Good Grief!

The Market Report is a weekly column written by Ken Klein of Klein’s Supermarket in Philadelphia’s Fairmount neighborhood. He writes the column for the Art Museum Area News and kindly allows me to post it here. The report is a fascinating look at the forces that drive the quality and price of our food; if you haven’t read it before, check it out!

Executive summary:

• Persimmons, anyone?
• Tomato problems persist
• High prices on white seedless grapes, blueberries, green beans, grapefruit, and green peppers
• Zucchini is currently a good deal

Read on for the entire report.

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!

Introduction
Years ago, in a period I refer to as B.C. (before children), I was an English teacher in Tokyo. A surprise even to my parents. Not being in Tokyo, but actually teaching English. I was always the worst kid in the class in grammar and spelling. Arriving in the Fall, I found a strange fruit-bearing tree outside my window. When I asked what it was, the reply was Kaki. The English word is persimmon.

There are two commercially important varieties of persimmons, both bright orange in color and Asian in origin. Pointy Hachiyas should be ripened until squishy-soft before eating, but flat, tomato-shaped Fuyu Persimmons can be enjoyed crisp like apples. Fuyus are the first persimmon variety to be harvested, the harbinger of the persimmon season, and Hachiyas will not be far behind.

For eating out of hand, rinse and eat Fuyu persimmons just like an apple, discarding the stem end. For breakfast, slice a firm Fuyu Persimmon and serve with cream or milk. Generally, Fuyu Persimmons are at their best when least tampered with, as their unusual texture and delicate flavor are easily obscured. A ripe Fuyu has the texture of a plum inside and slices neatly and easily. Halve and glaze quickly under the broiler as a simple main course accompaniment.

Persimmon season is here. If you are lucky, you will get hooked on them like I have.

Produce Report

• California Valencia oranges are virtually finished. Available product has gone down in quality so much that it’s now better to “just say no.” The new crop of California Navels will be shipped this week. Don’t expect to see great prices or sweet tastes yet. The season is just starting, and the real increase in volume should begin the first week of November.
• Florida oranges are gradually getting started. Supplies of juice and navels will be creeping in too, but not enough to suggest that the prices will come down just yet. There is now a better supply of tangerines available.
• Clementines from Spain are still on schedule to be here around October 26th.
• The lemon market is doing some strange things. The premium quality, extra-large lemons have gone through the roof! The number two quality, called choice, has gone down. There is not much difference between the taste and quality of the premium and choice grades. When the fruit is graded at harvesting and packing, the clean scarless skin becomes the premium quality, but it’s the inside that counts.
• Grapefruit has been slowly arriving from Florida. The fruit is small and expensive. Currently, it is triple the price over last year. So far the quality is good. We should see Texas grapefruit start up in a few weeks. Texas has been producing some fantastic product over the past years.
• White seedless grapes are sky high in price for the premium quality. The smaller size grapes are coming in with scars and browning. So my advice is to go for the best. The taste is just great! Prices are creeping up on red and black grapes too. The season is ending soon.
• Blueberries will now be arriving from the new crop in Argentina. We want these things, and growers around the world are happy to provide the product to us. Expect some extremely high prices on this one.
• Strawberries from California have been arriving with larger sizes and less bruising. This is due to cooler days and nights.
• Cantaloupes are hot. Prices are expected to go up as the harvest shifts to the California and Arizona desert region.
• Green beans continue to be in tight supply. The prices are expected to stay high for the next several weeks. Product is now arriving from Virginia and Georgia.
• Green peppers are expensive. California green peppers are winding down, along with the East coast plants that were damaged from the hurricanes coming through Florida and Georgia. When the markets are very strong, there is less grading of product, which results in more misshaped peppers and variances in sizing.
• Zucchini has peaked in price and is now dropping like a rock. It’s now arriving from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Nogales, and the quality is now good.
• Tomatoes have become tighter this past week and will continue to see higher prices going into November. Florida doesn’t have much to offer, and Mexican product is still three weeks away. There are rumors that growing areas in northern California may be expecting rain early next week. If this holds true, shippers are saying that product will no longer be good enough to ship East. This situation would definitely impact the Eastern markets on all sizes and varieties. Cherry tomatoes are hard to get for a reasonable price because farmers have planted heavy crops of grape tomatoes and held back on the cherry. We should see very high prices for the next weeks.

Have a fruitful week!