It is springtime in the Santa Maria Valley and a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables are being shipped.
Babe Farms of Santa Maria, CA will have a good selection of specialty root vegetables, baby head lettuces, friseé, fennel, celery root and Baby Butter Cakes lettuces.
The company reports mostly favorable weather resulting in good condition and quality on all of its products.
Beachside Produce LLC, of Nipomo, CA is known for its broccoli crowns but also grows cauliflower, celery, cello lettuce and a full line of Western vegetables as well as a variety of Asian vegetables in a partnership with Pismo-Oceano Vegetable Exchange of Oceano, CA
Above average rainfall has disrupted some of the growing season, but weather improvements is getting the season back on a more predictable track.
Corona Marketing of Santa Maria is loading strawberries as well as squash, chili peppers (starting in July) and green beans this spring. Overall volume is expected to be similar to a year ago.
Pacific Coast Produce of Santa Maria began strawberry shipments in March and will continue into the summer.
Pacific Coast Produce started its summer vegetable program, which consists of eight kinds of chili peppers and includes conventional and organic green and yellow squash, in early May and continues through November.
The company’s core products are broccoli, celery and cauliflower. Quality is excellent on all commodities, and volume will be similar to last year.
Gold Coast Packing Inc. of Santa Maria specializes in value-added items, ranging from small-format 12-ounce packs of broccoli florets to 2-pound packages of items that are more specific for retail.
Gold Coast also is developing salad kits for retailers. That program was launched last summer with Costco with a Better Than a Burger salad kit.
The company also offers broccoli florets, cauliflower florets, spinach, Brussels sprouts, cilantro and various product blends.
California’s Santa Maria growing area includes up to 50,000 acres of farmland in the Santa Maria Valley, which is made up of acreage in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, and additional land outside the valley.
Commodities are led by Strawberries, followed by cauliflower, broccoli, lettuce and avocados. There has been a decrease in vegetable acres planted in recent years and an increase in strawberries,