Produce Report
Monday, May 14 - Sunday, May 20
Weekly Specials
Weather
The forecast for this week in the Southern California region indicates partial cloudiness will exist for the rest of the week. There is only a 10% chance of rain expected. The nights will be cool with patchy morning drizzle. The Salinas Valley weather will be steady with daytime temperatures averaging 65-68 degrees with no chance of rain for the forecast. Partial cloudiness will occur each day, but overall, the weather should be ideal for growing in this valley.
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Citrus
Navels are pretty short and Valencias aren’t going strong enough to fill the void—especially for foodservice sizes. Market is tight. Quality looks good and supplies are strong. Demand is on the rise as temperatures continue to climb across the country. Heading into summer, this trend will continue as usual.
Tomatoes
Mexican tomatoes continue to come across into Nogales and McAllen, but crossings are dwindling. Florida is mostly in Ruskin now. Pricing and quality is very good. This crop is ahead of schedule and could end earlier than normal. The market should firm up in May as supplies tail off and before Tallahassee comes on board.
Onions
Storage onions are still available . Overall, onion markets are pretty steady.
Potatoes
Little movement for russets this week. Idaho demand is steady but keep in mind that demand is expected to push higher sometime this Spring. Supply forecasts are still projected to be light for the remainder of the season. Burbanks make up most of the supplies as Norkotahs are limited.
Lettuce
Iceberg and leaf lettuces are in the same boat again this week. Demand has strengthened considerably and is coinciding with lighter supplies. Additionally, heavy rains are troubling quality and pricing with some shippers cutting back to averages. Head lettuce sizes and weights will be down in the coming weeks. The recent rains, however, were not as significant as those earlier this month and good weather is expected into next week.
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Things You Should Know!
Central American melons are finished up for the season, limited availability on Mexican.
Only storage green grapes available extremely limited.
Small oranges are extremely limited.
Romaine, Green Leaf, and Red Leaf are showing signs of blister and epidermal peel.
Braeburn apples are finished for the season.
California carrot supplies remain good, but the size of the carrots continues on the smaller side, thus making jumbo size carrots very tight with a much higher market. Size will be an issue through May.