Weekly Market Review

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Herbert Watson
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Weekly Market Review November 9, 207 Overview Lettuce, romaine and leaf items are steady and are this week s good buys. Oranges and carrots will remain in short supply.

1 Weekly Market Review November 9, 207 Overview Lettuce, romaine and leaf items are steady and are this week s good buys. Oranges and carrots will remain in short supply. Tomatoes are now under an ACT OF GOD. Lemons are also in short supply again. Iceberg, romaine and leaf items will transition in the beginning of November, and broccoli and cauliflower will be closer to December. Market Alert Broccoli / Broccoli Florets ESCALATED Carrots EXTREME Cauliflower ESCALATED Green Beans EXTREME Melons (honeydew) ESCALATED Mushrooms ESCALATED Oranges EXTREME Snow and Sugar Snap Peas ESCALATED Tomatoes (Cherries, Grapes and Rounds) ACT OF GOD Alternatives to Extreme Items Oranges will be in short supply all year due to a shortage in our CA crops. Green beans are also a commodity that are currently struggling in the market. Never fear, your Produce Alliance team is here to help! In the meantime, try these great alternatives for equally unique and delicious flavors. Orange Alternatives Pineapple: Because of its high acidity and sugar content, fresh pineapple juice makes and excellent substitution for orange juice in marinades, salad dressings, smoothies, juices, and cocktails. You can also use fresh wedges of pineapple in the same way you use oranges as a garnish for frozen drinks or alcoholic beverages. Grapefruit: Sweet, floral, and slightly bitter, grapefruit is enjoying the spotlight on food and beverage menus across the country right now. It can stand in place for the same ratios as oranges in your recipes, and it can also be sliced or squeezed directly into salads, fruit bowls, chutneys, and salsas. Limes: Limes can be sliced whole as garnish for drinks, or muddled directly into liquor for bright, aromatic cocktails. Though they are not nearly as sweet as oranges, consider complimenting them with honey, agave, or sugar in any recipes that might need the flavor. The zest can be used exactly like orange zest to garnish baked goods, fish, chicken, or veggies. Meyer lemons: These beauties taste and smell almost like a cross between a lemon and an orange. Meyer lemons are a perfect choice for the winter season, and signal a special nuance to diners. They are prized for their thin skins which can be eaten when sautéed, fried, roasted, or candied. Meyer lemons are gorgeous in cocktails because their juice is an ideal balance between sweet, bitter, and sour. Reduce Meyer lemons into pan-sauces as a poaching element, or stuff whole into chickens. Kumquats: These small citrus fruits pack a powerful punch! They can be eaten whole, and offer instant elegance to any dish. Slice them whole and shingle them on top of fish, pop them into sweet and savory salads, or spear them for a lovely drink garnish. Tangerines: Tangerines are incredibly sweet, and are the closest to oranges in terms of flavor, aroma, and color. They can be used almost interchangeably! Green Bean Alternatives Asparagus: This is a great side to replace green beans. They can be grilled, sautéed with garlic, or freshly steamed. Tomato Alternatives For the time being, Roma s are a great alternative to the Rounds, Grapes and Cherries that are struggling in the market right now. Watch List *Keep an eye on these items and situations. It may be too early to make a call one way or another, but they are forecasted to go up in price and hit extreme markets. Romas Lemons GOOD BUYS Iceberg lettuce and other salad blends have finally turned over a new leaf! (No pun intended.) Fighting through a tough fall season, supples, prices, and quality on these items have all showed significant improvement, earning them this week s Market Report good buy status. Iceberg lettuce, known for it s classic, crisp crunch, is one of the easiest veggies to prepare and serve. Like its other leaf friends, Iceberg has a quite

a quick shelf life, and will deteroriate quickly if it s not stored properly.

days for optimal results. One thing we all know about Iceberg lettuce is that it truly does make a mean salad.

Fire-Charred Iceberg Salad Ingredients head of Iceberg Lettuce (cut into 4 wedges) 2 Red Tomatoes (cut in half) Olive oil Salt & pepper, to taste Red wine vinegar, for drizzle cup garlic croutons

Grill Tomatoes for 5 minutes or until tomatoes begin to char, but remain firm. Remove Tomatoes from basket and set aside Tomatoes. 3.

2 a quick shelf life, and will deteroriate quickly if it s not stored properly. Maintain its necessary levels of moisture and cool temperatues by storing in plastic bags wrapped in damp paper towels in the vegetable crisper drawer of your fridge, and be sure to use within 5-7 days for optimal results. One thing we all know about Iceberg lettuce is that it truly does make a mean salad. This Fire-Charred Iceberg Salad takes a unique spin on that fresh flavor we all know and love, while providing a smokiness to shake things up. Learn how to make this easy dish below! Fire-Charred Iceberg Salad Ingredients head of Iceberg Lettuce (cut into 4 wedges) 2 Red Tomatoes (cut in half) Olive oil Salt & pepper, to taste Red wine vinegar, for drizzle cup garlic croutons Directions. Heat outside grill to 350 F. 2. Spray inside of Mesh Grill-Top Chefs Pan with cooking spray. Add Tomatoes to grill basket and place basket on hot grill. Grill Tomatoes for 5 minutes or until tomatoes begin to char, but remain firm. Remove Tomatoes from basket and set aside Tomatoes. 3. Add Lettuce wedges to grill basket and place over hot grill and char lettuce for about 5 minutes, turning often with tongs. Once Lettuce is charred, return Tomatoes to basket along with croutons, salt and pepper and drizzle olive oil over vegetables. Return to hot grill and heat all contents for about 2 minutes. 4. Plate salad and drizzle with red wine vinegar to taste and serve. Weather SOUTHEAST: A mixed pattern will settle in over the next 5 days. No major changes until next week. COACHELLA: Plenty of sunshine and optimal growing conditions over the next 7 days. HERMOSILLO: Plenty of sunshine and optimal growing conditions for the next 7 to 0 days. CENTRAL COAST: Subtle changes over the next week and a gradual cool down. A return to a normal fall weather pattern. Transportation Trucks are in good supply in California, Arizona, Washington and Texas. Freight rates are firm. Availability has tightened in Florida and Eastern Oregon. Fruits & Vegetables Avocados: We are seeing higher volume crossing through Mexico. We expect a stable market through December. Quality is very good and expect a shift over the next several weeks to larger-sized fruit. FOB prices are backing down this week.

3 Bananas: Demand and quality are good and inventories are unchanged this week. Grapes: Weather has started to cool down, so the days are shorter and volumes are dropping. Quality is good on the Reds. These are the varieties that are available: Scarlet Royals, Red Globes, Autumn Kings, Autumn Royals and Scarlet Royals. Greens are winding down, quality is off, and we are starting to see more ambering and waterberry. Kiwi: Shipments are for the most part finished out of Chile. What is in storage will be it for the season. Still looking for California to begin harvesting over the next several weeks. Markets remain very active with limited availability on the horizon. Quality is still very nice. Berries Blueberries: Blueberry availability will be getting better with imports and other markets starting up. Quality is good. Blackberries: Blackberries are average in volume. Quality is average to good. Raspberries: Volume is light and quality is a little overripe. Strawberries: The market is getting very active. We are seeing prices vary due to quality. Salinas is done and we are now transitioning to Mexican berries and Oxnard. Prices are high and we are seeing a shortage in supply. California / Arizona Citrus California navels have reached maturity and are in full swing. Most of the crop is heavy fancy. Satsumas are available and clementine s will get started by next week. Expect the lemon market to increase over the next week. Navels/Valencia s: EXTREME CA navels are available. Few Texas navels are available. Organics are available. Florida Hamlin s and navels are available. Lemons: WATCH LIST District 3 (AZ/CA desert) The desert crop, as expected, is down this year. Summertime temperatures in Yuma hit a minimum of 2 degrees for 2 days causing a lot of bloom to drop. Early estimates were that the crop was off 5-20%; it turns out the crop is off roughly 30%. D (Central Valley) has started and that crop is off as well by 0-5%. This is due to last year s El Nino rains and this summer s very hot temperatures. In a typical year, we would turn to Mexico to help us through the November crunch. Unfortunately, this is not a typical year and Mexico has finished. We all knew it was going to be tight, but not to this extent. In order to fulfill commitments, patience and flexibility is key. Switching to a touching size or standards when necessary will help get orders filled and keep the pipeline flowing. Limes: Limes are available, quality is average to good. Grapefruit: Texas grapefruit is available. Florida Star Ruby/Red is available. California Star Ruby, few available. Specialties: California satsumas are available. Few import Blood oranges are out. New Zealand Meyers are available. Fallglo Tangerines are available out of FL. Halos and Cuties will start mid-november. Pummelos are available. California Lettuce Butter: Prices are stable. Quality has improved. Green and Red Leaf: Quality has improved and prices are stable. Iceberg Lettuce: Supplies have been up this week. Prices are good. Quality is good. Romaine: Supply is good. Quality is overall fair, but improving. We are still seeing fringe burn and yellowing on the outer leaves and other heatrelated issues. Prices are good. Romaine Hearts: Supplies are good and prices have improved. Quality has improved. Most issues with quality can be peeled off. Eastern and Western Vegetables Green Bell Pepper: Pepper supplies are improving out Florida, easing the pull out of the west and gradually pushing FOB prices down. Quality in the east also has improved. Supplies out of the desert are not where they were projected to be at this point, but they are improving. There are a few peppers crossing through Nogales. Very nice quality out of the desert.

4 Red Bell Pepper: Now shipping through Otay and Nogales, supplies are lighter this week and markets are firming. Quality is good Yellow Pepper: Supplies are unchanged loading through Nogales. FOB prices are mostly unchanged. Mini Sweet Pepper: Supplies are tighter as heat has affected supplies in the west and crops in the east have been damaged by Irma. Markets are expected to remain firm for the remainder of the month. Eggplant: Supplies are tight as cooler weather comes to Georgia, and we anticipate Florida to scratch a few fields late next week. Good supplies in the west loading in Coachella and Nogales is expected to begin over the next 7 to 0 days. Markets remain firm across the country. English Cucumber: Supplies are very tight and expected to remain this way until greenhouse production in Mexico ramps up over the next week. Markets will remain firm this week. Cucumbers: Georgia supplies remain steady and we expect Florida to ramp up over the next week. Quality has improved out of Georgia. Markets are mostly unchanged. Supplies have tightened out of Baja and McAllen while supplies are improving Nogales. Pole Cucumber quality out of the shade houses in Mexico is gorgeous; dark green fruit with very little blemish or defect. Green Beans: EXTREME Supplies are improving and we anticipate markets to drop over the next 7 to 0 days as production ramps up in Florida. Continuing quality problems in the west will keep supplies tight and markets firm in the west. Nogales should start crossing some product this week or early next. Zucchini and Yellow Squash: South Georgia and Florida supplies are steady. Cooler temps this weekend will slow Georgia production significantly. Quality is mostly good out of Georgia and excellent out of Florida. FOB prices are steady. In the west, conditions continue to be favorable, quality is good and markets are down. Nogales supply is outstanding and now available. Herbs Our herb plants will take a little longer to grow to maturity due to the weather, but we are not anticipating any issues. ROSEMARY: This herb is in short supply due to quality. The rosemary is very dry for this time of year due to the heat and winds that we had over the past several weeks. BASIL: This herb is in steady supply but we are starting to see some mildew coming out of the fields in Mexico. We will be keeping an eye on this going forward. All other herbs are in good supply and quality. MINT and PARSLEY are looking very good as well as our fresh CHIVE program. HERB SUPPLIES QUALITY COUNTRY OF ORIGIN Arugula Good Good USA Basil Good Good USA/MEXICO Opal Basil Good Good USA/MEXICO Thai Basil Good Good USA/MEXICO Bay Leaves Good Good COLUMBIA Chervil Good Good USA Chives Good Good USA/MEXICO Cilantro Good Good USA Dill Good Good USA/MEXICO Episode Good Good MEXICO Lemongrass Good Good USA Marjoram Good Good USA Mint Good Good USA Oregano Good Good USA Italian Parsley Good Good USA

5 Rosemary Limited Good USA Sage Good Good USA/MEXICO Savory Good Good USA Sorrel Good Good USA Tarragon Good Good MEXICO Thyme Good Good USA Lemon Thyme Good Good USA Lavender Good Good USA Lime Leaves Good Good USA Hora Santa Good Good USA Melons Cantaloupe: Cantaloupe supplies are steady with sizing peaking on 5/8s. Larger fruit (9s) remains limited. This sizing profile is expected to remain over the next few weeks out of the desert. Domestic honeydew: ESCALATED Production remains limited especially on larger sizes. Supplies crossing through Nogales have increased over the past week which has helped stabilize the market overall. We do not anticipate much of a change on the domestic dews over the next 7-0 days. Update on offshore melon arrivals: Limited supplies are expected into Pompano early next week with supplies anticipated to increase by /7 and /20 arrivals. Watermelon: The Westside region will continue to have supply through the middle of October while production in the Midwest is winding down. Seed varieties used in the fall for the past few seasons have been expanded, as they proved to be resistant to cooler weather that hits that region in October. Central Arizona should be ready in early October. Markets have firmed up due to lighter volume this week. Guatemala started planting last week with an early to mid-november start expected. Mixed Vegetables Artichokes: Steady market with higher prices. Quality is good. Arugula: Supplies are low for baby and wild. Quality is fair. Prices are rising. Asparagus: Good supply, prices are back to normal and quality is good. Bok Choy: Quality is good and we are seeing some higher quotes on WGA cartons. Broccoli / Broccoli Florets: ESCALATED Supplies are average. Quality is average with some heat damage. Prices are still high and expected to get higher. Brussels Sprouts: Very high prices and tighter supplies remain but are leveling out. Quality is improving. We expect improvement in about 2 to 3 weeks. Carrots: EXTREME Due to the heat and rain, we are seeing some quality issues and a shortage on jumbo supplies as well as tables and cellos. Cauliflower: ESCALATED The fields are growing at a very slow rate. We are seeing a shortage in supply and an increase in price. Celery: We are starting to see prices rise. Supplies are bit lighter. Corn: Sweet corn is very tight as Hurricane Irma has shown its effect. This shortage should last for at least two weeks with slight relief around the 20 th of the month. One larger grower does not anticipate going until December st. Cilantro: Quality is improving. Steady supply and good prices. Fennel: Supplies for the week will be good and quality is good. Garlic: EXTREME We just finished our 207 harvest this week. We have fortunately harvested our most normal crop since 204. Our yields were

6 pretty much as expected, nothing extraordinary, but a good crop of garlic. Presently, demand for domestic garlic still exceeds supply. Ginger: Chinese ginger supplies have tightened up putting upward pressure on prices across the country. This is still a better dollar value than ginger from Hawaii, Brazil, Thailand and Costa Rica. Green Cabbage: Supply is good on both coasts, quality is good. Green Onions: Iced Prices are average, quality has improved with some heat related damage. Iceless This market is steady and we are seeing heatrelated quality issues, but they have improved. We always see this commodity get tighter around Thanksgiving. JICAMA: Normal prices and quality is good. Kale (Green): Demand is steady and quality has improved. Supplies are steady. Mache: Availability is adequate. Mushrooms: ESCALATED Mushroom growers have suffered damage in the South and Southeast, as well as Puerto Rico. Hurricane Harvey and Irma have resulted in a tightening market, and the American Mushroom Institute said it expects supply to be affected for several months. Napa: Supplies are normal. Quality is good. Parsley (Curly, Italian): Prices are stable and quality has improved. Steady supply. Radishes: Quality is good and supply is slowing down. Expect to see stronger markets through the summer. Red Cabbage: Quality and sizing have been great with good color. Market is stable. Snow and Sugar Snap Peas: ESCALATED Snow and sugar snap peas are in high demand and markets are extremely tight. Spinach (Bunched): Supply is good and quality has improved. Spinach (Baby): Baby and clipped spinach supplies are good. Quality has improved. Spring Mix: Supplies are good and quality has improved. Onions: All indications are showing that supplies are significantly shorter than previous seasons. Although pricing has slightly dipped, it is likely that we will see pricing remain elevated as demand exceeds supplies. While sizing continues to be a challenge, we are starting to see some improvement. Sizing is peaking mostly on mediums and jumbos with fewer big onions. We can expect that this will continue to get better as we transition from the harvest onions into storage onions, but even with this, it is likely that we will see pricing on large onions remain elevated this season and supplies to remain tight. Potatoes: It appears demand on consumers is in a demand exceeds status. This is to be fairly expected with the Thanksgiving holiday right around the corner. Demand on the larger count cartons is moderate with the smaller counts showing very good demand. As most are well aware, we are experiencing higher pricing on the smaller counts and we expect this to continue. The difficulty that the shipping community and end users are dealing with at this time is the uncertainty of rail cars. This situation is putting a very difficult strain on the truck transportation end of this business. The demand on trucks is very close to demand exceeds. We can expect this to continue up to the week of Thanksgiving. Please note the government will release numbers on acreage and yields soon, and we will aim to provide you with this information next week. TOMATO WEATHER UPDATE EAST WEST AND MEXICO ACT OF GOD As we transition into southern Florida for the fall and winter tomato programs, we are witnessing the situation we have all been aware was coming for some time now. On September 0, 207, Hurricane Irma devastated several growing districts throughout Florida with winds over 00 miles an hour and catastrophic flooding. This weather event is currently impacting harvest of all vegetable items in the Ruskin/ Palmetto region resulting in extreme yield deficits coming from the fields. In addition to this event in the east, we are seeing major issues on the horizon in the Baja with grape tomatoes and round tomatoes. In October and September, we saw major swings in temperatures that affected the bloom and pollination process causing very low production numbers. This in addition to a shorter California seasons has caused major shortages across the entire category.

7 TOMATOES- EAST Rounds: ACT OF GOD Local programs are now done for the season. Ruskin/Palmetto are seeing major supply shortfalls and we are seeing a demand exceeds supply condition. We do not expect to see any major changes until the last week of November. For product that is available, quality is good and FOB prices have increased another 3 to 5 dollars. Romas: WATCH LIST Local programs are done for the season. We are seeing supply gaps between growing districts in North Florida which is driving demand to the west. Markets have firmed and are expected to continue to rise. Grapes: ACT OF GOD Local programs are now done for the season. Ruskin/Palmetto are seeing major supply shortfalls and we are seeing a demand exceeds supply condition. For product that is available, quality is good; however, FOB prices have continued to increase as no relief will be in sight through November to possibly the middle of December. Cherries: ACT OF GOD Local programs are now done for the season. Ruskin/Palmetto are seeing major supply shortfalls and we are seeing a demand exceeds supply condition. We do not expect to see any major changes until the last week of November. For product that is available, quality is good. TOMATOES- WEST AND MEXICO Rounds: ACT OF GOD Vine-ripe production is low this week crossing through Otay and McAllen. California is now done for the season. We are seeing major shortfalls due to this void in production as well as an increase pull from the east due to the supply GAPS in Florida. We do not expect to see any relief until the third week of November. FOB prices have increased an additional 3 to 5 dollars. Romas: WATCH LIST Supplies are steady through Otay and McAllen as newer shade houses are open and being harvested. Volume is expected to increase this week. California production is done for the season. Quality is good. Grapes: ACT OF GOD Crossings are at all-time lows this week due to bloom drop and supply GAPS in all Baja districts. Cherries: ACT OF GOD We are seeing a demand exceeds supply condition this week and expect no relief until the third week of November. APPLES & PEARS Apples: PROMOTIONAL VOLUME AVAILABLE ON FOOD SERVICE/SMALL SIZED FRUIT! New crop now available we are seeing the pressure on the market decrease and shortages diminish. Excellent quality available on all varieties; however, we are seeing less production of Golden Delicious as the trees are being pulled and replaced with more favorable varieties. Please make note that volume orders on food service grade apples must be pre-booked to ensure they are not packed with PLU stickers. Pears: Still good availability on Golds out of California while we see good supply available on Bartlett and D Anjou out of the Pacific Northwest.

Weekly Market Review

Weekly Market Review August 3, 207 Overview Lemons are still in a very EXTREME MARKET and we are seeing a shortage in supply with oranges as well. Asparagus is also escalated on larger sizes. Lettuce is