Market Notes
August 16, 2018

POTATO MARKET UPDATE

We are back to normal and a little more! Our Colorado product is steady and we are bringing in a few loads a week to cover all your fingerling needs. The question who will dare try the Harvest Moon™? Why would you shy away from the best tasting yellow flesh round potato on the market? Because it has purple skin making it great for chips or pommes Anna? Because we provide retail support and samples for test kitchens? Perhaps you don’t want a beautiful new potato skin, a potato leek soup vessel or stuffed as a center of the plate show stopper. Small crop this year means we only have a few loads this year so get yours while they are actually in stock instead of waiting until we run out and the demand increased. All colored fingerling potatoes are available for both forward distribution on the east and FOB loading or LA consolidation in the west. Marbles are exclusive to west coast loading but we now have LTL east coast delivery of these products with delivery time seven days from order. Creamers are available everywhere and pee-wee remain steady with notice. Organic russet potatoes will be running after Labor Day out of our Mosca, Colorado facility and we are looking to expand this program. So the outlook is good except for the storms and floods and fires. Stay tuned, eat more fingerlings!

DEMAND UP FOR BABY GREENS

The fields of central California have barely endured the intense heat the season can bring but for the most part produced reasonably well. This time of year is usually a bit slower as the country replaces kale with candy corn, peas for pizza and health foods for hot dogs. This balances out the 2:00 AM harvests under lights as well as the season (and political) labor issues. But this year is different. The flood and heat damage in the eastern part of the country have seriously increased demand on mesclun, baby lettuces and salad components. While we are not in the commodity end we hear that this will also affect romaine, iceberg, and broccoli in the Salinas valley and points south. Now we add the unusual cold nights and the whole deal becomes even weirder. No problems now but we expect this market to be steadily tightening up. We will stay ahead of this and advise well in advance of any pending shortages and allocations.

NEW PRODUCE QUIZ – – WHAT AM I??

am a part of the ascomycete family, but many think I am a basidiomycete. I am more closely related to jelly fungi and coral fungi than you may think. Confusing as this may seem, I am still the most popular, and some say the “aristocrat” of the bunch. Be extremely careful not to confuse me with look-a-likes because some are poisonous, and some falsely take on my image. I grow in the wild, but can be found in most specialty food stores. I am both an import from Europe and domestically grown in the United States. Like many of my “so-thought” relatives, I only grow in unique climatic conditions, but those conditions can occur anytime between April and August. I can be found peeking from just melted snow. Climate and environment can determine whether I am black, blonde, or white. Traditionally I could only be found in the wild, but recently you humans have managed to cultivate me in factories; you have replicated my shape and size but you’ll never duplicate my unique nutty, earthy flavor. My stems can be quite tough, and I taste best when I have a short stem. I am hollow inside, and have a honeycomb design on my, in most cases, club-shaped top. My culinary uses are diverse; from the common stuffer to the most exquisite of cuisine, I am certain to tantalize your tongue. If you’re a die-hard nutritionist, then don’t bother eating me; I have very little nutritional content. Maybe there’s a trace of vitamin C, and a little bit of iron, a smidgen of calcium and tad of fiber. I am about flavor and the Rites of Spring.

 

Answer To Last Week’s Quiz:…CROSNES…Congrats To All Winners

Call 908-789-4700 –Lisa or Richard– Fax 908-789-4702
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Culinary Specialty Produce, Inc., 2015