May 13, 2013

Navels are having some issues and are in VERY light supplies. The fruit peaking 72/56's, with numbers on smaller sizes113/138 tight as shippers wind down on regular fruit. Late varieties are available going mostly export and predominately 72 and larger.  Demand exceeds supplies on small fruit so get your wish lists in early!  Fruit is eating really well.  
 
Now that desert is all wrapped up along with cooler coast temps, cauliflower markets continue to stay relatively high priced. Expect the trend to continue thru next week as the bigger growers continue to report light supplies.  
 
Strawberry demand is very good as we are now done with the Mothers Day pulls. Product is a little snug but is generally that way around this period.  As get started this week we will see demand ease and market settle back some.  Quality remains generally pretty nice, occasional white shoulders and some green tips, fruit size is med/med lge. Rasp, blues and blacks remain limited as CA production has not kicked in fully.  

	
	
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From Field to Kitchen  

There continues to be a few issues with lettuce and mechanical damage, heavy weights, and pink ribbing, been seen upon arrivals

WEATHER  
A fairly typical spring weather pattern will take shape in California as a weak ridge of high pressure builds into next week. The result will be a gradual warming through the weekend. Temperatures will reach the 80s to low 90s inland with low 70s expected near the coast with typical marine layer each morning.
 
TRANSPORTATION & FUEL
Trucks in California continue to remain tighter than normal as we see less and less trucks running into California. Trucks in the Northwest are steady. Crude oil remained steady and is 96.15 per barrel. The national average on diesel fuel remained steady and is currently 3.845 per gallon. California price remained steady as well and is now 4.001 per gallon.
 	
 This Week in Fruit
 
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Tangerines                 

  
Apples/Pears by John Tole  New York is finished packing for the season. Washington Reds are steady to slightly higher and continue to peak on extra-fancy 88/100's. The smaller sizes and lower grades remain short especially now that the varietal supplies are low. Golden Delicious is steady to higher as well and is also peaking on extra-fancy 88/100's. Lower grade Golden's are also short. Granny-Smiths are also steady to higher and continue to peak on extra-fancy grade 64-80's. Small granny-smiths are still extremely limited in all grades. Galas are still heavy to the 80-100 sizes but supplies are very limited. Washington Fuji's continued to peak on 64-80's and are producing more of the Washington extra-fancy grade. The market for small Fuji's is higher. Pink-Lady's, Braeburns, Rome's and the other varietals are almost finished for the season. Washington D'Anjou's are still peaking on the larger sizes and the US#1 grade but the availability is light esp. on the 110's and smaller. There are a few Red pears left but supplies are very limited. Strawberries:  
We are in a demand exceed situation with strawberries due to heavy demand for Mother Day. Demand will start to lighten up slightly going into the weekend then pick right back up for Memorial Day. Market is very active. Quality is being reported as good out of Santa Maria and Salinas/Watsonville growing areas. The weather is to warm up slightly by the weekend. Sizing out of Santa Maria and the Salinas/Watsonville is running large to medium.
Raspberries:
Supplies have started to improve with a slightly weaker market. Quality is being reported as good.
Blackberries: 
We are in a demand exceeds supply situation as supplies are winding down quickly in Mexico and California is still a few weeks away before they start to harvest. Quality is being reported as fair to good depending on the lot.
Blueberries: 
Florida growers are starting to finish up for the season. They also have been getting hit with rain which has slow production. This has caused the market to firm up. Quality out of this area is fair. Georgia growers are going but have been slowed down by the rain. Once the weather clears, there are good supplies coming. Quality is being reported as good. California growers have started with building supplies. Market is starting to steady. Quality is being reported as good.
Limes:
Supplies are better on smaller sizes, but the larger ones are still very short. Still some quality issues showing. Demand is good.
Oranges: 
The Navel crop is starting to run short on small size, 113's/138's fruit. Fruit is currently peaking heavy to the Fancy grade and on 88's/72's, with 56's and larger are very tight with heave export demand. Shippers are starting Valencia in a light way.
Lemons: 
The Ventura and the Central Valley are now the lemon producing areas. Volume is good on the small sizes of 165's and 200's, while the larger sizes are less abundant. We are seeing good demand. Quality is good.
Grapes: by Amy Grolnick 
Good availability and quality on Crimson grapes continues this week. The offshore green grapes are very limited on fair quality fruit and the market is very strong. There is a limited amount of Mexican green Perlettes now crossing into Nogales, the market is very strong. Offshore grapes will finish up mid to the end of the month on red. Domestic red flames have started in a very light way in Coachella with small fruit, limited volume and a very high market. The black grape market has all but finished for the offshore fruit. Globes are available with good quality. Both crops look to have good volume and quality.
Cantaloupe: by Amy Grolnick
The market is steady this week. There is still a good supply of offshore fruit on the east coast with limited availability out west as vessels are late and getting held up by inspections. We should continue to see offshore fruit available through next week. There are Mexican cantaloupe available loading in Nogales with good availability. Brawley has started up in a very light way with the first of the domestic fruit.
Honeydew: by Amy Grolnick
Offshore dews are cleaning up with most shippers but we should still have some availability with a limited number of shippers through next week. Mexican dews are still available in Nogales mostly peaking to small fruit. Domestic fruit should be available by the end of May.
Watermelon: by Mike Cantu
Market continues unsettled but availability is improving. Larger fruit are light supplies due to cool evenings. Demand exceeds on s/less watermelon. Supplies however continue light. Availability on seeded watermelon is sporadic.
Stone Fruit: by Amy Grolnick 
The California stone fruit season is started and still somewhat limited on nectarines and peaches. Apricot volume is increasing but still mostly small fruit. Quality is excellent and sugars are ok. Brix will continue to increase over the coming weeks as will volume. Fruit is still running small mostly 60's and 70's. June will have good promotable volume. Cherries are going with limited availability as well.
	
This Week in Vegetables
 
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Sweet Corn

Asparagus: This market is active. Domestic supplies are moderate at best and Mexican supplies are light. Better pricing with Peruvian product exist, loading out of Florida if this is an option. Twenty-eight pound cases are extremely tight with all suppliers. Mexico supplies continue to have issues with quality. Avocados:
Mexico is holding steady on harvest and supplies coming into the US. California growers are harvesting good volumes on 48's and smaller fruit.
Bell Peppers:
Green bell market is very unsettled; market is settling. Supplies are mostly on choice and smaller fruit. New spring crops are currently shipping. Southern California has started with mostly large fruit available. Open field colored Red bell market is strong and on an upward trend. We're at extreme demand exceeds as fields are sizing down and approaching lighter supplies the next couple weeks. We expect Southern California to start mid May. Gold bells market continues unsettled as production is sporadic. Demand exceeds.  
Broccoli:                             
This market is steady, like the previous week. Demand was expected to pick up due to the Mother's day pull, but this just did not happen. Supplies are only moderate on bunched product. There is a good on crowns however. . Some suppliers are expecting this market to turn around by the end of the week. The overall quality is reported as being good.
Carrots:
California carrot supplies are lighter with yields lower and sizing is small. Demand remains good and market is firm.
Cauliflower:
This market is steady. Stronger supplies continue to be available, twelve counts in particular. Salinas and Santa Maria continue to be the main growing areas for this commodity. There have been some reports of brown spotting being reported upon arrival. Good production numbers are expected throughout the week.
Celery: 
This market is firm. Seeder continues to be a major issue with this commodity. All suppliers are dealing with this. Although supplies are mostly coming out of Oxnard, Santa Maria is coming in with some production. Salinas has not yet begun harvesting. All sizing is up in price. This market will likely be active throughout the week.
Cucumber: 
Market is settling down as weather and production have improved. Market is not freefalling but gradually coming off.
Onions: by John Tole 
California is mostly steady on jumbo yellows and is lower on Colossal & Supers. Mediums are limited in California. Texas is also lower on yellows but supplies are spread between the valley and the Winter garden area. Washington still has some jumbo yellows but is finished with reds. California is steady on reds while Texas is down slightly. Jumbos are the bulk of the red supplies in both states while mediums are limited. Whites are steady in both California and Texas. The onion quality has been good in all areas and on all colors.
Green Onions:
This market is steady. Supplies are good as demand has fallen off. There are a few issues of yellowing, slime and decay being reported upon arrivals. The complaints are sporadic. Good production numbers are expected throughout the week.
Potatoes: 
Idaho cartons are steady to slightly higher on all sizes. Most shippers are peaking on 80-count and smaller. Demand has been steady. There are volume deals on small #2's and consumer bags. Idaho Norkotahs are extremely limited. Washington is steady to slightly higher on all sizes and they continue to peak on the larger counts. Colorado is steady on all sizes and they also continue to peak on 60's and larger. They have taken some of the demand for big counts from Idaho. The russet quality has been good to good to excellent in all areas. Bakersfield, California continues to pack new-crop desert red, gold, and white potatoes. California reds are larger while the gold's and whites are smaller. Florida continues to pack all colors but the availability is light as the end of the season is approaching. The markets for all three colors are steady. Idaho is almost finished. The new crop quality has been good in Florida & California.
Leaf Lettuce: 
Romaine and romaine hearts will be in good supplies throughout the week with most shippers. Salinas is the main area of production with most suppliers. Santa Maria also has production on all leaf items. Good supplies do exist on red and green leaf as well. Pricing is steady. Expect pricing to be competitive throughout the week.
Lettuce: 
This market is steady. Most suppliers are willing to deal on load volume orders. The weather conditions aside from a few high winds this past weekend has been ideal. Lettuce production is strong. There continues to be a few issues on mechanical damage, heavy weights, and pink ribbing, been seen upon arrivals. The quality has been sporadic amongst the different suppliers in the Salinas valley.
Squash: 
Market continues unsettled on both Italian and Yellow S/N. Lighter supplies of yellow s/n as some older fields have played out. Italian squash showing an upward tick as some older fields play out also.
Eggplant:  
Market is on an upward tick. Demand exceeds current supplies.
Tomatoes: 
Mexico's supply remains limited and larger sizes remain scarce. Prices are near premium for quality fruit due to late season pickings in Nogales and grape and cherry tomatoes are experiencing strong demand. Prices will firm up even more in the coming weeks until quality improves and supplies increase.
	
Coachella Valley grapes could be late but yield high quality  
 
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By: Tom Burfield  

Estimated start dates for the spring table grape crop out of California's Coachella Valley range from as early as May 10 to as late as May 20, depending on which growers you talk to.  One thing they all agree on, though, is that consumers should be pleased with the quality of this year's grapes.  "It looks like a very good crop," said Dave Clyde, president of Stevco Inc., Los Angeles.   "It looks like we've got a good set, so we should be able to pick and choose and be very quality conscious this year."  Crop size  Last year, Coachella Valley growers shipped about 5.6 million boxes of table grapes, said Rick Paul, table grape category director for Sun World International, Bakersfield, Calif. His forecast for this year is 5.8 million boxes to 6.2 million.  While some acreage has been taken out of production, new acreage has been added, he said, keeping overall acreage fairly stable and volume at a manageable level.  Growers said it was too early to predict prices.  Drake Larson, owner of Drake Larson Sales, Thermal, Calif., was reluctant to predict a start date for his red, white and black table grapes.  "This has been a very unusual spring," he said.  February was one of the coldest he could recall in decades, March was quite warm and April was "more on the normal side."  Some delays  Picking usually starts the first week of May, but Larson was not sure many early grapes will materialize this year. He said May 15 may be more practical.  This year was a challenging one because everything is later, said Bob Bianco, co-owner of Bakersfield, Calif.-based Anthony Vineyards.  The company's Coachella Valley program should start a week later than last year's, but that could be a good for the quality of the fruit.  "The quality should be absolutely outstanding this year because we've had such a slow growing season," he said.  Richard Bagdasarian Inc., Mecca, Calif., should start on schedule either in the second week of May, said president Nick Bozick.  The green seedless perlettes will come off first followed by the red seedless flames.  "Sizing looks like it's doing very well right now," he said in mid-April.  The company will have grapes until mid-July, and Bozick expects good volume for the Memorial Day and Fourth of July holidays.  Peter Rabbit Farms in Coachella should start its table grape program by May 13, said John Burton, general manager of sales and cooler.  "The early flames this year are looking better than last year," he said in mid-April. "Right now, we're waiting for the product to grow and color up."  Preparing for start  Workers were thinning the grapes, making sure there would not be too many berries on a bunch or too many bunches on a vine.  "It's one of the most hands-on commodities there is," Burton said.  Stevco should kick off its season around May 20, which Clyde said is a normal starting time for the company.  Stevco grows sugraones, flames, thompsons, summer royals and scarlet royals in the Coachella Valley.  Shipments should continue into mid-July.  Sun World will kick off its sugraone Superior Seedless grape program in the Coachella Valley around May 12, with heaviest volume starting the last week of May and continuing through June, Paul said.  Flames will run from mid-May through mid-June, and Sun World's Midnight Beauty black seedless grapes should start around May 24, with heaviest volume in June.  High winds took out some grapes, which is to be expected, he said, but the company still expects to have adequate supplies.  

WHAT AMI I ?	

Related to the breadfruit and the fig, I am the largest tree fruit in the world. I am native to India and Malaysia. Portuguese explorers formed my name. I can weigh as much as eighty or ninety pounds, but I am usually sold as four or five pound fruits. My greenish-yellow skin is completely covered with pointed warts and I turn yellowish-brown when ripe. With an intense fragrance, my ripe yellow or pink flesh is juicy with flavors of melon, mango, and papaya. My large seeds, in fleshy sacs called "bulbs", are often roasted and the chestnut flavor they impart is enjoyed by many a native. My seeds can also be boiled and ground into flour. My seeds are rich in calcium and my flesh contains carotene. My flesh can be made into preserves, dried, used in fruit salads, candies, curries, or meat dishes. When unripe yet mature, I can be cooked as a vegetable, but watch out for the white, milky latex-like liquid I ooze in this stage, as it will make your hands stick together.
   
(Answer on last page) 
  	
Produce of the week   

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Rainbow Swiss Chard                                       

Seasons/Availability Rainbow Swiss chard is available year round.
 
Current Facts Rainbow Swiss chard, also known a 5-color Silverbeet and Bright Lights, botanical name Beta vulgaris subsp. cicla var. Flavescens, is a heritage leafy green often referred to as leaf beet. Chard is distinguished from beets by its lack of enlarged fleshy underground beet. A shared characteristic of both beets and Rainbow Swiss chard is a visible one. They both contain the compound, betalain. Betalains are nitrogen-containing water-soluble compounds that are found only in a limited number of plant lineages. To the naked eye they are simply pigments of red and yellow hues. But in nature, these betalains act as a source of survival, protecting the plant from UV rays while also attracting insects and bees for pollination.
 
Description/Taste Rainbow Swiss chard is distinguished by its bouquet of wrinkled, slightly savoyed rich green and bronze leaves and bright colored stems. The leaves grow upright and tall from a dense rosette of ribbed stems in a myriad of colors including gold, pink, orange, purple, red, and white with bright and pastel variations. Rainbow Swiss chard is not unique from other chards in its subtle earthy flavors along with slight notes of tang, due to its betalain pigment content. The leaves are succulent and tender when young, the stems, fibrous and sometimes bitter and inedible.
 
Nutritional Value Chard is known to be a nutritional powerhouse vegetable packed with vitamins, nutrients and health benefits. Rainbow Swiss chard contains high levels of vitamins C, K, E, beta-carotene and the minerals manganese and zinc. As noted, it also contains betalain. Betalin pigments have repeatedly been shown to support activity within the body's detoxification process, activating and processing unwanted toxic substances. Betalians are not heat-stable, though, so longer cooking times can decrease their presence.
 
Applications In the culinary world, Rainbow Swiss chard is used as a salad green and a leaf vegetable, making it a versatile ingredient in the kitchen. It can be used both raw and cooked; cooking will give the leaves a milder flavor. Chard, in general, is used as a substitute for spinach and in tandem with other hardy greens such as kale, leaf mustards and collards. Complimentary ingredients include citrus, garlic, tomatoes, peppers, olive oil, grains such as rice and barley, artichokes, beets, roasted meats and chicken, bacon, cream, cheeses such as pecorino and parmesan and herbs such as basil and arugula.
 
Geography/History As its genus, Beta vulgaris, suggests, chard is, in fact, a beet that has been chosen for leaf production at the expense of root formation. All chard varieties are descendents of the sea beet (B. maritima), a wild seashore plant found growing along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts of Europe and North Africa. Documentation of Rainbow Swiss chard cultivation dates back to 1636 within the book "The Herball or General History of Plantes", however commercial exposure to Rainbow Swiss chard wasn't until the 19th Century. It was in that era in 1888 that Rainbow Swiss chard first appeared within the Vilmorin Seed Catalog. It is grown both ornamentally and as a food crop. Rainbow Swiss chard plants thrive in cool summer temperatures, but are tolerant of heat and humidity, thus they are adaptable and easy to grow. If you grow chard as a food crop, you will need to protect it from rabbits, deer and birds.

  	
Produce Quiz "What am I" Answer    
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JACKFRUIT                                        

   	

	

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Menu Planning for May
 
Remember that the items in BOLD will prove to usually be better values as they are in their peak harvest or storage period.
 Planning for May:	
 
Apricots - new crop*	Celery	Kiwano (Horned Melon)	Pepino Melon	
Artichokes	Celery Root	Kiwifruit	Peppers - Bell	
Asparagus	Chayote Squash	Kohl Rabi (Green & Purple)	Pineapple	
Avocados	Cherimoya	Lettuce	Potatoes - Purple	
Baby Artichokes	Cherries*	Lettuce-Baby (all)	Potatoes - Red	
Baby Carrots w/ Tops	Citrus - Grapefruit	Lettuce-Spring Mix	Potatoes - White	
Baby Mixed Root Vegetables	Citrus - Kumquats	Lychee	Potatoes - Yukon Gold	
Baby Pineapple	Corn	Mangoes	Radicchio	
Bananas	Cucumbers	Meyer Lemon	Radish	
Beets	Dragon fruit	Mushrooms - Morels	Rhubarb	
Belgian Endive	English Peas	Napa Cabbage	Shallots	
Berries - Blackberries	Fava Beans	Nectarines - new crop	Spinach	
Berries - Blueberries	Feijoa	Nettle, Stinging	Spinach - Bloomsdale	
Berries - Raspberries	Fennel	Okra	Spinach - Baby	
Blood Oranges	Fiddlehead Fern - eastern	Onions - Spring Sweet	Spring Onions	
Broccoli	Garlic Scapes	Onions - Vidalia	Star Fruit	
Broccoli Rabe	Grapes - Perlette	Oranges	Strawberries	
Broccolini	Green Beans	Papaya	Tamarillo	
Cabbage	Greens - all types	Peaches - new crop	Watermelons	
Cactus Leaves	Herbs	Pears - Packham		
Cactus Pear	Honeydew	Pears - Taylor Gold		
Cantaloupe	Horseradish	Peas