Fresh is Everything Produce and Seasonal Trends
Today What is happening in the produce world right now? Calendar for the year and menu planning Affordable seasonal produce; Fun and creative Ideas Questions
The Produce World in November 2017 Transition of the major growing area from Salinas, CA to Yuma, AZ Normally comes with quality challenges Watch your chopped lettuce items closely; keep tight inventory Church Brothers: The Move A lot of items moving offshore, which means off-dod Watermelon long gone Cantaloupe and Honeydew Grapes Plums Lowest point in the year for DOD availability
Oranges What is Looking Good? Clementines (will appear on DOD December 4) Outlook for west coast vegetable items is not totally clear, but stable at the moment: Lettuces Broccoli Cauliflower
A Little More About Oranges We ve heard about Florida devastation, but Navels Oranges primarily from CA; will there be an osmosis effect? Price creep likely due to less acreage and yield Expect to pay more for Oranges on average for the next 2-3 years Window of availability may shrink Not necessarily the same impact on Clementines
Orange Commodity Yield
Tomatoes Sketchy Commodities Hurricane Irma devastated Florida, and the effect is cycling through the commodities, started with Beans, now onto Tomatoes Consider Plum Tomatoes to save money ($0.16 per serving versus $0.28 for round tomatoes) Strawberries (due to be activated Dec. 4) Scary due to Florida being unreliable If US supply gets bad, what does your distributor do, short you?
Returning from Break Focus on Citrus: (Oranges roughly $0.20PS; no labor) Kiwi: Always affordable: $0.45PS Banana Singles: $0.15PS Potatoes Jicama Tomatoes should be okay
Return from break-march Type Feature De-Emphasize Avoid Fruit Oranges (Navel) Strawberries Grapes Fruit Clementines Melons Fruit Grapefruit, Tangelos, all Citrus Stone Fruit Veg Potatoes Celery Corn (Fresh) Veg Jicama Squash Veg Tomatoes Peppers
April-June Type Feature De-Emphasize Avoid Fruit Strawberries Granny & Golden Apples Stone Fruit Fruit Blackberries & Blueberries Pears Fruit Melons Clementines Veg Arugula & Spinach Beets & Root Vegetables Brussels Sprouts Veg Beans Squash Veg Cauliflower & Broccoli
August-mid September Type Feature De-Emphasize Avoid Fruit Honeydew, Cantaloupe, Watermelon Oranges (Valencia) Clementines Fruit Plums Grapefruit Granny Smith Apples Fruit Strawberries and Blueberries Pears Avocado Veg Cucumbers Beets & Root Vegetables Brussels Sprouts Veg Peppers Potatoes Asparagus Veg Squash (Yellow and Zucchini) Onions
Late-September-winter break Type Feature De-Emphasize Avoid Fruit Golden and Granny Apples Oranges (Valencia) (go with Navels around Halloween) Blueberries Fruit Pears Stone Fruit (Plums, Peaches) Mangoes Fruit Red Grapes Strawberries Veg Squash Broccoli & Cauliflower Corn (Fresh) Veg Carrots Romaine Veg Beets & Root Vegetables Tomatoes
Conclusions Look at your calendar in 4 blocks: August mid September Menu variety Creative and exciting things for return to school Local Late September-winter break Heavy on Apples, still get lots of variety Pears and Grapes Be sure to wind down reliance on west coast vegetable Return from break-march Citrus time! Lean on Root Vegetables April-June Variety is back End school with a bang; try new things!
Fruits Red Apple Varieties Banana Singles Kiwi Pineapples Vegetables: Common Threads Cabbage and Kale (supplement your salads) Arcadian Harvest
Always Have A Backup Plan
Baby Kale Full Year: Use in Salads: $0.17-$0.20 per serving
Rainbow Baby Peeled Carrots Full Year: $0.21-$0.26 per serving
Kumquats November-January: $0.60-$0.65 per serving
Cocktail Heirloom Tomatoes September-October: $0.30-$0.35 per serving
November-May: $0.45-$0.50 per serving Parsnips
February-April: $0.17-$0.22 per serving Tangelos
February-April: $0.20-$0.25 per serving Kohlrabi
March-May: $0.45-$0.50 per serving Rainbow Cauliflower
March-May: $0.45-$0.50 per serving Pea Pods
Romanesco September, October: $0.50-$0.55 per serving
Starfruit September-February: $0.35-$0.40 per serving
How Creative Can You Be?
Fresh is Everything