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Upcoming Holidays
• Labor Day: September 4th
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NEW!
• Fresh Crop California Gala Apples and Bartlett Pears
• Main Crop of Figs - Sierra, Brown Turkey
• King of Mushrooms Foraged Wild Crafted Dried Mushrooms (Monday)
• G&G Calliope and Orient Charm Eggplant
• Coke Okra
• California Shallots
• PNW Onions and Russet Potatoes
• Tomatero Bunched Spinach
• Tutti Frutti Red Kuri Squash
• Sunrise Orange Kabocha Squash -
promotable items
• Black, Green and Red Seedless Grapes
Stone Fruit - Plums and Pluots
• Tomatero (Watsonville) Blackberries and Strawberries
• Central West Produce (Santa Maria) Raspberries
• PNW Blueberries 6oz, pints and 18oz
• Mini Seedless Watermelon
• Tomatero 12ct cauliflower
• Sun Valley Lacinato Kale
• Tutti Frutti Heirloom Tomatoes
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Local Monterey County Zucchini (JAS and Tomatero) -
COMING SOON
• Black Mission Figs
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BACK IN STOCK
• Tomatero Bunched Spinach
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TIGHT INVENTORY
• Limes
• Lemons
• Living Butter Lettuce 3-5 more weeks
• Sweet Potatoes -
GAPPING
• Sunrise Nantes
• Burdock
• Jicama
• Cal-O and Lakeside Bunched Spinach -
WINDING DOWN
• Durst Watermelon Bins
• Argentinian Limes -
finished
• PNW Cherries
• Burkart Stone Fruit
• Import Pears
BUYER’S NOTES
Updated August 6, 2023
FRUIT
fruit mARKET update
Import Apples are winding down and Import Pears have said farewell. The first of the fresh crop California Gala Apples are being harvested as well as the first Bartlett Pears out of the Sacramento Delta River region. At the beginning of the season Bartlett Pears can take up to 2 weeks to ripen. Ripen pears at room temperature on your counter at home. Read more about Bartlett pears ripening and storage tips in our Vegucation blog.
California Stone Fruit is in peak season, and it doesn’t get better than this! Juicy Peaches, Nectarines, Plums and Pluots are fragrant and sweet. Notable highlights this week are the Beach Baby Yellow Nectarine, Regal Pearl White Nectarine, Honey Punch Pluot and Rival Apricot. Each week you can find a complete list of Stone Fruit varieties in the full Buyer’s Notes.
Tomatero Blackberries have the best view of the ocean from their hill along the central coast. In promotable volume this week as well as Tomatero’s 2# Strawberry Clamshells. CWP Raspberry flavor will knock your socks off and PNW Blueberries offer a wide variety of sizes for your customers. It is definitely Blueberry Cobbler time!
The main crop of Figs is here! Growing on the new branches of the fig tree, the second crop is sweeter than the Breba crop. Now harvesting Sierra: Light-colored skin with a fresh, sweet flavor and Brown Turkey: Large sized fig with a brownish-dark purple skin, light pink flesh and a mild flavor. They are commonly used in desserts.
Specialty Melons are starting to trickle in with the Piel de Sapo and Charentais on the way. Download Earl’s Melon Guide. Mini Seedless Watermelons are in good supply. Durst is wrapping up on their watermelons. All of their successive planting ripening this week and will be finished for the season.
Ataulfos are wrapping up with great values on 20ct while supplies last. Kent Mangos are in promotable volume. Mexican Keitts coming this week. California Keitts last week of August.
mango mania winners announced soon!
The Crespo Mango display contest has wrapped up but there is plenty of delicious, juicy mangos to enjoy. Contest winners will be announced the week of August 14th!
Honey Punch Pluots
Apples
Imports are winding down. The first California Gala Apple is here! Gravenstein Apples from Sebastopol are coming soon.
Avocados
Quality is solid and good supply on all sizes of California Hass Avocados. Looking for avocado recipe inspiration? Check out these California Avocado Commission Recipes.
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 has a lot of luscious fruit with amazing flavor through August.
Blueberries: PNW production strong for a few more weeks. End of the Draper variety and moving into the Legacy and Calypso varieties.
Strawberries: Sun Valley, Tomatero out of Watsonville have good production for another week or two and then expect it to tighten up.
Raspberries: Eating great with production out of Santa Maria area.
Citrus
Grapefruit is a bit tight on Star Ruby with red flesh with plenty of Ruby Grapefruit with pink flesh.
Valencias will wrap up by the end of September with a quick end to the season due to lack of volume. Expect prices to be high in September until Mexico starts up with Early Sweet Valencias.
Argentinian Lemons wrapping up. California Lemons trickling in with a smattering of Mexican. By the end of August the California desert out of Coachella will start up with mostly small sizes.
Limes a bit tight until Mexico receives more rain.
Sierra Figs
figs
Main crop is starting up Brown Turkey and Sierra (Green skin/red flesh) out of Madera. Maywood (Corning) is off to a late start to the season due to the mild spring. Expect the first land in about 2-3 weeks.
grapes
Red, Green and Black Seedless Grapes in peak production with outstanding flavor. Green Bulk Grapes arriving this week. Sunview proprietary red grape Sparkle coming soon! Sunview Raisins are a great snack! Available in Green, Red and Black. More details on the flyer below.
kiwi
New Zealand Gold and Green Kiwis are steady. California Green Kiwis starting soon.
melons
Specialty Melons are starting to trickle in with the Piel de Sapo and Charentais on the way. We are a few weeks away from a flush of specialty melons. Download Earl’s Melon Guide.
Brown Turkey Figs
pears
Import Pears are done. The first California Bartletts out of Sacramento Delta River region are here. At the beginning of the season Bartlett Pears can take up to 2 weeks to ripen. Ripen pears on your counter at home. Read more about Bartlett Pears ripening and storage tips in our Vegucation blog.
stone fruit
Burkart Stone Fruit is wrapping up the season. Thank you for the support. California Stone Fruit is in peak season, and it doesn’t get better than this! Juicy Peaches, Nectarines, Plums and Pluots are fragrant and sweet. There are so many exciting tasty and fun Pluots coming up! See the full line up below. Asian Pears will start up in a few weeks. PNW Apricots tail end of the season. PNW Cherry Season is done. Thank you for making it a successful year for all the growers!
Plums: Stay tuned for varieties.
Pluots: Dapple Dandy, Dapple Fire, Honey Punch, Flavor King and Flavor Queen
Apricots: PNW Rival, 5 Cross
Yellow Nectarines: Beach Baby
White Nectarines: Regal Pearl
Yellow Peaches: August Flame, PKM (freestone variety named by the grower after his three daughters Paige, Kendall, and Morgan)
White Peaches: Snow King
tropicals
The Crespo Mango display contest has wrapped up but there is plenty of delicious, juicy mangos to enjoy. Ataulfos are wrapping up with great values on 20ct while supplies last. Kent Mangos are in promotable volume. Mexican Keitts starting up early this week. California Keitts starting up in about 3 weeks. Intenza Papayas are in a flush. Display next to limes for a delicious cross merchandising opportunity.
VEGETABLES
veg market update
Anna’s Specialty Varieties are popping with the heat. Anna’s now adding Poblanos to their Hot Pepper Mix of Anaheim, Jalapeno, White Jalapeno, Serrano and Shishito. Sunrise Habanero bulk pack coming in September.
JAS is wrapping up with their Globe Eggplant and will have limited Japanese Eggplant and Cherry Bomb Peppers this week. Lots of delicious Poblanos as well as plenty of Zucchini to promote along with Tomatero.
Local Dwelley Corn in good supply out of Brentwood. PNW Corn is just starting up with white corn. Bi-color to follow soon.
NEW! Eggplant Varietals from G&G first generation family in Chowchilla. Globe, Calliope and Orient Charm join the Paloma White from Comanche Creek and Japanese from JAS.
New from King of Mushrooms, a full line up of Wild Crafted Dried Mushrooms: Porcini, Black Trumpet, Candy Cap, Chanterelle Golden, Forest Blend, Lions Mane, Maitake, Morel, Reishi and Turkey Tail. Stay tuned for more information.
New Crop Russets should be kept a limited time at room temperature. They are susceptible to skinning and sprouting.
Sunrise ‘New’ Potatoes are freshly dug, cleaned and packed without being cured in the field or the cooler. Storage Tip: New potatoes should be stored and displayed under refrigeration to maintain the freshness and quality of the potato.
Now harvesting Amarosa and Austrian Crescent New Fingerling Potatoes. New Purple Fingerlings may be ready 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.
August is the best time for flavorful California Tomatoes! Tutti Frutti Mixed Heirlooms on Earl’s Weekly Specials. Each week the flavor and color gets better and better. Local Cherry Tomatoes are coming on with sweet varieties like the stunning Caprese Mix from Comanche Creek, Black, Red, Orange and Yellow Cherry, Sungold and Sweet 100 from Durst, Mixed Medley from Ambrosio. Terra Firma (Winters) has wonderful straight packs of Heirloom Tomatoes - Black Pineapple, Cherokee Purple and don’t miss the beautiful fluted Costoluto Genovese, excellent for preserving.
don’t miss weekly specials
On this week’s Weekly Specials! Tutti Frutti Mixed Heirlooms.
Fresh Crop Red Onions
Asparagus
Quality is back on track with promotable volume for the next few weeks.
Artichokes
Lakeside 24ct through the rest of the summer will be consistent. 18ct will be limited.
varietal beans
The heat is bringing on the Dwelley Cranberry Beans in a small way. Good volume on Dwelley Blue Lake, Wax, Romano and French Beans.
baby bok choy
Lakeside excellent volume through August. Ask us about promotional opportunities.
broccoli
A little bit of volatility in the market with some higher pricing.
sweet baby broccoli
Lakeside great volume and nice quality.
brussels sprouts
Steady supply.
carrots
Sunrise Nantes continue to gap. Ralph’s has beautiful Nantes to help fill the gap.
cauliflower
Sun Valley Purple returns this week followed by Orange in 1-2 weeks.
romanesco
Abundant from Lakeside for the next few weeks.
celery
Really nice quality and steady pricing through August.
Fresh Crop Yellow Onions
corn
Dwelley Local Corn is going strong on Bi-color and White. PNW season has started up in a small way.
cucumbers
Juicing Cucumbers are back in better supply.
eggplant
NEW! Eggplant Varietals from G&G first generation family in Chowchilla. Globe, Calliope (small white and purple oval Indian eggplant) and Orient Charm (long Asian eggplant that is pinkish purple in color) join the Paloma White (thin skin white eggplant with a mild sweet flavor and creamy texture) from Comanche Creek and Japanese from JAS.
greens
Cal-O will have a steady supply of chards while Sun Valley and Tomatero are gapping.
herbs
Local Tomatero Basil in large fragrant bunches in excellent supply. Summer is a great time to make pesto and a caprese salad with sweet peaches or savory tomatoes.
leeks
Tomatero out of Watsonville good quality and clean white stalks.
lettuce
Red Butter is back in good supply this week.
mushrooms
New from King of Mushrooms, a full line up of Foraged Wild Crafted Dried Mushrooms: Porcini, Black Trumpet, Candy Cap, Chanterelle Golden, Forest Blend, Lions Mane, Maitake, Morel, Reishi and Turkey Tail. Stay tuned for more information.
Comanche Caprese Mix
okra
Green Okra starts up this week from Coke, followed by Burgundy.
onions
PNW Anderson Onions landing Monday alongside Bouchey Russets Potatoes with aggressive prices. First of the California Shallots from River Road in Firebaugh, CA. Peri & Sons and Anderson Shallots in the next few weeks.
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.
bell peppers
Red Bells have tightened up a bit. All other colors are looking good. New Comanche Corno Di Toro Red and Yellow Straight Packs. 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
Anna’s Specialty Varieties are popping with the heat. Anna’s now adding Poblanos to their hot pepper mix of Anaheim, Jalapeno, White Jalapeno, Serrano and Shishito. Sunrise Habanero bulk pack coming in September.
potatoes
New Crop Russets should be kept a limited time at room temperature. They are susceptible to skinning and sprouting. They are really beautiful and a great eating potato!
Sunrise ‘New’ Potatoes are freshly dug, cleaned and packed without being cured in the field or the cooler. Storage Tip: New potatoes should be stored and displayed under refrigeration to maintain the freshness and quality of the potato.
Now harvesting Amarosa and Austrian Crescent New Fingerling Potatoes. New Purple Fingerlings may be ready soon.
radishes
Tomatero Red and French Breakfast Radishes are very pretty!
summer squash
Tomatero and JAS Local Zucchini at a great price. Ask about promotional opportunities. Comanche (Chico) Mixed Summer Squash is packed with fun varieties. Download the Summer Squash Guide here.
sweet potatoes
New crop coming late August/early September.
tomatoes
August is the best time for flavorful California Tomatoes! Tutti Frutti Mixed Heirlooms on Earl’s Weekly Specials. Each week the flavor and color gets better and better. Local Cherry Tomatoes are coming on with sweet varieties like the stunning Caprese Mix from Comanche Creek, Black, Red, Orange and Yellow Cherry, Sungold and Sweet 100 from Durst, Mixed Medley from Ambrosio. Terra Firma (Winters) has wonderful straight packs of Heirloom Tomatoes - Black Pineapple, Cherokee Purple and don’t miss the beautiful fluted Costoluto Genovese, excellent for preserving.
winter squash
Tutti Frutti has started with Red Kuri Squash. Sunrise Orange Kabocha is a nice compliment to Green Kabocha.
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VEGUCATION CORNER
