Market Notes
April 10th, 2025
SPRING THINGS
Okay, it is officially ramp on season. Volume is up, we are shipping out daily, and there is now enough volume and demand to justify airport runs. This involves shipping two master boxes each containing five, five-pound bags of ramps. Based on the fifty-pound shipment you can save about three bucks a pound over fed-ex delivery. Volume of foraged ramps should be steady for the next four weeks and at some point many consumer publications will write about ramps and they will be the rage for a week or two. When you need them, we’ve got ‘em. Spring was not made by ramps alone, and as such many of the seasonal suspects also join the season of green. Domestic morel mushrooms are now available for shipping. Sad to say, we were wrong about the pricing. Domestic foragers are suing the tariff strategy so they will be the same or higher than the Himalayan imports. This market is as high as it has ever been but it will permanently drop in a year or two. Year round availability has been proven. Production will increase and price will drop. For now it’s a roller coaster and we are at the peak. Spring onions, Nettles and Miners lettuce, round out the Spring forage. All in stock and ready to ship. Whoops, almost forgot about the black summer truffles, got them too!
TARIFFICULTIES
Is this like going toward the light and then suddenly yanked back? Is this a favor for inside traders? Or, is it just remarkably stupid. It’s hard to kiss the feet of someone on a trampoline. Anyway, we learned this week about some of the items we broker that will have and increased price due to tariffs. Our edible orchids, that we ship in from Hawaii are actually grown in Asian Pacific countries and we were hit wit a thirty-seven percent tariff. The, the red and white endive we import from Belgium had the same percentage increase. Just as we were settling on these new prices we learn that the tariffs were put on hold for ninety days so pricing remains the same. Like coming back from the dead, we got a glimpse of what it will look like on the other side, and it isn’t pretty.
NEW PRODUCE QUIZ – WHO AM I ???
I first rose to fame along the coasts of Europe, especially in Britain and France, where salty sea breezes kissed my leaves long before I hit dinner plates. I’ve been cultivated since the 18th century, especially by those clever Victorians who loved a good garden oddity. To grow me, gardeners blanch my shoots by covering them with pots to keep me pale and tender. I’m not seaweed, even if my name sounds fishy! Picture this: thick, ivory-colored stalks rising from cabbage-like crowns, topped with crinkly green leaves. My flavor? Delicate, nutty, and slightly briny—like asparagus met celery on a beach vacation. In the kitchen, I’m a springtime treat—steamed, sautéed in butter, or bathed in hollandaise sauce like royalty. Once upon a time, smugglers supposedly used my broad leaves to hide contraband along the English coast. I’m still a bit rare, but adventurous chefs seek me out like buried treasure. Serve me up with poached fish or toss me in a spring salad for a touch of culinary nostalgia. Nutritionally, I’m no slouch—I’m full of fiber, folate, and vitamin C. So, who am I, the coastal veggie with Victorian flair?
The answer to last week’s quiz is…ACAI… – Congrats to all winners
Visit us at www.culinaryproduce.com Phone 908-789-4700 – Fax 908-789-4702 – e-mail passings@culinaryproduce.com
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