Apples & Pears

Northwest new-crop apples are underway! We have started on Gingergold and Gala apples. There will be a gap on Fuji apple supplies until the new crop starts. We will not see new-crop Fuji apples until mid-to-late September. Granny Smith and Red delicious apples will continue to ship from the storage crop until new crops start. Here are the expected start dates for our apple varietals:

Honeycrisp: September 2nd

Fuji: September 9th

Golden Delicious: September 9th

Red Delicious: September 23rd

Jonagold: September 23rd

Braeburn: October 14th

Granny Smith: October 14th

Pinklady: October 14th

Opal Apple: October 21st

We are currently packing California Bartlett and Star Crimson pears. Bosc pears will begin to be packed soon. We will begin packing new-crop pears out of the Northwest in about two weeks. Here are the expected start dates for our pear varietals:

Bosc: September 2nd

D'Anjou: September 2nd

Red D'Anjou: September 30th

Fun Fact: One of the most incredible natural features of the Opal Apple is that it does not brown after cutting!

Melons

Cantaloupe production continues to come out of the “Westside” area in Central/Northern California. Sizing is still skewed towards the larger sizes (9’s and Jumbo 9’s), but there is more availability on the smaller sizes, specifically 12’s, than there was last week. After a couple of weeks of steady pricing, we are finally starting to see the pricing tick down as people look for more melon business. Quality continues to remain good, and now that we seem to be most of the way through the gap caused by delayed planting, availability should not be an issue moving forward. 

Like the Cantaloupes, Honeydew production continues out of the “Westside”. Honeydew prices have remained higher this year than last due to a downturn in fields that we planted. After a tough year last year, growers opted to plant less honeydew, which has created strong pricing at the moment. With that said, like cantaloupes, honeydew pricing seems to be going down as people look for more business.

After a strong market to start last week, watermelon pricing did come down a bit as the week progressed. Despite the slight decline in price, prices are still higher than normal for this time of year. Quality has been a bit hit or miss depending on the growing region, as Central California was hit with a heat wave at the end of the week. We do expect the market to start to tick back up as we come into the Labor Day holiday. 

 Tropicals

Tommy Atkin variety mangoes are finishing up. Kent mangoes will increase in volume from Southern Sinaloa. Ataulfo mangoes are becoming available again, after going through a small gap. Kent mangoes are expected to peak on sizes 8, 9, and 10. These mangoes look and taste amazing! We have promotable supplies of Kent mangoes. Call us for ad pricing!

Limes sizes 175 and larger are limited, but 200 size and smaller are available! There have been some weather impacts on lime quality out of Mexico.

Pineapple pricing is still in the double digits. Pineapple quality is fair out of Mexico, but their supplies are limited. Costa Rica is picking up some of the demand for pineapple! They have mostly size 8 available with 5/6/7’s being limited.

Citrus
 

California lemons are starting in district two! Smaller-sized lemons are demanding higher prices.

California Navels have wrapped up for the season.

 California Star Ruby grapefruit is still available, with smaller sizes being more prevalent. Growers will harvest the Marsh Ruby variety grapefruit very shortly. 

 Chilean clementines are being bagged and they are available for promotion!

 Peruvian Minneolas and W.Murcotts have arrived and they are looking (and tasting) great. There is strong demand for both of these items, so you’ll want to give us a call for current availability.

 Chilean navel oranges and lemons are here and ready to ship! Their quality is very nice this year, with larger sizes becoming more available with every arrival. Pricing is coming off and volumes coming on.

Australian navel oranges have started in a light way, but their pricing is high.

Fun Fact: Lemons are believed to be a hybrid between a sour orange and a citron.

Potato & Onion

Hearty and wholesome!
 

Stockton’s potato quality is excellent. Stockton, California is packing white, yellow, and red potatoes. Demand exceeds supply on red, white, and yellow potatoes. Eastern Washington is also packing red and yellow potatoes. Eastern Washington is having trouble keeping up with demand for red and yellow potatoes.
 

Fun Fact: Many people think potatoes are vegetables but, in fact, potatoes are legumes! A legume is a plant that is able to fix nitrogen from the air and put it into the soil, and potatoes do just that.
 

Washington has started packing new-crop russets! Their size profiles are changing lot-by-lot, but their quality is very good. Idaho has finished packing old-crop russets. Idaho should start with new-crop russets in about one week.
 

Fun Fact: Idaho, the present-day largest producer of potatoes, actually did not begin growing potatoes until 1836!
 

California's Central Valley, is currently packing yellow, red, white, and sweet onions. Washington and Idaho have started new-crop onions.
 

Fun Fact: The pungent juice of onions has been used as a moth repellent and can be rubbed on the skin to prevent insect bites!

Latin Products

Flavorful and colorful!

Chile peppers are late this year out of Santa Maria, California. Chiles will not be available until the end of August, due to weather impacts. Even then, we expect to only have a light volume of peppers from California.

Hatch chiles from New Mexico are here! We have four different levels of heat available for these delicious peppers: mild, medium, hot, and extra hot! These peppers will be available through the first week of September. Hatch chiles are short at this time because of the weather. We will be roasting Hatch chiles all over California. Give us a call for specific details. Look for us on these dates: 

Riverside County:

August 24th

August 31st

Los Angeles County:

August 24th

August 31st

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

A sweet treat!

Strawberry volume has decreased over the weekend, and supplies are expected to be tight. We are looking forward to new-crop Portola strawberries that are expected to start in 1-2 weeks! These strawberries will be available day-to-day out of Watsonville and Santa Maria, so we suggest you call us in advance to pre-book your order.

Blackberries are limited until new-crop supplies start out of Mexico next month.

Raspberries are available in light supply! Call us for pricing. 

Blueberries are available out of California, British Columbia, and Oregon.

Fun Fact: Berries are linked to brain health! They can help to reduce inflammation, protect brain cells, and increase the brain’s flexibility in adapting to new experiences.

Specialty Produce
Exotic and Exciting!

White-flesh-red-skin dragon fruit out of Vietnam is readily available for air shipment! We have good supplies of this varietal. Give us a call for information on special pricing. White-flesh-red-skin dragon fruit from Ecuador is in light supply, but is available for air shipment. Yellow dragon fruit is available, but supplies are getting tight. We expect to have yellow dragon fruit available through the end of August.

9ct young coconut pricing is steady, and we have plenty of availability from both Thailand and Vietnam!

Organics
Natural and nutritious!

Organic peaches are finishing up for the season. Red plums are in good supply!
 

Organic grapes, out of California, are going strong! We have both red and green seedless grapes available.

Organic lemons out of Chile and Mexico are available. Fancy grade lemons size 115 and larger are limited. Choice grade lemons, size 140 and smaller, are readily available! California lemons are in light supply.

Organic Valencia oranges are available! We have good supplies on 88/113’s, and we can also bag these citrus favorites into 10/4lb bags upon request.

Organic strawberries are extremely limited this week. Call us for pricing on these berries, as it changes day-to-day. We will need 24-48 hour notice for all orders.

Looking for other organic items? Please give us a call!

Avocados
 

We are a few weeks away from Aventejada starting out of Mexico! Groves are meeting the dry matter minimum and lower elevation growers are eager to start. The industry is still harvesting the summertime Flora Loca, but it is nearing its end just like the California crop and Peruvian arrivals. We should be seeing a fairly large avocado crop this season from Mexico, so supplies should be sufficient. Pricing should have some flexibility in the coming months so promotions should be on the radar!