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Upcoming Holidays
• Labor Day: September 4th
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NEW!
• Koru Club Apple
• California Frog Hollow Goldensweet Apricots
• PNW CLS Gold Rich Apricots
• Pink Dragon Fruit
• Montecucco Gold and Red Loose Beets
• JAS Cherry Bombs, Anaheim and Japanese Eggplant
• Comanche Creek White Paloma Eggplant
• Comanche Creek Yellow Gypsy
• Anna’s Watermelon Gherkins and sweet Italian Jimmy Nardello Peppers
• California Garlic
• Bouchey (WA) Red and Gold A and C Potatoes -
promotable items
• Tomatero (Watsonville) Blackberries and Strawberries
• Central West Produce (Santa Maria) Raspberries
• PNW Blueberries 6oz, pints and 18oz
• Mini Seedless Watermelon
• Stone Fruit
• Crespo Summer Mango Mania!
• Tutti Frutti Heirloom Tomatoes
• Local Monterey County Zucchini (JAS and Tomatero) -
COMING SOON
• Gravenstein Apples first week of August
• California Bartlett Pears by early August
• California Gala Apples September
• Shallots end of August -
BACK IN STOCK
• Ataulfo Mangos
• Anna’s White Jalapeno, Lemon Cucumbers and Shishitos
• Okra -
TIGHT INVENTORY
• Limes
• Lemons
• Brussels Sprouts
• Living Butter Lettuce 5-8 more weeks
• Russet Potato Counts
• Lakeside Bunched Spinach
• Sweet Potatoes
• Winter Squash -
GAPPING
• Burdock
• Sunrise Nantes Carrots
• Figs
• Jicama -
WINDING DOWN
• Verry Cherry Plum
• PNW Cherries -
finished
• LaPierre Blueberries
• Thomson Exotic Watermelons
BUYER’S NOTES
Updated July 23, 2023
FRUIT
fruit mARKET update
Thomson Exotic Melons are done being harvested due the recent heat. Don’t miss the last of the Mini Midnight with a pretty red interior and a dark rind and Daybreak, stunning orange flesh and a dark rind. Thomson may also be done with seeded/seedless bins. Mini Seedless Watermelons, Watermelon Bins, Cantaloupe, Honeydew and Galia Melons are coming out of the Central Valley with good flavor. Durst will start with Specialty Melons the beginning of August. Dwelley will have Watermelon Bins soon.
Peaches are sizing up larger due to all the rain we received this spring. Burkart, an Earl’s Exclusive, is now harvesting juicy White Summer Sweet Peaches and White Majestic Pearl Nectarines.
Mouthwatering Blackberries, Raspberries, Strawberries and Blueberries are in promotable volume. LaPierre Blueberries out of the PNW are done. HGO and Betterful Blueberries will have plenty of volume out of the PNW with great flavor! Mix and match varieties and sizes for a robust display that draws customers.
Frog Hollow (Brentwood) Goldensweet Apricots have a brilliant golden orange skin with a soft blush. Smaller in size than a Robada, they are a great choice to make preserves. Also new on the apricot scene is the sweet Golden Rich Apricot out of the PNW.
The Breba Crop of Figs is done until the main and sweeter crop starts up in August.
Crespo Summer Mango Mania continues with promotable pricing on all varieties and sizes. It’s not too late to ask your Earl’s Sales Rep for a POS Poster to highlight your display. NEW! The Nam Doc Mai (translates to “sweet nectar of the blossom”) is a Thai cultivar and Thailand’s best-known “dessert” mango. One of the world’s most coveted mangos and the mango best used in Thailand’s famous dish - Mango Sticky Rice. Read the full blog under our Vegucation highlight below.
The coveted Gravenstein Apple from Johnny Appleseed is set to be harvested the first week of August. It is nearly time to get excited and celebrate the glorious California Apple season. Bartlett Pears are the first California Pear to kick off the season. Look for these beauties at the end of July/early August.
Apricots
Apples
Cosmic Crisp, Koru and Envy Club Apple excitement continues on.
Koru Club Apple
• Developed by: Geoff Plunkett in 1998 near Nelson, NZ on the South Island. His family believed the seedling grew from an apple his wife’s mother threw in the garden.
• Tasting notes: Crisp, juicy, sweet flesh with notes of honey, orange juice, spice and vanilla. Flesh is slow to brown. Good saver; can be kept for 4 months in the refrigerator.
• Appearance: Primarily orange-red skin over a gold or green background.
• Parentage: Chance seedling but Braeburn and Fuji parentage are suspected.
• Uses: Fresh out of hand and holds up well when baked or cooked.
Avocados
California Avocado prices remain steady and the fruit has now developed a higher oil content for a creamy, rich eating experience. Traceland (Morro Bay) is expecting to start up mid-August.
Bananas
It is heating up in Mexico for Coliman Bananas as the wet season ensues. Look for larger fruit out of this region while Ecuador is now dry in the Southern Hemisphere and hands are sizing up smaller. Earl’s ripens Fair Trade Fruit in our onsite banana rooms year-round. Ask how we can help you with your Banana program.
Berries
Blackberries: Gorgeous and delicious Blackberries from Tomatero are poppin! Keep those beautiful displays going through September.
Blueberries: LaPierre is finished for the season. Better Blueberries and HGO out of the PNW will have good supply. Mix and match 6oz, pints and 18oz to increase your sales. Good supply through August/early September.
Strawberries: Late rain and cold weather for most of May and June is slowing down the plants a little bit. Look for smaller fruit, and higher prices in the coming weeks.
Raspberries: Local berries from CWP (Santa Maria) have beautiful deep red color and luscious flavor.
California Stone Fruit is at peak flavor!
Citrus
Lime production has slowed down and we may see a gap this week. A long and later wet cold spring resulted in quality issues on California Lemons. For the first time we are seeing a mix of fruit out of California, Mexico and Argentina to get us through to August when Mexico really gets going. Look for Marsalisi Meyer Lemons to end early.
Rocking and rolling on Valencias, the summer juice orange! Good supply through Fall when Mexico starts up.
figs
The Breba Crop of Figs is done until the main and sweeter crop starts up in August.
grapes
The first Grapes are now coming out Bakersfield. Benzler Grapes 12 x 2# Flame Totes have that wonderful farmer’s market feel. We may see Benzler Green Seedless Totes start up later this week. Black Summer Royal Seedless Grapes are coming on. Red Seedless Ruby Rush is super sweet and tasty! Green Sugarone Grapes are large and crunchy. Bulk Grapes available to start packing at the end of this week. We may see green start up after the red due to cooler weather this spring.
kiwi
New Zealand Gold and Green Kiwis are steady. California Green Kiwis start up the end of July.
melons
It’s a wrap for Thomson Exotic Melons. Make sure to order the last few Mini Midnight and Daybreak before they are gone until next year. Thomson seeded/seedless watermelon bins may also end early. Cantaloupe, Honeydew and Galia Melons are coming from the Central Valley with good flavor. Durst will start with Specialty Melons the beginning of August. Dwelley will have Watermelon Bins soon.
pears
Wrapping up Domestic Storage Pears and will be in Import Pears until the California Bartlett season starts up late July/early August. Let’s show some love for California Pears and Apples! Stay tuned for farm highlights and ripening tips.
Dapple Fire Pluots
stone fruit
Last call for snackable Verry Cherry Plums! Local Frog Hollow (Brentwood) Peaches, Plums and Apricots are sweet and juicy. PNW Apricots have started up. New this week, look for the Golden Rich Apricot. Peaches and Nectarine later varieties are sizing up larger due to the sheer amount of rain the fields received this winter in addition to hanging on the tree longer. Burkart 34/36ct White Peaches and Nectarines are sweet and juicy as well as a great value.
Apricots: California Frog Hollow Goldensweet and PNW Gold Rich
Cherries: PNW Dark Sweet limited availability
Yellow Nectarines: Honey Royal, Flavortop, Grand Bright
White Nectarines: Majestic Pearl
Yellow Peaches: Zee Rich, Sweet Dream
White Peaches: Glacier White, Summer Sweet
Plums: Ebony Rose, Hiromi Red, Dapple Fire
Pluots: Dapple Fire
tropicals
Covilli Dragon Fruit Pink is creating excitement for this superfood. Covilli will be rolling into more colors in a few weeks. Crespo Ataulfo Mangos are not done yet! Look for smaller sizes to be prevalent - 14ct/20ct.
Crespo Mango Mania Contest Photo entries are due by August 5th. Details on the flyer below.
NEW! Nam Doc Mai (translates to “sweet nectar of the blossom”) is a Thai cultivar and Thailand’s best known “dessert” mango. Arriving Monday!
VEGETABLES
veg market update
Exciting Varietals continue to arrive weekly. Anna’s Farm, located in Chowchilla in the Central Valley, has the perfect climate for these heat-loving plants. NEW! Watermelon Gherkins and sweet Italian Jimmy Nardello Frying Peppers. Watermelon Gherkin Cucumbers are shaped like baby watermelons and are about the size of your thumb. They taste similar to a cucumber with a hint of lemon. Read more under the Vegucation highlight. Expect Peppers, Cherry Tomatoes, and Eggplants galore from Anna’s this summer! Shoutout to their White Jalapeño, super spicy and almost glow-in-the-dark, they’re sure to turn some eyes in your display, and add some kick to your next salsa.
On the Specialty Cucumber front, Lemon, Persian and Pickle Cucumbers make a big splash. We may see more Painted Serpents soon.
JAS in Prunedale (Monterey County) has fun peppers coming on. Cherry Bombs arrive this week. Local Zucchini from JAS and Tomatero is in a flush. Highlight this wonderful summer squash with big displays at a great price.
Broccoli is coming on in a flush for the next few weeks with prices dropping. Good news in the Celery world, as we see relief from high prices.
Beautiful looking Lakeside Romanesco pairs wonderfully next to Purple Cauliflower on the shelf. Simply toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and lightly roast for a nutty taste experience.
Tomatero pretty heads of Little Gem will go through the summer. Romaine continues to be very tight due to the INSV virus causing quality issues such as yellowing and browning along the edges of the leaves and stunting growth of the plant.
Dwelley Blue Lake, Yellow Wax, Romano and French Beans are steady. Cranberry Beans continue to be sporadic. They need the heat to turn to a pretty pink stripe but continuous days above 100 degrees have caused the plants to shut down. Dwelley Corn had a small gap last week and we will see more volume this week with both Bi-color and White Corn.
Choice Orange and Yellows look better this week.
The heat is bringing on more Tomatoes in all shapes and sizes. Clusters, Slicers, Mixed Heirlooms and Cherry Tomatoes are plentiful. Local growers are coming on with colorful Cherry Tomatoes bursting with flavor. Look for Mixed Medleys, Black, Pink and Yellow Cherries, Sungold and Sweet 100 from Comanche, Durst, Anna’s and Ambrosio.
Russet counts are very tight. The market will improve in a few weeks when Cal-O starts up. Look to Russet Bales in the meantime. Washington deal has started up with Bouchey Red and Golds A and C.
The first California Garlic is here from Harris Fresh (Coalinga). Mexico is wrapping up fast. If you are looking for a value deal on Garlic make sure to grab one of the last few cases.
Sunrise Nantes will gap for 3 weeks due to weather-related disruption in the planting and growth cycles. In the meantime look to JAS Nantes for sweet Nantes Carrots.
Lakeside Bunched Spinach production is falling off and supply will be tight this week.
Brussels Sprouts will be tight on the front side of the week. Temperatures in Baja reached 118 degrees and kept farm workers out of the field.
Watermelon Gherkins
Asparagus
California CVP Asparagus is done and what a season it was! The transition into Mexican Asparagus was smooth and will take us through the Fall.
Artichokes
We will see mainly 18 counts this week.
bunched beets
Cal-O steady with Red and Gold Bunched. Montecucco Loose Red and Gold Beets are coming out of the PNW.
varietal beans
Dwelley Blue Lake, Yellow Wax, Romano and French Beans are steady. Cranberry Beans continue to be sporadic. They need the heat to turn to a pretty pink stripe but recent continuous days above 100 have caused the plants to shut down.
broccoli
Broccoli is coming on in a flush for the next few weeks with prices dropping. Good news in the celery world, as we see relief on high prices.
brussels sprouts
Brussels Sprouts will be tight on the front side of the week. Temperatures in Baja reached 118 degrees and kept farm workers out of the field.
cabbage
Napa, Savory, Red and Green in good supply.
Cherry Tomatoes
carrots
Sunrise Nantes will gap for 3 weeks due to weather-related disruption in the planting and growth cycles. JAS (Prunedale) will help to cover the gap.
cauliflower
Sun Valley sporadic availability of Orange and Purple Cauliflower.
romanesco
Beautiful looking Lakeside Romanesco.
celery
24ct and 30ct are in better supply with lower prices.
corn
Dwelley Corn had a small gap last week and we will see more volume this week on Bi-color and White.
cucumbers
Euro Cucumbers have had some quality issues and we are keeping an eye on quality. Anna’s Farm (Chowchilla) now harvesting refreshing and crunchy Watermelon Gherkins. More under Earls Vegucation. Summer is the time for Specialty Cucumbers Lemon, Persian and Pickle! Look for more Painted Serpent soon.
eggplant
While Globe remains tight this is the perfect time to try the new White Paloma, Japanese, Chinese and Graffiti varieties from local growers.
Jimmy Nardello Peppers
garlic
First California Garlic is here from Harris Fresh (Coalinga). Mexican Garlic is a good value while it lasts.
ginger
Good news! Secret Beach (Hawaii) will go through August.
greens
Curly and Lacinato Kale out of the Watsonville/Salinas Valley are in abundance. Chards are catching up and soon we will see a strong harvest.
herbs
Tomatero Basil is pristine and available in 2 dozen cases. Bay Area Herbs have moved into 100% compostable packaging, and now you can find all your favorite Bay Area Herb varieties in one place on Earl’s price list.
lettuce
Tomatero pretty heads of Little Gem will go through the summer. Romaine continues to be tight due to quality issues. The Living Butter facility sustained some damage during the historic rains and associated floods from earlier this year in Southern California. While they replace some key sections of their production area, we can expect production to very tight for the next 5-8 weeks.
onions
Peri and Sons has transitioned fully to Firebaugh, California. New Crop Onions have a light cure. Learn more in Earls Blog.
peas
Snap Peas are hit or miss.
bell peppers
Choice Orange and Yellows look better this week.
hot peppers
JAS and Anna’s have more fun peppers coming on! Cherry Bombs have medium heat and are terrific stuffed or pickled, so it’s a unique alternative to Jalapeños for many of your favorite stuffed popper recipes.
The Gypsy Pepper is a hybrid pepper resulting from a cross between a sweet Italian bullhorn pepper and a bell pepper. Great for frying or in salads.
Sweet Italian Jimmy Nardello Frying Peppers are best blistered in hot olive oil and seasoned with salt. This fine Italian pepper was grown each year by Giuseppe and Angella Nardiello at their garden in the village of Ruoti, in Southern Italy. In 1887 they set sail with their one-year-old daughter Anna for a new life in the U.S. When they reached these shores, they settled and gardened in Naugatuck, Connecticut, and grew this same pepper that was named for their fourth son, Jimmy. This long, thin-skinned frying pepper dries easily and has such a rich flavor that this variety has been placed in “The Ark of Taste” by the Slow Food organization. Ripens to a deep red.
potatoes
Russet counts are very tight the market will improve in a few weeks when Cal-O starts up. Look to Russet Bales in the meantime. Washington deal has started up with Bouchey Red and Golds A and C.
summer squash
You can’t beat Comanche Mixed Summer Squash for the best variety and flavor from a local grower out of Chico. Local excellent Zucchini at a great price. Ask about promotional opportunities.
Download the Comanche Squash guide here.
sweet potatoes
Keeping it tight on all storage crop.
tomatoes
Tomatoes in all shapes and sizes are plentiful. Clusters, Slicers, Early Girls, Heirlooms, and Cherry Tomatoes are bursting with flavor. Terra Firma (Winters) straight packs of Black Pineapple, Cherokee Purple, Pink Beauty, Black Prince and Costoluto Genovese offer wonderful variety and flavor. Mixed Medleys, Black, Pink and Yellow Cherries, Sungold, Sweet 100 now being harvested from Comanche, Durst, Anna’s, Terra Firma and Ambrosio.
winter squash
Local Acorn, Butternut, Delicata, Kabocha and Spaghetti Squash!
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VEGUCATION CORNER
