-
upcoming holidays
• Fourth of July
• See our July 4th holiday schedule -
NEW!
• Verry Cherry Plum (Monday)- download flyer
• Frog Hollow Goshen Gold Apricot: Earl’s Weekly Specials
• Dwelley Corn
• Josie’s Basil Crunch and Jalapeno Ranch Salad Kits: Earl’s Weekly Special Wednesday • Local Heirloom Tomatoes
• Comanche Okra and Mixed Medley Tomatoes
• Crespo Specialty Mangos: Mallika and Thai Green Mango -
promotable volume
• Tomatero Strawberries and Blackberries
• California Betterful Blueberry pints
• Stone Fruit – Earl’s sells by the variety. You will find the full line up of varieties below in the fruit update.
• California seedless Red Rush and green seedless Sugarone Grapes
• Crespo Mangos! Enter the Summer Mango Mania Display Contest (Details below)
• Tomatero Broccoli Crowns
• Corn -
COMING SOON
• Covilli Dragon Fruit
• Watermelon Radish
• Watermelon Gherkins
• Terra Firma (Winters) straight pack Heirloom Tomatoes
• California New Crop Garlic - July
• Early girls available from Terra Firma and Tomatero in 2 weeks
• New crop Russets, Red and Gold Potatoes -
TIGHT INVENTORY
• Pacific Northwest Cherries
• Yellow Onions Medium -
GAPPING
• Thai Coconuts
• Coconut Buckets
• Figs
• Romanesco -
WINDING DOWN
• Blenheim Apricot
• Cal-O Corn
• English and Sugar Snap Peas
• CVP Asparagus through July 4th -
finished
• Breba Fig Crop
• Turnips
BUYER’S NOTES
Updated June 30, 2024
FRUIT
Pause in Avocado Inspections out of Michoacán Mexico leads to tight inventory and higher prices
As the supply of avocados exported out of Mexico came to a halt, the demand on California fruit increased dramatically and prices shot up. Expect California avocado prices to remain high until the supply out of Mexico has full resumed.
Excerpt from ABC and CBS News articles:
Tuesday July 18th: “The USDA paused avocado, mango inspections in Mexican state due to security concerns after two APHIS(The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) inspectors were among a group caught in a road blockade led by community police forces in the state of Michoacán. The inspectors were reportedly detained and assaulted. The U.S. Department of Agriculture temporarily paused any new exports of mangoes and avocados out of Michoacán, Mexico after an incident that reportedly sparked security concerns for its safety inspectors on the ground. The USDA has inspectors working in Mexico to ensure the products meet U.S. standards, without whose signoff the avocados and mangos cannot be sent north. Michoacán and Jalisco are the only two Mexican states allowed to export avocados to the U.S., an industry worth billions of dollars each year.”
Friday July 21st: “U.S. government inspections of avocados and mangoes in the Mexican state of Michoacan will gradually resume, U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar announced Friday. The U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors "will gradually begin to return to the packing plants following recent aggression against them," Salazar said in a statement. In fact, more work still needs to be done so that the (agriculture) inspectors are safe and can resume inspections and thereby eliminate the impediments to the trade of avocado and mango to the United States from Michoacan."
Read the full ABC article and CBS article.
fruit mARKET update
Summer is officially here and the 4th of July, one of the biggest eating holidays of the year, is next Friday! As we celebrate our independence let us enjoy the bounty of summer produce. Summer sweet stone fruit drips down your chin. Look for great prices on Earls exclusive, Burkart incredible fragrant and sweet Bright Princess Yellow Peaches and Ivory Queen White Peaches. Balakian is a new addition to Earl’s stone fruit line up. The fruit sits on the tree a little longer, bringing customers an out of this world eating experience. Now harvesting Summer Flare Yellow Nectarines, Ice Princess White Peaches and Black Splendor and Crimson Rose Plums. Wild River out of Yolo County Emerald Blush Pluots are approximately 70% plum and 30% apricot and 100% delicious!
Add slices of stone fruit to summer salads, in caprese salads instead of tomatoes, cheese board, put them on the grill or eat out of hand. Pluots have a slight crunch to them with juicy flesh. Santa Rosa Plums from Frog Hollow are a summertime treasure and something special. They’re not good shippers so you will only find these locally. Santa Rosa Plums are plump perfection with a bit of tartness in the skin that balances out the sweet and juicy flesh. Cherries and Apricots out of the Pacific Northwest are limited due to a cold spring. Make sure to add Rainiers and Chelan Cherries to your line up. Expect a fairly abrupt end to the Cherry season by the end of July/beginning of August. We are at the tail end of the Apricot season with about two weeks left. Pacific Northwest Apricots supply will be very limited.
Tomatero Blackberries are incredibly delicious and the new pink label really calls attention to this berry on the retail shelves. This is the last of the California Betterful Blueberries and fruit will transition to Oregon and Washington. PNW Blueberries will be in promotable volume starting late July/early August. Larger sized pints, 18oz and 2# packs are available. Oxnard/Santa Maria is wrapping up their Strawberry crop with more sweet strawberries coming out of Watsonville. Tomatero is in promotable volume for the 4th of July. AG Berry will have some raspberries in the next two weeks. Raspberries coming out of Baja have short legs and are very fragile. Buy tight and often.
The Breba fig crop has come to an abrupt end. The main crop and more flavorful crop of figs will start up in late July with Brown Turkey Figs from the Central Valley. Maywood out of Corning will start harvesting at the beginning of August.
California Grapes continue out of Coachella. By mid-July the growing region will transition to the Central Valley. Specialty Candy Snap Red Seedless Grapes are tasty with full color. The overall flavor will get even better with warm weather. Air Chief will start up in the middle of July.
Lime pricing is expected to increase as the first hurricane of the season, Alberto, hits the lime growing region in Mexico.
Melons coming out of the desert growing region is winding down and moving into the Central Valley. Delicious Riverbend Seeded Watermelons and Thomson Exotic Watermelons are in good supply for the 4th of July, including the Mini Black Midnights! The Honeysaurus has incredible tropical flavor and fragrance, reminiscent of a sweet Thai coconut. The skin is a beautiful creamy ivory with splashes of green and flesh is white and crisp, and it is hard to put it down. Mini Seedless as well as Watermelon Bins are 4th of July essential. Download Earl’s Melon Guide.
Crespo Mango Summer Mania is on, and we have more participants this year than ever. Share the educational posters and recipe cards you received with your deliveries and send in photos of your display to be included in Crespo’s and Earl’s social media posts. Let us know if you need a marketing packet sent to you.
Nam Doc Mai are Thailand’s dessert mango. Mallika, a fiberless. creamy and exceptionally sweet. Indian Varietal, and Thai Green Mangos (sweetest when it is green or semi ripe) are arriving Sunday. Download POS cards below. Learn how you can win 2 tickets to visit Crespo in Mexico.
Apples
Cosmic Crisp, Envy and Jazz Club Apples are steady. California Gala Apple season starts up in September. Stay tuned for grower POS cards.
Avocados
The USDA paused avocado and mango inspections in Mexican state due to security concerns after two APHIS (The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) inspectors were among a group caught in a road blockade led by community police forces in the state of Michoacán. The inspectors were reportedly detained and assaulted. As the supply of avocados exported out of Mexico came to a halt, the demand on California fruit increased dramatically and prices shot up. Expect California avocado prices to remain high until the supply out of Mexico has fully resumed.
Bananas
When the weather heats up make sure use proper handling procedures. Download Earl’s Banana Handling and Receiving Guide.
Berries
Blackberries: Tomatero Blackberries are incredibly delicious and the new pink label really calls attention to this berry on the retail shelves.
Blueberries: Last of the California Betterful Blueberries. Next crop is out of Oregon from Homegrown and Washington from La Pierre. Blueberries will be in promotable volume starting late July/early August. Larger sized pints, 18oz and 2# packs are available.
Strawberries: Oxnard/Santa Maria is wrapping up with more sweet Strawberries coming out of Watsonville. Tomatero is in promotable volume for the 4th of July.
Raspberries: AG Berry will have some fruit in the next two weeks. Fruit out of Baja has short legs and is very fragile. Buy tight and often.
Citrus
Grapefruit are the most steady item in the citrus category. Will see some Marsh.
California Lemons are tight out of District 2 along the Central Coast. Argentinian and Mexican Lemons will get us through the summer.
Valencias are shaping up with increased sugar. A great piece of fruit for juicing! Smaller pieces of fruit are hard to find.
Lime pricing is expected to increase as the first hurricane of the season, Alberto, hits the lime growing region in Mexico.
grapes
California Grapes continue out of Coachella. By mid-July the growing region will transition to the Central Valley. Specialty Candy Snap Red Seedless Grapes are tasty with full color. The overall flavor will get even better with warm weather. Air Chief will start up in the middle of July.
kiwi
Gold Kiwis are in good supply and customers are loving this sweet, non-acidic variety.
melons
The desert growing region is winding down and moving into the Central Valley. Delicious Riverbend Seeded Watermelons and Thomson Exotic Watermelons are in good supply for the 4th of July, including the Mini Black Midnights! The Honeysaurus has incredible tropical flavor and fragrance, reminiscent of a sweet Thai coconut. The skin is a beautiful creamy ivory with splashes of green and flesh is white and crisp, and it is hard to put it down. Mini Seedless as well as Watermelon Bins are 4th of July essential.
Download Earl’s Melon Guide and follow the flavor.
pears
Looking to see the first California River Delta Bartlett Pears at the end of July. In the meantime the import pears have good flavor and quality.
stone fruit
Summer sweet stone fruit drips down your chin. Look for great prices on Earl’s Exclusive, Burkart incredible fragrant and sweet Bright Princess Yellow Peaches and Ivory Queen White Peaches.
Balakian is a new addition to Earl’s stone fruit line up. The fruit sits on the tree a little longer, bringing customers an out of this world eating experience. Now harvesting Summer Flare Yellow Nectarines, Ice Princess White Peaches and Black Splendor and Crimson Rose Plums.
Wild River out of Yolo County Emerald Blush Pluots are approximately 70% plum and 30% apricot and 100% delicious!
Add slices of stone fruit to summer salads, in caprese salads instead of tomatoes, cheese board, put them on the grill or eat out of hand. Pluots have a slight crunch to them with juicy flesh.
Santa Rosa Plums from Frog Hollow are a summertime treasure and something special. They’re not good shippers so you will only find these locally. Santa Rosa Plums are plump perfection with a bit of tartness in the skin that balances out the sweet and juicy flesh.
Cherries and Apricots out of the Pacific Northwest are limited due to a cold spring. Make sure to add Rainiers and Chelan Cherries to your line up. Expect a fairly abrupt end to the Cherry season by the end of July/beginning of August. We are at the tail end of the Apricot season with about two weeks left. Pacific Northwest Apricots supply will be very limited.
tropicals
Thai Coconuts are gapping. Crespo Mango Summer Mania is on, and we have more participants this year than ever. Share the educational posters and recipe cards you received with your deliveries and send in photos of your display to be included in Crespo’s and Earl’s social media posts. Let us know if you need a marketing packet sent to you.
Nam Doc Mai are Thailand’s dessert mango. Mallika, a fiberless. Creamy and exceptionally sweet. Indian varietal, and Thai Green Mangos (sweetest when it is green or semi ripe) are arriving Sunday. Learn how you can win 2 tickets to visit Crespo in Mexico.
Download POS cards above.
crespo mango mania contest
The Crespo Summer Mango Mania Contest is on! Participate for a chance to win an all exclusive trip for two to visit Crespo. Check out photos from the Crespo trip last week with the winners of the 2023 contest on Earl’s vegucation. We visited the Crespo dried mango and fresh mango packing house and mango groves.
VEGETABLES
veg mARKET update
Summer is here and warmer weather means more local produce is coming on!
There will be plenty of Corn for the 4th of July. Cal-O is winding down in the desert and Dwelley is beginning to harvest sweet corn so fresh you can shuck and eat it out of hand. On the grill or stove it only needs a few minutes to cook and it’s ready to enjoy. Dwelley is located in Brentwood less than two hours from San Francisco and has been growing delicious produce for over 100 years. Stay tuned for a video with grower Patrick Johnston sharing his secrets to growing organic corn.
California Coastal View Produce Asparagus from the Salinas Valley will go through the holiday. Supply is limited at the tail end of the season. Celebrate 4th of July with delicious asparagus grilled, roasted, sauteed or shaved into pieces, mixed with olive oil and topped on your favorite pizza.
Specialty Cucumbers from Comanche Creek and Terra Firma are super crunchy and unique. Striped Armenian, Painted Serpent and Lemon Cucumbers are favorites. Pickling Cucumbers will return soon.
Christopher Ranch is starting up with fresh crop Garlic in July.
Tomatero has a nice flush of Flat Parsley and Cilantro. Beautiful, fragrant large bunches of Basil is in promotable volume.
Sunrise is starting with beautiful Local Lettuces - Mixed Salanova, Red and Green Leaf and Green Romaine. Look for their lettuce offerings to continue as we head into July.
NEW from Josie’s Organics: Ranch Jalapeno elevates the popularity of spicy ranch dressings and Basil Crunch with sundried tomatoes and crispy quinoa is the perfect complement to the Basil & Garlic Vinaigrette.
Fresh earthy and nutty Wild Foraged Morels are still available by pre-order now. Ask your Earl’s Sales Rep for pricing.
Peri & Sons have fully transitioned to Firebaugh with larger sizing. Medium Onions are tight and are mostly being allocated to Bagged Onions. Cal-O will start up with fresh crop the 2nd week of July and we will see some relief on Medium Onions.
Eagerly awaited Local Cherry Tomatoes and Heirloom Tomatoes will pick up speed fast in the next few weeks. Tutti Frutti (Lompoc) is a pioneer in Heirloom Tomatoes and known for their incredible flavor and fun array of Heirloom Varietals. The first heirloom pick will be limited and expect it to go quickly. Before we know it we will be in a flush of flavorful California Tomatoes!
Durst (Esparto), Comanche Creek (Chico) are harvesting Mixed Medleys, Sweet 100’s, Sungold, Pink Cherry and more! Early Girls from Comanche Creek and Terra Firma (Winters) return this week. Tomatero will be harvesting early girls in about two weeks.
Comanche Creek Mixed Summer Squash offers customers so many delicious varieties to choose from all summer long. Download Comanche’s Squash Guide and find inspiration in every harvest. Tomatero’s flush of Zucchini means great pricing and promotional opportunities. Sunrise (Lompoc) is starting to harvest Sunburst, Yellow Crookneck and Zucchini and JAS (Hollister) is now harvesting Zucchini.
artichokes
Limited availability from Lakeside.
asparagus
We are the very tail end of the California Coastal View Produce Asparagus season. Celebrate 4th of July with delicious asparagus grilled, roasted, sauteed or shaved into pieces, mixed with olive oil and topped on your favorite pizza.
varietal beans
Dwelley has a full line of summer beans: Cranberry, French, Romano, Yellow Wax and Blue Lake Bean. Download Earl’s Specialty Bean Flyer.
broccoli
Continues to be tight.
sweet baby broccoli
Supply improving this week.
broccoli crowns
Tomatero Broccoli Crowns look sharp.
brussels sprouts
Covilli will start up in 2-3 weeks.
carrots
Yellow Carrots are super sweet and add color.
romanesco
Lakeside is gapping for a few weeks as they move between blocks.
celery
Blight-free product is bountiful in all sizes out of the Salinas Valley!
corn
There will be plenty of Corn for the 4th of July. Cal-O is winding down in the desert and Dwelley is beginning to harvest sweet corn so fresh you can shuck and eat it out of hand. On the grill or stove it only needs a few minutes to cook and it’s ready to enjoy. Dwelley is located in Brentwood less than two hours from San Francisco and has been growing delicious produce for over 100 years. Stay tuned for a video with grower Patrick Johnston sharing his secrets to growing organic corn.
cucumbers
Specialty Cucumbers bring fun to the category with Painted Serpent, Pickling and Lemon Cucumbers.
eggplant
Mexican Globe Eggplant is drying up. Good news, local California growers are starting up with Eggplant. Look to Anna’s Organics (Chowchilla) for their unique specialty eggplants.
Graffiti Eggplants are stunning with their purple stripes. They taste similar to a globe eggplant but have small seeds, thinner skin with no bitterness in the flesh.
Japanese Eggplants are long and narrow with a deep purple color and thin skin. They are sweet and tender and contain few seeds which means no bitterness.
Chinese Eggplants look similar to a Japanese eggplant, but they have a bright, almost neon purple color. They have thin skin, and their flesh is very creamy when cooked. Chinese and Japanese eggplants are fantastic grilled or in stir fries.
Paloma Eggplants are a beautiful white color. They have thin skin bruise easily during shipping so you will usually only find them from local growers. Palomas have a mildly sweet flavor and creamy texture.
garlic
Christopher Ranch is starting up with fresh crop garlic in July.
greens
Local growers are harvesting beautiful bunches of Chards, Kales, Collards and Mustard Greens.
herbs
Tomatero has a nice flush of Flat Parsley and Cilantro. Beautiful, fragrant large bunches of Basil is in promotable volume.
lettuce
Sunrise is starting with beautiful Local Lettuces - Mixed Salanova, Red and Green Leaf and Green Romaine. Look for their lettuce offerings to continue as we head into July.
NEW from Josie’s Organics: Ranch Jalapeno elevates the popularity of spicy ranch dressings and Basil Crunch with sundried tomatoes and crispy quinoa is the perfect complement to the Basil & Garlic Vinaigrette. Arriving Wednesday.
mushrooms
Wild Foraged Morels are available by pre-order. Morels are earthy and nutty, woodsy and toasted. The flavor is rich and deep, distinct but not pungent. Their texture is meaty but in a tender way. Morels, like most mushrooms are best prepared simply so you can really savor them. Try a simple sauté with butter.
onions
Peri & Sons have fully transitioned to Firebaugh with larger sizing. Medium Onions are tight and are mostly being allocated to bagged onions. Cal-O will start up with fresh crop the 2nd week of July and we will see some relief on medium onions.
peas
Tutti Frutti English and Snap Peas are just about done so SNAP them up before the warm weather ends the season.
bell peppers
We won’t see relief on Colored Bells for at least another week.
hot peppers
Plenty of Serranos and Jalapeños. Anna’s White Jalapeños are eating quite spicy!
potatoes
At the end of the Russett storage crop with new crop arriving by mid-July. New crop Red and Gold Potatoes next week.
roots
Turnips are done. A week away on Watermelon Radish.
summer squash
Comanche Creek Mixed Summer Squash offers customers so many delicious varieties to choose from all summer long. Download Comanche’s squash guide and find inspiration in every harvest.
Tomatero’s flush of Zucchini means great pricing and promotional opportunities. Sunrise (Lompoc) is starting to harvest Sunburst, Yellow Crookneck and Zucchini and JAS (Hollister) is now harvesting Zucchini.
tomatoes
Eagerly awaited Local Cherry Tomatoes and Heirloom Tomatoes will pick up speed fast in the next few weeks. Tutti Frutti (Lompoc) is a pioneer in Heirloom Tomatoes and known for their incredible flavor and fun array of Heirloom Varietals. The first heirloom pick will be limited and expect it to go quickly. Before we know it we will be in a flush of flavorful California tomatoes!
Durst (Esparto), Comanche Creek (Chico) are harvesting Mixed Medleys, Sweet 100’s, Sungold, Pink Cherry and more! Early Girls from Comanche Creek and Terra Firma (Winters) return this week. Tomatero will be harvesting Early Girls in about two weeks.
winter squash
Kabocha is gapping and Honeynut is winding down.
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