Week of April 28, 2008

apples/pears Asparagus Avocado Bell Peppers Berries Broccoli Carrots Cauliflower Celery citrus Cucumbers Grapes Green Onions Kiwi Leaf Lettuce Lettuce Onions Potatoes Squash Stone_Fruit Tomatoes Watermelon

APPLES/PEARS

Apples: Supplies are limited on small Red, Gold, Granny Smith and other varietal apples.
Pears: Pear volume is steady. Market is steady at this time.

California Fruit: Fruit continues to improve in volume, size and maturity.
Mexican Fruit: Supplies are starting to drop. Market is firming.

Western Green Bells and Colored Bells: A few shippers are still packing and should be finished by early next month. Volume should improve by the middle of May. Market is strong.
Eastern Bells: Market is strong on small sizes. Quality is fair at this time.

Strawberries: Availability is tight.
Raspberries: Demand continues to exceed supply. Quality is good.
Blackberries: Supplies continue to be limited. There is a slight decline in the market.
Blueberries: New crop blackberries are increasing daily with good quality. Market is strong.

Prices are into the double digits at this time. Early harvesting is the main reason for the supply gap. Market is higher.

Supply & quality continues to be good on all sizes. Quality is good. Market is steady.

SUPPLIES ARE EXTREMELY SHORT. QUALITY IS FAIR. SOME LOTS ARE SHOWING OFF WHITE COLOR, BLACK SPOTTING AND BROWN DISCOLORATION. MARKET IS HIGHER.

Supplies are tight on large sizes. There are problems with seeders in all sizes. The weights continue to be in the 60 plus pound range. Market is higher.

Lemons: Growers continue to slow harvest to gain color & size on the fruit. Fruit is peaking on 140’s followed by 115’s & 165’s. Demand is good.
Oranges: Navel supplies & quality remains good. Choice 88’s, 113’s and 138’s are beginning to be tight with many shippers. Market has firmed.

Western Cucumbers: Supplies continue to be good.
Eastern Cucumbers: The market is beginning to soften as Central Florida comes into greater volume.

Crimson red seedless volumes have picked up slightly. Thompson green seedless grapes now have an apparent two-tiered market.

Domestic green onions will not start until June. Quality is still marginal with some lots showing yellow to brown discoloration on the green ends of the onions. Market is steady.

Chilean kiwi supplies are increasing. Quality is excellent. Expect softer market conditions.

The leaf market is stable at this time. We will see some epidermal peel and blister. The weights will be much lighter. Market is steady.

Honeydews: Prices are up for the fast moving offshore fruit with lower sugar levels.
Cantaloupes: Light supplies and strong markets are driving the offshore fruit market to higher levels. Prices are strong at this time.

There are very few quality issues on storage onions. Market is steady. There are better supplies of new crop product. Quality is good. Market is higher. Vidalia Onions have started with good quality and volume. Market is lower.

Majority of Idaho potatoes is Burbanks with limited numbers on Norkotahs. The Burbanks are running small with more #2’s. Red potatoes continue to have good availability and quality. Whites are being harvested with good quality. Gold potatoes are looking to finish up in the coming weeks.

Western Squash: Production is fair at this time. Demand has picked up.
Eastern Squash: The Central Florida region is beginning to harvest, which will bring better supplies soon. Quality is fair.

There are some light volumes of black plums available. Apriums, Apricots, Peaches and a few Nectarines will be some of the early fruit available.

Eastern: There will be an offset of sizing with the new growing regions crown picking producing larger numbers of tomatoes rather than smaller. Quality is good.

There is better volume at this time of seeded & seedless fruit. Quality is very good. Market is slightly lower.