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NEW!
• California Bartletts
• Covilli Dragon Fruit- Pink, Magenta and Mixed
• Three Sisters Champagne Grapes
• Orange Crush Melon
• Thomson Yellow Seedless Watermelon
• Dwelley Seeded Watermelon Bins
• Hosui Asian Pears
• Fresno Peppers
• Comanche Creek Red Noodle Beans (more info under varietal beans)
• Brown Turkey Figs - Main Crop
• Black Mission Figs - Main Crop Monday -
COMING SOON
• Mexican Lemons
• Gravenstein Apples -
BACK IN STOCK
• Thomson Seedless Watermelon Bins
• Coke Snow Peas
• Lakeside Watermelon Radishes -
TIGHT INVENTORY
• Dwelley Bi-Color and White Corn
• Domestic and Utility Apples
• Avocados (larger sizes 40/48)
• Eggplant
• Green and Red Butter Lettuce
• Sweet Potatoes all varieties
• Winter Squash -
GAPPING
• Lakeside Celery Root for a few months
• Rutabaga
• Shallots
• Sunchokes -
WINDING DOWN
• Domestic Apples
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FINISHED
• California Burdock
• Cal-O Bulk Fingerlings discontinued
• Import Pears
BUYER’S NOTES
Updated July 24, 2022
FRUIT
The Avocado market is becoming more volatile with both domestic and import fruit on the market. California remains strong with supply, and with Peruvian and Mexico fruit ramping up California prices are dropping quickly. While Californian fruit cannot keep up with import pricing, the California fruit is eating at its best right now and cannot be beat in flavor! Mexican and Peruvian Hass Avocados are young in maturity which equals lower flavor, lower oil and the possibility of inconsistent ripening.
California is bursting with summer fruit everywhere you turn. The first California Bartletts are coming out of the Sacramento Delta Region. Fruit is very green and hard and may take a few weeks to ripen up. California Stone Fruit highlights include a wonderful flush of sweet/low acid Burkart White Peaches, Earl’s Exclusive out of Dinuba. Now is a great time to promote. Pacific Northwest Peaches and Apricots starting this week in limited volumes. Watsonville Strawberries are slowing down a bit as they are passing their peak season for volume. Lots of production coming out of warmer growing regions. The second and sweeter main crop of Black Mission and Brown Turkey Figs have excellent flavor. Refreshing Dragon Fruit is a delicious superfood. The flesh has edible seeds, and the flavor is slightly sweet and tastes like a cross between a kiwi and a pear. Covilli has started up their Mexico program with Pink, Magenta and Mixed cases. This week Rainbow Valley Orchards will be back with Magenta Dragon Fruit. Watch Earl’s video how to cut and eat Dragon Fruit https://youtu.be/uXFptbHkPOQ
Avocados
LaPierre Farms Blueberries
Magenta Dragon Fruit
APPLES
Early California Gala is here and there, and we may see a gap. It is mainly an import deal. The first Jazz Club Apples from New Zealand have arrived. Envy in 2-3 weeks. Fuji and Honeycrisp storage crop out of the Pacific Northwest are hanging on.
AVOCADOS
California remains strong with supply, and with Peruvian and Mexico fruit ramping up California prices are dropping quickly. While California fruit cannot keep up with import pricing, it is eating at its best right now and cannot be beat in flavor! Mexican and Peruvian Hass Avocados are young in maturity which equals lower flavor, lower oil and the possibility of inconsistent ripening. Rincon Farms, Earl’s main supplier and strategic partner in local California fruit, is in a small flush and going aggressive on pricing! Get this peak flavor, peak sized fruit in your store and on some toast today! Traceland (Morro Bay) late season avocados are always highly anticipated at the end of August.
BANANAS
Inventory and conditioning are in a great rhythm. Don’t forget to check out our banana report for daily colors and banana temps.
BERRIES
Blackberries: Tomatero Blackberries return early in week with strong volume.
Blueberries: LaPierre and Homegrown PNW fruit available in 6oz, pints, 18oz and 2# clamshells. Mixing berry varieties and sizes has been proven to increase sales!
Strawberries: Growers in Watsonville are past their peak. Growers in the warmer areas are still in good production with promotable prices.
Raspberries: Plenty of California raspberries through the summer. Look for Arroyo Grande and Sun Valley. Fresh Kampo winding up their Baja Season.
CITRUS
Hyde Grapefruit has a few more weeks of Star Ruby followed by Marsh to take us into the Fall. California Valencias are in peak flavor! This is the orange you want to juice. California Lemons overall volume is down. Good news is Mexico has started up. Lime pricing is stable.
figs
Black Mission and Brown Turkey 2nd and main crop has great flavor.
grapes
Air Chief: Red, Green and Black Seedless grown in Bakersfield. Moving forward it’ll be an Air Chief party! Excellent flavor on Black, Green and Red Grapes out of Bakersfield. Ask about Bulk Grapes!
kiwi
Sweet Gold Kiwis from New Zealand compliment sweet and tart California Green Kiwis.
melons
New this week is the Orange Crush - a sweet Cantaloupe hybrid. In good supply Cantaloupe, Honeydew and Galia. Seedless Watermelon Bins back in better volume early week as well as Dwelley Seeded Watermelon. Thomson Seedless Yellow Watermelon is sweet and juicy.
pears
California Bartletts are here! Grown along the Sacramento Delta, the first pears of the season are very green and hard and can take a few weeks to ripen. Hosui Asian Pears kick off the season. They combine the flavor and sweetness of pears with the crunchiness of crisp Apples. Their mild flavor is sweet and slightly tart.
stone fruit
Cherries going strong from Pacific Northwest, into Columbia Gorge with prices starting to drop. Smaller sizes offer a great value. Dapple Pluot Varieties take the stage with Dapple Fire, Crimson Glow, Dapple Dandy! Beautiful deep magenta flesh and very sweet. California Yellow Peaches and Nectarines and White Peaches promotable pricing. Lots of fruit coming on from Burkart over the next few weeks, an Earl’s Exclusive for 15 plus years! Pacific Northwest Apricots are here – juicy, large, and in good supply for the next few weeks.
Apricots: Gold Rich
Cherries: Pacific Northwest Lambert, Rainier and Dark Sweet
Yellow Nectarines: Fire Sweet, Honey Royal
White Nectarines: Fire Pearl, Candy Pearl, Majestic Pearl
Yellow Peaches: Sweet Dream, Zee Lady
White Peaches: Summer Sweet, Glacier White, Snow King
Plums: Black Owen T, Fortune, Simka
Pluots: Dapple Fire, Dapple Dandy, Crimson Glo, Crimson Beauty
Peterson Family Fruit - Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) - Summer Flame Yellow Peach and Honey Royal Yellow Nectarine
Delicious Stone Fruit Recipes: https://petersonfamilyfruit.com/eat/
TROPICALS
Covilli Dragon Fruit program has started up! Grown in Mexico, pink, magenta and mixed boxes are here. Rainbow Valley Orchards is back with Magenta Dragon Fruit Monday. Don’t miss our vegucation blog and youtubevideo how to cut Dragon Fruit.
Gapping on Covilli Pineapples for another three weeks as they wait for their late season grower to start. Good volume on Dole Pineapples. Ataulfos tightening up as growing regions transition into Los Mochis area in Sinaloa. Next up are Kent Mangos. Crespo Summer Mango Mania continues. It's not too late to ask for a poster to highlight your display.
VEGETABLES
Hot weather across all growing regions brings aphids and other pesky pests and may lead to some scarcity. Sun Valley is fighting aphids on Cauliflower from the heat. Purple and Orange Cauliflower are gapping. Lakeside and Braga are experiencing quality issues on Green Cabbage from the heat. Calo continues to deal with aphids on Butter Lettuce and Josie’s is having problems with quality issues on Iceberg. Both items will continue to gap this week. Dwelley Bi-Color and White Corn will be tight as we start off the week due to pest pressure. The Broccoli market is beginning to stabilize, with better supply from Josie’s and Lakeside, Sunrise Crowns to compliment. Baby Broccoli will be a Lakeside show, as Tomatero is gapping for a few weeks. Their Romanesco will be gapping as well, though Celery is bountiful and clean. The Greens category can feel the aphids as well – especially Lacinato Kale, so be sure to give them a good wash with tepid water. We’re seeing more peppers from Wilgenburg (green house grown in Dinuba), along with local Cucumbers. Local Cherry Tomatoes are picking up steam and have excellent flavor as well as Early Girl and Heirloom Tomatoes. Tutti Frutti starting to harvest Winter Squash. The first land arrives at the end of the week!
Dwelley Corn
Durst Cherry Tomatoes
Sunrise Yellow Carrots
asparagus
Good availability out of central Mexico. Fresh and looking solid.
ARTICHOKES
Sizing up smaller from Ocean Mist, look for larger chokes from Lakeside.
baby bok choy
Back this week from Calo.
varietal beans
Cranberry Beans gapping for about a week. Dwelley Blue Lake, French, Romano and Yellow Wax are steady. NEW! Comanche Creek Red Noodle Beans: They can grow up to 18 inches in length and are related to black-eyed peas but taste more like a string bean. Steam, saute or toss them on the grill!
BROCCOLI & broccoli crowns
Lakeside has really nice quality.
sweet baby broccoli
Lakeside and Tomatero Baby Broccoli is coming on strong. Don’t miss Lakeside on Earl’s Weekly Specials.
brussels sprouts
Covilli is winding down and Brussels will tighten up over the next 2 weeks.
cabbage
Calo will have Green Cabbage while other growers are gapping due to quality issues. Tomatero is back with beautiful Savoy.
carrots
Beautiful Yellow Bunched Carrots from Sunrise Organic Farm are in season! Sunrise’s yellow carrots are a sweet Nantes variety, which have rounded shoulders and blunt non-tapered tips. Sunrise grows four varieties of carrots that make it into their gorgeous Rainbow Carrot Bunches. When the farm has a bumper crop, they are able to offer them as a single variety bunch. Yellow Bunched Carrots make a great addition to a retail set, adding color pop to your existing varieties. More under vegucation!
romanesco
Starting slowly from Lakeside, with sporadic availability. Sun Valley looks to start up at the end of the week as well!
cauliflower
Sun Valley is experiencing aphid pressure on all colors. Purple and Orange gapping. Good quality from Lakeside and Josie’s this week.
celery
Tomatero 24ct is beautiful!
corn
Dwelley Bi-Color and White Corn will be tight as we start off the week due to pest pressure.
cucumbers
Tomatero Cucumbers are back. Lots of varietal cukes: Lemon, Picking and Serpent Cucumbers.
eggplant
As we get more into summer we will see more varietals. Full Belly Varietals in the next few weeks. Plenty of Coke Globe 24ct. Coming soon: two weeks out from Anna’s Nadia Eggplant - an Italian variety that looks like a smaller type of the larger globe. It has a finer flesh and thinner skin.
ginger
May gap last week of July into the first weeks of August as the old crop is ending.
tumeric
August is the last month from Secret Beach.
greens
Tomatero Rainbow Chard has a gorgeous array of yellow, pink hues and red. Sun Valley production has slowed down a bit. Sunrise Red and Green Dandelion Bunches make an excellent salad and are great for juicing too.
herbs
Sunrise is back into Cilantro. Tomatero pretty Italian Parsley as well as fragrant bouquets of bunched Basil.
lettuce
Calo gapping on Red Butter Lettuce and Josie’s gapping on Iceberg until the aphid situation clears up. Tomatero will have some Red Butter, but it will be tight. Sharp Tomatero Red and Green Little Gems.
bell peppers
Origin O (Canada), Mexico and California Bells all in the mix. More local supply coming on from Wilgenburg.
hot peppers
New! Red Fresno Peppers look like a Jalapeno but taste like a mild Serrano. Banana Peppers from Sunrise (Buellton) are a mild, tangy pepper often used for pickling or stuffing. Rounding out the category are Anaheim, Jalapeno, Serrano, Padron, and Poblano. Moving into solid supply of Local Hot Peppers and Shishitos – look for Clamshell Shishitos from Tomatero, with Padrons on their tail!
onions
Peri & Sons gapping. Country Sweet (Yellow, Red, Sweet Medleys out of Bakersfield), will help cover the gap. We will see a small amount of Terra Firma Local Onions.
potatoes
Availability opening up on Russets of all sizes, with no expected gaps.
summer squash
Beautiful Zucchini from Tomatero! Yellow Bar and Straight Neck Summer Squash from JAS and gorgeous Mixed Squash from Comanche. Download Earl’s Summer Squash Guide here.
sweet potatoes
End of the season, keeping inventory tight.
tomatoes
Mixed Heirlooms are coming on more as we get further into summer - Tutti, Wilgenburg, Comanche and Creekside. Early Girls from Comanche and Terra Firma as well as Dry Farmed Early Girls from Ambrosio and Tutti. Lots of Cherry Tomato Varietals from local growers.
tomatoes, continued
Tutti Frutti has started up with Mixed Heirlooms along with Wilgenburg green house grown Mixed Heirlooms. Each week the flavor continues to develop and get sweeter!
winter squash
Tutti Frutti is staring to harvest Winter Squash this week! Look for the first land at the end of the week. Green Kabocha is gapping. Orange Kabocha is a great substitute.
ORGANIC GIRL UPDATE
Tender Leaf and Romaine supply is covered throughout next week, supplies continue to be in great shape. We continue to work through various quality issues and minor supply gaps with Green and Red Butter - supplies are improving, and we should see higher premium quality. As for Red Gems, we are diligently trying to procure premium pounds but we are seeing large amounts of aphid pressure. Our operations team is working regularly to reduce these shortages and mitigate quality issues in the field.
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VEGUCATION CORNER
