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NEW!
• Peruvian Hass Avocado
• Lamb Hass Avocado
• Tomatero Blackberries-returning early week
• Coral and Rainier cherries-Pacific Northwest
• Dwelley Cranberry Beans
• Air Chief Grapes
• Cape Gooseberries
• Sweet Gypsy Peppers
• Local Cherry Tomatoes
• San Marzano Tomatoes
• Tomatero Open pint Shishito and Padron Peppers -
COMING SOON
• California Delta Bartletts
• Green Kiwis (New Zealand)
• Tutti Frutti Mixed Heirlooms -
BACK IN STOCK
• California Kabocha
• Import Lemons (Mexico)
• Wilgenburg Mixed Heirlooms -
TIGHT INVENTORY
• Domestic and Utility Apples
• Avocados (larger sizes 40/48)
• Eggplant
• Green Butter Lettuce
• Sweet Potatoes all varieties -
GAPPING
• Rutabaga
• Shallots
• Sunchokes -
WINDING DOWN
• Green Thai Mangos
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FINISHED
• California Coastal View Produce Asparagus
• California Burdock
• Calo Bulk Fingerlings discontinued
• Jicama
• Tomatero Leeks
BUYER’S NOTES
Updated July 10, 2022
FRUIT
The berry category is bursting with Blackberries, Blueberries, Strawberries, and Raspberries! The first of the local Tomatero (Watsonville) Blackberries had incredible sweet and juicy flavor. More Tomatero blackberries returning on the front side of this week with volume steadily increasing and continuing through the summer. LaPierre Farms (Washington) large Draper Blueberries have outstanding long lasting flavor that leaves you wanting another and another. Available in pints. (More under Vegucation). Homegrown Blueberries (Oregon) have great flavor. Available in 6oz, pints and 18oz packs. Delicious Fresh Kampo Raspberries are available in promotable volume. Sun Valley Raspberries available sporadically. Round out your berry display with Tomatero and Sun Valley sweet, gorgeous bright red Strawberries that shout summertime. Offering your customers a mix of sizes and berry varieties has been shown to improve sales. Speak with your Earl’s Sales Rep for more information.
Organic Treat has wrapped up their lemon program with a smooth transition to Del Mar sweet Mini Seedless Watermelons, Cantaloupe and Honeydew. Look for Specialty Melons in the coming weeks.The San Joaquin Valley is about a week into its Table Grape harvest, and the region is poised to serve retailers’ organic grape needs well into the fall. Air Chief and Sun View Grapes starting up this week with Green Seedless Sugarone, Red Seedless Sugra53 and Black Seedless Summer Royale varieties.
Coral Cherries- Pacific Northwest
LaPierre Farms Blueberries
Crespo Summer Mango Mania!
APPLES
Import deal becoming more prolific as domestic volumes wind down fast.
AVOCADOS
California Rincon Hass has better volume this week along with EcoFarm. California fruit availability is tightening up with high prices. Peruvian Hass Avocados offer a good value on larger sized fruit with good flavor. New! Lamb Hass Avocado is a cross between a Hass and Gwen avocado. It is a late season avocado similar in appearance and taste to the Hass but with a large, robust size.
BANANAS
Fair Trade Bananas 365 days a year. Don’t miss our daily report sent out with the price list!
BERRIES
Blackberries: Last week brought the first local blackberries from Tomatero and Coke. Volume is a bit unpredictable at the moment. Look for local blackberries to go through the summer.
Blueberries: The gap in blueberries is finally over! Homegrown blueberries (Willamette Valley, Oregon) now available in 6oz, pints and 18oz clamshells. The LaPierre Family (Washington) is now harvesting large, firm Draper blueberries with outstanding flavor through July! (more under Vegucation).
Strawberries: Cold weather along the Central Coast over the 4th of July weekend has slowed production down a bit but we will see plenty of fruit from Tomatero and Sun Valley.
Raspberries: Fresh Kampo sweet raspberries (Mexico) are in promotable volume. The recent heat wave stalled out local berries in non-coastal areas without the fog to cool down the weather. We will see some fruit from Arroyo Grande and Sun Valley as it becomes available.
Cape Gooseberries: Full of seeds with a texture and flavor similar to a tomato but with a deeper flavor and a hint of tartness. (More under Vegucation).
CITRUS
Grapefruit is looking better with fruit from RVO and Hyde back this week. California Valencias going strong through the Fall. Mexican Valencias will start up at the end of August/beginning of September. California Lemons will go through early August.
GRAPES
Air Chief and Sun View Grapes starting up this week with Green Seedless Sugarone, Red Seedless Sugra53 and Black Seedless Summer Royale varieties.
KIWIs
California Kiwis storage crop is on the smaller size. Waiting for New Zealand to start up.
melons
Organic Treat is done for the season. Moving into Del Mar Cantaloupe and Honeydew. Riverbend is on the last of the Seeded Watermelon Bins. Thomson (Bakersfield) Watermelon Bins are in good supply with outstanding flavor.
pears
Last of the import pears. Courtland Bartlett (California Delta) in the next week or two.
stone fruit
New this week from the Pacific Northwest - Coral and Rainier Cherries with vibrant color and full flavor! Rainier Cherries are sweet with a thin skin and thick creamy-yellow flesh. Fun fact: Rainiers were developed in 1952 at Washington State University by Harold Fogle, and named after Mount Rainier. Coral Cherries are sweet with low-acid and shiny deep red flesh. Corals are available in a variety of sizes from 9.5 row to 11.5 row. Smaller sizes offer a great value! Learn more about Cherry Sizing in our blog.
Dapple Fire Pluot varietals for the next 2 weeks. California Apricots are done, and the Pacific Northwest starts up Monday. Burkart, Earl’s Exclusive, is moving into a new block of luscious, sweet White Nectarines - Majestic Pearl. Homegrown Eco grade stone fruit has minor healed scarring and is an excellent value.
Earl’s sells Stone Fruit by the variety! Download Earl’s Stone Fruit Calendars.
STONE FRUIT, continued
Apricots: Goldstrike Monday
Cherries: Pacific Northwest Coral and Rainier
Yellow Nectarines: Grand Bright, Honey Royal, Summer Flare
White Nectarines: Majestic Pearl
Yellow Peaches: Demure, Sierra Rich, Sweet Dream
White Peaches: Glacier White
Plums: Hiromi
Pluots: Dapple Fire
Peterson Family Fruit: Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) - Sierra Rich Yellow Peach and Honey Royal Yellow Nectarine
TROPICALS
RVO Magenta Dragon Fruit returns Monday. Covilli Dragon Fruit starting up in a few weeks. Formosa Papayas are gapping due quality issues from the rain. Thai Coconuts are in excellent supply. They make a refreshing drink and replenish lost electrolytes on hot summer days.
Mango Mania is here!
Crespo Summer Mango Mania is not to be missed! Now is the time to get excited, build displays and promote mangos! Promotional opportunities exist for all sizing including 12cts. This is a great time to educate, engage, excite and entice customers with this unique mango. We have all the tools and the pricing you need for sales success! Ask your Earl’s Sales Rep for more information or a Mango Mania POS Packet and download digital materials to highlight your display. Learn more about how you can participate!
VEGETABLES
California Coastal View Produce Asparagus has come to a sweet end. Thank you for your support and making this a wonderful season! Mexican Asparagus arrives this week. The heat has ended Tutti Frutti Peas but good news, Tutti Mixed Heirlooms arriving soon. In the meantime, local growers (Comanche, Durst, Annas’ and Terra Firma) have delicious Cherry Tomato varieties including Mixed Medley, Gold Nugget, Sweet 100 and Sungold. California Garlic bulbs are pristine! Dwelley Cranberry Beans have joined Blue Lake, Romano, French and Yellow Wax Beans. Dwelley Corn slowed down over the weekend as most of the Bay Area was hit with unseasonably cooler weather last week. Bi-Color and White Corn back in good volume Monday! Sun Valley harvested a block of Orange and Purple Cauliflower. Supplies are limited so order early!
Local Cherry Tomatoes
Dwelley Cranberry Beans
Tutti Frutti Heirloom Tomatoes
asparagus
California CVP Asparagus is done with a smooth transition to Mexico.
ARTICHOKES
12ct and 18ct are tight to none. Smaller sizes are plentiful.
Bunched beets
Sun Valley tight and will gap this week.
baby bok choy
Prices are dropping from Lakeside - great time to promote!
beans
Dwelley pretty in pink Cranberry Beans are here along with Blue Lake, Romano, French and Yellow Wax Beans.
BROCCOLI
Continues to be tight and pricey. Quality has been a concern with pest pressure and small florets.
sweet baby broccoli
Stable pricing and volume.
brussels sprouts
Better volume of bagged and loose.
carrots
Sun Valley Nantes will gap for a few weeks while they wait for the next block to size up. Sunrise bunched Nantes and Rainbow Carrots are back on Monday.
cabbage
Red, Green and Napa Cabbage solid. Savoy limited availability.
cauliflower
Orange and Purple Colored Cauliflower is starting to pop up. Sun Valley Naked Cauliflower is a great way to offer your customers plastic free cauliflower.
romanesco
Tomatero is finished for now. Waiting for the next Sun Valley field to come on
celery
Steady from Josie’s and Tomatero.
corn
Cold weather slowed down Dwelley’s production in Brentwood. Bi-Color and White Corn back in good volume Monday!
cucumbers
Comanche Creek (Chico) varietal cucumbers are in peak production. Summer is the time to make pickles to enjoy all year with pickling cucumbers. Lemon Cucumbers have a pretty yellow, thin skin with a mild flavor. The Painted Serpent Cucumber is also known as Armenian Cucumber. It is fantastic in salads and stir fries and has a mild flavor with no bitterness. They naturally grow into an “S” shape with alternating light/dark green stripes.
eggplant
Don’t miss specialty varieties. New from Comanche Creek - Chinese Eggplant.
garlic
Terra Firma (Winters) Super Colossal Garlic has outstanding flavor and beautiful bulb development. Christopher Ranch is back with fresh crop California Garlic.
ginger
The first of the Ginger new crop arriving by air freight from Peru with hearty, robust, full-sized hands.
greens
Rocking with Tomatero and Sun Valley green programs with gorgeous full bunches of Kales and Chards.
herbs
Sunrise gorgeous Dill - perfect for that summer potato salad. Greens: Tomatero large fragrant bunches are promotable volumes all summer long.
lettuce
Tomatero is back with gorgeous Red and Green Little Gem Lettuce. Green Butter from Lakeside looks nice. Calo gapping on Green Butter Lettuce due to pest pressure from warmer weather. They will return in 1-2 weeks when they start harvesting out of a field at a higher altitude. Josie’s Leaf Lettuce looks great out of the Gilroy ranch.
leeks
Tomatero is finished with a transition to Lakeside.
bell & sweet peppers
California is coming on with more Colored Bell Peppers. Comanche Creek sweet Yellow Gypsy Peppers are great for dips or salads.
hot & Specialty peppers
New! Banana Peppers from Sunrise (Buellton), a mild, tangy pepper. Often used for pickling or stuffing. Rounding out the category are Anaheim, Jalapeno, Padron, Poblano and Shishito. NEW! Tomatero open pint Shishito and Padron Peppers will go all summer.
onions
Peri & Sons gapping. Country Sweet (yellow, red, and sweet medleys out of Bakersfield), will help cover the gap. We will see a small amount of Terra Firma local onions.
potatoes
Red and Gold Creamer Potatoes back in small quantities. Russet counts are starting to make a come back.
summer squash
Tomatero is back with Zucchini. Yellow Squash varieties include Gold Bar, Straight Neck and a Mixed variety from Comanche Creek.
sweet potatoes
Tail end of the season. We may see a gap here and there.
tomatoes
California Tomato season is picking up. Tutti Frutti (Buellton) Mixed Heirlooms starting up slowly this week. Wilgenberg Greenhouse grown Heirlooms are slowing down. Dry farmed Early Girls from Ambrosio (Gilroy) have great flavor. Terra Firma San Marzano Tomatoes are coveted for tomato sauce.
sweet local cherry tomatoes
Anna’s: Gold Nugget, Sungold and Mixed Medley.
Ambrosio: Mixed Medley. Durst: Mixed Medley; Red Cherry, Red Grape and Sweet 100.
Terra Firma: Sweet 100
Comanche Creek: ½ pint Mixed Medley (will transition to pints as volume increases) and Caprese Mix in 8/1.5#
tomatillos
Delicate paper husks cover vibrant green Tomatillos from Sunrise and Comanche.
winter squash
First of the California Kabocha is here!
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