fruit mARKET update

Warmer weather and the Fourth of July mean big celebrations with summer fruit. Just in time for the celebrations the NEW Verry Cherry Plum in 10/1# clamshells. Strawberries, Peaches, Nectarines, Plums, Apricots and Cherries are exploding with sweetness! Blueberries return Monday in 6oz, pints, 18oz and a NEW 12/2# pack from LaPierre for delivery Tuesday, July 4th.

Please remember, Earl’s sales office is closed on Tuesday July 4th with no delivery or pick up on Wednesday, July 5th.

Small-sized Spring Pearl White Nectarines are a great value deal: 54/56ct and 60/64ct. Homegrown Festival Red Plums VF have dark red skin and sweet red flesh. 

Sweet Raspberries from Santa Maria in 6oz packs and local Tomatero Strawberries from Watsonville in 2# and 1# clamshells. California Cherries are winding down. LaPierre Rainier Cherries from Washington add variety to your cherry display. 

California sweet and crunchy Grapes are the perfect snack fresh or frozen for those warm summer days. Now harvesting Red Seedless Flames and Green Seedless Sugarone Grapes.  

Berry Recipe Ideas! Jam, fruit salad, strawberry shortcake, popsicles, have a neighborhood ice cream social, pies, berry tarts, fruit bars, mixed berry crumble drizzled with cream, top a pork loin with mixed berry and cherry salsa, strawberry tarragon chicken salad, raspberry grilled cheese, strawberry corn salsa and more!

The California desert region is wrapping up on Melons and transitioning to the Central Valley with Mini Seedless Watermelons, Cantaloupe and Honeydew. Galias are back this week. Galia Melons have a golden, netted rind and juicy green flesh with a tropical flavor and intense fragrance. Plenty of watermelon bins for the 4th of July week!

California Lemons are in a little bit of a better supply as growers work through problematic fruit. Mexican Lemons starting up later this week will provide some relief.

mango mania

Crespo Mangos are in peak flavor and supply for summer Mango Mania! It is not too late to participate in the display contest for a chance to win a trip for 2 to visit Crespo Orchards and Packing House in Mexico. This is a great time to educate, engage, excite and entice customers with this unique mango. We have all the tools and the pricing you need for sales success! Ask your Earl’s Sales Rep for more information, a Mango Mania POS Packet, and download digital materials to highlight your display.

California Organic Stone Fruit Hitting Its Stride

OPN Connect Newsletter, June 22, 2023

California’s organic Stone Fruit crop got off to a delayed start this year because of a cool spring, but it has moved into full production—and reports are that it was well worth the wait. “We’ve been surprised about the quality and flavor of the fruit,” said Jarod Hunting, fruit category buyer for Earl’s Organic Produce in San Francisco. “The taste is fantastic. We have always been told that drought conditions push the sugar, so we were wondering what the wet spring would do to the flavor. But the fruit is really delicious.” And there is a lot of it for at least the next couple of months. “The market is a little bit stronger than last year because of some of the crop failures on the conventional side in the Southeast,” Hunting said. “But we still have promotable volume and aggressive pricing. We have been setting up programs for our customers through June and July. There is a lot of great fruit available for 4th of July promotions.”

Organic stone fruit is sizing very well, and there are many options— though some of the varieties are a bit light. “Apricots and Pluots are pretty thin, but there are great supplies of Peaches and Nectarines, especially the yellow varieties … and the white varieties are starting to come on,” Hunting said.

There are also plenty of local organic growers north of the San Joaquin Valley (SJV) that have great stone fruit crops this year, Hunting said, adding good volume to what is being delivered by the larger SJV commercial growers. Some of these orchards are well-located in areas where they weren’t as affected by the cold spring. “Right now, we are getting some great local Apricots,” he said. “We’ve had huge success supporting these local growers all season.”

In the organic tree fruit category, Hunting noted that the Pacific Northwest Cherry crop is a great crop. “We are expecting an abundance of cherries,” he said. Read the full article.