Posts Tagged “feature”
Avocado-lovers can look forward to the arrival of an enormous variety, five times bigger than the norm as it is now hitting supermarket shelves now.
The rare “Avozilla” – thought to be the world’s largest avocado – comes from just four trees grown by one of the world’s biggest suppliers of avocados in South Africa.
But British fans of the fruit will be able to enjoy it as it goes on sale at supermarket giant Tesco now.
The fruit is double the length and five times the weight of the standard variety – on average it is seven-and-a-half inches long and weighs nearly 3lb.
Tesco salad buyer Emma Bonny said: “The Avozilla has a fantastic taste with a rich, juicy, buttery texture, and creamy flavour.
“The ripe fruit is an attractive vivid green colour – different from the darker-coloured smaller variety – and its thick skin can actually be used as a serving bowl for guacamole.
“Avocados are full of nutrients and vitamins, and by stocking these big varieties, we’re making it easier than ever before for our customers to eat healthily.
“We believe the Avozilla will appeal to shoppers who are looking for value for money, but especially large families.”
Avocados have grown from a niche food to an everyday shopping basket favourite, she said, adding: “Avocados are one of our fastest-growing areas in produce, with a staggering 30% growth so far this year
Press Association
Here’s a round up on tomato shipments from Southern California, Baja, as well as the Wisconsin potato loading outlook, and finally peaches from Colorado’s Western Slope.
There has been light to modern shipments of roma, round, grape and cherry tomatoes from the San Diego/Oceanside area of California since June, with peak loadings expected be from mid-October through November. A similar situation holds true for the nearby Baja pennisula in Mexico. Quality is reported good and shippers are having no problem finding customer to ship tomatoes since demand is excellent, in part due to poor weather and tomato growing conditions on the East Coast.
Wisconsin Potato Shipments
Wisconsin potatoes for the 2013-14 season should have higher quality than a year ago when there was a high percentage of culls, and grade-out, which increases the chances of claims for a produce hauler.
Wisconsin potato observers are predicting a high-volume of shipments this season, with most of the volume being with russets….The Badger state’s red potato loadings have been in good volume since mid-August. Russets have been moving in good volume since late August.
Colorado Peaches
Colorado peach shipments will be in far smaller volumes this season due to spring freezes in and around Palisade, CO. Peach shipments in Colorado run from about mid-July through September. Loading are expected to be down to as much as 30 to 40 percent of normal in the Palisade area, making it the smallest peach crop since 1991.
High temperatures brought on most California produce shipments early and in good volumes this summer. Now, folks are wondering if heavy early loadings will make for lighter than usual loading opportunities in the fall.
As an example, grape shipments are mostly after Labor Day. If the estimated 106.9 million boxes is realized, it will exceed last year’s shipments by more than 6 million boxes.
The month of August has seen record shipments for grapes from California, posting week-ending totals of over 4 million boxes three weeks in a row! The crop is being shipped at what could be a record-setting pace at more than 28 million boxes of California table grapes through August 23rd. The 2013 year-to-date total is 3 percent ahead of last year, which saw a record-high season total volume.
Citrus
Growers and shippers are expecting larger fruit size, but only slightly smaller California citrus shipments than last year when the new navel orange crop takes over for valencias, which are expected to end in October. The navel orange industry packed 90 million 40-pound cartons for 2012-13.
Kiwifruit
Another example of early shipments is with kiwifruit out of the San Joaquin Valley. Kiwi shipments will get underway in mid-October.
Salinas Valley Broccoli
If you are loading Salinas Valley broccoli, there’s been a small amount of hollow core and other quality issues related to the rapid growth of broccoli plants. Again, watch for quality issues if you are planning to haul broccoli. Shipments of broccoli and other vegetables from Salinas will begin declining in volume during September, before switching to the Yuma and Imperial Valley around Thanksgiving.
Salinas Valley vegetables and berries – grossing about $7300 to New York City.
San Joaquin Valley grapes, stone fruit and vegetables, about $5000 to Chicago.
The region is in the midst of what could be the second-hottest summer on record, and yellow iris virus is thriving in isolated areas, but onion shippers in Idaho and eastern Oregon report the 2013 crop overall should be very similar to 2012’s in both quantity and quality.
Just watch watching is being put in the truck.
The onion harvest started in mid August and should hit full swing around September 9th.
Some reports of “limited” quality problems with the crop have surfaced. Folks that’s like admitting your kid is ugly. Again, just watch your loading. It may be okay, but use caution. The big red flag is the region is experiencing big time heat. Onions hate too much heat.
On schedule
The Idaho-eastern Oregon onion shipments typically follows those in New Mexico and California, and looks to be on schedule.
There are about 21,000 acres of onions in the region, which traditionally produces about 1 billion pounds annually. The Treasure Valley area is the largest single producing region in the country, accounting about 25 percent of the onions shipped the USA.
Yellow virus threatens crop
Growers in the Malheur region are reporting the yellow iris virus is hitting hard in some isolated spots. However, it’s too early to tell how severe losses could be, but no doubt there will be some losses. The virus is carried by thrips, a nasty looking little insect.
Idaho/Oregon onions grossing – about $3400 to Chicago.
Never let it be said that America has not changed over the past several decades. If Harry Truman were alive today he would find a very different country than the one he led at the close of WWII.
Harry was a no nonsense person and is famous for the sign on his desk that read, “The Buck Stops Here.” Our political leadership today embraces a far different attitude. With the election of Barack Obama, often spelled “Oblama,” our nation is being lead down the road of the blame game. “It’s not my fault” is now on the desk of the commander-in-clown in the White House. Leading our nation is not a job that is to be taken lightly. The President is supposed to represent ALL Americans and not just the poor or middle class. He is the president of the rich too.
One thing about Harry Truman, he was not afraid to make the tough decisions. He was thrown into office during one of the most difficult times in world history and under very trying circumstances with the death of FDR. Harry didn’t blame everybody for the circumstances under which he found himself. He set his emotions and politics aside to be able to make hard decisions based on rational thinking.
And Harry did not allow the American people to blame others for the circumstances in which they found themselves. He lead this nation down a path of personal responsibility and accountability. As a result, the period in American history following the war was one of increasing prosperity.
Harry displayed a personal belief that we as individuals could pursue and accomplish our individual dreams and ambitions without big government handouts.
In contrast, our leadership today says that “you can’t do it by yourself.”
Larry Oscar is a graduate from the University of Tulsa and holds a degree in electrical engineering. He is retired and lives with his wife on a lake in Oklahoma where he brews his own beer, sails, and is a member of numerous clubs and organizations.
Poor quality peaches, and poor tasting, waterlogged watermelons are a few examples of how heavy rains have affected many produce crops in the South.
The Southeast had its second-wettest January through July on record. South Carolina has had more rain at this point in the year than in almost 50 years. Some South Carolina shippers have lost up to 25 percent of their peach crops.
Georgia has seen the heaviest rains, about 40 percent more than usual at this point in the year. Peach growers in the Fort Valley, GA area got lucky and escaped most of the excessive rains, with peach shipments all but over for the season.
If you haul Georgia pecans, loadings could be seriously affected this fall and winter. Pecan scab disease affects stem, leaf and nut growth, causing reduced yields — and loading opportunities. The disease is extremely susceptible to moisture.
Further south in Georgia, around Tifton and on towards the Florida state line, there has been tremendous amounts of rain. The regions has had 55 to 62 inches since the first of the year compared to about 17 inches this time a year ago. As result, fall vegetable shipments could be off significantly.
Specifically, this could hurt loadings of bell peppers, cantaloupe, broccoli, squash, cucumbers and tomatoes.
We all know fruit is good for you — but here are some more details about the nutrients and antioxidants found in grapes.
Researchers recently conducted a study that showed people who consume grapes are more likely to have healthier, more balanced diets. The study, published in the Journal of Food Science, reviewed the consumption of grapes in their non-alcoholic forms, including fresh grapes, raisins and 100 percent grape juice.
Using data from the 2003-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the study found that eating grapes correlates with healthier diet patterns. After reviewing the diets of 21,800 children and adults, the researchers noted that those who consumed more grapes were more likely to have an increased intake of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B6, fiber, calcium, and potassium, compared to those who didn’t eat as many grapes.
Researchers say that fiber, calcium and potassium are especially important as many Americans lack these nutrients in their daily diets.
A previous study done in 2013 showed that grapes could help reduce the buildup of fat and prevent cardiovascular disease, due to antioxidants called polyphenols.
More research, meanwhile, found that other antioxidants in grapes could fight hypertension, otherwise known as high blood pressure. Certain compounds found in grapes can also protect skin cells from UV rays, according to research conducted by a team from the University of Barcelona and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).
As a whole, people who ate grapes also had increased consumption of whole grains, nuts and vegetables; they also had a tendency to eat less “junk foods.”
Blueberry shipments in most seasons are coming from different areas of the USA and Canada, but weather factors have resulted in a lot of “blues” maturing at the same time….With other produce, California navel orange shipments will soon replace valencias….The Eastern Shore is shipping watermelons.
Blueberry Shipments
Blueberry loads have been available at the same time this year from New Jersey, Michigan, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia during parts of the season.
Blueberry shipments have double over the past 20 years, not only because people love eating the fruit, but there has been countless publicity over studies touting the health benefits of “blues.” And in typical fashion, growers see a good thing, over plant, and prices fall (which is good for produce haulers and consumers, but growers).
Orange shipments
The California valencia season should wind down in October just as the navel shipping season begins. The navel orange crop looks slightly smaller than last year, when 90 million 40-pound cartons were trucked to markets.
East Coast
Watermelons continue to be shipped from the Delaware, Maryland, and the eastern shore of Virginia. Melons tend to start getting ify this late in the season and quality problems can certain be cropping up if the shipping areas have had to much rain. Just a word of caution.
Delaware/Maryland/Virginia watermelons – grossing about $2300 to Chicago.
Michigan blueberries and vegetables – about $2100 to Atlanta.
It’s looking like there will be more apples to haul during the 2013-14 season than last year’s huge crop. The major difference will be other major apple shipping states will be offering a lot more loads. Last year, it was primarily Washington state having any apple volume.
Nationwide new apple shipments could be anywhere from 250 and 252 million bushels, compared to the 215.7 million bushels produced nationwide a year ago. Bad weather conditions in 2012 for New York state cost apple haulers about half of its loading opportunties. Michigan was hit much harder as it shipped only 2.738 million bushels in 2012, compared to the state’s five-year average of 16.238 million bushels. This season Michigan apple shipments should come back with a vengence topping 26 million bushels.
The Michigan apple harvest got under way last week with paula reds, with ginger golds following closely behind.. It is a pretty normal start for fruit from Michigan’s Fruit Ridge, which produces 70 percent of the state’s apples.
California Grapes
California growers ship over 70 varieties of table grapes and the vast majority of those graped will be transported to markets across the USA and Canada from August through October. Record loads are predicted to be shipped by refrigerated trucks this season, mostly from the San Joaquin Valley.
Chilean Avocados
At various USA ports on both coasts, one the big items for the new season are avocados being imported from Chile. It is predicted that trucks hauling the product from ports to north American market will transport 30 to 35 percent mor of the tropical fruit than last year.
Last season was a record breaking year for Hass avocados, with shipments, mostly by truck, topping 1.5 billion pounds. For 2013, loadings are projected to increaseby another 10 percent to 1.65 billion pounds.
San Joaquin Valley grapes, melons veggies, stone fruit – grossing about $7300 to New York City.
It may not be a Rocky Mountain “high” for many shippers in Colorado this summer or fall due to a winter than lingered on and on, combined with some drought conditions. In a nutshell most Colorado vegetable shipments will be okay, but not great, while Western slope peaches may not be worth a produce hauler’s time. Potato shipments will be off some from last season.
Vegetable loadings from areas such as Brighton, Eaton and LaSalle are running nearly a week and one-half late. We’re talking items ranging from potatoes and onions to sweet corn and cabbage.
The Rocky Ford area is loading peppers, tomatoes, squash, carrots and green beans, among other items.
Colorado Fruit Shipments Hit
Colorado isn’t widely known for its cherry shipments, and will become even less so this year, thanks to a late freeze in May. While peaches fared better, it also will be significantly off — possibly by 30 percent. There will be some pear shipments into early October, and some apple loadings through at least Thanksgiving and possibily into December.
Colorado Potato Shipments
The Rocky Mountain state has about 49,700 acres of potato acreage for the 2013-14 shipping season, which is down over 5,000 acres from a year ago. Spud loadings get underway after Labor Day.