Market Report 1/24/12

Berries: Production is down due to recent rains on top of very cold nights. Surprisingly, quality is still fairly good. However, there is not enough fruit to fill market demand and as a result, prices are on the upswing. Raspberries as well are very short this week.

Desert veggies: Leaf item quality is improving slowly. Blister and blister peel are showing up less and less as many shippers trim the product to eliminate the damage. As a result of trimming the product, color, weight and appearance are affected. Some romaine is being trimmed to the point of looking like a large heart. All leaf markets seem to be off this week as very warm days are predicted for the next 7-10 days. Broccoli and cauliflower remain very good buys with excellent quality. Celery looks to ease up this week as volume increases.

Citrus: California navels are in good supply. Prices are very fair and quality is excellent with good sugars. Choice grades are even showing #1 fancy appearance. Lemons remain very short especially on larger sizes. Quality remains excellent. Lime crossing are way down and prices are reflecting. Fruit seems to be getting harder with less juice.

Vegetables: Nogales prices are starting to crack this week. Bell peppers are already crashing on all colors. Look for very nice quality with good pricing. Asparagus prices have been cut in half over the last week and look to continue down as weather helps bring this crop on strong. It is time to get it back on the menu. Italian and yellow squashes are slowly easing up but with very cold nights, it is taking longer than expected. Prices on both eggplant and blue lakes are improving.

Melons: Seedless watermelon has temporarily backed off but looks to rebound with the cool weather. Quality is much improved from last month. Offshore cantaloupe and honeydews remain in short supply as growing areas move from Honduras to Guatemala. Look for prices to remain high for another week or two.

Urgent Market News January 12, 2012

Bell peppers and squash seem to have been hit the hardest from last week’s Florida freeze and with Mexico still a week or two away from any volume the market should remain very high and availability will be down. Most shippers are pro-rating or filling orders based off of 12 week average. Relief may not come for several weeks so supplies will remain light and prices volatile. Currently prices at trigger level we could see it get even higher!

Kale market has increased due to the cooler weather in Yuma and now with freezing temperatures during the past two days and the plants stagnate in growth harvest delays will occur. The market should maintain higher than normal for the next 5 to 10 days. Most shippers are pro-rating or filling orders based off of 12 week average.

Cantaloupes & Honeydew demand exceeds supplies in most cases. Supplies are down out of Central America due to the transition in Guatemala moving from North to South. There are melons coming out Honduras but volumes will not pick up for another 5 to 7 days. Larger cantaloupes are very short and honeydews are legitimately short on all sizes. Things may not settle down until the first of February.

Asparagus market continues to reach new highs and should continue throughout the month. Supplies out of Mexico are extremely tight due to cold temperatures and delayed harvests rendering the West Coast virtually out of supplies. Peru although a better situation than Mexico is also extremely short on product with demand exceeding supplies as they face similar issues with transition, cooler weather and poor yields. Markets are being quoted day to day.

Urgent Market News

Asparagus- Market continues to reach new highs: For those keeping up with the market outlook this should not come as a surprise but the asparagus market is out of sight and should continue throughout the month. Supplies out of Mexico are extremely tight due to cold temperatures and delayed harvests rendering the West Coast virtually out of supplies. Peru although a better situation than Mexico is also extremely short on product with demand exceeding supplies as they face similar issues with transition, cooler weather and poor yields. Markets are being quoted day to day.

Cantaloupe- Heavy rains in Central America back in October can be attributed to the shortage of cantaloupe and honeydew as well as the transition from Northern to Southern growing regions. We will see Honduran fruit arrive this coming week but the volume will be minimal. We have seen the market increase within the last few days and could have some increases for the next few weeks until volumes increase. It is still early to see if this will be just a knee jerk reaction or if it will continue to strengthen. We are projecting 2-3 weeks of questionable supply before things begin to stabilize again.

Strawberries- It does not appear that the wintery cold Temperatures pierced as deeply into the growing areas as first feared and long term damage should be minimal. Markets reacted to the cold weather with an increase and should maintain until the fields are assessed. There could be some questionable quality due to the freeze until the affected fruit is through the system.

Truffle Hunting on 60 Minutes

Please set your Tivo/DVR’s to record this Sunday night ‘s 60 Minutes show, where Leslie Stahl shares her experience truffle hunting with Olga Urbani. I’ve attached a promo link below. 

Enjoy,

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7394064n&tag=contentMain;cbsCarousel

Happy New Year!

We welcome the new year and all the opportunities to serve our customers.  We have some exciting news and market updates to share. Information leads to knowledge which can empower you as a chef, restauranteur and consumer to make the best possible choices. 

We look forward to sharing our thoughts and impressions that will benefit you as we navigate the world of food, dynamic markets and evolving food trends.

This blog will be a part of a media connection opportunity offered to you as a way to quickly inform, explore and share information pertinent to your business and creativity.

Thanks and good eating!