As we head past the Labor Day weekend we should expect a slower week as people stuff their refrigerators with left over’s.  Many of the markets that had been picking up steam a few days ago are now forced to slow down and make way into the post Labor Day blues.  Weather in Salinas has been warming up, even to the point of a few 100 degree days followed by 70 and 80 degree ‘recovery’ days.  Trucks are still at season high rates but should be lower in the coming weeks as the summer months draw to a close.   There is still plenty of home grown and local product around the country to keep business out West slow for many items. Broccoli, cauliflower, celery, leaf, cukes, tomatoes, peppers, berries, and many other items are still available locally for now.

LETTUCE–Market has been slowly coming off and will continue post labor day.  Product has been slightly stressed due to the recent heat spell but there is enough out there to keep quality consistent and

BROCCOLI–a bit stronger market here, especially on crowns. Demand hasn’t picked up much due to the availability of broccoli on the East coast. Even so, shippers are trying to push prices upward today. We don’t see rally lasting very long.

CAULIFLOWER–the market had been quickly improving all last week; however business is slowing down after the holiday.  The heat has caused some sun damage on the larger heads, but they are trying to sort through them.  There should be a lot more product coming in over the weekend which should soften the market.

LEAF ITEMS–green leaf is still hard to come by which is why the overall market doubles that of red leaf.  Romaine has been experiencing some fringe burn due to excessive heat, but that is normal for this time of year and there is plenty of product out there.

CELERY–All sizes are hanging around at the same price level, quality is very nice and is expected to continue into next week. Like most items mentioned, demand is only so so, and the push for higher prices from the shippers don’t seem to make much of a difference to most receivers around the country.

STRAWBERRIES–Driscoll continues to lead the way with price and overall quality. They are consistently $2-3.00/box higher than the general market. Their quality is also consistently better than the rest, however with the cool Summer we have had, there are some nice boxes of fruit out there from various shippers.

Ed Brem

ed@producewest.com