Apples

Autumn Glory Club Apples are back in the house. Crunchy, sweet with hints of cinnamon and subtle notes of cinnamon, this is an Earl’s favorite.  All Domestic Apples and Pears are coming out of Controlled Atmosphere storage.

Avocados

Equal Exchange Avocados will have fruit through the end of March. Late season fruit should be eaten firm. They have been on the tree for a longer time and are more mature, meaning they ripen quicker, have a higher oil content and should be eaten firm. The flavor is outstanding this time of year but don’t wait until they are too soft, or they will be rancid. A sign of a very mature avocado with a high oil content is when the green/yellow flesh turns to a duller, almost mustard color.  

There is no firm start date for the start of the California Avocado season. Growers are still waiting for fruit to size up on the tree.

Bananas

March is Equal Exchange Banana Month. Every purchase matters.

Are you part of Earl’s Organic Fair Trade Banana Program? Let us help you build up your display and promote the benefits of Fair Trade to your customers. Download shelf talkers below and share why “Not all bananas are created equal.” 

BERRIES

Blackberries: Good supply out of Mexico.

Blueberries: Dynamic market with Forbidden premium berries coming out of the central coast. HGO has good volume on 6oz and pints. Volume opportunities are available.

Strawberries: Look to Baja for a value strawberry option through the next month. California is coming on with more fruit as the weather improves.

Raspberries: Tasty fruit coming out of Mexico and volume is up.

Citrus

Grapefruit: More variety and growers will come on as we get into spring. Rio Reds have pretty pink flesh and are sweeter and have less acid than a Star Ruby. Star Rubys produce very beautiful, red-blushed fruits with a smooth yellow rind. The flesh is dark pigmented, juicy, and with very few seeds.

Valencia market out of Mexico is gaining some strength. California will have mostly large fruit which will drive up the prices of smaller fruit out of Mexico, think 113ct choice.

Murcott and Tango Mandarins coming out of the Central Valley have outstanding flavor! Fairly easy to peel, sweet and juicy, Mandarins should be a integral part of your citrus display. Download POS cards for Murcotts, Tangos and Blood Oranges above.

New from Homegrown Organics, the unique and pretty Sanguinelli Blood Orange, distinguished by its oblong egg shape and rind that is often blushed red. The flesh is tart and sweet and can have a berry-like undertone. When juicing we recommend mixing varieties for a more complex flavor. We like blending Tangos, Murcotts and Blood Oranges together for a visually stunning juice with great flavor. Read more under Earl’s Vegucation.

Minneolas moving out of the desert to the Central Valley in the Cousins label. Incredibly vibrant and super tasty! Buck Gold Nugget Mandarins arriving Monday. Fruit World and Sunny Cal Minneolas are tasting great, also out of the Central Valley. RVO Cara Caras ending in the next week or so and we will have some juicy Cara Caras from HGO. 

Nagami Kumquats are finished. Buck Centennial, Mandarinquat, and Meiwa Kumquats are back this week!

California Meyer Lemons from Coke will go through the spring. California Lemons and Navels going strong from Rainbow Valley Orchard. Lime pricing is starting to soften.

grapes

The wait for Grapes is over. A heatwave in Peru caused quality issues on Import Grapes and a long gap on availability. We are seeing better quality on fruit harvested at the tail end of the heat way. Supply is still limited but we will see Sweet Globe Green Seedless and Sweet Celebration Red Seedless Grapes return on Sunday.

kiwi

California Kiwis from Family Farm and Wild River are in peak flavor. Wild River has a flush of smaller kiwis available in 16/1# clamshells at a great price. A great sell at $3.99 at the retail level.

melons

Mini Seedless Watermelons are gapping.

pears

Import Bartlett Pears are picked green and will take 1-2 weeks to ripen up. Domestic Red and Green D’Anjou and Golden Bosc Pears out of the Pacific Northwest are sweet and juicy and will ripen up faster.

stone fruit

Stone Fruit season is only a few months away.  There have been no major cold snaps and plenty of water and it is looking to be a good season with Dwelley Cherries starting up in May.

tropicals

Mango pricing has started to come down. Now that Mexico has entered the market, volumes are picking up and supplies are restoring. Look for great values on smaller sizes of Ataulfo Mangos as well as Bagged Ataulfo and Tommy Mangos. Thai Coconuts continue to gap this week. Pineapples out of Costa Rica and Mexico are in good volume.