Posts Tagged “New Jersey blueberry shipments”
Over 100 varieties of fruits and vegetables are grown and shipped from New Jersey, mostly from the Southern part of the state. Here’s a round up of what is being loaded for distribution, as well as what will be available in the weeks and months ahead.
New Jersey Produce Shipments
New Jersey has 11 primary fresh vegetables: Tomatoes, sweet corn, peppers, cabbage, cucumbers, lettuce, spinach, eggplant, escarole, snap beans, and asparagus. Jersey’s top five principal fruits are strawberries, blueberries, peaches, apples and cranberries (for processing).
New Jersey vegetable shipments: The Garden state already has been shipping early season spinach, collards, beets, radishes, escarole/endive, Swiss chard, lettuces and herbs such as parsley, dill, coriander and cilantro. Asparagus loadings got underway in late April. Cabbage, pickles and turnip shipments started at the end of May.
Beginning in June and July
Cucumbers and squash will start in mid-June. While sweet corn and tomatoes have normally started by July 4th, neither may have much volume by then this year, due to colder weather moving back the harvest.
Minor quantities of early New Jersey blueberry shipments should be starting the third week of June, with good volume by the end of June. In 2014, New Jersey produced about 8,800 acres of berries yielding about 56.7 million pounds — fifth in the nation.
July to Mid September Shipments
Yellow New Jersey peach shipments should start the third week of July, with fair volume by early August. Larger volume varieties should begin by the early August. Good yellow peachvolume is expected by mid-August through mid-September. White peach volume begins in the third week of August through mid-September. About 150 peach producers grew 44 million pounds of peaches on 4,600 acres in New Jersey in 2014 — ranking fourth in the nation.
Here’s a glimpse of loading opportunities around the country ranging from New Jersey blueberries to Washington state stone fruit and apples, as well as peaches and vegetables from Georgia. Finally, California’s San Joaquin Valley grapes have gotten an early start.
Hammonton, New Jersey calls itself the “Blueberry Capital of the World” because of the heavy volume typically shipped each year. New Jersey blueberry shipments just got underway last week and volume should build rapidly. Total shipments in 2014 could be similar to a year ago, when it totaled 65 million pounds.
Washington state cherry shipments are moving into good volume from the Yakima and Wenachee Valleys. Cherries out of the Northwest (mostly Washington) should total 20 to 22 million boxes this season, not that far off of the record setting shipments of 23 million boxes in 2012…..Other stone fruit shipments, led by peaches, will get underway in July. Peak volume for loadings are expected between mid August to mid September. Good volume, similar to a year ago, is forecast at this time…..Meanwhile, 2013-14 apple shipments continue, averaging over 1,900 truckload equivalents per week.
In California, grape shipments from the Southern San Joaquin Valley started in a light way about a week ago. Volume is increasing from this area known as the Arvin District, which is near Bakersfield.
Sweet onion shipments have started in Washington state from the Walla Walla area. Walla Walla onion shipments come off of 700 acres and typically amount to about 400,000 40-pound cartons per year.
Georgia peaches are about to take off. It’s been a slow start, but as we enter July expect this to be a good month for loading opportunities with peaches out of the Fort Valley area. July should be an active month for Georgia mixed vegetables from central and southern areas. There also are Vidalia sweet onions being shipped from storages.
Georgia mixed vegetables – grossing about $2700 to Chicago.
Washington apples – grossing about $7200 to New York City.
New Jersey continues to be one of the leading states for produce shipments, particularly to destinations east of the Mississippi River and into eastern Canada.
A cold wet spring has delayed maturity and harvest of Jersey vegetables up to three weeks this spring. However, items such as baby spinach, arugula and spring mix got started a couple of weeks ago. As June closes out there should be loadings available with peppers, cucumbers, squash, eggplant and tomatoes, among other items.
Some other New Jersey produce shipments are lettuce, cabbage, corn, parlsey, cilantrol, beans, as well as blueberries and peaches.
New Jersey blueberry shipments should get underway in light volume about June 19th. Peaches will be coming on a few weeks later.
Most New Jersey produce originates out of the Southern part of the state from rural areas such as Vineland, Cedarville and Hammonton.