Author Archive
Virginia vegetable shipments and Oregon blueberries are about to start, while Salinas lettuce is emerging from a shipping gap.
Virginia potato shipments of round whites in Lower Northampton are scheduled to begin about June 20, while reds, russets and yellows will start approximately one week later. Loadings will be in full force by early July. Virginia growers typically produce between 3,000 to 4,000 acres of potatoes each season.
Most Virginia potato shipments are destined for receivers throughout the Northeast when whose areas are not producing. When the potato season is completed in the south, Virginia spud loadings are redirected there. Some potatoes, depending on market conditions every year, are distributed in Canada.
One of Virginia largest potato shippers is Dublin Farms in Horntown. Founded in 1876, the family operation grows and ships 12 to 15 loads daily from late June through mid August with primarily white, red and yellow potatoes.
Other produce shipments have been increasing in Virginia led by tomatoes and green beans. C&E Farms in Cheriton, VA is one of the nation’s largest shippers of green beans and also has farming operations in Pennsylvania and Florida.
Virginia’s three major tomato operations, Lipman Family Farms, Pacific Tomato Growers and Del Monte are expected to ship about the same volumes of round, Roma, grape, cherry and heirloom tomatoes from late June through September.
Oregon Blueberry Shipments
Oregon blueberry shipments got underway with light volume this week from the Willamette Valley. Good volume is expected the week of June 13th and will continue into the last half of July.
The state of Oregon is one of the largest blueberry shipping states in the country behind Michigan, New Jersey, Georgia, California and Washington.
Salinas Lettuce Shipments
Following a chaotic growing season resulting in shipping gaps, Salinas lettuce shipments are back on track with relatively steady volume from week to week. Head lettuce is averaging more than 1250 truck loads per week, while romaine shipments are exceeding 800 loads.
Salinas lettuce shipments – grossing about $6800 to New York City.
Good volume and produce loading opportunities are expected leading into celebrating our nation’s independence. Here’s a look at a number of fruits and vegetables that are popular Fourth of July items.
Cherry Shipments
A 4 percent drop in cherry shipments is estimated from the previous 19.8 million boxes. Loadings now appear to be more like 18.4 million boxes. About 10 million boxes of cherries will be shipped during June and almost 8 million in July.
The decline is due to a compression with the bloom period, so there will be compression in harvest. This will translate into fewer days for shipments.
Loadings for the East Coast should be especially heavy the week of Father’s Day for July 4 and Canada Day on July 1. Heavy volume will continue the first half of July.
Berry Shipments
Northwest blueberry shipments will be heavy, especially for the Fourth of July. This also in the time with initial loadings will start for Michigan blueberries.
In California’s Watsonville and Salinas district, strawberry shipments were not hurt by the cool weather that resulted in quality issues with some vegetables.
Peak Watsonville strawberry shipments and other berries are occurring and will continue into mid-July. Weekly fresh strawberry volumes exceeded 7 million trays in May, roughly on par with last year.
Blueberry, blackberry and raspberry shipments are a little early out of the Pacific Northwest.
Sweet Corn Shipments
Georgia sweet corn volume should be light through mid-June but begin increasing significantly by June 17th through the Fourth of July. Normal shipments are seen leading into the Fourth of July.
The majority of the nation’s sweet corn shipments leading up the Fourth, originate from Georgia
Watermelon Shipments
Georgia should begin shipping watermelons in big volume by June 15th.
Rain-caused losses in Texas, the end of Nogales, Ariz., (Mexican) season and the tail end of central Florida shipments. All of these factors will mean excellent loading opportunities for Georgia watermelon shipments.
South Carolina should start watermelon loadings by June 24th, while North Carolina will get underway by June 29th.
mrw
The new 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend most Americans consume 2.5 cups of vegetables a day, a goal almost 9 out of 10 Americans are not meeting (i). But research coming out of the Illinois Institute of Technology and presented at the 2016 Experimental Biology Conference April 2-6 in San Diego, Calif shows that canned tomatoes may be a good gateway vegetable to help people meet these veggie goals.
The study, which looked at 21 adults’ vegetable consumption, found that participants who were encouraged to add either one cup of Hunt’s tomatoes or one cup of raw vegetables to their diets both increased their total vegetable intake during the study. When eating canned tomatoes, participants increased their intake to 2.28 cups, just shy of the recommended 2.5 cups a day. When adding raw vegetables, they increased it to 2.58 cups. The amounts were not statistically different from each other, but were significantly higher than starting intakes.
“It’s not news that people struggle to eat adequate vegetables,” says Britt Burton-Freeman, PhD, Associate Professor of Food Science and Nutrition, Illinois Institute of Technology. “This research showed that fresh isn’t the only way to meet vegetable requirements. In fact, encouraging vegetable consumption from convenient sources like canned tomatoes, tomato sauces, tomato paste and puree can help people more easily include vegetables in their diets.”
by Northwest Cherries and Washington State Fruit Commission
YAKIMA, Wash. — Northwest sweet cherries, a signature summertime fruit, are ripe and ready just in time to be the highlight of summer barbeques and Fourth of July celebrations. Since the season will be short this year, buying one bag for now and another to freeze for later usage is a great way to keep those extraordinarily sweet cherries around a little longer.
“This year will mark the earliest start of the cherry season we’ve ever seen,” said Curtis Roy, a Northwest cherry grower based in Washington state’s Yakima Valley. “We’re expecting a great crop, hitting nearly 20 million boxes, and look forward to a very fruitful June and July this season. It’ll be a shorter season this year, so if you want them to last a little longer, do like we do and freeze some for later.”
Northwest cherries are known for their exceptional and unmatched sweet flavor profile due the ideal microclimate and rich volcanic soil of the area. The Northwest is known for producing a number of regional varieties including Bing cherries, the most popular and, and the super sweet Rainiers, born at Washington State University in 1952 and named after the beautiful Mt. Rainier. Rainiers tend to ripen even earlier in the year, so customers should keep their eye out and snag these off the shelves soon.
Northwest cherries’ sweet flavor makes for a delicious snack on their own, but also a great addition to baking so bakers don’t have to add extra sugar, resulting in more healthful pies, cakes, tarts and more. Fresh cherries should be kept in a tightly sealed bag or container and will keep for approximately two weeks when refrigerated.
To freeze cherries to use throughout the year, select three to five pounds of firm, ripe cherries. After rinsing and draining, spread whole cherries with stems in a layer on a baking sheet, freezing until firm and then packing into freezer-proof containers or plastic freezer bags being sure to remove excess air and cover tightly. Another option is to dry sugar pack your cherries by adding 1/3 cup sugar for each pint of pitted or unpitted fresh sweet cherries, fill freezer container or bags, shaking to pack the fruit and covering tightly and freeze. Throw frozen cherries into smoothies or defrost and put in pies, turnovers and more.
For more information on sweet Northwest Cherries, seasonal and preservation recipes, health information and more, visit www.nwcherries.com.
About Northwest Cherries and Washington State Fruit Commission
Washington State Fruit Commission is a growers’ organization funded by fruit assessments to increase awareness and consumption of regional stone fruits. The organization is dedicated to the promotion, education, market development, and research of soft fruits from Northwest orchards.
Chilean citrus imports, primarily through ports at Philadelphia and Los Angeles will be good in June or July, although heaviest imports will occur from mid-August through October with mandarins and navels. South African imports also look good.
Mandarin volume from Chile is expected to be up 39% over last year to 63,267 tons.
That growth will fuel the second half of Chile’s easy peeler export season, which starts in late August.
Clementines, which most retailers start seeing in May, are estimated to be up 13% to 32,816 tons.
Clementines and lemons from the South American nation started about three weeks earlier than last year. Up to the week of May 2, Chile had shipped 102,000 boxes of clementines to the U.S.
In 2015, exports of all citrus items to North America reached record levels of 165,000 tons, or about 81% of all exports.
In easy peelers, Chile surpassed 55% market share last year in the U.S.
Easy peeler volume from Chile should continue to see double-digit growth. Last year, it was estimated that combined clementine and mandarin volume would reach 100,000 tons over the next few years, and the estimate for this year is already very close to that. The Citrus Committee’s official 2016 estimate for easy peelers exceeds 96,000 tons.
Total global citrus exports from Chile climbed 30% in 2015, with the largest increase, 57%, attributed to mandarins.
Imported citrus at Long Beach – grossing about $3700 to Dallas.
South African Imports
The initial container vessel of the season with South African clementines arrived in the U.S. on May 18, two weeks ahead on maturity compared to last year.
South African clementines are expected to peak in June and early July, right around the Independence Day weekend. The season shkould finish a little early due to early maturity. First navel shipments are expected to arrive June 25th with peak volumes hitting the market in July and August.
Availability
South African citrus is available from late May through October. This is a good time frame as it contra-season to the domestic citrus seasons in California, Florida and Texas.
Here is an overview of availability of South African citrus varieties:
• Clementines: late May- July
• Navels: July – September
• Midknights: late September through October
• Late season mandarins: late August through Mid- October
minorRW
In the US, fresh fruit and vegetables are held to impossibly high aesthetic standards. Although the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) set standards are voluntary, stores have continued to maintain high expectations of how their fruits and vegetables should look. However, this could be set to change as a number of US startups are showing consumers that ugly is better, report UK newspaper The Guardian.
In 1917, the USDA sought to create a common trading language for potatoes as a way for buyers to understand what they were getting when they weren’t able to see the products in advance. Over the years, the standards have been criticized for unnecessarily focusing on aesthetics. For example, the green pepper has to be 90% green – so it can’t have too many traces of red or yellow.
“The US multi-colored peppers are unsellable in that context,” said JoAnne Berkenkamp, senior advocate of the food and agriculture program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group. “It’s not a valid quality issue.”
Other USDA standards are more scientific, taking into consideration maturity and shelf life. For example, the percentage of how red an apple should be is related to sugar content and how ripe it is. Even if the USDA was to relax some of its cosmetic standards, Berkenkamp doesn’t think it would move the dial much.
“Most large, national and international buyers use their own standards, which in many cases are higher than the USDA. That’s what really drives the market,” she said. “What the industry wants is in fair degree, due to what customer wants. It really comes down to customer acceptance.”
Grocers entice customers to shop at their stores by stocking gorgeous, fresh vegetables under mist and flattering light. The produce is not contorted or blemished. If it were, would consumers still buy?
“Americans are fussy on what food looks like,” said Jonathan Bloom, the author of American Wasteland. “I’d argue that it’s somewhat cultural. That’s partly because we as Americans can afford to be picky from a price standpoint but also from a volume perspective. We have so much available food.”
That’s why Sarah Vared, the interim director of Refed, says a key component in fighting food waste is consumer awareness.
“Consumers ultimately give businesses the social license to start stocking and purchasing some of these products that they might not have today,” she said. “As consumers become more aware of this issue and are asking for these products, you’ll start seeing retailers providing them.”
The largest US grocer, Walmart says it hasn’t received much consumer demand for imperfect produce. Even so, the chain is considering a pilot this year. It is keeping a close eye on an innovative experiment by its UK chain Asda. In February, Asda rolled out the “wonky vegetable box”, selling seasonal produce to feed a family of four for a week. Due to popular demand and positive social media response, Asda’s pilot expanded from 128 to 550 stores a month after its release.
Salinas Valley vegetable shipments continue to struggle, while eastern blueberry loadings may finally get going this month.
It has been a less than stellar spring for central coast vegetable shipments due mostly to weather conditions. In essence, Salinas Valley vegetable shipments are going to be trying at best heading into summer. You’ll need to be alert when loading product. There is everything from quality issues to inconsistent sizing of lettuce heads.
This situation is expected to continue through June, and perhaps through most of July. Salinas vegetable shippers tend to plant about 40 percent less product for summer because they face so much competition from various home grown season in the U.S. and Canada. Other vegetables ranging from broccoli to cauliflower also are being affected, but to a lesser extent.
Salinas Valley vegetable and berry shipments – grossing about $4600 to Chicago.
Georgia Blueberry Shipments
Warmer weather, poor pollinating conditions and labor issues are all contributing to fewer blueberries currently coming out of the Southeastern U.S. Georgia blueberry shipments will pick up by mid June. The state has shipped nearly 90 million pounds of blueberries per year in the past, but in 2016, it will be well short of that number. The longer growing season in this region may help offset an even greater decline in shipments. Georgia has one of the longest seasons in the U.S., from mid-April to the middle of July.
Georgia’s season nearly mirrors the blueberry shipping seasons in a few other states, such as North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas.
Georgia blueberry shipments grossing about $2600 to Chicago. Georgia vegetables grossing about 15 to 20 percent less.
NJ Fruit Shipments
After fewer blueberry shipments in 2015, New Jersey expects to rebound this year. Initial loadings should get underway around June 10-11. In 2013 New Jersey shipped 65 million pounds of “blues”, followed by 55 million pounds in 2014. During those years (2013 and 2014) the state ranked seventh nationally in total blueberry volume. However, the state slipped to seventh place in 2015 behind shipments from California and North Carolina.
About 87 percent of New Jersey blueberry shipments are delivered for the fresh market.
New Jersey peach shipments should begin around June 18th and continue well into July. Loadings should continue through July and perhaps extend until the middle of August. New Jersey ranks fourth in peach shipments behind California, South Carolina and Georgia. While no forecast is out yet, weather factors are expected to reduce Jersey peach volume this season.
by The Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market
Philadelphia — Everyone here agrees. It’s hard to believe it’s been five years since The Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market (PWPM) moved into its state-of-the art, fully enclosed, fully refrigerated facility, located at 6700 Essington Avenue. “It seems like yesterday,” says Sonny DiCrecchio, President/CEO. “We are proud to pave the way as a leader in terms of cold chain management, product safety, staging, loading, security, and recycling.”
During the birthday week, the Philly Wholesale Produce Market will host Mayor Kenney, several area Secretaries of Agriculture, port officials, and other dignitaries. We also plan a Food Truck Day, offering some of Philly’s best fare to our employees and customers.
It took 10 years of careful, thoughtful planning to create today’s PWPM, which is double the size of the old facility and establishes the highest global standards for distribution of premium produce. Employing hundreds of people in both union and non-union positions, the PWPM donates nearly two million pounds of produce to local charities every year.
“Our 5th birthday week is our way of thanking everyone who helped us achieve this milestone,” says DiCrecchio. “We look forward to many more years of service to our community, our employees, and our customers.”
The Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market is the world’s largest, fully refrigerated wholesale produce market. Completed in 2011, our 700,000 square foot facility is fully enclosed, providing customers with security, comfort, efficiency, and an unbroken cold chain. We are open to the public and serve a range of produce buyers from the home cook to national supermarket chains. Because the PWPM is made up of 22 fresh fruit and vegetable merchants, buyers have the opportunity to compare products, brands, and price points.
PWPM is a wholesale produce market with 50 years of experience serving customers within a 500 mile radius providing high quality fresh produce and excellence in customer service. PWPM operates in a state of the art facility that provides customers with the freshest produce, in the most efficient manner at competitive prices. www.pwpm.net
Here’s a shipping update that includes New Jersey vegetables to Georgia onions and avocados from California and Mexico.
Cool spring weather in New Jersey has led to a slow start with vegetables, but warmer weather is resulting in progress. For example, asparagus shipments have been about one-half of what there were this time a year ago – only about 6,000 cartons a week. Asparagus loadings should continue through June.
Over 100 different New Jersey fruits and vegetables are shipping from spring to fall. Among the leading items in the weeks and months ahead are lettuces, parsley, leafy and cilantro, in addition to asparagus. There’s also vegetables ranging from lettuces, to parsley, leafy greens and cilantro.
How availability of peaches will be is still up in the air due to some adverse growing conditions, but initial reports indicate volume will be down this year. Likewise, blueberry volume is still too early to predict, although it sounds as if Jersey “blues” may fare better than peaches.
Much of New Jersey’s produce shipments originate from Southern areas of the state such as Cedarville, Hammonton, and Buena.
Vidalia Onion Shipments
Many are calling the Vidalia sweet onion crop the best in decades. Fresh shipping have been completed and storages in Southeastern Georgia are reported full. Onion shipments from storage should continue through August.
Vidalia onion shipments – grossing about $2800 to New York City.
Avocado Shipments
In late May, those California growers were sending about 18 million pounds per week to the market. Mexico was around 30 million pounds and expected to drop to closer to 25 million pounds per week for much of June. He expects California production to peak at around 19 million to 20 million pounds and stay in that arena through maybe mid-June.
In July, Calavo has estimated that California’s production will drop into the 15 million-pounds-per-week level and August will see a further decline.
By around May 20, California had shipped close to 40 percent of its estimated 2016 volume of 390 million pounds. Another 100 million pounds should be shipped by the end of June, leaving a very manageable volume for the final few months of the season.
Southern California avocados – grossing about $6700 to New York City.
A USDA study has revealed that eating grapes could help obese people decrease certain types of fats in their blood that are linked to heart disease and lower their risk of infection.
Susan Zunino, a molecular biologist with the Agricultural Research Service’s (ARS) Western Human Nutrition Research Center (WHNRC) in Davis, California, studies phytochemicals—natural compounds found in fruits such as grapes and strawberries. Her recent work suggests that phytochemicals from grapes may have a positive effect on the immune system of obese individuals.
Hospital and clinic documentation of viral and bacterial infection has shown that obese people are at a much higher risk for developing infections after surgery, according to Zunino. About 35 percent of Americans are obese, which puts them at a higher risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, and bacterial and viral infections.
In the study, obese participants drank either a mixture of water and grape powder made from freeze-dried table grapes or a placebo twice a day for three weeks. The two groups switched to the opposite mixture for the next three weeks.
Blood samples were analyzed to measure the effects of grapes on blood lipids (fats), blood markers of inflammation and cells of the immune system during the study. Compared with the placebo group, the grape powder group had reduced plasma concentrations of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), known as “bad” cholesterol, which is associated with heart disease.
When scientists stimulated immune cells from blood with a bacterial component, they found an increase in the production of proteins—cytokines—that are instrumental in fighting off infections. In previous research, Zunino discovered that one of the same cytokine proteins was produced when obese individuals consumed strawberry powder.
However, obesity leads to more inflammation in the body, according to Zunino. Therefore, more studies are needed to find out if the increase in cytokine production, after grapes and strawberries are eaten, contributes to more inflammation or is beneficial in reducing infections.
Virginia vegetable shipments and Oregon blueberries are about to start, while Salinas lettuce is emerging from a shipping gap.
Virginia potato shipments of round whites in Lower Northampton are scheduled to begin about June 20, while reds, russets and yellows will start approximately one week later. Loadings will be in full force by early July. Virginia growers typically produce between 3,000 to 4,000 acres of potatoes each season.
Most Virginia potato shipments are destined for receivers throughout the Northeast when whose areas are not producing. When the potato season is completed in the south, Virginia spud loadings are redirected there. Some potatoes, depending on market conditions every year, are distributed in Canada.
One of Virginia largest potato shippers is Dublin Farms in Horntown. Founded in 1876, the family operation grows and ships 12 to 15 loads daily from late June through mid August with primarily white, red and yellow potatoes.
Other produce shipments have been increasing in Virginia led by tomatoes and green beans. C&E Farms in Cheriton, VA is one of the nation’s largest shippers of green beans and also has farming operations in Pennsylvania and Florida.
Virginia’s three major tomato operations, Lipman Family Farms, Pacific Tomato Growers and Del Monte are expected to ship about the same volumes of round, Roma, grape, cherry and heirloom tomatoes from late June through September.
Oregon Blueberry Shipments
Oregon blueberry shipments got underway with light volume this week from the Willamette Valley. Good volume is expected the week of June 13th and will continue into the last half of July.
The state of Oregon is one of the largest blueberry shipping states in the country behind Michigan, New Jersey, Georgia, California and Washington.
Salinas Lettuce Shipments
Following a chaotic growing season resulting in shipping gaps, Salinas lettuce shipments are back on track with relatively steady volume from week to week. Head lettuce is averaging more than 1250 truck loads per week, while romaine shipments are exceeding 800 loads.
Salinas lettuce shipments – grossing about $6800 to New York City.
Good volume and produce loading opportunities are expected leading into celebrating our nation’s independence. Here’s a look at a number of fruits and vegetables that are popular Fourth of July items.
Cherry Shipments
A 4 percent drop in cherry shipments is estimated from the previous 19.8 million boxes. Loadings now appear to be more like 18.4 million boxes. About 10 million boxes of cherries will be shipped during June and almost 8 million in July.
The decline is due to a compression with the bloom period, so there will be compression in harvest. This will translate into fewer days for shipments.
Loadings for the East Coast should be especially heavy the week of Father’s Day for July 4 and Canada Day on July 1. Heavy volume will continue the first half of July.
Berry Shipments
Northwest blueberry shipments will be heavy, especially for the Fourth of July. This also in the time with initial loadings will start for Michigan blueberries.
In California’s Watsonville and Salinas district, strawberry shipments were not hurt by the cool weather that resulted in quality issues with some vegetables.
Peak Watsonville strawberry shipments and other berries are occurring and will continue into mid-July. Weekly fresh strawberry volumes exceeded 7 million trays in May, roughly on par with last year.
Blueberry, blackberry and raspberry shipments are a little early out of the Pacific Northwest.
Sweet Corn Shipments
Georgia sweet corn volume should be light through mid-June but begin increasing significantly by June 17th through the Fourth of July. Normal shipments are seen leading into the Fourth of July.
The majority of the nation’s sweet corn shipments leading up the Fourth, originate from Georgia
Watermelon Shipments
Georgia should begin shipping watermelons in big volume by June 15th.
Rain-caused losses in Texas, the end of Nogales, Ariz., (Mexican) season and the tail end of central Florida shipments. All of these factors will mean excellent loading opportunities for Georgia watermelon shipments.
South Carolina should start watermelon loadings by June 24th, while North Carolina will get underway by June 29th.
mrw
The new 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend most Americans consume 2.5 cups of vegetables a day, a goal almost 9 out of 10 Americans are not meeting (i). But research coming out of the Illinois Institute of Technology and presented at the 2016 Experimental Biology Conference April 2-6 in San Diego, Calif shows that canned tomatoes may be a good gateway vegetable to help people meet these veggie goals.
The study, which looked at 21 adults’ vegetable consumption, found that participants who were encouraged to add either one cup of Hunt’s tomatoes or one cup of raw vegetables to their diets both increased their total vegetable intake during the study. When eating canned tomatoes, participants increased their intake to 2.28 cups, just shy of the recommended 2.5 cups a day. When adding raw vegetables, they increased it to 2.58 cups. The amounts were not statistically different from each other, but were significantly higher than starting intakes.
“It’s not news that people struggle to eat adequate vegetables,” says Britt Burton-Freeman, PhD, Associate Professor of Food Science and Nutrition, Illinois Institute of Technology. “This research showed that fresh isn’t the only way to meet vegetable requirements. In fact, encouraging vegetable consumption from convenient sources like canned tomatoes, tomato sauces, tomato paste and puree can help people more easily include vegetables in their diets.”
by Northwest Cherries and Washington State Fruit Commission
YAKIMA, Wash. — Northwest sweet cherries, a signature summertime fruit, are ripe and ready just in time to be the highlight of summer barbeques and Fourth of July celebrations. Since the season will be short this year, buying one bag for now and another to freeze for later usage is a great way to keep those extraordinarily sweet cherries around a little longer.
“This year will mark the earliest start of the cherry season we’ve ever seen,” said Curtis Roy, a Northwest cherry grower based in Washington state’s Yakima Valley. “We’re expecting a great crop, hitting nearly 20 million boxes, and look forward to a very fruitful June and July this season. It’ll be a shorter season this year, so if you want them to last a little longer, do like we do and freeze some for later.”
Northwest cherries are known for their exceptional and unmatched sweet flavor profile due the ideal microclimate and rich volcanic soil of the area. The Northwest is known for producing a number of regional varieties including Bing cherries, the most popular and, and the super sweet Rainiers, born at Washington State University in 1952 and named after the beautiful Mt. Rainier. Rainiers tend to ripen even earlier in the year, so customers should keep their eye out and snag these off the shelves soon.
Northwest cherries’ sweet flavor makes for a delicious snack on their own, but also a great addition to baking so bakers don’t have to add extra sugar, resulting in more healthful pies, cakes, tarts and more. Fresh cherries should be kept in a tightly sealed bag or container and will keep for approximately two weeks when refrigerated.
To freeze cherries to use throughout the year, select three to five pounds of firm, ripe cherries. After rinsing and draining, spread whole cherries with stems in a layer on a baking sheet, freezing until firm and then packing into freezer-proof containers or plastic freezer bags being sure to remove excess air and cover tightly. Another option is to dry sugar pack your cherries by adding 1/3 cup sugar for each pint of pitted or unpitted fresh sweet cherries, fill freezer container or bags, shaking to pack the fruit and covering tightly and freeze. Throw frozen cherries into smoothies or defrost and put in pies, turnovers and more.
For more information on sweet Northwest Cherries, seasonal and preservation recipes, health information and more, visit www.nwcherries.com.
About Northwest Cherries and Washington State Fruit Commission
Washington State Fruit Commission is a growers’ organization funded by fruit assessments to increase awareness and consumption of regional stone fruits. The organization is dedicated to the promotion, education, market development, and research of soft fruits from Northwest orchards.
Chilean citrus imports, primarily through ports at Philadelphia and Los Angeles will be good in June or July, although heaviest imports will occur from mid-August through October with mandarins and navels. South African imports also look good.
Mandarin volume from Chile is expected to be up 39% over last year to 63,267 tons.
That growth will fuel the second half of Chile’s easy peeler export season, which starts in late August.
Clementines, which most retailers start seeing in May, are estimated to be up 13% to 32,816 tons.
Clementines and lemons from the South American nation started about three weeks earlier than last year. Up to the week of May 2, Chile had shipped 102,000 boxes of clementines to the U.S.
In 2015, exports of all citrus items to North America reached record levels of 165,000 tons, or about 81% of all exports.
In easy peelers, Chile surpassed 55% market share last year in the U.S.
Easy peeler volume from Chile should continue to see double-digit growth. Last year, it was estimated that combined clementine and mandarin volume would reach 100,000 tons over the next few years, and the estimate for this year is already very close to that. The Citrus Committee’s official 2016 estimate for easy peelers exceeds 96,000 tons.
Total global citrus exports from Chile climbed 30% in 2015, with the largest increase, 57%, attributed to mandarins.
Imported citrus at Long Beach – grossing about $3700 to Dallas.
South African Imports
The initial container vessel of the season with South African clementines arrived in the U.S. on May 18, two weeks ahead on maturity compared to last year.
South African clementines are expected to peak in June and early July, right around the Independence Day weekend. The season shkould finish a little early due to early maturity. First navel shipments are expected to arrive June 25th with peak volumes hitting the market in July and August.
Availability
South African citrus is available from late May through October. This is a good time frame as it contra-season to the domestic citrus seasons in California, Florida and Texas.
Here is an overview of availability of South African citrus varieties:
• Clementines: late May- July
• Navels: July – September
• Midknights: late September through October
• Late season mandarins: late August through Mid- October
minorRW
In the US, fresh fruit and vegetables are held to impossibly high aesthetic standards. Although the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) set standards are voluntary, stores have continued to maintain high expectations of how their fruits and vegetables should look. However, this could be set to change as a number of US startups are showing consumers that ugly is better, report UK newspaper The Guardian.
In 1917, the USDA sought to create a common trading language for potatoes as a way for buyers to understand what they were getting when they weren’t able to see the products in advance. Over the years, the standards have been criticized for unnecessarily focusing on aesthetics. For example, the green pepper has to be 90% green – so it can’t have too many traces of red or yellow.
“The US multi-colored peppers are unsellable in that context,” said JoAnne Berkenkamp, senior advocate of the food and agriculture program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group. “It’s not a valid quality issue.”
Other USDA standards are more scientific, taking into consideration maturity and shelf life. For example, the percentage of how red an apple should be is related to sugar content and how ripe it is. Even if the USDA was to relax some of its cosmetic standards, Berkenkamp doesn’t think it would move the dial much.
“Most large, national and international buyers use their own standards, which in many cases are higher than the USDA. That’s what really drives the market,” she said. “What the industry wants is in fair degree, due to what customer wants. It really comes down to customer acceptance.”
Grocers entice customers to shop at their stores by stocking gorgeous, fresh vegetables under mist and flattering light. The produce is not contorted or blemished. If it were, would consumers still buy?
“Americans are fussy on what food looks like,” said Jonathan Bloom, the author of American Wasteland. “I’d argue that it’s somewhat cultural. That’s partly because we as Americans can afford to be picky from a price standpoint but also from a volume perspective. We have so much available food.”
That’s why Sarah Vared, the interim director of Refed, says a key component in fighting food waste is consumer awareness.
“Consumers ultimately give businesses the social license to start stocking and purchasing some of these products that they might not have today,” she said. “As consumers become more aware of this issue and are asking for these products, you’ll start seeing retailers providing them.”
The largest US grocer, Walmart says it hasn’t received much consumer demand for imperfect produce. Even so, the chain is considering a pilot this year. It is keeping a close eye on an innovative experiment by its UK chain Asda. In February, Asda rolled out the “wonky vegetable box”, selling seasonal produce to feed a family of four for a week. Due to popular demand and positive social media response, Asda’s pilot expanded from 128 to 550 stores a month after its release.
Salinas Valley vegetable shipments continue to struggle, while eastern blueberry loadings may finally get going this month.It has been a less than stellar spring for central coast vegetable shipments due mostly to weather conditions. In essence, Salinas Valley vegetable shipments are going to be trying at best heading into summer. You’ll need to be alert when loading product. There is everything from quality issues to inconsistent sizing of lettuce heads.
This situation is expected to continue through June, and perhaps through most of July. Salinas vegetable shippers tend to plant about 40 percent less product for summer because they face so much competition from various home grown season in the U.S. and Canada. Other vegetables ranging from broccoli to cauliflower also are being affected, but to a lesser extent.
Salinas Valley vegetable and berry shipments – grossing about $4600 to Chicago.
Georgia Blueberry Shipments
Warmer weather, poor pollinating conditions and labor issues are all contributing to fewer blueberries currently coming out of the Southeastern U.S. Georgia blueberry shipments will pick up by mid June. The state has shipped nearly 90 million pounds of blueberries per year in the past, but in 2016, it will be well short of that number. The longer growing season in this region may help offset an even greater decline in shipments. Georgia has one of the longest seasons in the U.S., from mid-April to the middle of July.
Georgia’s season nearly mirrors the blueberry shipping seasons in a few other states, such as North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas.
Georgia blueberry shipments grossing about $2600 to Chicago. Georgia vegetables grossing about 15 to 20 percent less.
NJ Fruit Shipments
After fewer blueberry shipments in 2015, New Jersey expects to rebound this year. Initial loadings should get underway around June 10-11. In 2013 New Jersey shipped 65 million pounds of “blues”, followed by 55 million pounds in 2014. During those years (2013 and 2014) the state ranked seventh nationally in total blueberry volume. However, the state slipped to seventh place in 2015 behind shipments from California and North Carolina.
About 87 percent of New Jersey blueberry shipments are delivered for the fresh market.
New Jersey peach shipments should begin around June 18th and continue well into July. Loadings should continue through July and perhaps extend until the middle of August. New Jersey ranks fourth in peach shipments behind California, South Carolina and Georgia. While no forecast is out yet, weather factors are expected to reduce Jersey peach volume this season.
by The Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market
Philadelphia — Everyone here agrees. It’s hard to believe it’s been five years since The Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market (PWPM) moved into its state-of-the art, fully enclosed, fully refrigerated facility, located at 6700 Essington Avenue. “It seems like yesterday,” says Sonny DiCrecchio, President/CEO. “We are proud to pave the way as a leader in terms of cold chain management, product safety, staging, loading, security, and recycling.”
During the birthday week, the Philly Wholesale Produce Market will host Mayor Kenney, several area Secretaries of Agriculture, port officials, and other dignitaries. We also plan a Food Truck Day, offering some of Philly’s best fare to our employees and customers.
It took 10 years of careful, thoughtful planning to create today’s PWPM, which is double the size of the old facility and establishes the highest global standards for distribution of premium produce. Employing hundreds of people in both union and non-union positions, the PWPM donates nearly two million pounds of produce to local charities every year.
“Our 5th birthday week is our way of thanking everyone who helped us achieve this milestone,” says DiCrecchio. “We look forward to many more years of service to our community, our employees, and our customers.”
The Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market is the world’s largest, fully refrigerated wholesale produce market. Completed in 2011, our 700,000 square foot facility is fully enclosed, providing customers with security, comfort, efficiency, and an unbroken cold chain. We are open to the public and serve a range of produce buyers from the home cook to national supermarket chains. Because the PWPM is made up of 22 fresh fruit and vegetable merchants, buyers have the opportunity to compare products, brands, and price points.
PWPM is a wholesale produce market with 50 years of experience serving customers within a 500 mile radius providing high quality fresh produce and excellence in customer service. PWPM operates in a state of the art facility that provides customers with the freshest produce, in the most efficient manner at competitive prices. www.pwpm.net
Here’s a shipping update that includes New Jersey vegetables to Georgia onions and avocados from California and Mexico.
Cool spring weather in New Jersey has led to a slow start with vegetables, but warmer weather is resulting in progress. For example, asparagus shipments have been about one-half of what there were this time a year ago – only about 6,000 cartons a week. Asparagus loadings should continue through June.
Over 100 different New Jersey fruits and vegetables are shipping from spring to fall. Among the leading items in the weeks and months ahead are lettuces, parsley, leafy and cilantro, in addition to asparagus. There’s also vegetables ranging from lettuces, to parsley, leafy greens and cilantro.
How availability of peaches will be is still up in the air due to some adverse growing conditions, but initial reports indicate volume will be down this year. Likewise, blueberry volume is still too early to predict, although it sounds as if Jersey “blues” may fare better than peaches.
Much of New Jersey’s produce shipments originate from Southern areas of the state such as Cedarville, Hammonton, and Buena.
Vidalia Onion Shipments
Many are calling the Vidalia sweet onion crop the best in decades. Fresh shipping have been completed and storages in Southeastern Georgia are reported full. Onion shipments from storage should continue through August.
Vidalia onion shipments – grossing about $2800 to New York City.
Avocado Shipments
In late May, those California growers were sending about 18 million pounds per week to the market. Mexico was around 30 million pounds and expected to drop to closer to 25 million pounds per week for much of June. He expects California production to peak at around 19 million to 20 million pounds and stay in that arena through maybe mid-June.
In July, Calavo has estimated that California’s production will drop into the 15 million-pounds-per-week level and August will see a further decline.
By around May 20, California had shipped close to 40 percent of its estimated 2016 volume of 390 million pounds. Another 100 million pounds should be shipped by the end of June, leaving a very manageable volume for the final few months of the season.
Southern California avocados – grossing about $6700 to New York City.
A USDA study has revealed that eating grapes could help obese people decrease certain types of fats in their blood that are linked to heart disease and lower their risk of infection.
Susan Zunino, a molecular biologist with the Agricultural Research Service’s (ARS) Western Human Nutrition Research Center (WHNRC) in Davis, California, studies phytochemicals—natural compounds found in fruits such as grapes and strawberries. Her recent work suggests that phytochemicals from grapes may have a positive effect on the immune system of obese individuals.
Hospital and clinic documentation of viral and bacterial infection has shown that obese people are at a much higher risk for developing infections after surgery, according to Zunino. About 35 percent of Americans are obese, which puts them at a higher risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, and bacterial and viral infections.
In the study, obese participants drank either a mixture of water and grape powder made from freeze-dried table grapes or a placebo twice a day for three weeks. The two groups switched to the opposite mixture for the next three weeks.
Blood samples were analyzed to measure the effects of grapes on blood lipids (fats), blood markers of inflammation and cells of the immune system during the study. Compared with the placebo group, the grape powder group had reduced plasma concentrations of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), known as “bad” cholesterol, which is associated with heart disease.
When scientists stimulated immune cells from blood with a bacterial component, they found an increase in the production of proteins—cytokines—that are instrumental in fighting off infections. In previous research, Zunino discovered that one of the same cytokine proteins was produced when obese individuals consumed strawberry powder.
However, obesity leads to more inflammation in the body, according to Zunino. Therefore, more studies are needed to find out if the increase in cytokine production, after grapes and strawberries are eaten, contributes to more inflammation or is beneficial in reducing infections.