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march highlights
• California Coastal View Produce Asparagus
• March is Equal Exchange Banana Month (Downloadable POS below)
• St. Patrick’s Day - March 17th
• Easter - March 31st -
NEW!
• Import Bartlett Pears
• California Coastal View Produce Asparagus: Don’t miss our downloadable POS cards!
• Pazazz Club Apple
• Cousins Minneolas -
promotable items
• Mexican Queen Victoria Asparagus
• JAS (Salinas Valley) Baby Sweet Broccoli
• Tango and Murcott Mandarins
• Wild River Small Kiwis 16/1# Clamshells
• Covilli Fair Trade Brussels Sprouts
• Covilli Fair Trade Heirloom Tomatoes -
COMING SOON
• Rhubarb
• California Avocados
• California Coachella Grapes: May
• Watsonville/Salinas Berry season: May -
BACK IN STOCK
• HGO Blueberry Pints - Monday
• Tutti Frutti Sugar Snap Peas
• Peri & Sons Onions - Limited
• Celery Root - Monday -
TIGHT INVENTORY
• Arugula
• Baby Bok Choy
• Green Onion -
GAPPING
• Red Butter Lettuce
• Sun Valley Colored Cauliflower
• Thai Coconuts until end of week -
WINDING DOWN
• Mexican Avocados - end of March
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finished
• Peruvian Grapes
• Burdock
• Jicama
• New Mexican Dried Chile 1#
BUYER’S NOTES
Updated March 3, 2024
FRUIT
fruit mARKET update
Mexican Avocados are at the tail end of the season. They have been on the tree for a longer time and are more mature, meaning they ripen quicker, have a higher oil content and should be eaten firm. Know what to expect in terms of ripeness and maturity when California starts up. The full story under Earl’s Vegucation.
Earl’s offers Fair Trade Bananas year-round and March is Equal Exchange Banana Month. Every purchase matters. Ask us how we can help build your organic banana program. Start by downloading our Banana Handling & Receiving Guide and POS cards to highlight your Fair Trade Banana display.
Import Bartlett Pears from Argentina are here. Fruit is very green and can take 2-3 weeks to ripen up.
On the Tropical front, unprecedented prices on Organic Mangos were due to a major crop failure in Peru that drove market prices way up. When Mexico started up with organic mangos this resulted in high prices to kick off the season. Peru is now officially done on mangos and prices are started to creep down as Mexican Mango supply improves. Volume and flavor is only going to get better in the coming months.
Apples
EverCrisp and Pazazz Club Apples are very crispy, juicy, with good full color from top to bottom. They both share Honeycrisp in their parentage. Download the full Club Apple Variety guide and follow the flavor.
From Fujis to Pink Ladys, a variety of sizes and grades are in good supply with excellent prices for the retail shelves. Apples and Pears are now coming out of CA (Controlled Atmosphere) Storage. Read more here.
Avocados
Equal Exchange 84ct offer a good value on small personal sized fruit. The Mexican Avocado season will wrap up around the end of March when California Avocados start up. Mexican Avocados are at the tail end of the season. They have been on the tree for a longer time and are more mature, meaning they ripen quicker, have a higher oil content and should be eaten firm. Know what to expect in terms of ripeness and maturity when California starts up. The full story under Earl’s Vegucation.
Bananas
March is Equal Exchange Banana Month. Every purchase matters.
Download a cool Banana Hanging Mobile for your produce department as well as a variety of POS cards here. POS cards can also be sent with your next delivery. Tell your Earl’s Sale rep!
BERRIES
A cold front is here again, but as soon as the weather improves, we will see more supply on all berries.
Blackberries: Tomatero starting up with some fruit. GreenBelle (MX) is plentiful.
Blueberries: Forbidden premium Blueberries have excellent quality and flavor. HGO Blueberries coming on with more volume out of the Central Coast with solid flavor on a value California berry. Pints out of Central Mexico are a good value option. Mix and match sizes to increase sales.
Strawberries: Central Coast fruit from AG Berries are grown under hoop houses with good color, flavor, and long legs.
Raspberries: Ichiban Mexican Raspberries have deep red color and sweet flavor. Look for the word Amai across the top of the clamshell which means “sweet” in Japanese.
Citrus
Grapefruit: Rio Red coming out of the desert along with good supply on Star Ruby from RVO. Large 36ct fruit offers a value option.
Pummelos: Chandler Pummelos from Haury Farms are delicious. Peel away the thick rind to reveal the sweet, crisp pink flesh inside.
Buck is done on their exotic varietals.
Valencia market out of Mexico is gaining some strength. California will have mostly large fruit which will drive up the prices of smaller fruit out of Mexico, think 113ct choice.
RVO Nagami Kumquats will continue through the first week of March. Meiwa Kumquats will make a brief return.
Murcott and Tango Mandarins have outstanding flavor! Fairly easy to peel, sweet and juicy, mandarins should be a integral part of your citrus display. Download POS cards for Murcotts, Tangos and Blood Oranges above.
Minneolas moving out of the desert to the Central Valley in the Cousins label. Incredibly vibrant and super tasty!
California Meyer Lemons from Coke through the spring.
RVO Cara Caras ending in the next week or so and we will have some juicy Cara Caras from HGO.
grapes
Anthony Peruvian Grapes are done. The California season will start up out of Coachella in May.
kiwi
California Kiwis from Family Farm and Wild River are in peak flavor. Wild River has a flush of smaller kiwis available in 16/1# clamshells at a great price. A great sell at $3.99 at the retail level.
nuts
California leads the nation in nut production, producing 100% of all walnuts and almonds and 99% of pistachios commercially grown in the United States. Don’t miss our bulk Nonpareil Almonds, Bulk and Pieces/Halves Walnuts and Bagged Pistachios.
melons
Mini Seedless Watermelons are gapping.
pears
First Import Bartlett Pears are coming out Argentina. Grown in the Rio Negro Valley where the river flows. Fruit will come in very green and can take 2-3 weeks to ripen up. Golden Bosc, Red and Green D’Anjou in good supply out of Washington CA (Controlled Atmosphere) Storage.
stone fruit
Exciting news on the Cherry front! Dwelley (Brentwood) cherry trees are starting to blossom and will be opening in the next week or two. The outlook for the Cherry season is for good volume, weather dependent. Dwelley Cherry season will start up in May. Stay tuned for updates.
tropicals
Unprecedented prices on Organic Mangos were due to a major crop failure in Peru that drove market prices way up. When Mexico started up with Organic Mangos this resulted in high prices to kick off the season. Peru is now officially done on Mangos and prices are started to creep down as Mexican Mango supply improves. Volume and flavor is only going to get better in the coming months.
Thai Coconuts will gap until the end of the week. We may see some Dragon Fruit return soon.
Pineapples supply is steady with sweet flavor from both Dole Fair Trade (Costa Rica) and Covilli Oaxacan Gold Pineapples (Mexico). It takes almost three years for a pineapple plant to reach maturity for harvest, which is why they are not the least expensive fruit in the grocery aisle. You can also plant your own pineapples by simply cutting the top portion of a pineapple fruit and planting it in soil.
VEGETABLES
veg mARKET update
Yet another storm is rolling through California bringing more cold weather, rain and even blizzards in the mountains. Mildew continues to be an issue on Arugula and Red Butter Lettuce. Organicgirl is gapping on all salads with Arugula. In the meantime, look to Mizuna as a sub, a spicy Japanese green. Cal-O will be gapping on Butter Lettuce through the second week in March when they transition farther north. By the first week of April most lettuce will have transitioned out of the desert to the northern growing regions. Cal-O Green Onions are being affected by the cold and will be tight for at least the upcoming week. Blight, a virus brought on by cold and wet weather, continues to be a problem for domestic Celery industry wide. Smaller sizes, 30ct/36ct are the norm and will improve when growers transition back north. Celery out of Mexico is a good option for now.
A cold snap also hit Baja last week with temperatures as low as -2, affecting all Tomatoes out of that region. Expect Red Grape, Cherry and Specialty Tomatoes to tighten up.
Coastal View Produce California Asparagus is a harbinger of spring. For almost 40 years Coastal View Produce has been growing high-quality Organic Asparagus in the heart of the Salinas Valley. The Mediterranean climate and fertile soil make it the perfect climate for an extended Asparagus growing season. Coastal View Produce is committed to growing Organic California Asparagus for generations to come. Download CVP POS cards above to excite customers about supporting local California Asparagus with easy recipes to try.
St. Patrick’s Day is Sunday, March 17th. Stock up on all the necessities for the holiday: Green, Red and Savoy Cabbage, Sunrise Sweet Nantes Carrots are in promotable volume and don’t forget the Potatoes. Coming soon from the Pacific Northwest, Ladybug Brand 3 lb. Potatoes, packaged in a recyclable, compostable kraft paper bag.
Anna’s is done with most of their winter crops and the Baby Bok Choy and Cabbage fields have finished producing. We will see Daikon, Turnips and Watermelon Radish until their spring crop starts up.
We are at the tail end of California Garlic with a smooth transition to Argentinian Garlic. We are at the end of the Mexican Ginger season, and it is hit or miss until Peru starts back up in July.
Celebrate March and spring with a month-long promotions on Far West Fungi Fresh Mushrooms now in ReadyCycle compostable packs! Varieties include Shiitake, Maitake, Lion’s Mane, King Trumpet, Mixed Exotic and Oyster.
Onions: Peri & Sons are back in a limited way on Red, Yellow and White Onions. We will see gaps when the desert wraps up and before Peri transitions to Yerington, Nevada in May. The Pacific Northwest is done with White and Reds, with good supply on Yellow and Yellow Sweets. White Onions will be coming out of Mexico to help fill the gap and we see some Domestic Reds from Heger.
Asparagus
Coastal View Produce California Asparagus is a harbinger of spring. For almost 40 years Coastal View Produce has been growing high-quality Organic Asparagus in the heart of the Salinas Valley. The Mediterranean climate and fertile soil make it the perfect climate for an extended Asparagus growing season. Coastal View Produce is committed to growing organic California Asparagus for generations to come. Download CVP POS cards above to excite customers about supporting local California asparagus with easy recipes to try.
Mexican Asparagus will be steady through Easter and offers a promotable value option.
Artichokes
Beautiful Purple and Green Local JAS Artichokes grown in the Salinas Valley.
green beans
Covilli is picking up on Green Beans with plenty of supply for the Easter holiday.
SWEET BABY broccoli
JAS is coming on with a flush of Sweet Baby Broccoli out of the Salinas Valley. Eat local. Lakeside supply will improve in the next 3-4 weeks.
brOCCOLI & brOCCOLI CROWNS
Some quality issues from pin rot. Josie’s is moving out of the desert back up to Watsonville/Salinas and we will see quality improve.
BRUSSELS SPROUTS
Promotable volume on Covilli Brussels Sprouts for the month of March. Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with our favorite green vegetables, Brussels Sprouts, Asparagus and Cabbage!
cabbage
An integral part of St. Patrick’s Day meals. Good supply on all varieties.
CARROTS
Sunrise Nantes are back in good volume in time to promote for St. Patrick’s Day and Easter holidays. Sunrise is now moving into new blocks of Purple and Yellow Carrots. Offer a variety of colors for the holidays.
cauliflower
Sun Valley Colored Cauliflower is gapping.
celery
Blight, a virus brought on by cold and wet weather, continues to be a problem for Domestic Celery industry wide. Smaller sizes, 30ct/36ct are the norm and will improve when growers transition back north. Celery out of Mexico is a good option for now.
Garlic
We are at the tail end of California Garlic with a smooth transition to Argentinian Garlic.
ginger
Mexico 30# Blue Ginger is very tight and there is nothing out of Peru. Expect Ginger to have gaps until Peru starts up with new crop in June.
turmeric
Secret Beach has strong quality out of Hawaii. Fijian Turmeric is little challenged on quality and is a great option for juicing and food prep.
greens
Capay is the star of the category for now. Sunrise production is back up. Sun Valley, Tomatero and Lakeside out of Salinas/Watsonville will be coming on with new blocks soon.
herbs
Basil, Tarragon and Oregano do not like the cold weather and remain tight.
lettuce
Mildew continues to be an issue on Arugula and Red Butter Lettuce. Organicgirl is gapping on all salads with Arugula. In the meantime, look to Mizuna as a sub, a spicy Japanese green. Cal-O will be gapping on Butter Lettuce through the second week in March when they transition farther north. By the first week of April most Lettuce will have transitioned out of the desert to the northern growing regions.
leeks
More Local Leeks coming from Tomatero and Tutti Frutti. Save the green leaves and use them when making soup stock.
mushrooms
Celebrate March and spring with a month-long promotions on Far West Fungi Fresh Mushrooms now in ReadyCycle compostable packs! Varieties include Shiitake, Maitake, Lion’s Mane, King Trumpet, Mixed Exotic and Oyster.
onions
Peri & Sons are back in a limited way on Red, Yellow and White Onions. We will see gaps when the desert wraps up and before Peri transitions to Yerington, Nevada in May. The Pacific Northwest is done with White and Reds, with good supply on Yellow and Yellow Sweets. White Onions will be coming out of Mexico to help fill the gap and we see some Domestic Reds from Heger.
peas
Tutti Frutti Sweet Snap Peas are back! Tutti English Peas were not quite ready to be picked last week but we should see some on the front side of this week.
hot peppers
Jalapeños are in a flush with volume opportunities available. Ask your sales rep for more information. This is a great time to make infused olive oil, pickles, spicy drinks, sauerkraut and more.
potatoes
Potatoes are in good supply with small price increases. Coming soon from the Pacific Northwest, Ladybug Brand 3 lb. Potatoes, packaged in a recyclable, compostable kraft paper bag.
rhubarb
Rhubarb from the Pacific Northwest is right around the corner.
spinach
It’s cold and rainy and we are seeing some quality issues with yellowing leaves and mildew. We are keeping an eye on quality. Look to Oceanside for an overall good pack with some legs.
summer squash
Zucchini and Yellow Straight Neck Squash nice steady supply.
sweet potatoes
All varieties are steady. Bake or roast for a side dish or cube and blend into a winter soup.
tomatoes
A cold snap also hit Baja last week with temperatures as low as -2, affecting all Tomatoes out of that region. Expect Red Grape, Cherry and Specialty Tomatoes to tighten up. Covilli Mixed Heirloom Tomatoes will return this week in a smaller way.
winter squash
Dwelley Honeynut is winding down. Grab the last of this sweet nutty squash. All other varieties in good supply.
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