Much like the  baseball trade deadline ,  there’s  a lot of talk and rumors  about local  production not holding up and possible higher markets  but we’ve only seen a few spikes in West Coast  Fruit and  Vegetable demand .  We’re expecting this trend to continue throughout the summer.  Long range weather continues to show little change on the West Coast with continued below normal pattern for the coastal regions and slightly above normal temperatures for the inland valley’s  and deserts.  The rest of the country appears to be near only slightly above normal. Trucks continue to be tight for most areas on the country, especially to the east coast mainly from the lack of backhauls although rates have eased slightly for mid week advanced notice.

LETTUCE- Production continues to be steady with good demand. Local production continues to be limited.  Quality is good in Salinas with occasional mildew and fringe burn.   Weights have been mostly in the mid 40′s.  Market appears to be stable with potential upside due to lack of local product.

BROCCOLI–Quality continues to be good to excellent few large stalk, hollow stem.   Market has held steady at modest levels with production coming out of Salinas and Santa Maria. The market appears to be steady for the next 7-10 days with slight upside.

CAULIFLOWER– Lighter supplies resulting from the continued below normal weather pattern has firmed up the market. Quality continues to be good with occasional black spotting reported. Market could remain fairly active until the weather pattern returns to normal.

LEAF ITEMS–    Production continues to be moderate and demand has been good. Romaine Hearts continue to be strong everywhere.  Market will continue to see surges of demand even with East Coast quality improved but still fair.  

CELERY– Production has leveled and the market seems to have settled but like the leaf market, demand from the  East will dictate market movement .  Quality on California celery continues to be good with few quality issues to report.

STRAWBERRIES–   Summer production has peaked in the Salinas/Watsonville area.   Quality ranges from fair to good with most fruit showing some signs of bruising  and fair quality showing occasional decay at shipping point.  Even with the best, expect some bruising on arrival.  Demand has been good with heavy promotions but with lesser quality prevalent look for fewer ads and a wider range market depending on quality.   Raspberry amp; Blackberry production also peaked from Salinas/ Santa Maria, with a wide range in quality. Most production being shipped to nearby markets. Quality won’t likely improve until the Fall crop starts in 3-4 weeks.

ASPARAGUS – Limited imports from Mexico amp; Peru have kept supplies  tight and the demand  limited  but strong. 

ARTICHOKES- Lighter Summer supplies have led to a boost in the market on all sizes.  Quality has been excellent.  The next spike in production will come next month.

WESTSIDE MELONS-Cantaloupe production continues to peak from the Westside  with Honeydews just starting to increase volume.  Both peaking on the larger sizes and most shippers  eager to promote.