Market Notes
March 28th, 2024
RAMPS FOR ALL
It is ramp time! Harvest is now in three states, West Virginia, Ohio, and Michigan. If there is no weather surprises, next week we will be able to fill every order. While the Michigan pick is only southern, central, and northern will keep the deal going a while longer. The real good news is that there are plenty of pickers this year so hopefully there will be no ramp left behind! For those playing the timing game, we have been in the 2024 ramp deal for about two weeks. We think the peak will be the end of next week. About three weeks later we will be looking at ramp bulbs as the white lower stems and fronds will be gone. Supply and demand are pretty close to in balance right now we will go from no ramp left behind to a ramp in every pot! Call now, the ramp lines are open.
TRANSITION, TRANSITION…TRANSITION
Who twice a year must shut down all equipment, load them all for shipment, say a daily prayer? And who must make sure the new fields are producing so everyone can keep tier jobs. The growers! The growers (oye growers), the growers! They say it’s shutting down this week, we hope it’s not a mess. If nothing gets produced on time they’ll wait…I guess. Transition! Transition! Transition! It’s time to say goodbye to Yuma, we leave you with a frown. We know it is just seven months and we’ll be back around. Frisee is late, we’ll have to wait two weeks before it’s found. Out lives rotate with this lands fate, we’re tethered to the ground.
POTATO NOTES FROM ALL OVER
It is unlikely that there will be a gap in conventional fingerlings this season as growers are in good supply and sales have been average, at best. While the availability is there, quality will be severely challenged as most of these potatoes are from September 2023 harvest. Culinary begins new crop first week of June with potatoes so bright, you’ll have to wear shades. Great deals to be had now on red fingerlings and fingerling assortment. Organic rounds out of the San Luis Vally are starting to show their age. No sprouting yet, but culls can be over 20% and this won’t get better until next season. Organic russets are holding up well and availability is good but will tighten up by the end of April. May is a transition month in many areas, and at that time we will have a good snapshot of what the summer season will look like.
NEW PRODUCE QUIZ – WHO AM I ???
As an old root, I don’t get no respect. Years of pickling and canning have made me a bit sour. While I can be baked, braised, used in soups, or even grated into salads, I’m still regarded as common. I’m not just a sliced item in a salad bar any more. In fact, my juice is often used in spas as part of a weight reduction program. My greens are now used as components in mesclun, another happening product! Believed to have originated in Northern Africa, my roots were popular with the Romans while the peasants feasted on the leaves the Romans discarded. I have a thin skin and I am very fleshy. My colors include white, orange (gold) and red. You will need some lemon juice to keep your hands clean as I bleed when bruised, cut, or watered. Our infants are eaten raw, while the mature members of our family require cooking. As a pharmafood I am said to stimulate appetite and digest easily. Our roots are an excellent source of potassium, vitamin A and vitamin C. Our leaves are also a good source of potassium as well as folic acid and magnesium. So, after all these years, I’m still the one to…..
The answer to last weeks quiz is…RED OR GOLD Tamarillo….Congrats to all winners
Call 908-789-4700 –Lisa, Matty, or Richard– Fax 908-789-4702
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© Culinary Specialty Produce, Inc., 2023