Fresh Talker

Another Thanksgiving holiday is in the history books. I am so thankful for everyone who works so hard year-round to make it happen – my deepest appreciation, gratitude and thanks to all. Picks of the Orchard – Cosmic & Sugarbee Cosmic Crisp Apples Now a look ahead to the next several weeks through the end of the year.…
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Joe visits Bainbridge Community Broadcasting  every once in a while to have a conversation with BCB’s Bob Ross on his “Tastes of Bainbridge” show. In this session, Joe and Bob talk about early Sumo mandarins (!!!), the extraordinary 2019 chanterelle mushroom crop and a new and promising apple called the “Sugar Bee” (among other things!).  Give it a listen! …
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Autumn arrived in a flash – like throwing a switch. That huge lightning and thunderstorm a few weeks ago ushered summer out dramatically. It snowed in Spokane last weekend and here in the Puget Sound region we dropped to near freezing this morning. Some Northwest row crops seemed to have ended overnight. Lettuce, for instance. Sterino Farm in Puyallup got a freeze and Dharma …
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Seedless grapes are moving into their peak-of-the-season quality. Some of the best varieties are arriving now from California – red, green and black seedless grapes are big, sweet and crunchy. Candy Stripe Figs Fresh figs are coming into their peak of season, as well. …
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August already? That means there is a lot happening in your market’s Produce Market! We’ll soon see the Northwest cherries come to an end.  Variety berries from Sterino Farms in Puyallup are all but finished for the year, although we’ll have some blackberries over the next three to four weeks. Albion …
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The summer fruit season is well under way as we move into the last week of June. The Independence Day holiday will be here and gone before we know! The good news is we are moving into peak-of-season season for California stone fruit and we’re on the brink of a whole variety of Northwest berries. Local Cherry Season Short But Sweet First and foremost let’s talk about cherries. The Northwest cherry season is only here for a short time and the peak of that short season is now upon us. …
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Spring (ahead) is here! When we set our clocks ahead this weekend, it’s proof that spring is just about here, even though below-normal temperatures persist (as I write this it is actually SNOWING). This cool pattern is not exclusive to the Northwest. We are seeing cooler, wet weather patterns up and down the entire West Coast. We’ve even seen freezing temperatures in Arizona and Mexico. What does all this mean? This volatility in the weather right now has an immediate – and potentially a future — effect. …
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‘Tis the season for challenges when it comes to fresh produce. A couple of heavy rain events in California and Arizona have created challenges in row-crop vegetables like lettuce, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, cilantro and more.  Also affected significantly are packaged salads. When so much rain falls so fast, flooded fields make it virtually impossible to harvest until the water recedes. Two other crops hit hard by rain at this time of year are California strawberries and organic satsumas. For the berries, significant rain means growers must strip off all the …
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To get ready to fill all your holiday needs, we’ve been reviewing our notes, conducting our research and making adjustments where needed. I do believe we’re as ready as we can be to help you put together your special celebration with family and friends. Strike Gold with Your Mashed Potatoes …
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The warm dry days of July and August along with the relatively warm nights well into September has slowed the apple season to a crawl. Apples need cool night-time temps to put the final touch on their color and crispness. Now that we’re trending toward a more normal weather pattern, we’re seeing more varieties of this new crop of Washington apples.  We have had Gala apples for a couple of weeks. Golden Delicious and Honeycrisp apples both arrived this week. Reports are for a big Honeycrisp crop this year and the market is starting off with costs well below last year. So look for …
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