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NEW!
• Rosalynn and Macintosh Apples
• Fuyu Persimmons (Monday)
• Anna’s Watermelon Gherkins, Red and French Breakfast Radishes
• Yellow Cipollini Onions are here. Red on (Monday)
• Abate Fetel, Concorde and Comice Pears
• Jack O’ Lantern Pumpkin Bins
• Tokyo Turnips -
COMING SOON
• Wintergreen Burdock mid-October
• California Kiwis mid-October
• Pomegranates Wonderful Variety
• Hachiya Persimmons mid-October
• Anna’s Daikon and Watermelon Radish by October 7th -
BACK IN STOCK
• Anna’s Baby Bok Choy
• Sun Valley Orange and Purple Cauliflower
• Thai Coconuts
• Maywood Black Mission Figs
• Sun Valley Redbor Kale
• Lemongrass
• Dulcinea Seedless Watermelon Bins 60ct
• Kiwano Horned Melon
• Intennza Papaya
• Quince
• Fresh Kampo (MX) Raspberries -
TIGHT INVENTORY
• Sunrise Yellow Carrots
• Euro Cucumbers
• Corn
• Josie’s Mediterranean Salad Kit
• Green Leaf
• Cal-O Green and Red Butter
• Organic Girl Little Gems, Butter, Protein Greens, Romaine -
gapping
• Covilli Pineapples
• Sunrise Little Gems and Salanova for 7-10 days -
WINDING DOWN
• PNW Blueberries
• New Zealand Gold Kiwis
• Del Bosque Cantaloupe and Honeydew
• Yellow Peaches -
finished
• Sweetie Apples
• Candy Grapes
• Kiwi Berries
• Del Bosque Melons
• Crespo Mangos
• Plums and Pluots
BUYER’S NOTES
Updated October 2, 2022
FRUIT
Big shift in Stone Fruit. Plum and Pluots are finished. Cold and rainy weather slowed down production significantly. Supply will go until the end of October. Eat late harvest Peaches very firm. The rain tightened up the Blackberry category. Bringing in what we can from Tomatero and it is delicious! The heat wave last week cooked the Strawberries, and they are tight and lighter in color.
The weather is cooling down and it is starting to feel like fall. Start October off right with Jack O’ Lantern Bins from Del Cabo/650# and Sugar Pie Pumpkin Bins from Tutti Frutti/675#. Hard Squash is being harvested weekly. Now offering Tutti Frutti Butternut and Mixed Squash Bins to highlight your fall display. Straight packs include Acorn, Black Futsu, Buttercup, Butternut, Carnival, Delicata, Honeynut, Kabocha, Orangetti, Red Kuri, Spaghetti, Sweet Dumpling and Tetsukabuto! Download Earl’s Hard Squash guide.
Growers out of Mexico recovering from the Hurricane. Covilli Zucchini has been pushed to the end of October and Green Beans will start later in the 2nd week of November. Covilli Fair Trade Mixed Heirlooms have started up with full color and good flavor!
We are now seeing the effects of the recent rain. Red and Green Leaf and Romaine is tight, and we may see gaps on the front side of the week. Romaine Hearts continue to climb in price, and product is still limited. Cal-O transitioned to their fall growing region of Lamont - Green and Red Butter Lettuce will see a bit of a disruption until the end of the week .
Every Fair Trade purchase empowers farm workers to improve their communities by deciding as a collective how and when to invest the Fair Trade Premium.
Fair Trade principles
Fair Labor Conditions: Workers on Fair Trade farms enjoy sustainable wages, safe working conditions, access to healthcare, regulated working hours, rest and sick days, as well as freedom of association. Forced child and slave labor are strictly prohibited and access to education for workers’ children is verified.
Fair Trade Premium: A few extra cents paid by the consumer – the Fair Trade Premium – will allow for democratically chosen projects to become a reality in farm worker communities.
Democratic and Transparent Organizations: Fair Trade farmers and workers decide democratically how to invest the Fair Trade premiums. These are funds specifically designed for community development.
Community Development: Workers invest the Fair Trade Premium in social and business development projects like scholarships, schools, improving their quality of life and leadership training.
Environmental Sustainability: Fair Trade promotes environmentally sustainable farming methods that protect workers’ health, preserve valuable ecosystems, and safeguard the livelihoods of local communities now and in the future.
Fair Trade Equal Exchange Avocados
Year Round Fair Trade Bananas
Fair Trade Dole Pineapples
APPLES
A bevy of Club Apples coming in October. Stay tuned for information on what it takes for a farmer to grow a Club Apple. Opal and SugarBee are only 3 weeks away. The domestic category is filling out with a variety of grades and pack sizes on Fujis, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith and Gala.
AVOCADOS
Mexican fruit from Equal Exchange as well as Traceland. Look for a variety of sizes as well as #2 fruit.
BANANAS
October is Fair Trade Month. Earl’s carries Fair Trade Bananas 365 days a year. Download Fair Trade POS and talking points on our marketing page.
BERRIES
Blackberries: A bit tight after the rain. Tomatero fruit has excellent flavor. Mexico starting up soon with a smooth transition to Baja and Mexico.
Blueberries: PNW is wrapping up. Forbidden (Cypress Ranch) will go through the winter with occasional lands from CWP.
Strawberries: Saw some gaps last week and inventory remains tight after the rain with higher prices.
Raspberries: AG steady
citrus
Grapefruit: Ruby Marsh has yellow to pale red skin and a tangy refreshing flavor.
Valencias: Product on the smaller side (88ct), plenty of volume on the 113ct choice fruit – perfect for your juicing needs.
California Lemons: Still sizing small from MX and California – 140ct is the name of the game.
Limes: Good supply out of Mexico.
fall
Fuyu Persimmons took a little longer to color up due to the cooler weather. Arriving Monday! Learn more.
figs
Maywood Black Mission Figs are back this week.
grapes
Benzler totes took a bit of a beating from the heat. Will return early this week. Plenty of Red, Green and Black Seedless Grapes from Air Chief.
kiwi
Kiwi Berries winding down. Get them while you can!
melons
Del Bosque is finished with all melons. Del Mar is the last man standing for domestic melons. Watermelon Bins are almost done. Pre-orders are appreciated. Del Mar Honeydew is gapping.
nuts
The holidays are coming. It is time to bake and entertain. Don’t miss our nut category with Bulk Almonds, Bulk Halves/Pieces and Whole Walnuts and Bagged Pistachios in shell.
raisins
Did you know that dried black raisins are the largest and plumpest raisins? Fantastic for snacking as well as baking. Red, Black and Green Raisins from Sunview are delicious and available in 12/15oz cans. Vacuum-packed canisters offer a long shelf life.
pears
Frog Hollow Warren Pear is California grown. Creamy and rich when ripe. Bosc, Starkrimson, Golden Bosc, Comice, Bartlett are all out of the PNW. New this week, the stunning Red Bartlett.
stone fruit
Big shift in Stone Fruit. Cold and rainy weather slowed down production significantly. Supply will go for another 2-3 weeks until the end of October.
tropicals
California Keitt 4ct Mangos are a show stopper and a great value. Dole Fair Trade Pineapples are an excellent way to show your support for Fair Trade all year long. Sunrise Kiwano Horned Melons are refreshing. Cut in half and scoop out with a spoon. Covilli Dragon Fruit available in a variety of colors.
VEGETABLES
Covilli Fair Trade Mixed Heirlooms
Jack O’ Lantern Bins
Anna’s Red Radish
asparagus
Steady and consistent from Mexico for at least another month.
ARTICHOKES
Tight inventory as the week starts off and then back to steady production.
bok choy
Lakeside pest pressure in the field led to a gap last week but will return this week. Anna’s starting up soon.
beets
Promotional opportunity on Bunched Red Beets from Sun Valley (Watsonville) and Ralph’s (WA). Beautiful Bunched Gold Beets from Ralph’s.
varietal beans
Dwelley Cranberry, French, Romano, Yellow Wax and Blue Lake Beans steady.
Broccoli and Broccoli Crowns
Continue to be tight due to pin rot and other seasonal quality issues.
Sweet Baby Broccoli
Baby Broccoli market is tightening up as the cooler weather affects production. Tomatero is finished for two weeks.
Brussels Sprouts
Good supply from Creekside. No Mexican available.
carrots
Sunrise Bunched Nantes two weeks out. Ralph’s and Lakeside Nantes look great. Sunrise is finished with Bunched Rainbow Carrots. We may see some Ralph’s Rainbow Bunched return this week.
Cauliflower
Cauliflower market is starting to climb. Expect prices to go up as the week rolls along. Specialty Cauliflower will be consistent but limited from Sun Valley. Great quality.
corn
We may see a small gap. Will see a little more of product from Coke and Dwelley. Corn out of Washington has started up from Treehouse with good flavor.
cucumbers
Market has dropped significantly on Slicers. Euros and Clam and Bulk Persians back in.
eggplant
Lakeside only player and in better supply this week.
fennel
Transitioning from Tomatero to Lakeside.
greens
Lakeside, Tomatero and Sun Valley good supply. As we enter early fall, we are losing daytime hours and seeing cooler weather. We are keeping an eye on quality.
herbs
Tomatero good volume through October, weather dependent. Big flush on Sun Valley Cilantro.
lettuce
Josie’s Salad Kits with Romaine Lettuce will recover more this week. We are now seeing the effects of the recent rain. Red and Green Leaf and Romaine is tight, and we may see gaps on the front side of the week. Romaine Hearts continue to climb in price, and product is still limited. Cal-O transitioned to their fall growing region of Lamont - Green and Red Butter Lettuce will see a bit of a disruption until the end of the week.
leeks
Ralph’s (Washington) prices are coming down. Lakeside offers a California value.
mushrooms
Canada continues to have tight inventory on Criminis. Expect this to go through the holidays. Shiitake Mushrooms are a wonderful alternative to Criminis. Now is a great time to build excitement about other mushroom varieties. Download Earl’s Fresh and Dried Mushroom guides.
bell peppers
Not much out of Mexico. Supply out of Canada and some California Colored Bells.
onions
New Red and Yellow Onion Mediums from Anderson (PNW). Green Onions continue to increase in price during this rough patch of limited inventory. Cal-O is transitioning to a new growing region and is optimistic about supply returning in better volumes in the coming weeks. If you missed the OPN article last week you can read the update here.
hot peppers
The Habanada looks like a Habanero with none of the heat but with all of the floral flavor. Comanche Creek Mixed Habaneros come in a variety of colors - Orange, Red, Yellow and Green - in 12/2oz clamshells. Habanero Paper Lanterns are small fiery peppers also available in 12/2oz clamshells. Now is the time to enjoy California Varietal Peppers. Download the pepper guide.
radishes
Anna’s Red and French Breakfast are gorgeous!
potatoes
Sunrise is done with Fingerlings with a seamless transition to vibrant Bouchey Amarosa, Banana, Medley, Purple and French Fingerlings in bulk and bagged. Two more weeks on Bouchey Russets and then moving into Nature’s Bounty.
roots
Root season is picking up with Tokyo Turnips this week. Fantastic sauteed with butter and miso. See the recipe.
Montecucco (Oregon) is two weeks out on Parsnip, Turnips, Rutabaga and Gold Beets.
spinach
In good supply. We will see the first of Ralph’s Spinach this week.
summer squash
Hurricane has delayed Covilli Fair Trade Zucchini to the end of October. Tomatero continues to have good volume. Covilli Green Beans are pushed back to 2nd week of November.
sweet potatoes
Keeping inventory tight.
tomatoes
Tomatero tight on Early Girls due to the rain. Get your orders in early to take advantage of inventory. Fair Trade Mixed Heirlooms started from Covilli (Mexico) with full color and good flavor. Tutti Frutti Mixed Heirlooms have excellent flavor! Cherry Tomatoes slowed just a bit from the rain, and pricing will increase.
winter squash
Opportunities on Tutti Frutti Sugar Pie Pumpkin, Butternut and Mixed Hard Squash Bins. Ask your Earl’s Sales Rep for more info. Del Cabo Jack O’Lantern Bins are the perfect way to kick off October. Download Earl’s Hard Squash guide.
Tender Leaf items continue to be in excellent shape and supply is strong going into next week. Butter Plus, Romaine, Green Butter, and Little Gems continue to see quality issues not passing OG premium spec as well as short supplies. We will see limited supplies next week on Tru Hearts.
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