Market Report- Week Beginning Mar 27, 2023
What’s Hot
Ontario Greenbelt Hydroponics are available! A premium quality lettuce and herb option with a menu friendly price! Mixed greens/baby kale/baby arugula/super crunch/basil/watercress all available for order. If you haven’t tried these yet we strongly suggest you do!
Ontario Hydroponic products are coming on strong, and we are moving to those products as part of our commitment to local whenever possible. Local peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers and more are all available. Our partners at Gomes Farms are supplying us with fantastic tomatoes, and the number of varieties is available is increasing each week it seems.
Raspberries and Strawberries from Baja are Buyer’s Choice items right now. Pricing is good, and the quality is excellent.
South American grapes are eating very well now, and pricing is steady.
Avocadoes continue to remain steady in price and quality.
A sure sign of spring, the Asparagus march up North America is on, and the quality coming from Mexico this year is fantastic. Coupled with low prices, this is a great buy for spring menus. As weather improves throughout spring, asparagus provenance will continue to get closer to home. Keep an eye out for the annual Ontario Asparagus announcement.
For Lion King fans, you’ll certainly think that Zafu should have been singing about having a lovely bunch of watermelons… some as big as your head! Seriously, we’ve managed to secure a supply of 4ct watermelons that are out of this world and will leave you juice covered and feeling like you’re at a summer cookout!
Items of Concern
Rhubarb, while available, is in very short supply due to the sub-optimal growing conditions so far this spring. We expect it to come on strong as the weather hopefully improves.
Quality of Blueberries and Blackberries remains high; however, prices are beginning to creep up as supply tightens.
Bananas remain a challenge item, as plantations are stills struggling to recover from last fall’s storms.
Treviso and Castelfranco are in VERY short supply, with pricing reflecting that.
Winding Down
Our patience for this slow start to Spring! Our buying team can’t wait to announce all the fantastic local produce our partners produce for us each year, and now all we need is for Mother Nature to cooperate. Keep an eye on our social media channels for announcements of all the sure signs of spring like Ramps, Fiddle Heads, Rhubarb, and Asparagus, as they are sure to move quickly.