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Upcoming Holidays
• Labor Day: September 4th
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NEW!
• California Bartlett Pears
• California Gravenstein and Gala Apples
• HGO Honey Punch Pluot
• Frog Hollow Flavor King Pluot
• JAS Globe Eggplant
• Golden Cape Gooseberries -
promotable items
• Tomatero (Watsonville) Blackberries and Strawberries
• Central West Produce (Santa Maria) Raspberries
• PNW Blueberries 6oz, pints and 18oz
• Mini Seedless Watermelon
• Stone Fruit- Peach, Nectarine, Pluot & Apricot Weekly Specials!
• Crespo Summer Mango Mania!
• Sun Valley Lacinato Kale
• Tutti Frutti Heirloom Tomatoes
• Durst Black, Red Cherry and Red Grape Cherry Tomatoes
• Local Monterey County Zucchini (JAS and Tomatero) -
COMING SOON
• Fruit World Thomcord Grapes – Clamshells 20 x 1#. Tote Bags 10x2# with pre-order
• California Asian Pears - two weeks
• California Kiwis - two weeks
• PNW New Crop Bouchey Russets end of the week -
BACK IN STOCK
• Cal-O Bunched Spinach
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TIGHT INVENTORY
• Limes
• Lemons
• Living Butter Lettuce 4-6 more weeks
• Sweet Potatoes -
GAPPING
• Burdock
• Sunrise Nantes Carrots
• Figs
• Jicama -
WINDING DOWN
• Storage Crop Domestic Apples
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finished
• PNW Cherries
• LaPierre Blueberries
• Mexican Garlic
BUYER’S NOTES
Updated July 30, 2023
FRUIT
fruit mARKET update
California Stone Fruit - Peaches, Nectarines, Plums, Pluots and Apricots - are sweet and juicy. Earl’s tastes what we sell. Make sure to ask your Earl’s Sales Rep how the different stone fruit varieties are eating. Peaches are trending large sizes 32-36ct. Larger fruit has been hanging on the tree longer and has high flavor and high brix! Large sizes offer a great value buy. Majestic Pearl White Nectarine is WOW with low acid and high sugar. Beach Baby Yellow Nectarines are zingy, sweet and tart!
It’s peak Pluot season with HGO Honey Punch and Frog Hollow Flavor King Pluots arriving this week! Burkart Dapple Dandy Pluot is a customer favorite. Sweet and juicy Robada Apricot is back this week to join the Gold Rich Apricot. We have 2-3 more weeks on PNW Apricots. PNW Cherries are done for the season. Don’t miss the incredible array of stone fruit varieties available this week. A full list of varieties is on the full buyer’s notes below.
don’t miss weekly specials
On this week’s Weekly Specials! Seedless Watermelon Bins, Apricots, Pluots, Yellow Peaches and Nectarines.
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 will start up in August. 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. Watch Earl’s video how to cut and eat Dragon Fruit.
The coveted California Gravenstein Apple from Johnny Appleseed arrives this week as well as the first California Bartlett Pears. The first pears will take a few weeks to ripen up at room temperature. Pears ripen from the inside out and are ready to heat when the neck of the pear yields to gentle pressure. Did you know? While a Bartlett’s skin color brightens as it ripens, most varieties of pears show little change in color. It’s time to get excited and celebrate the glorious California Apple and Pear season.
Cape Gooseberries are a pretty golden color and are about the size of a large marble. The fruit is delicately covered by a husk similar to a tomatillo. They are full of seeds with a texture and flavor similar to a tomato but with a deeper flavor and a hint of tartness. They make delicious jams or pies.
Crespo Summer Mango Mania continues with promotable pricing on all varieties and sizes. The Crespo Display contest ends August 5th. Don’t forget to submit your photos to Susan, our marketing manager, at susans@earlsorganic.com. The winning store will be announced the week of August 14th.
Pluots
Apples
California Gala and Gravenstein Apples arrive this week marking the start of the California Apple season!
Avocados
Consistent pricing and availability. Traceland (Morro Bay) will start the end of August.
Bananas
Coliman (Mexico) fields affected due to a hurricane a few weeks ago. As the fruit sizes up we will have a bit of a bumpy ride until regular production is back.
Berries
Blackberries: Tomatero is peaking for the next 2-3 weeks.
Blueberries: Strong out of the PNW with Betterful and HGO through August. LaPierre is finished.
Strawberries: Late rain and cold weather for most of May and June slowed down the momentum and plants are starting to tire a bit. Look for smaller fruit, and higher prices as inventory tightens up.
Raspberries: Local Raspberries out of Santa Maria and Watsonville have the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness and deep red color.
Citrus
Valencia Oranges are packed with Vitamin C and taste great juiced during the summer months.
Lemon market continues to be tight with a mix of fruit coming out of California, Mexico and Argentina. California Lemon desert fruit starts up the end of August. By mid-August inventory may get a bit uncomfortable.
Limes have a few more weeks of tight inventory until the situation improves. We still may see a gap as the next buds come on late August.
Cape Gooseberries
figs
The Breba Crop of Figs is done until the main and sweeter crop starts up in August.
grapes
Black Summer Royal Seedless Grapes are slowly starting up. Red Seedless Ruby Rush is super sweet and tasty! Green Sugarone Grapes are large and crunchy. Red Seedless Bulk Grapes arrive later this week. We may see green start up after the red due to cooler weather this spring.
Red Seedless Flame Grapes from Benzler are back in recyclable totes! Grapes make an excellent snack fresh or frozen on a hot summer day. Watch Earl’s IG Grape Video here.
kiwi
New Zealand Gold and Green Kiwis are steady. California Green Kiwis start up the end of July.
melons
Seedless Watermelon Bins are sizing up on the larger size. Durst Seedless Watermelon Bins 45-60ct on Earl’s Weekly Special! Dwelley has started up with a steady supply of Seeded Watermelon Bins. Mini Seedless Watermelons 8ct/9ct are plentiful.
pears
First California Bartlett starts this week! The first pears will take a few weeks to ripen up at room temperature. Pears ripen from the inside out and are ready to heat when the neck of the pear yields to gentle pressure. Did you know? While a Bartlett’s skin color brightens as it ripens, most varieties of Pears show little change in color. It’s time to get excited and celebrate the glorious California Apple and Pear season.
Benzler Flame Grapes
stone fruit
Peaches, Nectarines, Plums and Pluots are sweet and juicy. Earl’s tastes what we sell! Make sure to ask your Earl’s Sales Rep how the different stone fruit varieties are eating. Peaches are trending large sizes 32-36ct. Larger fruit has been hanging on the tree longer and has high flavor and high brix! Large sizes offer a great value buy. Majestic Pearl White Nectarine is WOW with low acid and high sugar. Beach Baby Yellow Nectarines are zingy, sweet and tart!
It’s peak Pluot season with HGO Honey Punch and Frog Hollow Flavor King Pluots arriving this week! Burkart Dapple Dandy Pluot is a customer favorite. Sweet and juicy Robada Apricot is back this week to join the Gold Rich Apricot. We have 2-3 more weeks on PNW Apricots. PNW Cherries are done for the season.
Plums: Black Owen, Ebony Rose and Fortune. The Eco Black Amber is a great opportunity on small fruit with some scarring at an aggressive price.
Pluots: August Yummy, Dapple Dandy, Dapple Fire, Honey Punch and Flavor King coming this week!
Apricots: Gold Rich, Robada arriving this week
Yellow Nectarines: Beach Baby, Fire Time
White Nectarines: Majestic Pearl
Yellow Peaches: Earlirich, Lady Erin, Zee Lady, Zee Pride
White Peaches: Glacier White- Burkart Organics, an Earl’s Exclusive!
tropicals
We will see more colors of Dragon Fruit as it sizes up. Don’t miss Earl’s IG video “How to cut and eat Dragon Fruit.”
Crespo Summer Mango Mania continues with promotable pricing on all varieties and sizes. Ataulfos have one more land. Kents are going strong and we are 3 weeks away from the Mexican Keitt and California Esquire. By the end of August the California Keitt will start up.
The Crespo Display contest ends August 5th. Don’t forget to submit your photos to our Susan, our marketing manager, at susans@earlsorganic.com. The winning store will be announced the week of August 14th.
VEGETABLES
veg market update
Summertime is in full swing and everything from Anna’s is looking really sharp! Watermelon Gherkins, Jimmy Nardello Sweet Italian Frying Peppers, Jalapeño, White Jalapeño, Serranos and Shishitos. Globe Eggplant will return soon.
JAS starting with Globe and Japanese Eggplant in a small way as well as Poblano, Anaheim and Cherry Bomb Peppers. Cherry Bombs are more elongated at the beginning of the season as it takes longer for them to color up.
Bouchey New Crop Russets out of the PNW arriving the end of the week with aggressive pricing.
Onions are available year-round, but they are a seasonal item! The new California crop is barely cured. This means they will not have the hard exterior skin seen in peak season onions from up north. The skin will likely be shaggy and flaky. There are benefits to fresh crop product! They are sweeter, far less pungent and there are no issues with sprouting.
In order to have Onions to enjoy throughout the year, product must be sourced from a variety of regions and stages in the vegetable's life cycle. The California season historically starts up by early May down south in Brawley/ El Centro and moves its way up north into the Bakersfield area. Read the full blog.
Tomatero crisp heads of Red and Green Little Gem Lettuce will go through the summer. Josie’s now harvesting beautiful Romaine Hearts. Don’t miss Earl’s Weekly Special!
don’t miss weekly specials
On this week’s Weekly Specials! Romaine Hearts from Josie’s.
Dwelley Blue Lake, Yellow Wax, Romano and French Beans are steady. Cranberry Beans continue to be sporadic. They need the heat to turn to a pretty pink stripe but continuous days above 100 degrees have caused the plants to shut down. Dwelley both Bi-color and White Corn will go through August.
Local Cherry Tomatoes are picking up steam and have excellent flavor as well as Early Girl and Tutti Frutti Heirloom Tomatoes! Durst Black Cherry, Red Cherry and Red Grape Cherry Tomatoes on Earl’s Weekly Specials.
Comanche Sweet Mini Mix Peppers
Asparagus
Mexican Asparagus strong through the Fall.
Artichokes
Lakeside is seeing some disease in the fields and will gap on larger sizes for a week or so.
bunched beets
Cal-O steady with Red and Gold Bunched. Montecucco Loose Red and Gold Beets are coming out of the PNW.
varietal beans
Weather is more consistent, and the plants are looking better so we should see more Cranberry Beans in a few weeks.
broccoli
Broccoli is coming on in a flush for the next few weeks with prices dropping.
sweet baby broccoli
Tomatero is in a flush and looking sharp!
brussels sprouts
Bulk and bags steady.
cabbage
Red Cabbage is seeing some seasonal aphid pressure and will be a bit tight.
carrots
Sunrise gapping on Nantes for about a month. JAS (Prunedale) and Ralph’s (WA) will help to cover the gap.
cauliflower
Sun Valley sporadic availability of Orange and Purple Cauliflower.
romanesco
Beautiful looking Lakeside Romanesco.
celery
Good news in the Celery world, as we see relief on high prices.
Tomatero Little Gem Lettuce
corn
Dwelley harvesting a steady supply of White and Bi-color Corn.
cucumbers
Summer is the time for Specialty Cucumbers Lemon, Painted Serpent and Pickling! Anna’s Farm (Chowchilla) now harvesting refreshing and crunchy Watermelon Gherkins. Watermelon Gherkin Cucumbers are shaped like baby watermelons and are about the size of your thumb. They taste similar to a cucumber with a hint of lemon.
eggplant
Globe availability is tight but we will see some from local JAS Farms (Prunedale).
garlic
First California Garlic is here from Harris Fresh (Coalinga).
ginger
Secret Beach (Hawaii) will go through August.
greens
Lakeside Chard quality is very nice! Sun Valley Lacinato is in a flush. Ask about promotable opportunities. Recipe Tip: Lacinato Kale makes an excellent Caesar Salad!
herbs
Tomatero Basil is pristine and available in 2 dozen cases. Bay Area Herbs have moved into 100% compostable packaging, and now you can find all your favorite Bay Area Herb varieties in one place on Earl’s price list.
lettuce
Organicgirl Little Gems and Romaine Hearts seeing some quality issues and will be tight this week. Tomatero pretty heads of Little Gem will go through the summer. Romaine continues to be tight due to quality issues. The Living Butter facility sustained some damage during the historic rains and associated floods from earlier this year in Southern California. While they replace some key sections of their production area, we can expect production to very tight for the next 4-6 weeks.
Dwelley Romano Beans
leeks
Tomatero out of Watsonville good quality and clean white stalks.
onions
New Crop Onions have a light cure. California Terra Firma Red and Yellow Onions now coming out of Winters, Califorrnia. New crop Anderson out of the PNW coming soon.
Onions are available year-round, but they are a seasonal item! The new California crop is barely cured. This means they will not have the hard exterior skin seen in peak season onions from up north. The skin will likely be shaggy and flaky. There are benefits to fresh crop product! They are sweeter, far less pungent and there are no issues with sprouting. Read the full blog.
peas
Snap Peas are hit or miss.
bell peppers
California Bell Peppers have an elongated shape. Comanche Sweet Mini Mix Peppers now in convenient clamshells. Mini varieties may include:
Patchwork
Candy Cane
Mini Bell Peppers: Orange, Red, Yellow
Small Gypsy: Orange, Red, Yellow
Pimento
Green Italian Frying
Lunch Box
Carmen
Round of Hungary
Hungarian Wax
Large Sweet Peppers available in a 10# case with a fun variety of colorful peppers. Varieties may include:
Midnight Snack
Candy Cane
Purple Islander
Gypsy: Orange, Red, Yellow
Corno Di Toro: Yellow, Red
Pimento
Lipstick
Green Italian Frying
Patchwork
hot peppers
Plenty of Shishitos, however Padrons are limited. JAS starting up with Poblano, Anaheim and Cherry Bomb Peppers. Cherry Bombs will be more elongated at the beginning of the season as it takes longer to color up.
potatoes
Bouchey Russets starting end of this week with an immediate drop on Russet Bales prices.
spinach
Cal-O is back.
summer squash
You can’t beat Comanche Mixed Summer Squash for the best variety and flavor from a local grower out of Chico. Tomatero Local Zucchini at a great price. Ask about promotional opportunities.
tomatoes
The summer heat is bringing on more fun Tomato varieties! Don’t miss the Black Pineapple, Cherokee Purple, Pink Beauty and Black Prince.
Local Cherry Tomatoes are picking up steam and have excellent flavor as well as Early Girl and Tutti Frutti Heirloom Tomatoes! Tutti Frutti is a pioneer Heirloom Tomato grower with 34 years of experience growing the best tasting heirlooms out of Santa Barbara county. Ambrosio is back with dry-farmed Early Girls! Durst Black Cherry, Red Cherry and Red Grape Cherry Tomatoes on Earl’s Weekly Specials.
winter squash
Local Acorn, Butternut, Delicata, Kabocha and Spaghetti Squash!
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