BestPlateVegetable

Best Plate Vegetable
Yams
Red/Yukon Potatoes
Celery
Hot House Cucumbers
Mustard Greens
Collard Greens
Rainbow Chard
Green Bell Peppers
Turnips
Haricot Vert
Parsnips
Blue Lake Beans
Mushrooms
Amenity Fruit Picks
January 27th, 2015
SF Specialty
Phone 510-952-8495 Fax 510-477-0521
www.laspecialty.com
A brief market update for our proprietors, chefs, purchasing directors and staff
Good News
California Apples and Pears: California varieties in stock and ready to go: Gala and Pippin
from Gizdich Ranch; Pink Lady, Black Arkansas, Sweeties, Fuji, and Crimson Gold available from
Cuyama in Southern California. Asian Pears coming from Fresno.
Washington Apples & Pears: Other options available for Pre-order: Cameo, Jonathan,
Jonagold, Rome, Jazz, Macintosh, Crab Apple, Grapple and Lady. Pink Pearl Apples in stock. All
Pears, Honeycrisp, Comice, and Concorde coming out of Washington. Expect to see transition from
Bartlett to D'anjous.
Local Veg: Stinging Nettles from Jacob's Farm in Santa Cruz; Chicory Mix from Countyline; Gold
Turnips and King Richard Leeks from Riverdog; Check out the weekly deals for more info!
Citrus: Cold nights are creating some intense flavor and color. Delicous Heirloom Navels from Rising
C Ranch in Reedley in stock, eating extremely sweet and juicy. Blood Oranges, also from Rising C,
are cutting with great color and flavor. Transitioning to Paige and Murcott Tangerines under the
Stem & Leaf and Seedless codes. Paige Mandarins still available, but will be finishing soon; get yours
while they last! Pomelo, Melo Gold, Calamondin, Mandarinquats, Seville Oranges, Bergamont
Oranges, and Sweet limes also available from Rising C. Organic Meyer Lemons from Coke. Oro
Blanco, Limequat, and Ugli Fruit available through pre-order.
Heirloom Navels
#10326
Tangerines
#1522
Blood Oranges
#1452
Black Arkansas Apples
#3010
Gala Apples
#7175
Pippin Apples
#11549
Paige Mandarins
#3805
Bad News
Broccolini: Availability remains limited, but has improved since last week.
Romaine & Romaine Hearts: Due to freeze damage and blistering, a good amount of product
was not usable for packing. Currently very limited.
Leafy Items: May see yellowing, blistering, and shorter shelf life during the next few weeks.
Especially true for Kale, Baby Kale, Arugula, Baby Spinach, Romaine, and Green Leaf Lettuce.
Herbs: Tarragon and Thyme currently short. Seeing some cold damage on Basil.
Mangos, Pineapples, & Bananas: Limited supplies due to rain in growing areas and issues at
the port. May see pro-rating on Mangos, and decline in quality. Price is up on all.
Canteloupes and Watermelon: Price has come off slightly, but supplies remain tight. Quality
is not the best during this time of the year, expecially on Watermelons.
Blackberries: Up in price as industry wide supplies are limited due to rain in Mexico.
Asparagus: Volume is currently light out of Mexico due to slow production caused by colder
temperatures. May see shorts until conditions improve.
Frizee: Also seeing limited supplies due to slow growth. May see more medium premium instead of
x-yellow pack.
Fruits
Specialty
Black Mission and Candy Striped Figs are finished. Brown Turkey Figs still available through pre-order, but
supplies are very light as the weather turns colder. Kiwi and Cape Gooseberries (pre-order) are from
California. California Persimmons are finished, now Israeli Sharon Fruit. Pomegranates and Quince will be
finishing in the next few weeks. Black Grapes expected back in 1-2 weeks. Green & Red Grapes quality
have improved with transition to import fruit. Import Bing Cherries are finishing, but Peaches, Nectarines,
Plums, Plumcots, Apricots, and Gold Kiwi available through pre-order. Passionfruit, Cherimoya, Sapote,
Pepino Melon, Korean Melon, Longan, and Baby Pineapple are also available through pre-order. Dragonfruit
limited and expensive.
Apples/Pears
Local Gala and Pippin are in house. Black Arkansas, Pink Lady, Fuji, and Sweeties available from Cuyama in
Southern California. Expect to see California varieties wind down soon. Seasonal Washington Apple
varieties available through pre-order: Jonagold, Macintosh, Grapple, and Cameo. Honeycrisp are also out of
Washington. Unique Pink Pearl Apples from Chelan in stock. All pears are now coming from the North West,
with the exception of Apple Pears which are from California. Expect Bartletts to wind down, and move to
D'Anjous. WA Forellis have finished.
Tropical
Mangos are from Ecuador, limited supplies due to poor quality caused by port hold ups. Starfruit from
Florida is now available through pre-order. Avocados are steady. Cactus Pears in 1 layer packs are available
through pre-order. Mexican Papaya is currently limited, and up in price.
Melons
Watermelon coming out of Mexico, price is steady but quality is not very nice during this time of the year.
Canteloupe price has come off a little. Honeydew is steady this week, and expected to come off over the
next week due to increased production out of Mexico.
Citrus
Satsuma Tangerines have finished early, transitioning in to Paige and Murcott Tangerines under the Stem
and Leaf and Seedless codes. Choice and Fancy codes for oranges are Navel, color and flavor have
improved. Delicous Heirloom Navels are available from Rising C Ranch. California Blood Oranges,
Kumquats, and Cara Cara's in stock, eating great. Limes are steady this week. Sweet Limes, Calomondin,
Bergamont, Seville Oranges, Melo Gold, Mandarinquats, and Pomelo are all from Rising C Ranch. Meyer
Lemons have improved in price and quality; organic option from Coke. Texas Ruby Grapefruit are up in
price due to limited supplies, try California Grapefruit. California Buddha Hand, Limequats, Finger Limes,
Oro Blanco, and Cocktail available through pre-order.
Berries
Strawberries are currently steady, but prices expected to rise as we get closer to Valentine's Day. Make
sure to get pre-orders in for Stem Strawberries! Blackberries are currently limited, may see shorts.
Blueberries and Raspberries are steady. Fresh Craberries finished, frozen available.
Vegetables
We're seeing some improvement on certain items that were affected by the cold weather. Broccolini,
Broccoli (especially Florets), and Cauliflower have all shown imporvement this week on quality and
availability. May see availability on Broccolini get tight again. Corn is in good supply and prices are off,
coming from Mexico. "Frost Kissed" Regular Artichokes available, Premium Heirloom Artichokes (Green
Globe) continue to be unavailable. Romaine, Romaine Hearts, Butter Lettuce, & Baby Head Lettuce are
currently limited. Iceberg price is off. Cabbage prices steady. Green Onions off a little in price. Brussel
Sprouts currently limited, seeing a gap as they transition to Mexico.
Mushrooms
Chantrelle prices are up, coming from Morocco due to limited supply in CA. May see subs of Hedgehog.
Black Trumpet available through pre-order, Hedgehog currently in stock. Lobster, Matsutaki, and Porcini
are finished.
Cucumbers and Squash
Cucumber price is steady. Price and availability on Zucchini and Yellow Squash has improved. Eggplant is
currently inexpensive. Baby Squash is steady. Many local Hard Squash varieties have finished, including
Red Kuri, Delicata, Turban, Buttercup, and Carnival.
Peppers
Green Bells and Chilis are inexpensive. Red & Gold Bell Peppers are steady. New crop of Mini Sweet
Peppers has started out of Mexico, supplies have improved drastically.
Beans
Both Blue Lake Beans and Haricot Verts are in good supply and reasonable. Yellow Wax Beans are hit and
miss. Local Romano Beans finished.
Tomatoes
Tomato market has come off quite a bit, all packs are down in price due to better supplies out of Mexico.
#2's, Loose, and Roma are the best value packs. Color has begun to improve as well, though still light.
Premium Heirlooms have come off in price.
Specialty
Romanesco hit and miss this week. English Peas and Fava Beans are limited. Squash Blossoms very
limited due to cold weather. Calcot Onions available through pre-order. Ginger price is off a little.
California peeled garlic has come off. Puntarelle and Castle Franco now require pre-order. Tarragon &
Thyme limited due to weather, and are up in price. Stinging Nettles available from Jacob's Farms; Organic
Chicory Mix from County Line. Check out the weekly deals for more info!
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