Organic Market Update #286

Week 37, 2022

Fall Veg

Premium Organic Greens are back in season, with Organic Chards, Collards, Dandelions, Kales & Parsleys now available entering the Fall. Promotional opportunities will be available on Organic Greens during September. Organic Grape and Cherry Tomatoes continue in season, while Organic Summer Vegetables, such as Organic Eggplant, Green Bell Peppers, Jalapeño Peppers, and Zucchini are winding down for the season.

Hard Squash

Organic Hard Squashes are in peak season with good availability on the main three varieties: Acorn, Butternut, and Spaghetti. East Coast Organic Specialty Hard Squashes are also in season including Organic Pie Pumpkins, Honeynut, Kabocha, and Delicata.

Celery

Organic Celery & Celery Hearts remain in strong production with continued promotional opportunities. Volumes will begin to decrease later this month, creating price increases and less availability. Traditionally, mid to late October and November can be difficult months for celery so now is an excellent time to promote as quality and supplies are strong.

Grapes

Mid-September through mid-October should be one of the best times of the year to promote Organic Grapes from California. Organic Red Grapes will be “Scarlett Royals” along with some “Sweet Celebrations” and “Jack Salutes.” These varieties have nice size, crunch, and flavor. Organic Green Grapes are in great supply with excellent quality on “Sweet Globes” and “Great Greens” with good crispiness and size. 

Tomatoes

Organic Hothouse Beefsteak Tomatoes out of Canada will be gapping until later this Fall. This gap will be filled with Organic Beefsteak Tomatoes from Hoop House field production out of Ohio and Pennsylvania. Availability is expected to start to decline heading into October. 

Apples

Washington Organic Honeycrisp Apples are in a short gap as there is transition between old crop storage fruit and freshly harvested new crop. Growers are reporting less red blush in their early harvests of new crop. New crop Organic Gala Apples from Washington are in peak season and imported Organic Granny Smith will finish for the season within the next two weeks before new crop production out of Washington in October.

Broccoli

 Organic Broccoli remains expensive and in limited volumes, although there are promising signs of returning to more normal levels next week. Prices jumped to kick off September when production dropped down to 50 percent due to high heat and the Labor Day holiday. Organic Broccoli Crowns are slightly behind schedule compared to the bunched product due to the development of the crown size. Volume and pricing improvements are about a week behind bunched production. Supplies from Quebec continue to be available to help supplement supply, however, volumes remain limited.

Onions

A new crop of Nevada grown Organic Red, Yellow, and White Onions will be available over the next two weeks. Medium Red and Yellow Organic Onions will be limited until we get into the new Nevada crop.

Cucumber

Organic Cucumbers from Mexico are in steady supply, and quality has been strong, and pricing remains average in September from Mexico. Organic Cucumbers from Florida will begin harvest this month, with. volumes are expected to increase quickly, and quality expected to be top-notch.

Berries

Organic Blackberry prices are rising slightly. Volume has been steady, and quality has been good. However, demand has remained soft. Organic Blueberry pricing is rising as the Pacific Northwest crops begin to finish. Peruvian fruit has been steadily available, but prices are rising as less fruit is in the marketplace. Quality from both regions has been good to excellent on steady supplies. Organic Raspberry pricing will be higher out of California, as high temperatures are keeping the fruit on the plants and creating heavy pro-rates. Organic Strawberry markets remain steady out of CA. Quality has been fair-good from shippers as the high temperatures are leading to more bruising.