Colored Potatoes

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Westlake Weekly Update 7.8.20

Featured Item: California Grown Colored Potatoes

Living in California, we’re so proud of our diverse state.  We’ve all seen the commercials for “Visiting California.”  It boasts you can travel from the snowy mountaintops to the sandy beaches in the span of a day, or take a dune buggy through the hot dry deserts.  Most, however, may be surprised by a very important, but little known area, called the Sacramento Delta.  It’s just a stone’s throw from San Fran, Sac, and Stockton.

The Delta is a unique geographical area formed from the freshwater of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers meeting with the Pacific Ocean.  It creates a fertile and rich environment for countless birds, fish, and crops.  This beautiful, peaceful area is approximately 738,00 acres.  Over 80 percent of the area (about 500,000 acres) of which is used for growing crops such as pears, asparagus, corn, and a Westlake favorite…potatoes!

In fact, you might not know that 75 percent of the agricultural land in the Delta is classified as Prime Farmland. That’s an astounding number when you consider that only 18 percent of the state’s agricultural land is considered Prime Farmland.  Prime Farmland is designated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as land that has the optimal combination of physical and chemical characteristics for producing food. Basically, it has adequate water supply, perfect weather, and naturally rich soil.  

This area started developing as farmland when unsuccessful 49ers (calm down ….not the football team, who was up against the half-billion-dollar man) began turning to farming in the mid-1800s.  Today, many of the farms in operation are still family-run by multiple generations.  The Delta’s rich and fertile soil is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world.  The family farmers here are dedicated to protecting and sustaining this delicate ecosystem.  

Westlake is proud partners with Klein Family Farms and Greg Paul Produce in this hidden gem of California.  The colored potatoes grown by the Klein Family on this prime farmland,  are second to none. The Delta Queen red,  Delta King white, and Pintail gold potatoes are being harvested fresh daily to ship from their farm to your table. As if this wasn’t already enough, all of the potatoes grown and shipped by Klein Family Farms and Greg Paul Produce are Global G.A.P. certified. 

Next time you’re near this area, it is worth a pop over to see for yourself the intriguing and intertwining waterways of the Sacramento Delta.  You’ll be awed by the wildlife and fertile farmlands producing such jewels as the red, white, and gold potatoes.

CHERRIES:

Currently, the Northwest cherry crop has been running approximately 5-7 days behind schedule due to cold weather and rain. Luckily, there is warmer weather for the coming week!   We expect to see the pressure on the supply side lighten up a bit.

 Citrus: 

The California navel game is winding down…with only a few packing houses with supply.  We expect their supply to get us through next week on the final floor counts.  Never to fear, we have imported navels expected by the end of this week.  They are coming from our growers in Chile and Australia.  We are hearing the peak sizing to be on the 56s and 48s.  

Valencia oranges are ramping up!  The flavor and quality have been excellent.  They are peaking on size 72s and 56s on fancy.  

Lemons are still in high demand and selling out daily! The supply of fancy grade lemons is limited out of Southern California and unfortunately will continue to be very tight.  Choice grade lemons remain available.  They are in good demand from the foodservice sector and for value-added orders.  Westlake can meet your citrus needs, just give us a call!  We all need those lemons for lemonade and limes for our cold beers!

Star Grapefruit still has another couple weeks of supply.  The demand has been very good on grapefruit.  The Summer Marsh variety from Southern California will be ready to move in as we finish with the Star Grapefruit.

Our imported mandarins and minneolas are expected to arrive by the end of next week into Southern California! We expect supply to ramp up by mid-July.  The fruit is looking fantastic as the weather in Peru has been perfect!  This great weather has allowed for optimal growing conditions.  Westlake is anticipating stellar imported citrus this summer.  We will have promotable volume for AD’s starting July 22nd.   

Latin Items:

Westlake has plenty of serrano peppers available from our growers.  As June comes to a close, California has started harvesting out of Bakersfield.  Whether you want jalapenos, red Fresnos, or Anaheim chilis, we have you covered.  

 Berries:

The overall berry market is limited at this time.  Strawberries out of Santa Maria and Salinas/Watsonville region are expected to have a light supply for the next few weeks.  This shortage in supply is due mainly to replenishment and weather conditions from a few weeks back.  Santa Maria saw warmer weather which really colored up the strawberries.  This was good for supply, but shippers were moving through the berries quickly before the quality diminished due to high sugar content.  Now crops are on a two-day picking cycle at best.  Some growers in Santa Maria are winding down…while a few are finished with their season and will resume in the Fall. For now, it is day to day on availability out of both growing regions. 

Also, be prepared, expect to see smaller sizes and higher berry counts per clamshells.

Blueberries are sluggish due to weather conditions out of Mexico and California.  We are also seeing some quality issues.  With cooler weather expected in California, production should ramp up a little, while the Pacific Northwest has begun with their production. Raspberries from our growers in California and Mexico have also been limited.

If you would like more information, please give us a call at the office. We encourage you to call us for day to pricing and availability on all our berries.

Organics:

Westlake has some excellent offerings from our organic growers!  The organic blueberries out of the Northwest are currently available.  Call now for special pricing and future lid pricing.  They are perfect to promote for the end of July!

We also have organic seedless watermelons available out of Yuma, AZ.  There are good numbers on the 6 ct.  Out of Oxnard, we have organic cabbage, red and gold beets, as well as beautiful striped beets available while supplies last.  Don’t miss out!

Organic lemon prices have gone up and supplies are limited, but we have juicy Valencia oranges and red grapefruit available.  Valencia’s are peaking on the 88s, while the grapefruit is peaking on the 40s/48s.  It’s a good time to increase your Vitamin C intake with our organic citrus!

Tropicals:

The availability and pricing of limes from our growers in Veracruz have remained consistent.  Westlake will continue to ship from this region.  We have a good supply ready for you to buy!

We also have mangoes out of Mexico!  They are readily available and are eating great! 

Varieties include Tommys, Kents, and Ataulfos.  Looking for organic mangos?  We have organic Tommys for you!

Specialty Items:

Yellow dragon fruit is available via air shipment from Ecuador.  We have the product already on hand,  please call for size and pricing!

Florida red dragon fruit has started and is available for air shipment in LA as well. Call now to pre-book!

Vietnam has white and red dragon fruit available via air shipment, but pricing is still in the mid-40s.  Call for pricing and availability.

Young Coconut is available out of Thailand and Vietnam,  but pricing differs based on conditions and quality.

Specialty Melons are available out of the Desert.  Hami Melons are now available! Call to place your orders! 

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