Washington is finally delivering on the new Cosmic Crisp Apple! It has been 20 years in the making, but is it worth the wait? Westlake says a resounding “YES!”
The Cosmic Crisp apple drops nationwide this month. The buzz about this apple has hit everyone from the markets to the consumers! Never has an apple received so much media attention. It has been featured in the Wall Street Journal to The Today Show. The country is ready to sink its teeth into this game changing apple developed at Washington State University.
It's a story as old as time. A little red apple walks into a bar...meets another apple and bada bing bada boom...it's love at first sight! Ok it didn't quite happen this way but it is still a love story. A group of researchers led by a passionate professor, Bruce Barrett from WSU, began the journey of apple breeding in a small apple orchard in Washington. After taste testing hundreds of new apples, he finally bit into a pretty red apple from a tree labeled WA38, and it was actually love at first bite!
The Cosmic Crisp was a cross fertilization of a little beauty known as an Enterprise apple. In case you’re wondering who the father is...it’s the ever popular Honeycrisp!
The result of this pairing is a lovely new bicolored apple with “sparkles” that resemble stars on its skin. The apple is called Cosmic Crisp because of the bright yellowish dots on its skin, which look like distant stars. These bursts of light are actually called lenticels and are simple pores on the apple. Beauty aside, this apple has won over taste testers. It has been referred to as a “technicolor” taste sensation. The apple has a crisp texture that is unmatched with a perfect balance of sugar and acid. Beyond the sweet tartness of this firm apple, it also has an incredibly long shelf life. Growers are claiming if kept in the right conditions, it will remain just as firm, sweet and fresh a year later! Only time will tell, but if the buzz holds true...they won’t last that long on the shelves or homes.
Consumers are anxiously awaiting all the ways to use this apple, since it’s an excellent variety for baking. For the time being, here at Westlake, we recommend just snacking on them!
Melons
We have cantaloupe production coming out of Mexico and Guatemala right now. Mexico is dealing with some weather issues in their growing regions. This has slightly affected sizing and current yields. Offshore cantaloupes from Guatemala have landed in Los Angeles and are promising! Westlake can confirm that the fruit has good sugar levels and excellent sizing! Call us for more information and pricing.
In melon news, The West Coast production of Cantaloupes is coming strictly from Mexico at the moment. Arizona has finished up for the season. Over the past week, Florida has started to recieve its first shipments of offshore cantaloupes. The first boats just hit Los Angeles. The sizing of these offshore cantaloupes has been good and trending towards 9s/j9s. Mexico does have some cantaloupes, but with the recent rain in the region, we forecast that season to end in the next couple of weeks.
Our honeydew volume continues to come out of Nogales. The melons have remained tight as Mexico has not come in with its usual volume yet. Size 5 honeydews are available, but require pre-booking. They are going for $14-$16 FOB. Size 6 and 8 honeydews are more readily available and offer a bit of savings. Our offshore honeydews are still approximately two to three weeks away. The market should remain tight until then.
Hermosillo has been hit with a good amount of rain recently, which has led to quality and sizing issues. Due to these issues, the seedless/seeded watermelon deal is very tight, especially in regards to your standard retail sizes (4s and 5s). Production will soon move further south in Mexico which should bring better product, but will also keep prices fairly high due to extra costs associated with the longer ride to Nogales.
It may seem as though this is a bit of doom and gloom situation with melons, however questions about quality and volume are always prevalent this time of year. If there any questions you may have, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. We would be more than happy to help guide you through this period.
Tropicals
It may be winter across the country, but the tropical department has some hot commodities available!
We have a solid amount of Persian limes available. They are peaking on sizes 175s, followed by 200s and 150s. Despite the cold weather and low demand, pricing remains steady!
Westlake has a great supply available of Kent and Tommy mangoes from Ecuador. These will be available through January 2020. The Peruvian Kent mango will continue to stay strong through March 2020!
Finally, don't forget our pineapples! Our growers out of Costa Rica are offering great pineapples right now!
Citrus
Citrus is doing well overall! The California mandarins are a holiday favorite and in heavy demand. Our growers have plenty of California navels as well. They are of superb quality for eating and look fantastic on display! Currently sizes are peaking on 88/72/113 but expect larger fruit in the near future! Although harvesting has slowed down at the moment, our growers packed up lots of fruit prior to the heavy rains. Don’t forget about our lemons! We have smaller sizes readily available but can fill any of your lemons needs.
Be on the lookout for the Autumn Honey tangerine. They have a perfect balance of sugar and acid. Westlake is offering this easy peeling variety, which will be hitting the market shortly. Don’t miss out on this Florida citrus coming soon!
Florida is also in full production with its citrus! The ever popular Texas Rio Star grapefruit is in abundant supply now that the rains have let up.
Call Westlake for availability with your current and future orders!
Potato & Onion
During this busy season, please continue to plan ahead with your potato needs. Harsh weather conditions had an impact on the potato market. Although the russet potato market is in short supply, the price is getting stronger. The quality has remained wonderful!
The pricing on red, white, and yellow potatoes continue to strengthen as the market is beginning to tighten. The quality of these spuds are excellent!
The same goes for the onion market. The quality is great on the white, red and yellow onions as the market continues to firm up.
Westlake is fortunate to have the relationships we do with our growers. It allows us to fulfill and offer the best products despite the market situation. Call us for all your potato and onion needs!
California Guavas are available at Westlake!
Westlake has California guavas available this week. Don't be intimidated by these exotic looking fruits. Wash and dry them, and then dive right in. You can eat the skin, flesh and seeds! In fact, the rind has more vitamin C than an entire orange!
Looking for more ways to use California guavas from Westlake? Since they are naturally high in pectin, the substance that helps thicken fruits in recipes, try making them into a jam or glaze to use in your favorite recipes!
Call Westlake for availability and pricing!
Berries
The late November and early December rains hampered the strawberries in the Central Valley and Mexico.
The blueberry market has slowed down this week. We expect pricing to fluctuate as more volume comes from Mexico, Peru and Chile.
We have great availability on blackberries and raspberries out of Mexico! Call us for daily availability and pricing!
Specialty Produce
We are excited to offer South African Lychee! Call us now to prebook these sweet and juicy fruits. They are available in 10lb cases.
Also, be on the lookout for Chilean Sugar plums coming in January! Call us and book your order, before they reach the shore!
Westlake has Young coconut 9ct available out of Vietnam and Thailand. We also have Vietnamese white and red dragon fruit, and white and yellow dragon fruit from Ecuador. Please call us for our daily supply and pricing!
Organics
On the organic front, Westlake is offering winter hard squashes! Organic Butternut, Spaghetti and Delicta will be available through December. You won’t want to miss these!
Organic Daisy tangerines are available now out of Coachella! Call us for these, or any of our other citrus offerings. Such as, organic lemons, navel oranges, grapefruits, Satsumas and Meyer lemons.
Be sure to order some organic greens too! Westlake is offering Lacinato, green kale, cilantro and Italian parsley. Looking for carrots? We also have organic Nantes carrots available this week!