BUYERβS NOTES
Updated June 26, 2022
-
NEW!
β’ Crespo Thai Mangos
β’ Pacific Northwest Blueberries (this week!) -
COMING SOON
β’ New crop California Bartletts
β’ Cranberry Beans
β’ Tomatero Blackberries -
BACK IN STOCK
β’ Russet Potato Counts
-
TIGHT INVENTORY
β’ Utility Apples
β’ Avocados (larger sizes 40/48)
β’ Garlic
β’ Hot Peppers
β’ Sweet Potatoes
β’ Butternut Squash
β’ Eggplant -
GAPPING
β’ Burdock
β’ Rutabaga
β’ Shallots
β’ Sunchokes -
WINDING DOWN
β’ Domestic Apple Season
β’ Covilli -
FINISHED
β’ Jicama
FRUIT
As California Cherries & Blueberries hit an abrupt end of their season, weβre starting to see those long-awaited fruits trickle in from the Pacific Northwest. Cherries are coming into better supply, large size, super sweet. Blueberries will be back mid-week from La Pierre label, just in time for the holiday next week. Strawberry supply is solid from Tomatero & Sun Valley and ready to carry the colors of your 4th of July confections. The rest of CA stone fruit is in great shape, with promotable supplies of delicious Peaches, Nectarines, and Pluots coming in strong this week. After teetering between the US and MX, weβre into a solid harvest of California Melons β plenty of bins available to bulk up your displays, sweet and juicy for your cut fruit programs. We have an excellent supply of CA Valencias and Lemons on the citrus front, with Mexican Lemons from Covilli not too far behind. Finally, onto the second week of Mango Mania, round out your display with green Thai Mangos β limited time!
APPLES
An import market, no utility apples.
AVOCADOS
Rincon still limited, prices staying high.
BERRIES
Blackberries: Mexico is wrapping up and we may see a gap. Tomatero starting up
Blueberries: California Blueberries are back! The coveted Forbidden Blueberries from Sandy Newmanβs home ranch in Lompoc. Pacific Northwest starts mid-week in pints and 18oz. We will see 2# clamshells 4th of July week. Homegrown will start up after the holiday.
Strawberries: California Strawberries have excellent volume for the 4th of July holiday at promotional pricing.
Raspberries: Mexico is wrapping up and we may see a gap. Sun Valley has limited inventory.
CITRUS
Excellent supply on Valencias & Lemons this week β ask about special deals!
grapes
Promotable supply from Anthony!
KIWIs
Last of the storage Kiwis from CA, waiting for NZ fruit to come on.
MELONS
Cantaloupes, Honeydews and Galias Organic Treat are winding down. Hamis for one more week. Tuscans are delicious β ready to eat when the green stripes fade.
Thompson Seedless Bins starting this week, with good supply available! Let your sales representative know if you are interested in more seeded melons.
Look for larger Mini Watermelons from Del Mar. And ask your sales rep about specialty watermelons β they wonβt be cheap, but they will be delicious!
PEARS
New crop Bartletts from the Delta coming late this week. Pears ripen off the tree so expect fruit to take a few weeks to turn from green to yellow.
STONE FRUIT
Pacific Northwest Cherries: Prices are softening a bit. Smaller sizes are a good value with aggressive pricing.
California Apricots: Winding down until the Pacific Northwest starts up.
Apricots: Coral Cot, Hermosa, Patterson
Cherries: Pacific Northwest Chelan
Yellow Nectarines: Dulce Vida, Honey Blaze, Spring Flare, Spring Pearl
stone fruit, continued
White Nectarines: Candy Pearl, Spring Pearl
Yellow Peaches: Bright Princess, Deluxe, Sierra Rich
White Peaches: Snow Beauty
Plum: Black Amber, Hiromi Red, Showtime, Crimson Beauty Pluot
Peterson Family Fruit: Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC)- Vista Yellow Peach, Yellow Nectarine Honey Blaze
TROPICALS
Thai Mangos for a limited time.
VEGETABLES
Summer has surely arrived! Major heat into the triple digits in California during the week and over the weekend affects all our major growing regions β plants as well as the people growing and picking our food. Some signs of excessive heat include tip-burned Lettuces, bolted Cilantro, and Bunched Broccoli showing brown beads. See our blog post below for more information! Weβre keeping tabs on all incoming product, and ensuring the best quality possible. We say farewell to Spring with the last of our Tutti Frutti Peas and CVP Asparagus, with about a week left before MX grass carries us through the summer. But on the bright side, Dwelley Corn from Brentwood has arrived: sweet as can be with pristine kernels, the cobs are prime for grilling or eaten raw out of hand. Weβre starting to see more California varietal veg in our warehouse as well: Cranberry Beans will arrive this week to complement the Romanos and Yellow Wax, along with Specialty Cucumbers like the Lemon, Pickling, and Painted Serpent. Weβre seeing the first CA Peppers, along with Cherry Tomatoes from Comanche, Ambrosio, and Durst. And donβt forget everyoneβs favorite, Early Girl Tomatoes, & Cherokee Heirlooms from Tutti Frutti too! Supplies are still tight on Eggplant with California off to a slow start, but Celery is abundant with a dropping market, and Count Russets are back!
asparagus
Last chance to highlight Coastal View Produce Asparagus! The season will wrap up by July 4th. Transitioning to Mexican Asparagus.
bunched beets
Sun Valley gorgeous beets. Tutti Frutti starting up.
Beans
Dwelley Blue Lake, Yellow, Romano and French Beans are abundant. Cranberry beans are new!
broccoli
Heat is leading to some quality concerns in Broccoli, but weβre keeping tabs on all product.
brussels sprouts
No bags for another 1-2 weeks.
cauliflower
Sun Valley has a week left on all colors before a gap, then moving into a healthy field of Orange, Purple and Romanesco.
celery
Flush of product has brought down prices.
corn
White and Bi-Color Corn from Dwelley in Brentwood β gorgeous, sweet, and ready for all eating applications! Cal-O has one more land.
cucumbers
Summer is the time for Specialty Cucumbers! Painted Serpent, Pickling and Lemon Cucumbers. Slicing Cucumbers are tightening up and prices continue to rise. Divine Flavor switching to Baja region.
eggplant
California has started up and will return this week. Mexican product to supplement as much as possible.
garlic
Mexico is finishing up as California Terra Firma and Christopher Ranch starting up with local product.
greens
Sun Valley and Tomatero bunched greens are plentiful.
herbs
Heat has caused Cilantro to bolt from some growers, but solid quality in house.
lettuce
Calo Green Butter has some tip burn from the heat- moving into a new field this week, expect quality to improve.
bell peppers
Mini Mix Peppers (Mexico) and California Mini Mix Peppers early this week in limited supply. Price is coming down on Red Peppers.
hot peppers
California has started up Anaheim, Poblano, Jalapeno and Serranos.
onions
Tri-color and Earth bags will be gapping until Peri and Sons start up in Nevada in late August.
potatoes
Great news! Count Russets are back from Cal-O and Top Brass.
peas
The plants will take a beating with the heat and Tutti Frutti will be ending soon. Moving to the cooler Salinas/Watsonville growing regions.
radishes
Black, Spanish and Red are back in good supply.
summer squash
Mixed Squash from Comanche going strong. Straight pack supplies limited (though plenty of Zucchini.)
tomatoes
Dry farmed Early Girls from Ambrosio in Gilroy have a deep rich flavor. Tutti Frutti Heirloom Tomatoes are starting up! First up are Cherokee Purple straight packs. Mixed packs coming in a few weeks. Local open pint Cherry Tomatoes to start this week from Comanche, Ambrosio, and Durst!
winter squash
California is starting up.
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