Good Grief!

For those who have forgotten about the market report, it’s like a stock report for produce. Ken Klein, a local grocer, writes it as a weekly newspaper column and kindly allows me to post it here.

This week’s executive summary:

• Tomato damage in New Jersey and Florida has resulted in higher prices.
• Blueberries have doubled in price.
• Expect volatile lettuce prices in the next few weeks.
• Honeydew, cantaloupes, peaches, and plums are still a great deal.

The Market Report, by Ken Klein
Klein’s Supermarket, 2401 Pennsylvania Avenue, Philadelphia
Our Hours: M-F 8 AM to 8 PM; Sat. 8 AM to 8 PM; Sunday 9 AM to 1 PM

Greetings Food Lovers!

Garlic, might just be the most-used cooking additive to flavor food after pepper. Did you know that the flavor of one clove of garlic is 10 times stronger when pushed through a garlic press than when it’s minced with a sharp knife? More of the clove’s essential oils are released when a garlic press is used. One clove of minced garlic yields about 1 teaspoon.

• Jersey tomatoes are over. Rains for the past weeks created a fungus which damaged the crop. The remaining tomatoes with good quality have skyrocketed in price. We all love the taste, but is it worth paying over $2 or $3 for just one big tomato? Not to me! As the summer harvest winds down, do not expect to find cheap tomatoes anywhere. Hurricane damage to Florida should delay the harvest, and transportation issues with the higher gas prices will add to the case price of any produce item. There are fantastic hot house tomatoes available now. The price is reasonable, and they taste and look wonderful.
• Blueberries are now arriving in half pint boxes; you will pay the same price for a half pint as you did for a full pint.
• Nectarines are almost a done deal. If you don’t eat some of these gems now, you will have to wait until next year.
• Peaches and plums are still a great deal with a taste that can’t be beat.
• Honeydews and cantaloupes are great! Look for the larger sizes with a little give.
• Broccoli is expensive. Eastern broccoli arriving from Maine has no life to it, and California is expensive and looks good. If you must eat it and don’t want to pay the high price, I suggest you purchase frozen!
• The lettuce market is jumping upward as quality and head weights decline. Expect to see smaller heads of iceberg, romaine and leaf. Lettuce shipments could be limited over the next few weeks causing volatile lettuce prices to persist.

Have a fruitful week!