Spring
Turnip and Collard Greens, Lettuces, Spinach, Arugula, Beets, Turnips, Carrots, Radishes Sweet Peas Strawberries
Summer
Broccoli, Cabbage, Cantaloupes, Peaches, Heirloom Tomatoes, Herbs, Squash, Peppers, Eggplant, Beans, Cucumbers, Melons, Okra, Corn, Blackberries, Blueberries, Spinach
Fall
Apples, Pecans, Pumpkins, Rutabaga, Figs, Turnip and Collard Greens, Grapes
Winter
Turnip and Collard Greens, Herbs, Pecans, Persimmons, Winter Squash
Don't Forget To Stock Up For NEW YEARS EVE!
Although champagne as midnight strikes has become a symbol of the holiday, no single food epitomizes the contemporary New Year's holiday. The menu may be luxurious caviar at a New Year's Eve bacchanalia or a sobering Hoppin' John on New Year's Day. Celebrations marking the inexorable march of Father Time often involve foods imbued with symbolism, such as in the Pennsylvania Dutch New Year's tradition of sauerkraut (for wealth) and pork--the pig roots forward into the future, unlike the Christmas turkey, which buries the past by scratching backward in the dirt.
Seventeenth-century Dutch immigrants in the Hudson River valley welcomed the New Year by "opening the house" to family and friends. The custom was adapted by English colonists, who used brief, strictly choreographed January 1st social calls for gentlemen to renew bonds or repair frayed relationships. Ladies remained at home, offering elegantly arrayed collations laden with cherry bounce, wine, hot punch, and cakes and cookies, often flavored with the Dutch signatures of caraway, coriander, cardamom, and honey. Embossed New Year's 'cakes," from the Dutch made by pressing a cookie-like dough into carved wooden boards decorated with flora and fauna were a New York specialty throughout the nineteenth century. The New York custom of open house spread westward in the nineteenth century.
In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries those of French and English backgrounds celebrated the twelve days of Christmas with gifts of food and festive dinners on January 1st. African Americans in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries made one of the most enduring contributions to the modern holiday. Starting in the Carolinas but extending throughout the South, Hoppin' John and greens became traditional New Year's fare, black-eyed peas bringing luck and the rice (which swelled in the cooking) and greens (like money) bringing prosperity.
In the early twentieth century Japanese Americans adopted the open house tradition, serving glutinous rice dishes, soups, boiled lobsters (signifying health and happiness), and fish specially prepared to appear live and swimming."
Commodity Update
Apples:
Washington Red Delicious are peaking at the 80-100 sizes, and producing mostly high
Grade fruit. Golden Delicious are also peaking at the 88 size and producing primarily extra fancy grade product. Many suppliers are limited on Goldens. Granny Smith and Gala apples are peaking at the 88 size and demand is strong creating a higher market.
Pears:
California Bartlett supplies are extremely light and the majority of the product that is let is int the 80-100 sizes. California Bosc pears also have extremely light supplies and are cleaning up. D'Anjou pears have good availability across all sizes.
Strawberries:
Demand is light this week, and prices are off slightly. Florida and Mexico are begging to build their volumes. California still has good availability and steady supplies. Wet weather is forecasted for the beginning of the week in California, but it should clear up quickly. Quality is being reported as good out of all regions.
Raspberries, Blackberries:
The Raspberry market is firm this week as demand has improved with supplies remaining steady. Quality remains strong or this week. The Blackberry market is firm this week with good demand and lights supplies. There are no quality issues being reported, and quality out of all growing regions is good.
Grapes:
The market on Red Grapes is steady this week as demand is light and supplies are good. Product out of California is finishing up, with about a week left. Chilean product has started but availability is very light. Volume on Peruvian product is slightly better this week. Supplies are limited of black seedless and Red Globe Grapes.
Melons:
Supplies of Domestic Honeydew are limited and finishing up quickly. The offshore season is going strong with good availability. Product is still peaking on large sizes, and supplies of smaller fruit are lower. The Market on Honeydew is steady to slightly higher this week as demand has increased. Offshore product is available though supplies are lighter. Product is peaking on ^ counts.
Citrus:
The Lemon Market is strong this week. Demand is heavily outstripping supplies on small fruit. Supplies will remain tight like this through the rest of this month and January. Navel Oranges are in full production, with quality and coloring being reported as excellent. This product is heavy mostly on fancy grades. Supplies of limes are light this week and will remain so for the week.
Stone Fruit:
California Peaches, Plums, and Nectarines have finished for the season. There is extremely limited availability of offshore cherries, however the amount is minimal.
Broccoli:
Demand continues to exceed supplies of this commodity, keeping the market high. Expect this pattern to continue through the week. Most growing regions continue to have light supplies. Quality is being reported as strong out of all growing regions.
Cauliflower:
The Cauliflower market is strong this week and pricing remains active. Demand is exceeding supplies and availability is expected to remain very tight through the course of the week. Overall Quality is being reported as fair. Look for supplies to pick up in a couple weeks.
Celery:
The Celery market is steady this week. Demand has fallen off slightly and supplies have remained fairly steady. Supplies continue to be better on smaller sizes, though all sizes are available. Quality is good with no major problems being reported at this time.
Cucumbers:
Supplies remain light on Super Selects, but supplies of other grades are good. The market for Western product is steady this week with good supplies and light demand. Northern Growing regions are steadily winding down. Supplies in the east remain steady, however the lighter supplies in the West are increasing the demand for eastern product.
Lettuce:
The Romaine market is softer this week. Demand is off slightly as compared to last week. Quality is fair as shippers are dealing with ice in the fields. The head lettuce market is softer this week. Supplies are limited and demand is low. Ice in the fields are causing slight quality issues. Overall quality is reported as fair.
Onions:
The Onion market is steady to lower overall. Supplies are good, but demand is off. Colorado supplies are limited on all varieties. Yellow quality is being reported as excellent out of all regions. Reds out of Idaho and Washington have good availability and are peaking on the larger sizes.
Potatoes:
The Idaho market is down on 80 and larger counts as demand is off and supplies are good. California continues to have availability of reds and golds, as do Washington and North Dakota.
Squash:
The Squash market is steady this week. The anticipated increase in both production and holiday demand should keep the market this way for the rest of the week. The Eastern Squash market is steady this week as well. Demand should remain strong through the end of the year so look for the market to stay this way.
Tomatoes:
The market for products out of Mexico has strengthened due to heavy rains affecting supplies. Markets in Florida are slightly higher as buyers look to fill gaps caused by lower production in Mexico. Look for this market to remain active for the next week.