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Fresh Produce

We take pride in our produce.  From apples to zucchini, you can see the quality when you open that box!

At Cash-Wa, we buy our produce direct from the growers, so you know your product will be fresh.

We belong to one of the leading produce cooperatives in the nation, Promark.

Cash-Wa is your produce specialists.

ATTENTION PRODUCE SAFETY:

Although the recent outbreak from tainted melons does not involve any Cash-wa products we would still like to provide our customers with this short training video and the following two valuable links to useful government documents regarding food safety.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns/safety/pdf/best_practices.pdf

http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm114299

 

PRODUCE FOR THE WEEK of JANUARY 8, 2012

Weather Report

Freezing temperatures did go through some of the growing areas of Florida early Wednesday morning [1-4-11], which ranged from 24 to 29 degrees. Areas of Florida that are south and on the Gulf Side of Florida remained above freezing. Dry conditions dominate California and the desert growing area this week with coastal dense fog. Lows are in the 40s and temperatures warming to mid-70s to upper 70s.  

 

LETTUCE  

Lettuce -- Supplies will be light this week. Expect to see 2-3 leaves with peel and slight discoloration. Overall color will be paler and outer leaves will be trimmed for clean-up.

 

Leaf Lettuce -- 

This is what Megan [River Ranch] has been telling us about in her daily updates.  Thanks to Jared [Fresh Network], for the pic. Supplies of high-quality lettuces are extremely limited. Due to an industry-wide shortage of high-quality lettuce items, we regret that some products containing romaine and green leaf may not live up to the strict standards you've come to expect. Yuma Arizona-the primary winter growing region for the above-mentioned U.S. crops-has experienced recent severe frost and cold temperatures. The most common defect resulting from these conditions is epidermal peeling (a condition where dew freezes on the plant, blisters the leaves, breaks open, and often turns the area brown). We expect to be in epidermal peel for 2-3 weeks in the levels we are seeing now with gradual decreases in percentages over the next 4-5 weeks provided no further cold to freezing weather patterns.

 

Romaine --There will be light discoloration on the leaves, slight brown blister (12-14 leaves), and 36lbs per case. Supplies will be light this week, with a steady market.                

Radicchio  --   Recipes and tips are available at www.radicchio.com     Good availability, I think, but I never heard anything from any of the mayors political advisors. 

Spring Mix –  Adequate supplies, quality improving.

 

Kale -- A-vegetable-on-path-to-redemption

If there is a vegetable that deserves redemption, it may be Kale. For years, many have viewed it as a garnish, but this crunchy leafed vegetable has earned new respect among foodies, chefs and farmers. "People have run the other way from kale," says Tara Hamilton, owner of Revive Cafe, an organic raw vegan restaurant in Fresno. "But it's because they don't understand how to use it. And that is changing. "What people are learning, and what many have already known, is that kale is one of the most nutritionally dense foods you can buy. It's high in vitamins K, A and C and packed with calcium and iron. Hamilton has incorporated kale into several of her salad recipes. It has a sweet taste, and does not wilt like other salad greens, even after a few days in the refrigerator.

Although kale is known for its crunch, some like to soften the leaves with a bit of preparation. To do that, Hamilton separates the stalk from the leaves, then cuts it into bite size pieces, placing them in a bowl. She squeezes half a lemon on the leaves with a little bit of salt and massages it for a minute or two. "And I am talking a deep tissue type of massage," Hamilton said. "It's a great way to make the leaves tenderer” Others like to indulge their appetite for kale with something more savory. Tracy Newel, a contributor to the local food blog Taste Fresno recently made kale chips cooked in bacon fat. Although she admits it sort of defeats the purpose of eating a healthy green, it is tasty. A recipe for the kale chips can be found on the blog, tastefresno.com. "I am one of those people who started eating kale a long time ago, even when it was a garnish on my plate," Newel said. This time of year, several varieties of locally grown kale, including Red Russian, Blue Curled and Lacinato, can be found at farmers markets.

Kyle Reynolds, of K.M.K. Farms in Kingsburg, sells all three of those varieties at the Vineyard Farmers Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays. And he agrees that interest in kale is growing. He said many of his kale customers are buying the vegetable for the health benefits, using it in salads or for juicing. "It really is an amazing vegetable," Reynolds said. "And people are recognizing that."

TOMATOES 

 

Bulk --. Cool temperatures continue to delay the harvest of crops in Mexico.  The border crossings are still light in Nogales and McAllen.  Baja has finished for the season.  Both winter growing areas, Florida and Mexico, are projecting the effects of cold temperatures to show up in early to mid-February due to the bloom drop that will result from the chilly temperatures. As supplies of round tomatoes clean up in the next 10 days the market will trend upward by mid to late January. 

 

Roma’s --  Florida picked and ripened a considerable amount of Roma’s last week, so their current market price is favorable.  Moving into next week, this supply trend will change due to the cold and we will see their market price move upward.

 

Cherry / Grape Tomato -- Prior to this past week’s cold temperatures in Florida, the availability of grape tomatoes had tightened up and the market price has started to increase.  With the chilly temperatures of recent, the grape tomatoes are basically dormant on the plant which will cause an even bigger shortage in supplies.  The grape tomato market will continue to climb unless Mexico comes on with a lot of product.  Cherry tomato supplies have started to lighten up also.

 

  

AVOCADOS

With the upcoming Super Bowl, it is a great time to promote Avocadoes.  Prices have firmed with tightening supplies for Mexican and Chilean Hass. Production in Mexico has dropped due to rainfall and cold temperatures, in addition to a shortage of field harvest personnel. Demand is strong for holiday promotions. Late vessel arrivals from Chile have contributed to the supply deficit. Calavo has a limited supply of California new crop avocados. All shippers should have limited volume of California supplies by mid-January.   

 

BROCCOLI

Supplies look to be lighter this week as weather remains cooler in Yuma affecting production. Quality will remain strong with good color and condition.

Brussel Sprouts:

There is a new trend in the sprout industry. Shippers are beginning to size what goes into the box.  In the past all sizes from small to jumbos were packed.  Now, you can request small, medium, large or jumbo.  Demand for consistent sizing is growing.

 

CARROTS

Steady availability in California for all sizes expected through January.

 

CAULIFLOWER 

Supplies will be light due to weather keeping production down.  Availability is expected to be moderate throughout the week in Yuma. Growers are continuing to deal with brown spotting and yields have been affected.  In that there is plenty of inventory, it is a good time to bring offers. 

 

CELERY

Santa Maria as well as Oxnard looks to be the main areas of production. The quality is good with no major issues to report at this time. Suppliers are willing to take product to Yuma for an extra charge. With the recent colder ground temperatures, expect perhaps a little less product, and this market could gain some strength.

 

POTATOES

A little strength in the mid-range sizes of Norkotah’s and across the board in the Burbank’s.  Demand is very good to start the week and production will on the light side, so make sure and get orders in early so we can cover all of your needs, reports Dominic of Wada Farms.

 

Idaho Norkotah’s are mostly steady but more limited this week as most suppliers are packing Burbank’s. Idaho Burbank’s are also mostly steady but the peak size is now a 70-count so the smaller counts are now generally less than the larger. Because of the holiday the larger count Burbank’s are limited this week.

 

ONIONS

January is Onion Lovers Month, if you check with Dominic or Chris, they will be able to get you a deal.  Yellow onions are steady to lower in all areas. Both Idaho/Oregon & Washington will still discount for volume orders. Colorado still has a few yellows but supplies are light. The yellow quality has been excellent in all areas

 

BELL PEPPERS/CUCUMBERS/SQUASH                   

 Green Bell  --  Prices have advanced sharply due to a shortfall in production caused by near-freezing temperatures and a moderate decline in production volume from Mexico. We expect this price spike to be short-lived; it appears that growers in Florida have escaped any major damage from the freeze, and favorable weather conditions have developed this week in Mexico.

Red Bell Peppers  -- With product coming out of Mexico, supplies should pick up next week. 

 

Cucumbers -- Lighter supplies across the board. Market is creeping up as demand exceeds current availability, market will return to normal levels just as soon as the weather does.

 

Apples

Demand has returned to normal following the holiday slowdown. Prices remain steady for storage crop apples and pears. Better availability on trucks this week. Size profile currently favors smaller sizes. The late harvest, combined with cool fall temperatures, have resulted in smaller sizes overall. Large sizes (72, 56, 48) command premium prices. Good availability on all new crop varieties, including Braeburn, Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith and Red Delicious…also Braeburn; Bartlett, Bosc and D’Anjou pears.

 

 

     Oranges         Lemon

Orange Grove Workers Getting Nervous about Cold Temperatures

As we were beginning to look at the markets to determine what would appear in this week’s edition of Pro News, we received a call from Pro Mark President Ron Dierks who informed there was a cold weather front moving into place; and that growers were taking the necessary precautions.  Channel 13 news in central Florida offered the below report.

 

Citrus growers are worried about the Florida Freeze and the impact it could have on the $10 billion industry here in the state.  Every tree at Showcase of Citrus in Lake County has its own micro sprinkler. The irrigation system can help create a thin layer of ice that actually helps protect the fruit and the tree. 

Growers in Central Florida mostly escaped damage Monday night, as the weather conditions that made it brutal to be out overnight, actually helped protect fruit.  “The conditions for the moisture to settle out of the atmosphere just wasn’t there we had some really gusty conditions last night which were good to keep frost off,” Showcase of Citrus owner John Arnold said. The arctic air invaded Florida after a month of unseasonably warm temperatures.  Though it was good for people picking their own fruit at Showcase of Citrus, it’s actually made some of the grove’s trees more vulnerable than ever.  “You’ve got growth going on, blossoms going on, bees that are starting to get ready to pollinate but we are still in the middle of January," Arnold said. "Trees are not dormant and we’ve got cold weather coming.”  Arnold tested the irrigation system on young lemon trees Tuesday. He’s concerned with protecting both blooms and fruit already on trees. The goal is to have systems hitting the north side of the tree creating the proper thin insulated layer of ice.  Getting the pumps on at all the groves can take several hours. Arnold knows temperatures can change in a matter of minutes and the difference in a couple degrees can have a big effect on his business. “The air in the orange grove, we can raise the temperature up as much as five degrees and that can be the difference between having next year's crop or not,” Arnold said. The critical temperature for oranges is generally 28 degrees for at least four hours.  However, if it doesn’t get too cold and damage the fruit or those early blooming trees, it could actually stop more trees from blooming now. If the trees wait until spring to bloom, growers aren’t risking losing two years’ worth of crops.

 

Meanwhile in the west, Navels are in good supplies.  Sizes are peaking 88-72-113-56 with a few 48’s & 138’s.  Heavy to fancy grade.  This market is stable.  The desert is in good production of lemons.  Sizing is peaking 140-115-95.  165 and smaller are very tight and the market is advancing on small sizes.  Quality is very good.  Rio grapefruit is available in the desert.  Satsuma’s and Clementine’s are available now, as are Meyer Lemons. 

 

LIMES

Lime quality is getting better on the smaller limes; however the larger sizes are not looking as good. The “deals” you are hearing about are on older fruit, [no doubt with some quality issues], and not a lot of volume available.  Over all supplies of limes are good, but we are seeing smaller limes (200's - 250's) being sold out by mid-day.  Buy early!  There have been some delays this week as most growers are just getting back to harvesting with arrivals being Thursday and Friday into the states.

 

GRAPES

California grapes are winding down rapidly and making way for new crop Chilean arrivals to the west coast. Red and green seedless are arriving daily to a marketplace in the mid to low 20’s. Quality and condition are very good and there is plenty of fruit to promote. Red globes continue to be in lighter supply. East coast arrivals continue and markets have eased into the mid to lower 20’s. We have snack pack available in Parlier.

 

STRAWBERRIES

Production is on the increase for Mexican strawberry growers. Florida has experienced some overnight freezes so production will be light there until next week. Prices have eased somewhat, while proprietary variety berries continue to command a premium.  Strawberry availability overall has improved significantly

 

Strawberry season is just beginning in Florida. But some farmers fear the cold weather could sink the whole season.  With well over 35, each yielding multiple strawberries, on 15 acres of land, Pappy's Patch in East Seminole County has a lot at stake here. Workers have been busy since early Monday morning, making changes to their irrigation system, hoping they can fight off a potential frost and save tens of thousands of dollars just in this strawberry farm alone. Tim Mintor, who manages this berry farm, says up until now warmer temperatures this season have provided beautiful plants, a promising crop. The kind of good break Mintor’s been banking on.  “We just had back to back freezes and it kept freezing the bloom off the fruit,” Mintor said.  A heavy frost could wipe out the crop. But having learned from past experiences, Mintor says this time he's ready to fight back. “We came over and switched all that irrigation over today, so if we have a heavy frost we can turn the water on and wash that frost off,” Mintor said.

 

MANGOES  

There is a host of Mango information available at: www.mango.org  Todd has informed us we are in a demand exceeds market for both Ecuador Tommy’s and Hayden’s.  . Large sizes are hard to find with mostly smaller mangoes coming into port.

 

MELONS  

Honey Dews -- Moderate availability for honeydews from Guatemala. Small sizes from shippers in Nogales represent the best value; best quality from Southern Mexico.

 Cantaloupe --  They are transitioning growing regions right now from Guatemala to Honduras. Product this week and into next will be more limited so getting orders in early is recommended. For all practical purposes, Mexico is finished, so all of the fruit is from off shore.  Quality reports from Harold have been good.