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upcoming holidays
• Cinco de Mayo May 5th
• Mother’s Day May 14th
• Memorial Day May 29th -
NEW!
• Rhubarb (Monday)
• Comanche Broccoli Di Ciccio -
Promotable Volume
• Asparagus
• Green Beans
• Crespo Mangos -
COMING SOON
• California Midnight Valencias
• Cherries in May
• Compostable Herb Packaging
• Tasteful Selections Honey Gold and Ruby Reds (end of April)
• Tasteful Selections Fingerlings (mid-May) -
BACK IN STOCK
• Purple Brussels Sprouts
• Thai Coconuts
• Tango and Murcott Mandarins
• Romanesco (Monday)
• Bunched Spinach (Tuesday) -
TIGHT INVENTORY
• Broccoli
• Butternut
• Kabocha
• Organicgirl Arugula, Butter Lettuce, Little Gems
• Iceberg
• Romaine Hearts -
GAPPING
• Napa Cabbage
• Sunrise Nantes Carrots
• Juicing Celery
• Escarole
• Tango Mandarins (until end of week)
• Fingerling Potatoes
• Radicchio
• Snap Peas -
WINDING DOWN
• Cara Caras -Don’t miss Earl’s Weekly Special!
• Mandarins
• SugarBee Club Apples -
FINISHED
• Peruvian Grapes
BUYER’S NOTES
Updated April 16, 2023
FRUIT
fruit update
Rhubarb, a sure sign of Spring arrives Monday! Often thought of as a fruit, rhubarb is actually a vegetable. Rhubarb is very tart and acidic and will make your mouth pucker up if you eat it out of hand. Just add honey or sugar to transform it into a delicious dessert or savory dish. Read the full blog under Earl’s Vegucation for storage and cooking tips and recipe ideas.
Cold and rainy weather in California and into Baja slowed down Strawberry production for weeks. Warmer weather is starting to bring on California Strawberries with plenty of product from both California and Baja growing regions to fill produce shelves. Cinco de Mayo is less than three weeks away. Now is the time to start thinking about promoting Hass Avocados and Crespo Mangos. Domestic Apple season is winding down with Fuji, Pink Lady and Honeycrisp being the main offerings. California Citrus season started late and will end earlier this year due to weather and quality issues. Cara Caras, Tangos and Blood Oranges are almost finished, and Navels should wrap up by mid-May.
Cherry season is about a month away! There is a two-week delay on cherries due to the cold and rainy winter weather. The good news is that trees have had great chill hours, allowing them to get enough sleep and store energy, which increases the flower set and the amount of fruit the tree produces. The trees have had plenty of rain and no major cold snaps. The biggest challenge growers are facing is pollination. The cold weather kept the bees in their boxes. Overall, it is looking like a strong year and the first harvest of cherries is forecast for the week of May 8th! Starting later could mean that California Cherries may go through the 4th of July.
Stone Fruit will most likely start in mid-May and in full swing by mid-June. As we get closer to stone fruit season stay tuned for Earl’s gorgeous downloadable Stone Fruit calendars. Earl’s sells by the variety!
Abate Fetel Pear
Apples
Getting down to the end of the Cosmic Crisp Club Apples. Jazz are gapping for about a week. SugarBee Club Apples and California Cuyama Apples are done. USXY Fuji has a nice blush at a good value. Honeycrisp moving into 27# Euro Packs soon.
Avocados
Mexico is going strong with competitive pricing. California is slowly but surely starting up.
Bananas
In an effort to improve upon your current Banana Program practices, we offer you some guidelines as a foundation of knowledge that pulls from decades of produce experience here at Earl’s Organic. Our goal is to establish training materials for both your team and ours, so when there is a conversation between retailer and wholesaler we are always starting from the same place. Download Earl’s NEW Ripening and Handling and Banana Color Guides.
Durondeau Pear
Berries
Blackberries: Good volume on Linda Blackberries out of Mexico through June when we will hopefully see some fruit from Tomatero.
Blueberries: California Forbidden (Santa Maria) Cypress Ranch will be the main blueberry grower this week. More California fruit in a few weeks as the weather continues to warm up.
Strawberries: Mainly coming out of Baja until Watsonville/Salinas starts up Mid-May as the weather improves.
Raspberries: Tightened up out of Mexico. We may see a gap later in the summer until plants recover from the rain and start producing.
Citrus
Grapefruit: Star Ruby sizing up on the larger side as the season slows down.
California Lemons are sizing up larger due to the rain.
Cara Cara Navels winding down over the next week or two. Now on Earl’s Weekly Specials.
Navels will go through April and possibly into May.
Stehly California Midnight Valencias this week.
Lime seasonal price climb as the season slows down in Mexico.
Alexander Lucas Pear
kiwi
California Kiwis starting in two weeks. New Zealand Gold Kiwis in three weeks.
Melons
Mini Seedless Watermelons looking up this week.
pears
Meet the latest pears on the block. Abate Fetel is sweet and aromatic, this pear is wonderful for cooking and eating out of hand. The Alexander Lucas Pear when ripe, has buttery soft flesh, and is smooth and extremely juicy with a sweet delicate flavor. The Durondeau Pear has a golden exterior with streaks of red blush and is covered all over in a soft russet. They are a bit tart with a crisp bite and a floral flavor.
tropicals
Crespo Tommy Atkins tight this week but look for them soon to be in a flush of product. Ataulfos peaking on smaller 16ct. Thai Coconuts are back.
VEGETABLES
veg update
It is Coastal View Produce California Asparagus time, an Earl’s Exclusive! Cooler nights persist in Gonazales in the Salinas Valley. Volume will increase as the weather warms up. Did you know Asparagus can grow 6 to 10 inches in a day? Learn more about CVP and download the 4x6 POS card to highlight your local asparagus display.
Springtime is here and Mexico is winding down on warm veg, while California is slow to start. Covilli will most likely be done in Mexico by the end of April. As the weather warms up it is easy to forget that all the rain and cold weather has slowed growth, flooded fields have delayed planting and prolonged the transition from the desert back up to Salinas/Watsonville. It takes anywhere from 30 to 60 days for a crop to grow. We can expect market shortages in the coming weeks and well into May on Broccoli, Napa Cabbage, Celery, Romaine, Iceberg, Leaf Lettuce, Kales, Cauliflower, Cilantro, Parsley, Fennel and more.
Organicgirl is transitioning back up to Salinas/Watsonville. Late start for a lot of the fields as they recover from the heavy rains. Expect spotty inventory on the more tender lettuce varieties such as Arugula, Butter and Little Gems.
Learn more here: https://www.earlsorganic.com/blog/spring-transition
Rhubarb
Asparagus
Mexican Asparagus becoming scarce with a higher price. We are in springtime and California Coastal View Produce is coming on stronger in the coming weeks.
Artichokes
Larger sizes have returned in a limited way.
beets
Tomatero new crop Bunched Red Beets. Cal-O starting with Red Bunched Beets in a few weeks. Last of the Pacific Northwest Montecucco Loose Beets until California opens up in the next week.
green beans
Robust supply from Covilli in 15# and 25# cases.
broccoli
Bunched Broccoli, Crowns and Sweet Baby Broccoli have shaky supply. Cold weather and rain have slowed growth. NEW! Comanche Creek Broccoli Di Ciccio is an heirloom variety that comes from Italy with tender stems and baby kale like leaves that are edible. It has a sweet, earthy flavor.
Tutti Sugar Snap Peas
brussels sprouts
Good volume on Fair Trade Covilli Brussels.
cabbage
Napa Cabbage gapping for another month- heavily affected by the flooding in Watsonville.
carrots
Sunrise Nantes back in about a week. Capay Nantes in good supply.
cauliflower
Limited harvest and quality issues. Sun Valley limited availability on Purple Cauliflower.
romanesco
Returns Monday from Lakeside.
celery
Two to three weeks of sporadic availability out of the desert as growers transition back up to Salinas/Watsonville.
Asparagus
cucumbers
Plenty of Persian Clams, Slicers and Euro Cucumbers.
chicories
Escarole done out of the desert. Gapping until it starts up in Salinas/Watsonville.
garlic
California Colossal Garlic sold through April. Look to Argentine Garlic for a better value with a beautiful head and uniform sizing.
greens
Red and Green Dandelions are tight as the desert ends. Steady supply of Kales and Chards.
lettuce
Organicgirl is transitioning back up to Salinas/Watsonville. Late start for a lot of the fields as they recover from the heavy rains. Expect spotty inventory on the more tender lettuce.
onions
Storage Crop Onions are dwindling, and soon we will start to see Fresh Crop Onions which do not have the nice cure we are used to seeing.
peas
Celebrate springtime with crunchy Sugar Snap Peas from Tutti. English Peas are slow to go as the weather is starting to warm up. Del Cabo (Mexico) is done for the season. No Snow Peas available at this time.
bell peppers
Divine winding down in the next few weeks. Green Bells continue to have high pricing.
hot peppers
Covilli Habanero back in a limited way. Shishito and Padrons are gapping.
potatoes
Storage crops are winding down. New crop Russets coming in June. They will have thinner skin at the beginning of the season. California new crop Gold A Potatoes coming soon out of the desert look very nice! Tasteful Selections Honey Gold and Ruby Reds returning at the end of April. Tasteful Selections Fingerlings back in stock mid-May.
bunched spinach
We may see a sporadic land here and there until the transition is complete.
summer squash
Covilli is back with a flush of Zucchini.
tomatoes
Covilli Mixed Heirlooms are back with good flavor and variety. Red Grape Tomatoes on Earl’s Weekly Specials.
winter squash
Rico Butternut back in 2 weeks. Look for Cut Butternut to return around the same time.
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VEGUCATION CORNER
