Market Notes September 9th, 2022
COLORADO POTATOES – GAME ON
The fickle fingerling is finally home again. Tomorrow (or today, depending on when you receive this) we begin loading at the mother facility in Mosca, Colorado. In years past it was the equipment that was waiting for the potatoes from the field or out of storage. This year was different. The potatoes were ready but the new sizing and sorting equipment was not. We’re not sure but we know it had something to do with plugs and electricity but that’s all solved now. Programming the new fancy rollers, belts, washers, brushes, and eyeballs is the next step. Result should be better sizing, prettier product, and a faster run time. Win win for everybody. This is a one stop shop for all things spud, both organic and conventional. Organic russet A’s are on the small side, red and purple fingerlings, are a few weeks away, red and yellow are around the corner (get it)? From this location we can ship to either coast so we can now say the fingerling shortage is officially over. Price, however, is a different story. Growers are salivating over the high prices we saw in the four months prior and are not eager to drop the market instantly. That, combined with increased costs on…well…everything, will prevent previous years pricing. We think a 30% increase is where the market will settle, but not before growers get nervous and price will drop. We figure by November. As we maintain forward distribution on both coasts, we can customize orders to include the rounds, russets, and the cool set like the Harvest Moon. Shine on!INVENTORY
It is always tough to sell product before it is even loaded on a truck at the grower’s dock. So many things can go wrong. For the past four months our froward distribution in both Los Angeles, California and Ephrata, Pennsylvania have been selling out prior to arrival. While it remains tough to keep product in stock in LA (where we get much less to start with), We do finally have inventory in out east coast facility. We can, now, once again, meet the customers needs. We stock yellow fingerlings at both locations on a regular basis. As we load weekly we can provide additional needs per our customers requests. Purple A potatoes, mixed, fingerlings, and individual colors can all be pre-ordered, consolidated, and shipped to your dock or you can pick up at ours.HEAT
They call it plant mortality. Temperatures so high the roots con no longer take up water assuming there is water to take up in the first place. Soggy spinach in Salinas, delayed radishes out of Oregon, fields of fresh herbs succumb to the intensity. Corn and wheat are affected as well, along with soybeans and lettuce. West coast vineries are suffering from damaged grapes. Apple growth is stunted by the extreme heat, berries in the Pacific Northwest just wilt in the heat. We tell all this horrible news now because the heat wave appears to have broken. Just in time for the late summer storms. Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em!NEW PRODUCE QUIZ – WHO AM I ???
I have over fifty varieties. In the Inca language (Quechua) still spoken by the Indian peoples of Peru and Bolivia, my name means “cold seed.” I am native to the Andes and can be found growing in tropical and subtropical regions, cold seed indeed! Today I am cultivated in the USA, Chili, Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Spain, Israel, Guatemala, and Australia. The thorny tree that bares my fruit can grow as high as twenty-four feet. The scent of my flowers is so strong insects stay away so I have to be pollinated manually in order to fruit. I am heart or oval shapes with a scaly skin color ranging from bronze to green. When ripe I turn yellow then black. When over ripe I tend to have a sickly sweet odor. My fragrant whitish pulp is sweet and juicy with a custard-like texture. I have large black inedible (friendly) seeds throughout my flesh. I am best eaten out of hand and often doused with orange juice to prevent oxidation. I am also used in fruit salads, sorbet’s, ice creams, yogurt, pastries and cookies. I can also be used to make jellies, jams juice or compote. I am high in carbohydrates and a good source of vitamin C and niacin. If you attached a Monstera to my mid section I would look like a prehistoric reptile.Answer to last quiz….CABBAGE…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