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Produce Report November 15, 2019

FLAVOR ALERT

SatsumasSmall round orange thingsare back in town! Full of flavorand juice, satsumas are aquintessential part of theholiday season. Mild in acidand sugary sweet, displaywith complementary flavorsto inspire creative recipes andpairings.

STAFF PICK

Braga NutsWith 10 varieties of packagednuts available, Braga nuts arethe perfect holiday additionfor baking, snacking andgifting! Raw, roasted or salted- savor each great flavor theway that nature intendedfrom family-owned BragaOrganic Farms.

EAT THIS NOW

Brussels SproutsThese mini cabbages are asversatile as veggies come,and in great supply thisholiday season. Afterpreparing your sprouts, trytopping with pomegranatearils and shaved almonds fora pop of color andcontrasting textures.

LET'S GATHER, BountyAs the local season comes to an end, the holiday season quickly begins! We begin to shift ourdiets from fresh local vegetables to heartier roots and squashes. Salad season turns to roastingseason as local berries disappear and are replaced with an abundance of California citrus. Theholiday season can be an exciting and stressful time for the consumer, so it is crucial that ourproduce displays reflect these consumer needs.

Large gatherings call for large meals. Fillervegetables such as potatoes, yams and wintersquash are generally inexpensive and can feed acrowd. Displaying these fall vegetables nearherbs, onions and garlic make holiday shoppingeasy, and remind the consumer of staple dishessuch as candied yams and herbed mashedpotatoes. Fraserland organic potatoes come in bagsand bulk to allow for varied consumer needs.These Canadian gems come in varieties rangingfrom jewel toned purple potatoes to the staplerusset, while Yukon Gold are ideal for mashingwith grass-fed butter and fresh herbs. Mixed medley bags hold a colorful mix of fingerling and

nugget potatoes that roast beautifully with holiday poultry. Color blocking potato and sweetpotato varietals can draw the consumer eye to the typically more monochromatic dry tables.

The holiday season calls for large orders to keep displays looking full during big rushes. Squashbins come with staple varieties like Acorn, Delicata and Butternut, and can work as greatentryway eye-catchers. Combining grocery items with produce items can create interestingdisplays. Items such as stuffing mixes and roasting pans can be nestled around squash bins andcitrus displays. Colorful citrus displays remind us that winter also has seasonal produce! Navelscan be zested into cranberry sauce to add a little zing to this holiday table staple. Merchandisingthese next to one another gives displays an extra pop of color. Satsumas or other ‘small roundorange things’ are great for centerpieces, stocking stuffers and after dinner snacking. They workas large displays because they often come in bags and boxes that make for easy stacking! Winterfruits add an exciting twist to a sleepier winter vegetable array.

The holidays can be made easy for the customerswhen staff are welcoming and departments areinviting. Keeping displays full of staple itemsfront and center allows for last minute shoppingtrips to the store less stressful. Uniquely seasonalitems like poultry blend herbs are easy to sellwith bold signage and placement. There is a lotof creativity that can help the customer getexcited about items such as celery and potatoes.Printed recipes for stuffed squashes, stuffing andfresh cranberry sauce—can inspire the consumerto buy the appropriate produce instead of

turning to the freezer or canned-good aisles. 

NEW / EXCITING

ApplesNew this week - Arkansas Black,Northern Spy, Pacific Rose,Winesap and White WinterPearmain! All heirloom pricingdeclining with peak season volumeon, and Honeycrisp are already atan all-time low with stellar quality! FigsBlack Mission winding down yethopefully Brown Turkey availablebefore the holiday PearsForelle and big seckles are here!Great deals on red and Asianvarieties continue! Blast out dealson 2 layer packs PineappleMexico season starting! Galangal & GingerBeautiful Hawaiian productavailable!

Purple Brussels SproutsColorful, nutritious and availablewith new lower pricing! Cucumber Bitter MelonEye catching textured bitter melonis available upon request! Great fora center piece or conversationstarter in your departments ChicoryBeautiful locally-grown chicory mixavailable from Boldly Grown Farm Local Kohlrabi

CHANGING MARKET

StrawberriesTight supplies continue causingprorates, but could improve overthe next 7-10 days GrapesBlack and green fruit windingdown, but red should go intoDecember Kiwi BerriesAnother season on the books!Thank you for your support on thisNorthwest premium fruit QuinceLast shot! Get them while you can TropicalRambutan still available but not forlong! Seeing trickles of passionfruit. Formosa and Strawberrypapaya are available but seeingsome gaps in Hawaii-grownproduct and dragon fruit. Sapodilla(Sapote) are starting soon! Green BeansDue to weather events in the USand MX the green bean market isextremely tight. Sourcing as muchbulk supply as we can, but expectlimited availability, especially onbags, until December LeafGetting into transition timebetween California regions, soexpect some fluctuations in thenext few weeks White CauliflowerThe prorates continue - expecttight supply until early December

PROMOTABLE

Blueberries6 oz berries steady and ripe forpromotion! 18 oz gapping CranberriesFlush with bags, clams and bulkcases for the holiday. Supply willthin in December Citrus#orangeyougladitscitrusseasonDomestic and Mexico-grown limesare available, as well as Meyerlemons, Satsumas, early seasonnavels, California-grown grapefruit,our last shot of domestic Valenciabefore moving to Mexico, and somuch more! KiwiBeautiful fruit eating great andsteadily available MangoDomestic and Ecuadorian fruitavailable - Keitt, Narango, andTommy Atkin in stock! Ataulfoshould return by the end of theweek MelonsCantaloupe and honeydew steady,and lots of mini watermelon; Galiacontinues to gap and full sizedwatermelon available upon request PersimmonStocked Fuyu that need noripening, as well as bell shapedHachiya that should be soft andpudding-like after a few days atroom temp Pomegranate

Still available in bulk from DharmaRidge Farm and bunches from BigSage Organics RadishA small gap in Easter Egg supplybut should be back on track nextweek. Watermelon, black andunique green meat radish allavailable! You read it correctly!Green meat radish is elongatedand a beautifully unique palegreen and comes to you fromBoldly Grown Farm in Skagit Valley,WA Red & Green SorrelComing in fresh from MustardSeed Farms! Casper KaleThese beautiful white-ribbedgreens are back! Dense greenfronds fade to ghostly white stems,leaving a trail of white behind Tomatoes, HeirloomGood domestic supply stillcranking; Mexico product will startin a few weeks Aloe VeraOn the road Dried FruitStocked up for the holidays! Askfor ads on 1# and bulk dates JuiceApple and Apple/Pear cider are asweet holiday season treat whetheryou enjoy it warm or cold

 MushroomsPlenty of varieties available forholiday meals! Chanterelle inchingup in cost; Oysters now available Peppers, ChiliPoblano on the way, Habanero aredone, and all others steady Peppers, ColoredBell prices rising and getting tightas we transition regions; minimixed peppers steady Salads & GreensButter and romaine saladsprorating due to region transition.Steady prices and good quality leaffrom Oxnard area TomatilloEnding soon in California andcould gap until Mexico comes on NutsChestnuts are done; CA pecansfrom Braga, in-shell Filberts and in-shell walnuts available - ask aboutsmaller 10# packs HerbsBulk up on clams and bunches forthe holidays!

20-28 ct available! Grab arils forholiday week salads AsparagusGreat option for a green veggieside AvocadoInching down in price while flushwith perfect product BroccoliIn good supply and prices arestabilizing - look for slowlylowering prices in the next fewweeks CucumbersSlicers and euro steady andpromotable EggplantSteady with good supply Potatoes & OnionsLots available! Ask for ads TomatoesGrape/cherry, Roma, slicer andTOVs all promotable Other PromotableArtichokes, beets, bok choy,burdock, cabbage, carrots, celeriac,dill, fennel, green onions, greens,leeks, parsnips, pumpkin, radish,rutabaga, sunchokes, turnips,winter squash

MARKET UPDATES

Impact AlphaOrganically Grown Co.: This is what

stakeholder capitalism looks likeAs one of the investor stakeholders at Organically

Grown, I’m proud to be part of an effort that aims todo something better...

The PackerOrganically Grown meeting focuses on

purpose over profit“This is a game-changer in our society,” Blumenauer

said in the release. “You’re dealing with theopportunity to give people healthy food and take care

of the planet – it’s how we’re going to solve thehealthcare crisis.”

UPCOMING EVENTS

Variety Showcase OahuNovember 25 | Honolulu, HI

Winter Vegetable SagraDecember 8 | Portland, OR

Global Organic Produce Expo (GOPEX)January 9-11 | Miami Beach, FL

EcoFarm ConferenceJanuary 22-25 | Pacific Grove, CA

Oregon Farm to School and School GardenConference

February 12-13 | Silverton, OR

Organic Seed Growers ConferenceFebruary 12-15 | Corvallis, OR

Winter Variety Trial Field DayFebruary 13 | Aurora, OR

Variety ShowcaseFebruary 16 | Portland, OR