Eastern Canada's Market Update

ICEBERG- Iceberg yields are lighter with most suppliers closely watching what they have left to carry them to the end of the season. Suppliers are walking in sold out and some are sold out for this week. Value-added triggers will be in effect by the end of the week, into next week for value-added iceberg products. The recent warm weather followed by rain last Monday, and now cool weather has created issues in quality. Defects that have been identified on arrival include misshapen heads, mechanical, discoloration and brown butts. These defects are a direct result of the recent weather in the growing regions both north and south. Santa Maria and Salinas will continue to be the main growing regions for this commodity. Weights are ranging from 39-43 pounds. Huron will begin production the third week in October. Heavy rains in some parts of the Imperial Valley and Yuma growing regions last week are expected to affect plantings set for harvest in mid-November. Look for the iceberg lettuce market to continue to adjust higher next week. Quebec iceberg lettuce supplies are winding down for the season and will be done by the end of the week. Quality from Quebec is just fair and supplies are very light.

ROMAINE / LEAF- Demand continues to be moderate on romaine in the marketplace. Most shippers have reported lower yields due to crop loss. Common defects include mechanical, fringe burn and slight insect damage but these defects are minimal. The overall quality continues to be above average. Weights are reported between 30-34 pounds. Romaine hearts will have moderate availability all week. Supplies of red and green leaf lettuces are steady with good supplies and some promotable volume available this week. Quality reports are showing good sizing, condition, and overall quality. Occasional reports of fringe burn, downy powdery mildew, and very occasional seeder. Santa Maria and Salinas are the primary shipping points for leaf lettuces off the west coast. Quebec romaine and leaf lettuce are winding down quickly and will be finished by Friday. 

SPRING MIX/BABY SPINACH/BABY KALE- Baby leaf supplies continue to slowly react to the recent heat in the Salinas Valley. Spinach and arugula are usually the first items to be affected by the hot weather. Quality is good with occasional yellowing and bruising of the tender leaves.

ROCKET ARUGULA / WATERCRESS / BABY RED KALE– Arugula: Arugula supplies are very tight due to unfavorable growing conditions. Orders are being pro-rated.  We expect to see tight supplies for the next two weeks. Baby Red Kale: Weather has negatively affected the supply of baby red kale and it will not be available for the foreseeable future. Watercress: Bunched watercress quality and availability is good.  Red watercress, a winter crop is now done until the fall.

IMPORTED BROCCOLI- The Broccoli market has started to come off as supplies and yields have increased; however, this market is expected to take a fast turn upwards again as there will be a gap in supplies due to the recent erratic weather. Quality has started to improve with slight purpling, some mechanical damage, and occasional yellow cast.     

ASPARAGUS–Markets on both coasts are lower to steady this week with more production from both Mexico and Peru. Mexico: The volume remains unchanged from last week out of Southern Baja, Mexico, and demand is still light. This trend should continue through the middle of November. Peru: Both regions in Peru (Ica/Trujillo) have continued to increase their volume with the weather being excellent in both regions.

IMPORTED CAULIFLOWER– The cauliflower market is slowly adjusting downward with a little more regular supply; however, this is only expected to be temporary as there is a rather substantial gap forming due to the erratic weather. Right now, the quality is good with minor bruising and yellow cast with weights in the 25 to 28-pound level. Look for the market to get active going into next week. Quebec and Ontario continue with fairly good supplies. Quality is very good, with consistent sizing being the only defect. Pricing is higher due to light supplies in from California.     

BEANS– Bean supplies are good and easily meeting demand, even as Ontario winds down. Mexico and Georgia are producing good supllies of green beans.  Yellow wax beans, may be tighter as we transition to imports. Quality on the local product remains strong. Imports are also very good. Snipped: Snipped bean supplies are good. Quality is also good.

CELERY- Good supplies and light demand continues to be the story with this commodity. This market has remained steady and looks to remain steady going into next week. All sizing is available. Some shippers are flexing on large sizing, twenty-four counts in particular. Promotions are being set up now for November; traditionally one of the highest demand periods of the year for this commodity. Celery supplies continue to be abundant with excellent overall quality and there are currently some volume deals available. Field reports are showing very nice product with good color, clean appearance, and very nice condition. The weather forecast calls for warmer temperatures into the weekend with highs in the mid- to upper-80s and overnight lows in the low-50s. Currently, Salinas and Santa Maria are the primary shipping locations for celery off the west coast. Mexico has had production as well. Oxnard is set to start production in early- to mid-November. The weights are averaging 53-57 pounds per case. Quebec celery continues with good supply and quality and is expected to continue for about two more weeks.

GREEN ONIONS– The green onion market continues to stay steady. The warmer weather recently is causing occasional leaf minor and is causing a slight gap. The market will continue to stay steady going into next week. Quebec green onion production is good and steady with nice quality. Supplies will continue for about another two weeks.

EGGPLANT- East: There are good supplies of eggplant in various regions in the eastern half of the country. The mid-west is past their peak but quality is still good, the northeast is shipping steady supplies with fair quality. The southeast has good volume after an early start to their fall deal. Eggplant pricing has been low for a few weeks mainly due to low demand, so many small deals around the eastern half of the country keep customers supplied daily during the summer month that customers don’t need to reach out to commercial shippers until cool weather shuts the plants down for the winter. Expect most of the northern growing regions to be finished for the season early this week. West: Better supplies of eggplant are available to load in Los Angeles, California. California eggplant is mostly being harvested in the Oxnard and Hollister growing districts. Both retail grade and foodservice grades are being packed. Quality is mostly good on both retail grade and choice grade pack.

FIELD CUCUMBERS– East: Michigan and Ontario are winding down for the season and most growers will finish early this week. Ohio will finish next week and Northeast will continue for another couple of weeks. The Mid-Atlantic should continue through most of October and the southeast is just getting started for the fall. Cucumber quality in every region is just fair, the mid-west has had some rain and is late in the deal, color is good but shelf life is an issue. The northeast is late in the deal and product is showing some scaring due to age. The mid-Atlantic has good quality and steady supplies, the southeast is feeling the effects of extremely high temperatures. Quality is good and the color is better than expected but shelf-life is suffering. The volume in the south will continue to increase and quality should get better as the days shorten and temperatures cool. West: The West Coast cucumber market continues to be steady on both retail grade and foodservice grade. Quality from all districts is good. Cucumbers crossing through San Diego are being harvested in Baja California. Cucumbers crossing through Nogales are being harvested in Durango, Mexico and few starting in Sonora, Mexico. Cucumber quality crossing into Arizona and California is good.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS- The brussels sprouts market continues to stay steady. There is still some internal decay, causing slightly lower yields. Look for this market to continue to stay steady going into next week. Ontario continues with good quality and supplies. Ontario will run through November.      

IMPORTED CORN- Local deals are finishing up and Georgia will start late next week. Ontario continues with good production. Supplies will be plentiful until Thanksgiving weekend then come to an end.

IMPORTED CARROTS- California carrots remain steady. The jumbos are still relatively light with some shippers. As was the case last week Mexican jumbo carrots are steady with lower undertones having to still compete with the local product in Canada, California, Colorado, and Michigan. Ontario continues with good production, but with elevated pricing in the US and good demand from the US, pricing remains slightly higher than normal.

ZUCCHINI– East Coast: Zucchini is in very good supply, with yellow supplies much tighter. The mid-west is nearly finished for the season. The northeast is still shipping but supplies are well past their peak. The mid-Atlantic is in good supply of good quality product and the southeast is approaching its peak. Heat and insect damage has affected yields in the south, but quality in the box is good. Yellow is yielding much less due to very high temperatures in the south and has caused a gap in supply and pricing verses green zucchini. What is left in the northeast and mid-west has been decent quality but supplies are spotty. Ontario is finished for the season. West Coast: Good supplies of zucchini continue to be harvested at all three California growing districts. The market on both green and yellow zucchini remains steady. Quality from all three California growing district is fair to good. Both retail grade and food service grades are being packed. Better supplies continue to cross through Nogales, Arizona this week from Sonora, Mexico.

IMPORTED CILANTRO- The cilantro market continues to stay steady as there are plenty of supplies. The cilantro quality is good with an occasional yellow leaf. Look for the cilantro market to continue to stay steady going into next week. Ontario and Quebec are producing good supplies at reasonable pricing compared to imports, but mother nature may bring the local season to an end.  

BELL PEPPERS- We are getting ready to start harvesting peppers in Georgia towards the end of this week; we expect to have promotional volume starting around October 10 and continue through the entire month of October. Plants look healthy so we expect to have great quality; jumbo and XL sizes will be plentiful the first 2-3 weeks. Most regional deals are starting to come to the end due to cool weather. We’ve notice trouble in lots coming from different regions, so quality is definitely suspect. Ontario will have pepper for about the next 7-10 days on both green and red. Quality remains very good.

EAST COAST PEPPERS- Green pepper is in peak supply. The mid-west is still shipping steady supplies while dodging rainstorms passing through the region. Those growers are starting to wind down for the season. Some will finish this week. The larger growers will continue for 2 to 3 more weeks. Mid-Atlantic and northeast supplies are past their peak but still producing good supplies and decent quality green pepper. The southeast is starting in a light way but supplies will increase quickly by next week when more growers begin their fall deals. Quality has been decent in the mid-west and north-east. Product is starting to show some scaring from older fields, but the color and firmness are good. The southern pepper is lighter in color due to very hot temperatures but otherwise, the quality is good.

WEST COAST PEPPERS– Serrano: Good supplies of Serrano peppers are available from Mexico. Supplies are expected to remain steady throughout the week. Supplies are currenty meet demand. Jalapenos: Good supplies of Jalapeno continue to be available from Mexico and California. Jalapeno are being harvested in Baja California where the quality is fair to good. Jalapenos are being harvested in Santa Maria, California with mostly medium to large size. Jalapeno are also being harvested in Baja, California. Mexico is also medium to large size. The market on jalapeno has remains steady. Green Pepper: Green pepper continues to be harvested in the Oxnard, Hollister, and the Stockton California area. Currently, both retail and choice grade are being packed from all districts. Quality of green pepper from Oxnard, Hollister, and Stockton is good. Both retail and choice grades of green pepper is meeting demand. Moderate supplies of green pepper are also being harvested in Baja California, where quality is good. Red Pepper: Good supplies of red pepper continue to be harvested in the Hollister and Oxnard growing district. Both retail and choice grades are currently being packed. Supplies from Oxnard and Hollister are expected to remain steady as we start October. The market on red pepper continues to decrease this week with good supplies being harvested from all districts.

POTATOES– Ontario: Growers are letting potatoes grow later in the season than usual, in hopes that they will bulk up. The crop went in the ground late, this year. In addition, the Shelbourne area has been extremely dry throughout the season. The combination of planting delays and the dry weather is likely to hold yields below average. The forecast looks like this year’s crop will be more than last year but, less than the 5-year average. Imports: Stockton, California has finished with supplies of new crop red and white with a few yellows remaining this week. Bakersfield, California is available to ship product from Washington; markets will be higher as they will include freight from up north. Idaho and Washington production was curtailed last weekend and into last Monday due to rain and cold temperatures. Idaho continues to ship red and yellow while Mount Vernon, Washington is producing all three colors and excellent quality. North Dakota has started up the season on red potatoes along with production out of Wisconsin with both red and yellow. Minnesota and Michigan are winding down. Carton Baking Potato: PEI: In September Hurricane Dorian passed over the Island. Prior to the storm parts of the province had been extremely dry. The storm brought plentiful rainfall (too much in some areas), but it was accompanied by strong winds, which whipped vines and defoliated plants in exposed areas. Last week, a portion of the crop was touched by frost. Vine kill from the frost wasn’t as extensive as was feared initially, but each of these events has eroded the crop’s yield potential. Many Russet Burbank fields are still green, but the rate of bulking is trailing off rapidly. Earlier varieties, such as Goldrush, are already made. Their yields and size profile will be below average. The forecast puts the provincial average yield matching the 2018 yield, but less than the five-year average. Heavy rains from Dorian put low spots in fields under water, on the western half of the Island. More rains since then make it unlikely that growers will harvest the wet spots. The net result is that the forecast for 2019 production exceed the Island’s 2018 crop by 6.5%. The major difference between this year’s forecast and last year is that an early onset of winter weather forced growers to abandon 6,800 acres of potatoes in 2018. PEI growers frequently take all of October to harvest their potato crop. They sometimes continue digging through the middle of November. Last year, wet weather during October limited harvest. Growers continued trying to dig through November 13, but everything left after that date was frozen in the ground. Nevertheless, growers are trying to extend this year’s growing season as much as possible, to allow the crop to bulk up. USA: Idaho potato markets continue to slide downward as shed floors remain full with light demand. Weather in Idaho has turned for the worse as temperatures drop, along with rain and snow showers this past weekend. Production has slowed but cartons are in good supply keeping markets down. Improving temperatures with highs in the upper 50’s and lows in the mid-30’s will allow harvests to continue. Some minor quality issues in the new crop Norkotahs may be seen in the way of skinning, white mold, wet potatoes (wet boxes), soft potatoes and immaturity. Washington, Colorado, and Wisconsin markets are steady to slightly lower.

ONIONS– Onion harvests were curtailed through last Monday in Washington as rain/snow and cold temperatures swept through the upper Northwest region. The Idaho/Oregon border escaped wet weather but still experienced drops in temperature. Weather forecasts show improving temperatures as harvesting in both regions resumes. Supplies are good with steady to slightly higher markets, in particular, red onions. Larger size super colossal and colossal yellow onions remain the lightest in supply as the size profile is heavy to jumbo and medium sizes. Utah and Colorado have also started up in production for all three colors. Quality remains excellent. Ontario red onions have started with good supply and quality. 

SEEDLESS WATERMELON- Seedless supplies are still light. Minis are very tight on the east coast. Supplies should pick up in two weeks on minis and seedless in Nogales, from Mexico. California will go another week with light supplies on both minis and seedless. Supplies will pick up in the middle of October out of Nogales from Northern Mexico.

PAPAYA- We are seeing the market come down on papaya as more supply builds up out of Colima, Mexico. Rainy weather remains for most of the week along with moderate winds. Peak sizes are 12s, followed by 9s and 8s; with limited sunshine, the fruit is not sizing up on the trees before harvest.

MANGO- Mangoes from Brazil continue. Peak sizing off these containers have been pretty balanced as volume picks up. We were seeing smaller sizes at the start of the season but the sizing profile has changed and we are now seeing large fruit. Quality reports are showing good firm fruit with excellent blush. We have now reached the peak of the Brazilian season.

GOLD PINEAPPLES– The northern growing regions of Costa Rica are under an unstable and humid atmospheric pattern which is normal for the Intertropical Convergence Zone. For other regions, partially cloudy mornings with a high possibility of rain showers in the afternoon in the Pacific, Central and North Caribbean areas. Rainfall in the North and Caribbean regions have been in the range of 2 to 3 inches for last couple of days. Quality wise, the unstable weather conditions don’t give a clear picture, but internal condition of the fruit will be challenging. A significant drop on inbound volume out of Costa Rica last week with the USDA crossing report showing 620 inbound loads from Costa Rica. The USDA is reporting moderate demand and steady market.

BLUEBERRIES– Blueberries out of Michigan are now finished for the season, effectively ending the local season. Any fruit left is only fair and the market is firm. Offshore fruit is coming from Peru, Argentina, and Uruguay. Mexican production is beginning to crank up as well. Quality from all countries is excellent at this point in time although the Michigan fruit is at the end of its growth cycle and will have less shelf life. Look for the markets to ease off a bit as Mexican production ramps up and additional offshore fruit begins to hit the ports.  

STRAWBERRIES- The strawberry market is showing some better availability due to the recent heat, producing more fruit than would be normal out of all growing areas. Quality however, is still just fair with overripe fruit and bruising being the major flaw. Santa Maria is in full swing and producing better quality at this time. Oxnard is just beginning production and quality is reported as nice at this point. Pricing down south is slightly higher with most shippers basing this two-tiered market on the better quality in the fields down there. The market in both areas looks to be softening somewhat but the projected cooler weather could counter this trend moving forward.

RASPBERRIES / BLACKBERRIES–Raspberries: Raspberries are expected to increase in volume out of Mexico. This increase should help to subsidize the lighter west coast numbers we are seeing. As it is with blackberries, we are currently experiencing temporary shortages due to logistics and transfer trucks coming out of Mexico. The market remains firm with lower undertones. The quality has been good. Blackberries: Blackberry availability has recently been sporadic as there have been some delays in harvesting. These delays in harvest have been accompanied by logistics difficulties regarding transfer trucks. Quality has been fair. The west coast is still in production and they are seeing occasional red cell with some softening fruit on arrival due to recent heat and light rains. The Mexican fruit quality is the stronger of the two growing areas. Look for that market to remain firm moving into the weekend.

LIMES- Tropical Strom Fernand hit the Mexican Region where limes are currently being harvested right now and have caused a bit of a slowdown in harvesting. This will cause the product to get tighter to an already tight market. The rain will help the new crop with better supplies in mid-late December. Until that time, there will be limited supplies. Peak sizing continues to be on 230/250 count with loose markets. Limited supplies continue on 175 count and larger with high pricing.

STONE FRUIT- Not much change on stone fruit this week. Supplies continue to decline on peaches with limited options on size. Prices have gone up slightly and will remain firm until the end of the crop. We expect all shippers to finish fresh production over the next week. Nectarines have finished for the season and will start again with import fruit from Chile in December. Both red and black plums are currently available with good supplies. Sizes are larger, so VF 60’s and smaller are limited. We expect to have plums available through the month of October and into November transitioning to Italian fruit. Chilean fruit will start in December.    

HONEYDEW / CANTALOUPE- San Joaquin Valley- Weather this week calls for temperatures in the 80’s. Cooler temperatures have slowed down production week over week. Market is steady this week and with good demand on all sizes. We are seeing excellent quality with good brix/sugar levels on this late season fruit. Growers expect to harvest into mid-October and some going later, weather permitting. Desert- With the recent storms that hit the growing region of Maricopa County, the harvest may be delayed and/or start with light volumes. We may see some quality issues. Forecast calls for temperatures in the 90’s with rain by the weekend but should be minimal. By next week, there will be some over-lap with Westside still going, the desert starting up, and Mexico coming on by mid-October. Mexico- Mexican crops are looking up to par. Production will ramp up next week on honeydews and will be available through winter and into spring. Cantaloupe will ramp up mid-October but will be a short window of availability. Mexican cantaloupe season usually runs about 4-5 weeks.

ORANGES- California Oranges: Valencia’s will start winding down in the next few weeks. Demand for small Valencia continues to be very strong; 113s and 138s are limited. Markets will stay firm as we conclude the Valencia crop. We expect demand/supply on small fruit to be a challenge until we get to the new crop California navels. Quality remains fair as we are in late season Valencia’s. We’re still about 2-3 weeks away from California navels. Offshore: Chilean navel prices have stabilized but, supplies of imports are winding down for the season and suppliers that have inventories only seem to have large sizes available. There are about two to three more weeks of imports before California navels start. Quality has been pretty good on imports; however, there have been some reports of issues with the acid ratio and brown rot.

LEMONS– California: California supplies on 140’s and larger continue to remain snug. We’ve seen a high demand for California supplies, as import supplies seem to be winding down out of both coasts. Suppliers are doing their best to cover orders day to day as we transition to District 3 (Coachella/Mecca/Yuma area). Current supplies are being harvested from District 2 (Southern California Region) are winding down a lot faster than expected and supplies are light. District 3 (California Desert/Arizona Region), supplies are light to start but will gradually increase over the next few weeks.

CLEMENTINES- Supplies of clementine’s are still snug. Receivers just aren’t receiving the inbounds they are expecting. Clementine right now are from either South Africa or Uruguay and packed 15x2lb bags or 10x2lb. We should start to see first arrivals of Moroccan fruit in about two weeks which will run through next April. Quality on the South African and Uruguayan fruit is good.

GRAPEFRUIT- Quality out of California is improving, but has some occasional scarring. Internal and external color is nice with high brix. California has better supplies on red grapefruit with increasing volume daily, peaking on 36/40 count. 48 count and 56 count supplies are limited.  Florida should start with grapefruit in another 2 weeks or so.

PEARS– Washington: Northwest Bartletts are peaking on 110ct-120ct with limited supplies on fancy grade. New crop green D’Anjou (90ct/100ct) and Bosc pears (90ct-120ct) are limited in availability, more so than Bartletts. Shippers have communicated that Anjou/Bosc crops are down 30-50% vs. last year’s volumes. Red pears are coming into volume. ½ carton and full (40#) are available. Special varieties; such as Seckel, Forelle, Comice, and Asian are also available. Quality is excellent. California: The California pear season is winding down with some shippers done for the season and some selling from storage inventory (Bartletts and Bosc). Asian pears are available; 10ct-24ct (1 and 2-layer). Smaller sizes (66ct-96ct, 3-layer) are sporadic in availability.

GRAPES– As the California grape season heads into early October, harvest remains in full swing industry-wide on the largest varieties of the Central Valley grape crop. From a variety standpoint, Scarlet Royals remain the dominant red seedless option, with other premium options such as the Krissy, Magenta and Sweet Celebration also available. Green seedless varieties also continue to be harvested in good volumes, with the primary options industry-wide now mostly an Autumn King, Pristine or Stella Bella. Summer Royals are virtually finished for the year for black seedless, with the Autumn Royal variety slowly picking up volume. Red Globes remain somewhat limited versus previous seasons, with many growers transitioning all seeded grapes out of production over the past few years. Looking forward to the final couple months of the season, many growers are anticipating their overall volume (particularly on green seedless) to be off significantly versus 2018. Green: Green grape supplies remain fairly steady this week. However, prices are firm and shippers expect availability to become increasingly limited as we move forward. Growers are already breaking into late-season varieties that would typically be used as storage fruit. As we look further down the road, this will have an effect on availability as we approach transition to offshore fruit mid to late November. Quality has been fair. We are seeing more reports of darker color and occasional soft berry. This is typical for this time of year and varieties being harvested. As we break into new blocks, we can expect better quality. Spot buy opportunities and promotional volumes will become scarce. We expect market prices to gradually increase moving forward. Red: Red grapes are in excellent supply this week. We expect good availability through transition with a possible overlap between domestic and Chilean fruit. Quality has been very strong. Sizes are on the larger side with good crunch and sweet flavor. There are several varieties to choose from and demand has been good. Markets have been flat. Depending on each shipper’s inventory and commitments, there are varying levels of aggressive prices being offered.

AVOCADOS- The market is stable this week. Field prices continue to trend downward as we are seeing good inventory levels. Mexico continues to ramp up the harvest on new crop fruit and we are seeing some checkerboarding. The size curve is leaning heavily to 20’s and smaller. Industry arrivals last week totaled 55.3 million pounds. Mexico delivered 52.3 million pounds, California harvested 612,900 pounds and Chile delivered 2.3 million pounds. Industry inventories reflect 61.3 million pounds overall (57.5 million conventional), in correlation with Mexico’s increased harvest flow. Mexico should continue to lead industry supplies with an increased weekly average of 44 - 49 million pounds for October. Mexico- Michoacán harvested 61.7 million pounds last week, of which 52.3 million pounds shipped to the United States. Field price continued to trend downward in combination with steady inventory levels. Harvest this week is expected to hit a 55-61 million-pound range, of which roughly 85% will ship to the US. The weather forecast for the state of Michoacán calls for mild to intense rains, which could limit harvest. California- California harvested 612,900 pounds last week. Projected harvest is 450,000 & 250,000 pounds for this week and next, respectively. California’s production is now expected to extend through October; but will be limited. Estimated crop size adjusted to 200+ million pounds. Chile- Last week, 18 loads arrived to the United States, a 23% decrease from the week prior. Chile is experiencing a drought and the harvest has been heavy to smaller sizes reducing the overall volume available. Chile will hit peak season this month and available through December. Colombia-
The World Avocado Congress took place in Colombia last week which is expected to trigger more excitement around the future of the Colombian avocado supply in the years to come. Peru- Peru arrivals to the US are finished.  Estimated US volumes for the season closed at 183 million pounds. Market Outlook- As Mexico continues to transition to the new crop, we have seen a shift in the size curve to smaller fruit.  As a result, the industry has experienced a subsequent strengthening of big fruit and weakening of small fruit.  As of now the expectation is for fruit to flow normally and filed prices to stabilize.  Chilean arrivals will decline week-on-week and will remain slotted for programs.

TOMATOES– Quincy, Florida is expected to start very light harvest this week. Transition from California to Florida will take place at the end of October. East Coast: Eastern regional programs will be wrapping up in the coming weeks, transitioning growing operations back to Florida near the middle of the month creating a brief overlap in harvests. This week, supply continues to be light but slightly better than in previous weeks. Mature green supplies have improved after all the storms, helping to soften the market for the short term. North Carolina and Tennessee are benefiting from favorable weather, while Virginia begins to wrap up for the season. Roma availability has increased but supply continues to be light until Florida begins harvesting again near the end of October. The grape tomato market may begin creeping back upward as Virginia winds down and begins the transition south to Florida. Growers are working through 7th and even 9th picks but that will be it as they wrap up this week. Quincy will have light volume in October until Ruskin starts, closer to November. West Coast: California has experienced more favorable temperatures help improve quality, but overall volume has started to turn down as farms move past their peak production of the season. Sizing and quality will vary by grower and operations are winding down in the coming weeks wrapping up by the end of October. Volume is building in Mexico where crops are starting the transition to fall plantings. As California winds down through October, Mexico crossings will continue to build, so that supply is continuous while Mexico and California operations overlap. Recent rains in Mexico may slow yields initially with stronger supply expected before November. Grape and cherry tomatoes have improved slightly from the past couple of weeks but are mostly steady now while supply is increasing.

APPLES- Washington: Temperatures have recently dipped below 34°F (a low of 27°F to be exact) in parts of Washington and Northwest, but this is not expected to continue and should not affect the quality of the crop. With the Midwest and east coast in full swing on new crop, shippers out west are feeling the need to aggressively price all commodities in an attempt to attract east coast customers. We will continue to see a downward price trend as there are still new crop varieties that have not begun harvest (Pink Lady, Braeburn, Lady Alice, Jazz, Envy, and Granny Smith, to name a few). California: Granny Smith apples are still available with a few shippers. Shippers are also quoting some Pink Lady apples. New York/Michigan/Ontario: New crop apples are available everywhere. Gala, Honey Crisp, MacIntosh. Jonathan, Cortland, Golden Delicious, Fuji, Red Delicious, are all available in abundance. Quality is fantastic from all areas; with some parts of Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania dealing with isolated showers. Parts of New York have not seen much rain, which has caused some fruit to become overripe and drop. Shippers are attempting to maintain current prices and the Northwest is feeling the pressure to compete and get below east coast prices in order to attract business.

CASTLEFRANCO / SHELLED PEAS / RED, BLACK and BLUE PRUNE PLUMS / FORLELLE PEARS / LOCAL CARROT SLIMS / LOCAL CORN / GOLD KIWI / GREEN OLIVES / CALIFORNIA POMEGRANITE / PUMPKINS / PIE PUMPKINS / INDIAN CORN / MINI INDIAN CORN / QUINCE / LOCAL BRUSSELS SPROUTS / CRANBERRIES

ITEMS VERY SHORT:

PEACHES / CLEMENTINES / NECTARINES / ONTARIO BARTLET PEARS / ONTARIO FIELD TOMATO

** NEW ** PORCINI- From BC. Season is just starting. Light supplies.
** NEW ** YELLOWFOOT- From BC. Season is just starting. Light supplies.

SWEET TOOTH / HEDGEHOG- From BC. Limited.
CAULIFLOWER- From BC. Going strong.

BLUE CLUSTER- From BC. Just starting up.

CHANTERELLE - From Cape Bretton or BC. Just starting.

BEARS TOOTH / LIONS MANE- From BC. First of the season now available!

PINE MUSHROOMS- From BC. Still going.
BURGUNDY TRUFFLES- From Italy. Just starting.

WHITE TRUFFLES- From Italy. Season is starting

LOCAL ZUCCHINI / PRICKLY PEARS / SEVILLE ORANGES / GALIA MELONS / FIDDLEHEADS / ONTARIO RAMPS / FLORIDA JUICE ORANGE / RHUBARB / ENGLISH PEAS IN THE POD / CHERRIES / LOCAL FLAT BEANS / LOCAL YELLOW PLUMS / LOCAL RED CURRANTS / APRICOTS / LOCAL YELLOW WATERMELON / CHAMPAGNE GRAPES / FAVA BEANS / ONTARIO ROMA TOMATO / CARA CARA ORANGE