Market Notes
March 10, 2016

 

A FAMILY MEMBER MOVES ON

This week we say good-bye to one of our own. Our sales manager, Mr. Mark Pittenger, has decided to move on. Mr. Pittenger has been employed within the produce industry for the better part of two decades and has been with Culinary Specialty Produce for the better part of one. He is now going to take some time to explore other possibilities. During Mr. Pittengers tenure with Culinary he was a great asset. From developing new customers and growers to developing marketing programs and food show strategies, Mark was involved with and provided valuable input throughout all aspects of our company, and he will be missed. We wish him the best in his future endeavors and we believe it is likely our paths will cross again. We believe we have personally been in touch with all of Marks customers, growers, and logistic teams. Should we have left anyone out, please feel free to contact us at the numbers below. We will continue to provide the outstanding service he maintained.

A GROWING REGION MOVES NORTH

Transition is coming so we thought we would give you some updates. First the moving dates. We expect the majority of the transitioning companies to make their move the weekend of April 1st through the 3rd. We expect hell day to be Monday 4-4-2016. Orders will need to be in early the week prior and we will encourage all who can to switch tier loading day to Tuesday 4-5-2016. The southern fields are getting hot. The El Nino is gone and the hot days in the 90’s do not yield to the cool nights necessary for good greens. Northern fields are right on schedule. Here the El Nino has returned with rains above average and there is concern with flooding fields in the next few weeks. There are some growing areas to the east of the Salinas Valley where organic product is already being harvested to cover some loading in Yuma and will support the northern transition as needed. We will be following this for the next three weeks to keep you up to date on conditions. As it stands, Thursday, March 31, will most likely be last day for loading in Yuma. Stay tuned.

HOLIDAY NOTES

Shamrock is a green clover looking edible and we have the Lucky Shamrock available in 100 count containers. This is a Fed-Ex deal and can ship with a multitude of Micro- Greens and Edible Flowers. We can also pre-green your potatoes by exposing their yellow skin to bright fluorescent light and grow the poison. You are responsible for the green corned beef. We have to draw the line somewhere. Unusually the asparagus market does not seem to be poised to soar for the holiday. Supply and demand appear to be balanced but three days of rain and wind could change that very quickly. The entire baby vegetable category including, squash, beans and tomatoes are all strong on both coasts with reasonable pricing. How often does that happen? Artichokes are abundant and all sizes are easy to find. Radishes and carrots are abundant and their tops are looking strong. It almost seems like we are in fantasy land. Get it while you can, you know its going to change.

NEW PRODUCE QUIZ – – WHO AM I???

Grown in hot regions all over the world, I am the most popular of all tropical fruits. Carib Indians hung me either whole or a crown of my leaves above the entrance to their huts as a sign of welcome and a promise of food and drink. I am native to the lowlands of Brazil, and spread throughout the world easily propagated by cuttings. I have dwarf siblings whose core is completely edible and I have monster parents who weigh over eleven pounds each. My babies are robbed from the cradle in both Hawaii and South Africa. If you want me to be sweet, you better pick me ripe because I have no reserve of starch to convert to sugar. I can be used fresh, sautéed, broiled, grilled, frozen, chunked, rung, or juiced. I am famous as a cake but you would have to stand on your head to see me. I have also been used as a sore throat remedy and a meat tenderizer. You won’t have any fun getting lost in the rain without me.

Answer To Last Week’s Quiz…TURNIP…Congrats To All Winners
Call 908-789-4700 –Lisa or Richard– Fax 908-789-4702
Visit us at www.culinaryproduce.com
“like” us @ Culinary Specialty Produce on Facebook©
Culinary Specialty Produce, Inc., 2015