Featured Produce: Stem and Leaf Satsuma
Used as an offering of health and prosperity in many cultures the Stem and Leaf Satsuma is a unique and thoughtful gift for the holidays. The Satsuma is an aromatic variety of citrus that belongs to mandarin family. it is a seedless, easy peeling piece of fruit where segments are easily separated which makes for a clean and healthy snack. The Satsuma has distinct flavor profile which is the perfect balance of sweet with a hint of tartness. And having the stem and leaves in tact on the fruit makes for a beautiful presentation on retail shelves.
Apples & Pears
Granny Smith shipments have increased due to the Thanksgiving and Holiday promotions. This has created a firm market and short supply on some sizes such as 88’s 100’s & 113’s. There are still great promotional opportunities on varieties like Fuji, Gala, Honeycrisp etc. The pinklady crop was damaged by and extreme freeze 2 weeks ago. Pinklady apples will be in short supply for the duration of the season. We are currently packing and shipping Autumn Glory apples and this is a great time to promote for the Holiday’s.
The pear crop out of the Northwest is well underway! Give us a call for the latest information on availability and pricing.
Melons
West Coast production of Cantaloupe is coming strictly from Arizona and Mexico at the moment. Supplies out of Yuma are very minimal after the weather they have gotten the last few weeks. Florida has started to receive it first shipments of offshore loupes, however we are yet to hear of anyone who is trucking these over from the East Coast. We expect to have our first landings of offshore fruit in Los Angeles later this week/early next week. Production out of Mexico has been solid and the fruit has been sizing up nicely. Our honeydew volume continues to come out of Nogales. Honeydews have remained extremely tight as Mexico has not come in with its usually volume yet. 5 size honeydews are available, but again, require pre-booking and have been going for $14-$16 FOB. Size 6 and 8 honeydews are more readily available and offer a bit a savings, however these are not the most aesthetically pleasing. Offshore honeydews are still roughly two to three weeks away, meaning the market should stay tight until then. Nogales is in full swing with seedless watermelon. After some sugar issues with weather and early fields (brix were as low a 6), we are now into some better fields and have seen brix shoot up to the 10-11 range. Sizing has been good with larger fruit available. We also have seen organic seedless fields broken in Mexico last week. We have good availability on organics. Initial reports on sizing and brix on the organics have been good, so please don't hesitate to reach out of organic seedless watermelon is something you are interested in.
Tropicals
Lime supply will continue to be a challenge through the year as drought conditions continue. However, smaller sizing will be available more than 175s and larger. Please call for daily pricing.
Pineapple supply is steady out of Costa Rica and will be in demand for the Thanksgiving pulls.
Citrus
California Citrus is officially in full production! The navel oranges are coming in beautiful, with sizes peaking on 88's at the moment. However, larger sizes are expected to become more prevalent in the next few weeks. The lemon crops are producing in higher volumes now and prices are steadily coming off. California mandarins are coming on with Satsuma's in full production ( both bald and stem and leaf ). Clementine's are beginning week 47 and they are looking great so far. Citrus out of Texas is also in full production however heavy rains have held up some harvesting as of late. With that being said quality has been great from what has shipped on both oranges and grapefruit. Florida citrus is trickling in with some new varieties . Please stay tuned for updates on these varieties and availability. White Florida Grapefruit is available and a wonderful piece of fruit as usual!
Fun Fact: There are over 600 varieties of oranges worldwide
Potato & Onion
Potatoes are still feeling the effects of the cold temperatures from the previous month.
Please keep in mind that packing sheds will have limited loading hours or they may be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday. Plan accordingly! Westlake will keep you up to date on any changes.
Fun Fact: It takes 1,000 pounds of potatoes to make 350 pounds of potato chips
The cold weather and rain in Mexico has backed up all harvest of hot peppers . All Chile peppers will be active through December. Pricing will be $1.00 per pound on most hot peppers.
Fun Fact: Peppers are a fruit, technically, but the most popular peppers we eat are also part of the nightshade family, along with tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants.
Berries
As we get closer towards the holidays, weather out of Central and Northern Mexico has continued to affect quality on all blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries . There are blueberries importing from Peru, which has shown to be the better berry at this time, while Argentina and Chile also are coming into the U.S. Pricing continues to be strong on all berries, including strawberries out of California. There are strawberries coming from Oxnard, Santa Maria and even some Salinas/Watsonville fruit that is still being harvested. Pricing and availability is day to day at this time while we monitor conditions in growing regions.
Fun Fact: Unripe blackberries are actually red!
Specialty Produce
White and Red dragon fruit out of Vietnam has been consistent and so has pricing. Expect weekly air shipped arrivals on sizes 7 to 12ct As for Ecuador white and yellow dragon fruit, there's still some light supplies this week and will continue to increase as production is going.
**This week, expect light supplies on California red dragon fruit as crops wait for next picking cycle** Call for day to day availability and pricing Young Coconut 9ct is available and expect continuous volume out of Vietnam and Thailand.
Fun Fact: Because dragon fruit blooms from evening to midnight, it’s sometimes called the “moonflower” or “Queen of the night.”
Organics
Seasonal fall favorites are still available! Great deals and availability on California persimmons, pomegranates and mandarin satsumas! Now is the time to push on greens, leaf, and cabbage! Al grown out of Northern California Call for daily pricing! Winter squash is available and volume on Spaghetti and Butternut squash! Also, plenty of new arrivals coming on organic blueberries out of Peru -- Available to load on the East Coast Thanksgiving is only a week away so lets get ready to cook organically!
Looking for other organic items? Please call us!