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.

Executive summary:

• Chili is winding down.
• California is recovering from the recent rains.
• Peppers are up.

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!

Produce Talk

• Strawberries from California are on the upswing, with great color, size, and firmness. April and May are prime months to enjoy this mouth-watering and refreshing fruit.
• The red raspberry, blueberry, and blackberry markets have risen during past weeks due to lighter supplies from Chile (on blueberries) and extremely light supplies from California and Mexico.
• Chilean fruit: grapes, berries, peaches, plums, and nectarines are just about over. Monsoon-like rains that have damaged product on the vine have caused a price increase on grapes. Mexican grapes are expected to begin harvest during the first week of May, with California starting up a week or so later.
• Stone fruit from California should be showing up shortly. A few growers have already packed some early peaches in the South. In two or three weeks we should see volume picking up. Maybe even some cherries too!
• Cantaloupe supply, currently from Latin America, became very tight by the end of last week. Prices rose slightly.
• California citrus saw improved quality last week as shippers recover from their rain-induced problems. Prices are getting higher on navels, as there is less fruit (it’s the end of the season) and high demand. Minneolas are just about over, and that is a shame. They have been just fantastic these past weeks—juicy and sweet.
• Seedless watermelons are now arriving from Florida, and they have been great, with a deep, red color and a sweet taste.
• Romaine lettuce, along with red and green leaf lettuce continues to improve in quality. The wholesale market has been a roller coaster due to planting gaps caused by the weather. Major California growers predict this trend will persist until June. Iceberg lettuce is also improving, and we should see lower prices soon.
• Broccoli is hot again, with product available from California only! Quality continues to be very nice. It is close to three dollars retail.
• Green and red peppers are going up. Because of windy weather knocking blossoms from the plants, greens from Florida are yielding fewer peppers than normal, though quality is good. California is barely starting to harvest their new spring crop. Red peppers from Nogales are coming to a quick end; the expected spring crop did not happen due to unseasonable weather, which produced light supplies. The next source of reds will be coming from Southern California, but not until the second or third week of May.
• Green beans are in light supply and are showing wind scaring.
• Florida corn has been fantastic.
• Tomatoes of all sizes and shapes are in tight supply. If you need them, don’t expect a bargain.

Have a fruitful week!