asparagus

Asparagus from Mexico is ramping up, and supplies should be increasing over the next month, offering promotional opportunities moving into the Thanksgiving holiday and into Christmas.

artichokes

Cooler weather and rain has tightened up supply.

bunched beets

Ralph’s done with everything but Carrots and Leeks. Small amount of Sun Valley.

VARIETAL beans

Dwelley is done on all beans. Covilli Green Beans are off to a slow start, but we will see better volume coming this week.

baby bok choy

Anna’s delayed getting into the field due to the rain. Small amount from Lakeside and prices are up.

Broccoli

All California Broccoli experiencing seasonal quality issues from pin rot to discoloration. Some product from Tomatero. Prices are climbing.

sweet baby broccoli

Lakeside very tight.

brussels sprouts

Harvesting has slowed down due to the rain and muddy fields. Will see improved volume as we move towards Thanksgiving.

cabbage

Anna’s Red Napa Cabbage is so pretty! On Earl’s Weekly Specials.

carrots

Hard to find due to the late summer heat wave in Bakersfield. Look for sweet Bunched Nantes from Ralph’s and Sunrise.

cauliflower

Very limited until product starts up out of the desert in the next few weeks.

romanesco

Lakeside is beautiful and a great substitute for Cauliflower and Broccoli, which is scarce right now.

celery

Key item for Thanksgiving with good volume and pricing.

cucumbers

The first Fair Trade Divine Persians are here in bags, bulk and clamshells.

eggplant

Globe and Graffiti in good supply.

greens

Sun Valley strong volume on chards and kales. The challenge has been getting back into a muddy field to pick.

herbs

Holiday Mix Herbs with Shipper and Turkey Blend are back in stock! Pre-orders on herbs are always appreciated as we get closer to Thanksgiving.

lettuce

Organic leaf items are still red hot and getting hotter. The storms that hit Salinas and Watsonville this week have ended most of that production. Iceberg is finishing up out of the Salinas/Watsonville area and we may see a gap before the desert starts up in a week. Green Leaf, Red Leaf, Romaine and Romaine Hearts are extremely limited and expensive. Great substitute options include Pete’s Living Butter Lettuce, Butter Lettuce, Salanova, Speckled Romaine, organicgirl salad mixes and loose spring mix.

leeks

Ralph’s returns this week.

mushrooms

Criminis continue to tighten up. Now is the time to get excited about different mushroom varieties. Shiitake make a wonderful substitute for Crimini mushrooms. Add wild mushrooms to stuffing or sauté for a side dish. Think meaty Oysters and Trumpet or the wonderfully adaptable Maitake. Download Earl’s fresh and dried mushroom guides.

bell peppers

Green Bells are looking better. California Colored Bell Peppers are tightening up and Mexico coming on slower on all colors.

hot peppers

Plenty of Jalapenos and some Anaheims out of Mexico. The Sunrise Bulgarian Carrot Hot Pepper is back for a special limited time! It is spicy, crisp and fruity with crunchy skin excellent for pickling and roasting.

onions

Cal-O Green Onion prices are dropping fast.

potatoes

Bulk Fingerlings are done. Plenty of Bagged Fingerlings on all varieties.

radishes

Anna’s has stunning White and Purple Loose Daikon and Watermelon Radish.

summer squash

California is done. Covilli flush with plenty of Zucchini through Thanksgiving.

sweet potatoes

Always a fan favorite for the turkey-centric holidays! Sweet Potatoes are an excellent produce item to promote over the next two weeks.

tomatoes

The heavy rain ended the Tutti Frutti deal. Covilli Mixed Heirlooms are starting off slow.

winter squash

Dwelley is winding down on all squash. Kabocha will be tight through Thanksgiving and Red Kuri is gapping. Mexico won’t start up for another 2-3 weeks. Carnival is limited. Plenty of all other varieties: Acorn, Butternut, Buttercup, Black Futsu, Delicata, Honeynut (the think skin is edible), Spaghetti, Sweet Dumpling and Tetsukabuto.

Ethan Abendroth, senior buyer for Earl’s Organic Produce on the San Francisco Wholesale Market, said organic sweet potatoes—always a fan favorite for the turkey-centric holidays—are an excellent produce item to promote over the next two weeks. “Supplies are steady, and all sheds are shipping,” he said of the organic storage sweet potato crop. “Right now, we are seeing very high velocity on organic sweet potatoes with aggressive pricing being offered by growers and distributors.”

Of course, Abendroth added that "aggressive pricing" in the fall of 2022 has a different feel than a year ago. “When you talk about promotions, price points look different. They are at least 10-15 percent higher than a year ago,” he said.

Inflation is the culprit as input costs are higher, and growers must be discerning as they offer ad prices. “We’re not asking for rock bottom pricing, just a reasonable cap,” Abendroth said.

Scanning his sales sheet, Abendroth said organic asparagus also offers some promotional opportunities moving into the Thanksgiving holiday and into Christmas. Asparagus from Mexico is ramping up, and supplies should be increasing over the next month.

Rick Kilby, who also handles some vegetables and other crops for Earl’s, chimed in with a few other options. First, he noted that organic leaf items “are still red hot and getting hotter. The storms that hit Salinas and Watsonville this week have ended most of that production. We’re going to be looking toward the desert next week (as the Thanksgiving pull begins) for lettuce.”

Lettuce, Kilby said, is one of the few wet crops that may have some availability out of the desert districts prior to Thanksgiving. Cutting of most other vegetables won’t get started until after the holiday.

Organic carrots are hard to find due to the late summer heat wave in Bakersfield, but one bright spot is organic celery. “Growers planned to have volume available for Thanksgiving, and we are seeing a significant increase in supplies,” Kilby said. Demand for organic celery is very good, with affordable FOB pricing and promotional opportunities for celery for Thanksgiving ads.

While the organic green onion market is tight, Kilby said the price did come back to earth a couple of weeks ago, and the product should be available for the Thanksgiving shopping list. Brussels sprouts might make a fine addition to this year’s menu as there is good availability, Kilby said. “And organic Romanesco could be a nice substitute for broccoli, which is scarce right now,” he said.

Lastly organic green beans are a popular Thanksgiving item that will have some availability but at a strong market price. Kilby said organic green bean supplies will be increasing over the next few weeks, but the volume spike will come a bit late for Thanksgiving.