peru) -
COMING SOON
• Fuerte and Zutano Avocados (Monday)
-
BACK IN STOCK
• Covilli Green Beans
• Import Green and Red Seedless Grapes -
TIGHT INVENTORY
• Asparagus
• Artichokes
• Green Onions
• Red Radishes -
GAPPING
• Tasteful Selection Fingerling Potatoes
• Anna’s Napa Cabbage
• Josie’s Lemon Herb Salad Mix
• Organicgirl Protein Greens
• Cal-O Bunched Beets
• Cal-O Green Onions
• Cal-O Red Radish -
WINDING DOWN
• California Garlic
• Meyer Lemons
• Page Mandarins -
FINISHED
• Burdock
• Daisy and Lee Mandarins
BUYER’S NOTES
Updated February 19, 2023
FRUIT
fruit update
Cold weather and storm clouds on the horizon both in California and Mexico will inevitably effect Berry production. There will likely be some disruptions with quality and supply as this cold/wet front moves through. Stay tuned for updates.
California Citrus has great flavor! Gold Nuggets, Honeybells and Murcotts are the latest additions to the lineup of Page and Tango Mandarins, Cara Cara Pink Navels, Navels, Star Ruby Grapefruit and Kumquats. Download Earl’s Winter Citrus Guide and learn more about the newest varieties on the full buyer’s notes citrus section.
Look for California Fuerte and Zutano Avocados to land Monday!
Gold Nugget Mandarins
Apples
Cuyama Lady Apples and Crimson Gold Crab Apples are slowing down- don’t miss out on some of the last California apples.
Jazz Club Apples are a crisp hard apple. The butter yellow flesh has an excellent strong sweet-sharp flavor with a pronounced fruity pear drop note.
Golden yellow Opal Apples are sweet, tangy, crunchy and resist browning! Don’t miss Earl’s Weekly Special.
Club Apples are varieties that are not just patented, but also trademarked and controlled in such a way that only a select “club” of farmers can sell them. Download the updated Club Apple Variety Guide.
Avocados
Equal Exchange Avocados will go into the first few weeks of March. New this week: California Fuerte and Zutano Avocados. California Hass Avocados are forecast to start up by the end of March.
Bananas
Earl’s carries Fair Trade Bananas year-round. Download Earl’s Banana Ripening and Handling guide.
Berries
Learn more about how the cold weather will impact berries under the Fruit Market Update.
Blackberries and Raspberries: Steady supply with stable prices.
Blueberries: California blueberries have great flavor and texture.
Strawberries: Prices have started dropping as fruit out of Baja is increasing.
HoneyBell Tangelos
Citrus
Grapefruit: A bounty of fruit going into spring. Star Rubys produce very beautiful red-blushed fruits with a smooth yellow rind. The flesh is dark pigmented, juicy and with very few seeds.
Valencias (MX) are winding down.
Navels will go all the way through April and that is when we see California Valencias start up.
Cara Caras will go through early March.
Limes are holding their price.
Nagami Kumquats will go for a few more weeks. Meiwa Kumquats are winding down.
Meiwa Kumquats have a sweet rind and flesh with a good spicy flavor. It is the best Kumquat for eating out of hand.
Nagami Kumquats are completely edible including the seeds. Versatile and bite-sized, the Nagami Kumquat is fun to eat. Their sweet flavor comes from the rind; the tartness is in the flesh. You are in for a powerful sensory experience as the ZING of the sourness hits your taste buds and your mouth puckers up.
HoneyBells are sweet, juicy and tangy. They are a cross between a Dancy Mandarin and a Duncan grapefruit. Grown in Central San Joaquin Valley.
Murcott Mandarins have a bright orange rind and they can have some seeds. They are fairly easy to peel. Their origin is unknown but they have an excellent rich flavor and are good for juicing.
Page Mandarins are a cross between Minneola Tangelo and Clementine. Technically speaking the variety is a Tangelo hybrid since its parentage is three-fourths mandarin and one-fourth grapefruit. It has a very sweet and intense berry flavor.
Gold Nugget Mandarins have bumpy skin and are very aromatic and easy to peel. Fruit is seedless with a rich and sweet flavor.
Make sure to download Earl’s Winter Citrus Guide and follow the flavor each week.
Page Mandarins
grapes
Green and Red Seedless Grapes (Peru) are back!
kiwi
Fully into Import Kiwis from Italy and Greece.
Melons
First shot of Honeydew from Mexico joins the Mini Seedless Watermelon.
nuts
Pistachios are fun to snack on and good for you! Pistachios are bursting with the fiber, minerals, and unsaturated fat that can help keep your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol in check. Their fiber and protein can make you feel fuller for longer. Nichol’s Ranch Pistachio 7oz packs make it an easy grab-and-go snack.
pears
Golden Bosc, D’Anjou and Red D’Anjou out of the Pacific Northwest in good supply. Import Bartlett will start up by the first week in March.
tropicals
Thai Coconuts are back from Crespo. New Kent Mangos (Peru) and Crespo Ataulfo Mangos (MX) are smooth and buttery. Crespo Tommy Atkins round Mangos (MX) have a beautiful blush. Download Crespo Ataulfo POS to highlight your display.
VEGETABLES
vegetable update
Cold weather across all growing regions including the desert and into Mexico continues to slow down production. Baby Sweet Broccoli will be tight as the cold weather in the Salinas/Watsonville growing region limits harvest. Into Mexico, Asparagus will tighten up this week. Organicgirl Protein Greens continue to struggle due to harvest delays and sizing. Protein Greens could be spotty, and we do see improvement late next week. Sunrise is into a flush of sweet Nantes Carrots. Ask about promotable opportunities. Covilli Mixed Heirlooms and Purple Rose Heirlooms are in peak supply with great flavor and on Earl’s Weekly Specials.
Coming soon! Bay Area Herbs is moving into a sustainable/compostable corn starch packaging. Stay tuned for more details!
Edible Flowers
Asparagus
Mexico product could become scarce due to the cold weather. California could potentially start the first week of March with Earl’s Exclusive Coastal View Produce out of Gonzales.
Artichokes
Ocean Mist 12ct, Lakeside Watsonville 18ct and 24ct limited and sporadic harvest. JAS starting up in mid-March. We are seeing some spring time frost and could see some frost-kissed artichokes. 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!
Baby bok choy
Lakeside waiting to size up. Cal-O will cover the gap.
bunched beets
Cal-O done for the next few weeks due to quality issues on the greens. Lakeside (Mexico) has good quality.
green beans
Covilli back in good volume starting Sunday.
Covilli Green Beans
Broccoli
In good volume! Prices will hold for a few weeks.
Broccoli Crowns
Plenty of Crowns from multiple growers.
Sweet Baby Broccoli
Looking gloomy with the cold weather in the Salinas/Watsonville growing region, limited harvest.
Brussels Sprouts
Good volume on Brussels in net bags and bulk in promotable volume.
Cabbage
Anna’s planting their spring fields, light production out of their winter fields - no cabbage or radishes for now. Good supply from Organic Treat and Tomatero.
Carrots
Sunrise is back with promotable volumes of sweet Nantes! Bunched Rainbow and Purple are gapping for the moment. Limited volume on sweet Yellow Carrots. Cal-O Red Carrots are a seasonal deal. Add a pop of color to your display.
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Larger heads continue to be tight with the cold weather hindering growth. Lakeside 16ct on Earl’s Weekly Specials.
Romanesco
Romanesco is back from Organic Treat. This nutty brassica is a great way to build up your display while Cauliflower continues to be tight.
Celery
Supply is looking up.
Cucumbers
Divine coming on with increased Persians. Slicers and Euros in good supply.
eggplant
Globe and Graffiti are steady.
garlic
Argentinean Garlic is a great value option as California heads to the end of the season.
greens
Chard out of the desert is experiencing pest pressure and is limited. Watsonville Greens recovering from the deluge in the recent storms. Greens may be a bit volatile. We could see some quality issues and scarcity. Look to Capay to help with supply.
herbs
Cal-O Dill gapping. Sunrise is starting up with their spring Dill. It is the season for Edible Flowers! Available in 6/10ct clamshells and 50ct clamshells by pre-order. Add them to salads or decorate a beautiful spring cake, tart or cupcakes! Let your bakery know about volume opportunities!
Lettuce
Iceberg outer leaves are showing some discoloration that shows up post-harvest due to the cold weather. We are keeping an eye on quality. Tomatero Leaf Lettuce good quality with minor pest pressure out of Watsonville.
Organicgirl cold weather fragile specialty salads are susceptible. Protein Greens will gap this week and loose Arugula is tight.
leeks
Tutti Frutti Leeks have nice long white shanks (Santa Barbara County).
mushrooms
Download our Fresh Mushroom Guide and our Far West Fungi Dried Mushroom guide!
onions
Green Onions remain extremely tight. Will see some product from Josie’s (Mexico) Cippolinis from Anderson are sharp!
peas
Del Cabo Peas limited.
bell peppers
Red and Yellow limited. Plenty of Orange. Mini Mix Peppers in good supply.
hot peppers
Covilli has a full lineup of Hot Peppers.
potatoes
Russet counts on Earl’s Weekly Specials! Tasteful Selections Fingerlings are gapping.
radishes
Anna’s White Daikon is very tight. Will see some from Cal-O and Coke. Cal-O Red Radish continues to gap. Look to Lakeside to fill the gap.
roots
Sunchokes are back. Burdock is done season until Fall. Pretty Purple Turnips from Anna’s through May.
summer squash
Covilli heading into a flush of Zucchini. Be sure to ask about promotional opportunities.
sweet potatoes
Pricing is stable with good volume on all labels.
tomatoes
Covilli Mixed Heirlooms and Purple Rose Heirlooms in promotable volume and on Earl’s Weekly Specials. Don’t miss the best tasting tomatoes on the market!
winter squash
Full lineup of hard squash from Covilli. Tomatero Jester Squash is gapping.
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