Market Notes
March 15, 2018
HOLIDAY OUTLOOK
Late season rains are going to make the strawberry market go crazy. Even the new demand for green strawberries is out for two weeks. Root vegetables that ship with tops are looking rough. Shippers are FOB final on condition of tops on carrots, beets, radishes, kohlrabi. Great for the kitchen but won’t look good in retail. Peeled carrots, a holiday favorite, are abundant and affordable in both traditional orange and rainbow colors as well. Green cauliflower is in good supply but purple and orange cauliflower colors are tight, making the mixes a bit scarcer. Pixie Tangerines are just in and they are awesome. Basil, chervil and tarragon are all tightening markets as winds and rains continue to damage crops. Rough weather has also tightened up the teardrop tomato market. Potatoes are in good shape. Fingerling potatoes are showing a Strong supply on Russian Banana and mixes. Pee-Wee are sold out but marble and creamers are easily available. Our shipping points in Pennsylvania, Colorado, and California are stocked and ready. Baby greens, heads and mixes are doing well, but two can change that, and another two days can change it right back. No more new plantings in Yuma. New fields in the Salinas Valley will be harvested by the first week of April and shipping will be transferred there as well. Trucks are already tightening up and packing houses are maxing out quickly. Stay ahead, order early!
SPRING THINGS
We almost have a full complement of foraged spring goodies save domestic Morels and Eastern Fiddleheads. So if you want to have a Euell Gibbons week, this is what we can offer. Fresh bay leaves (intense), Black Truffles (The last of the winter crop. Three more weeks and they are gone.) Domestic white and black truffles, nettles, claytonia, fennel fronds, spring onions, spring garlic, amps (small quantities), fiddlehead ferns and licorice root. Most of these items are sold by the pound and require local airport pick up for the best price. Overnight delivery is available and price is dependent upon amount of product, level of service and carrier. Many of the above mentioned items are a flash in the pan having seasons consisting six to eight weeks
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NEW PRODUCE QUIZ – – WHAT AM I??
Shakespeare’s Ophelia said I stood for thought, so my description ought to be a thought provoking one. I grow best in the Spring and the Fall, but I can be harvested year round. I like moist, damp soil, but can grow in dry soil. I grow in bunches and sometimes resemble a face, but sometimes I resemble a butterfly. Sometimes I have two yellow eyes, sometimes one eye, and sometimes I have no eyes. I can be a deep, deep color like root beer, or fade into a light, light color like white. I’m solid in color or can have two or three colors. I prefer the shade, but can grow in the sun. I can grow wild, or be cultivated in gardens. I’m used to garnish salads, or I am part of a salad. I’ve been known to decorate tables and turkeys, and sometimes I’m found in people’s hair. I have very little nutritional value, but I have a sweet grassy flavor. Careful though, if you chew me too long I can have a bitter mint aftertaste. I can be eaten whole, or torn into shreds. I can leave a stain on your tongue, but don’t worry I’ll go away. Some claim that I have medicinal powers. I can heal skin conditions, be a diuretic, reduce fevers, cleanse toxins from your system and promote over all healing. So look for me this spring, and maybe I can spruce up your plate or favorite salad!
HAPPY ST. PATTY’S DAY. KEEP ON KEEPING IT GREEN
Answer To Last Week’s Quiz:…PISTACHIO NUTS…Congrats To All Winners
Call 908-789-4700 –Lisa or Richard– Fax 908-789-4702
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Culinary Specialty Produce, Inc., 2015