Market Notes
April 27th, 2023
POTATO TRANSITION
This one is going to be a very close call. Our fingerling grower in Oregon is down to their last loads. This means several things. First, maintaining the same quality at the end of a deal as you do in the beginning, and this team, amazingly, has done just that. Second thing is the increased amount of labor it takes to pack this quality at the end of the deal. So, when going from 12% sort to 35% sort, expect some price increases over the next few weeks. Our central California grower is now telling us that they will start between the middle and the end of May. That is good to know in, say, January, but when you are this close to winding up in the north, those two weeks are essential. By our next reporting we will have this a lot more dialed in. If there is a gap, it would not be more than a week. This is not the time to go on ad with fingerlings, that can start in June. This has been a great season, with top quality throughout, and we are proud to represent these growers, packers, shippers, and of course, customers.
FINGER LIME TIME ?
There have been multiple inquiries in the past few weeks requesting finger limes. Although this novelty fruit is primarily a winter crop, the trees have often been known to have a spring and even a summer flush. It is brief and almost a tease. More so this year because the expected spring is late. Wea re told the fruit is of good size but not yet colored up enough to fight the long sturdy stickers to harvest. We do expect availability in the next two weeks. Remember, this is a quick shot, so don’t hesitate. Finger limes ship out Fex-Ex overnight with 48 notice required. If you are not on our list and want to be, please reach out to Lisa in our main office at the numbers below.
OLD BAG LOOKING FOR A MARKET
We were one of the first, if not the first to offer fingerlings in a retail bag, and a mix of colors at that. Thirty years ago, that was considered outrageous. Produce inspectors dumping French fingerling because the had red streaks inside. Setting up a new item number? Oh no, not that. But the Culinary Harvest™ paper bag caught on and was very popular for about three years when private label took over and we began to supply the packers. We have come across a stash of these retro sewn top bags and more importantly, found a grower who is willing to pack and sew with top quality product. This would be a 9/2# case with 80 cases on a pallet. We are looking for a retailer who might want to run an ad with the available 20 pallets. That number is based on available packaging, not product. If interested in a fall or holiday promotion using an original, please reach out.
NEW PRODUCE QUIZ – WHO AM I ???
While a rose by any other name, would smell the same, my color is the only thing the queen of our family and I share. Perhaps not. Like her thorn, I can be sour yet like her scented petals I can be sweet. We sweeties prevail, with about 900 varieties as compared to the 300 sour types. First described by Theophrastus in 300 BC, I was blossoming in all the hot spots along the Mediterranean well before that. How well I remember those early days when the beauty of my spring blossoms would awe the town’s folk into a wide-eyed drooling silence. Now they’ve just come to expect it every year with picnics, my pies, and festivities. That’s just the first act, after the blossom comes the fruit. Like Jacob’s coat I am the fruit of many colors. While predominantly dark red, I vary in shade from pale to black but also look great in yellow or white. Technically I am a stone fruit and I‘ve often thought we got that name from the effect we have on birds. When our feathered friends get their beaks on our fermented seniors, the result was drunken birds falling to the ground. That definitely rattled our pits. Anyway, you use our different varieties for different reasons. From meat sauces to pies, from drink garnishes to liqueurs, even candied in your fruitcake. I am a good source of potassium, vitamin A, as well as providing fiber. Just try eating me out of hand and see if you can stop. Bet ya can’t eat just 100.
The answer to last weeks quiz was….ENDIVE… 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., 2020