Apples

Good supply on Cosmic Crisp. Storage Crop Apples

Avocados

Last week the USDA paused Avocado and Mango inspections in Mexican state due to security concerns. Expect prices to continue to be high on avocados until further notice.

Bananas

When the weather heats up make sure use proper handling procedures. Download Earl’s Banana Handling and Receiving Guide.

Berries

Blackberries: Tomatero has lots of beautiful fruit coming off the canes and in promotional volume for the 4th of July. Their new hot pink label really pops and calls attention to their delicious local berries.

Blueberries: Forbidden (Lompoc) Blueberries are arriving on the shoulders on the California season and will be available for 6 to 8 weeks. HGO is done with their California deal. Betterful California Blueberries will have good volume this week before they transition to Oregon. Oregon will start up this week with Duke variety blueberries from HGO. Weather dependent, we will see volume increase in a few weeks and promotional pricing will be available late July.

Strawberries: Fruit out of Santa Maria, Oxnard and Watsonville/Salinas will peak in the next couple of weeks. Tomatero is a little tight on 2# clamshells on the front side of the week. CWP #2 packs will help to cover the gap.  

Raspberries: At the tail end of the Baja season with short legs. We recommend ordering often and don’t hold fruit for long. AG Berry California Raspberries will start up in 1-2 weeks. Sun Valley will also have Raspberries this year closer to the Fall.

Citrus

Grapefruit: Marsh Rubies starting in August. Desert starts in October and we may see a gap in September.

California Lemons: Scarce market on Lemons. Will see some smaller fruit out of Argentina to help cover the gap. Mexican Lemons will start up in July.

Citrus

Marsalisi Meyer Lemons are in good supply and quality.

Valencias are shaping up with increased sugar. A great piece of fruit for juicing! Smaller pieces of fruit are hard to find. 

Lime pricing is expected to increase as the first hurricane of the season, Alberto, hits the lime growing region in Mexico.

figs

The Breba crop is almost done. We will have a gap on figs through most of July until Maywood starts up in August with the second and more flavorful crop. The season will go through October, weather dependent.

grapes

Mexican Grapes offer a value option. California Grapes are coming out of Coachella where the warmer weather pushes the sugar and at the same time hinders color development. Grapes will transition to Bakersfield soon and we will see better color. Flame Red Seedless Grapes are transitioning to the Red Seedless Ruby Rush, a larger piece of fruit with a darker color Candy Snaps are crunchy and super sweet.

melons

Thomson has transitioned to Bakersfield and is harvesting summer sweet Daybreak (orange), Full Moon (yellow) and Midnight Black (red) Exotic Melons. Try cutting into various sizes to highlight their brilliant color and wrapping for sale. Customers will certainly be enticed by their balanced sweetness and refreshing crunch. 

California Varietal Melons are coming out of Coachella. Cantaloupe, Galia and Honeydew are sweet and juicy. Seeded Watermelons are developing high sugars and expected to be plentiful in July when the summer heat is more consistent. The NEW Honeysaurus is a delicious oval shaped melon with a creamy yellow exterior with green markings and crisp sweet white flesh. 

Download Earl’s Melon Guide and follow the flavor.

pears

Import Pear category is shrinking. Down to Bartlett Pears, Red D’Anjou and some Bosc. California Bartlett Pears will start up in July.

stone fruit

With California Cherries ending and transitioning to the Pacific Northwest demand is exceeding supply. We should start to see some relief heading into this week. La Pierre Cherries out of the Pacific Northwest are well balanced, rich with full color and firm texture. La Pierre does not size their cherries. They prune their trees to produce consistently large cherries with the intention to have minimal handling on the fruit. There will be a small gap on La Pierre and then they will start again with Bings and Rainiers later this week. The Cherry season will run through the month of July and come to an abrupt end around the beginning of August.

Blenheim Apricots are coveted by chefs for making jam. Look for the season to go for a little longer. California Apricot season will end by the 2nd week of July and transition to the Pacific Northwest. Expect the PNW to have limited volumes and wind up early.

July 1st marks the time of peak volume and flavor for California Peaches, Nectarines, Plums and Pluots. Burkart (Dinuba), Earl’s exclusive, is in a flush of Yellow Peaches. Balakian (Reedley) is coming into more delicious fruit. Ask us for a POS card to go with your next delivery. Build up your beautiful stone fruit display and celebrate local organic stone fruit growers.

tropicals

Crespo Specialty Mangos are starting to roll in with the Nam Doc Mai dessert mango. They were so popular last week that we were sold out the first day. The next arrival from El Rosario, Mexico will be later this week.