Blueberries: Delano product quality is good but picking costs are becoming an issue. Stockton is close to hitting its peak. Expect very good quality since growing weather and picking conditions have been stellar. Oregon will be off to a modest start end of the week but will begin to show a good weekly availability with Duke and Reka in the lead. Washington has excellent growing weather; Sumas looks like it will have a very good crop. Still predicting to start picking June 20 for most growers in BC, Canada. In Georgia, high volumes of fresh Rabbit eye blues continue. All early and mid-season varieties are being harvested at this time. Rains have caused some deterioration of quality due to splits. Rain remains a constant threat through the week. Georgia is at peak volumes. North Carolina quality is good and growers are staying fairly current on the harvest. In New Jersey, first pick Duke should start 6/16. Earliblue and Bluetta harvest in Michigan, and Duke in Indiana will start with lower volumes. Winter temperature injury and cane diseases affecting many acres.
Blackberries: Mexico is done for the season. California continues to come on and is slowly gaining speed each week. West coast looks to be snug for the next few weeks. Georgia volumes have gained full speed. Quality in Georgia is really good; both color and flavor are excellent.
Raspberries: Same as raspberries for the most part.Mexico production has finally come to an end, and California will slowly increase week by week and then remain steady. Quality and flavor is great overall. Watsonville will remain snug for the remainder of this week and Santa Maria/Oxnard is sold out.
Strawberries: California continues to peak this week in Watsonville/Salinas for fresh production. Even with the warmer weather, strawberries still look to be tight all week. Varieties in the North remain the same; mostly producing Monterey, with some Albion and San Andreas.
Citrus: Grapefruit: Sizes are peaking on 36/32/40 with promotional availability on all sizes. Lemons: Paramount has started picking Mexican lemons; expect to be available 2nd week in July, weather permitting. Currently, lemons are very tight in supply. Limes (Persian): Prices are down again this week. Navel Oranges: Navel oranges are near the end. Valencia Oranges: Good supplies with little demand. Dealing most sizes/grades. Texas/Florida Citrus: Mexican Valencia in Texas (mostly small). Storage Valencia’s are in Florida. Specialty Citrus Items: Beginning to arrive on East Coast.
Green and Red Leaf: Supplies will be normal this week on green and red leaf. The green and red leaf are 22-24 lbs. per case with 10-11″ long heads. Product is clean overall. Heavy insect pressure in all leaf lettuce.
Iceberg Lettuce: Supplies are steady and varies from grower to grower. Quality is good with medium weights. Prices should be steady this week.
Romaine: Similar to last week, Romaine will be very light this week. Cartons are expected to be 38-39 lbs. with each head at 11-12″ long. There is still some light fringe burn on some heads, but most are clean this week.
Romaine Hearts: Overall supplies will be tight this week. The lighter supplies are due to a both weather and yields. Due to the cooler temperatures the product has slowed down in its growth, causing a lack in supplies for the next couple of weeks. The overall yields in the fields are less due to fringe burn issues that are in the fields. Despite the fringe burn, we are trimming the product the best we can so that we can minimize what gets into the final pack. There is a ¾ cupping of the heart. The heart still has a good ratio of bleach to green. Overall quality is good.
Green and Red Bell Peppers: The transition in the West for green bell peppers from Coachella to Bakersfield is complete, production is now ramping up, and prices are continuing to ease. Volume is steady out of Southern Georgia as well with North Carolina to come online soon. Red bell pepper supplies are winding down in the California desert. Volume is increasing in Bakersfield and Oxnard. Pricing is stable across western growing regions.
Cucumbers: Production has slowed in the West, held back by cool weather in Baja California. The season is winding down in Georgia and moving next to the Carolinas; availability is steady in the East.
English Cucumber: Hothouse production from growers in British Columbia and Ontario are now primary sources; also California with good availability.
Green Beans: Good availability in Georgia and North Carolina. Adequate supplies in California and from Baja California.
Zucchini & Yellow Squash: Plentiful supplies of zucchini in Georgia and North Carolina; good availability in California and from Baja California. Yellow squash is available, but not as plentiful in the East and West.
Acorn, Butternut, Spaghetti: Good availability for acorn and butternut from California.
Grapes: New crop on green grapes has begun, and quality is good. Red grapes are experiencing quality and size issues. They are still coming from Chile Mexico/Coachella. Flames and Perlette’s have started.
Mangos: Quality is very good now, and all coming out of Mexico and loading in Hidalgo, TX. Sizes will be trending more on the larger size with smaller fruit, 10ct and up, a little shorter. Guatemala is done, so there is no longer any product in Miami.
Melons: The cantaloupe market has quickly moved to a “demands exceeds “situation. Rain affected the region last Friday which prevented pack outs for that day. We have been getting rain from Hurricane Blanca which has not helped. Fruit is projected to be 9’s and larger. Honeydew sizing in Arizona continues to be 6’s and 8’s with 5’s being very limited. California starts in about 3 weeks.
Watermelons: Supplies are tightening up in Florida as they are winding down. However, Georgia and South Carolina are scheduled to start next week. Nogales is flooded with fruit, and Texas melons are readily available. The overall market will continue to show weakness and starting to load next week. Seeded melons extremely tight.
Spinach (baby): There are very good supplies of baby spinach and clipped spinach. Quality is good with some wind damage, half leaves and occasional oversizing.
Spinach (bunched): We are expecting steady supplies for the next 2-3 weeks. Bunches are full and dark green in color. The overall market continues to see downward pressure.
Spring Mix: Spring mix supplies are very good. Produce quality is good although showing slight quality issues of yellowing and oversizing.
Tomatoes: Round, Roma, Plum, and Grape: The market has tightened on Roma’s and rounds. Florida for the most part is finished, and production will begin to ramp up out of South Carolina. Grape tomatoes are readily available out of the west (Baja). Quality is excellent.
Stone Fruit: The sizes of the Yellow Peaches and Yellow Nectarines are peaking on larger sizes as well. The early Plum deal was riddled with poor production caused by a poor set and wild weather fluctuations. The fluctuations caused a lot of the Plums to have split pits. In the last few days several new varieties of Red and Black Plums have started and the price has also dropped significantly. White Peaches and White Nectarines are the best quality and sweetness of the season. When you bite into one all you taste is the pure sugar of the fruit.