market reports

The Fourth of July is coming in a week or so and the Taste of Chicago has scaled back to five days (Yeah!). Business always took a hit when the Taste came; Everyone was too full on turkey legs and corn to go out, so restaurant sales dipped, which doesn’t help me any either. I always thought a smaller Taste would be better anyway, because you would get more people in a shorter time period and could generate the same dollars, only quicker; but I don’t know if that is possible because I never worked a booth at the Taste. I do like fireworks and they are always great to watch, no matter how old you are. It does seem that very small kids get scared if they are too close to them. My grandson is that way so we give him headphones so he can’t hear them but can see them, which he likes. His parents like fireworks also, up close.

The hot weather is not helping local farmers too much right now. We need a little rain to go with those 90-degree temps. Crops need water to survive, so a good steady rain would be a big help. Local Asparagus is done; the next big crop is Corn and that should start in 2 weeks. Local growers are shipping a variety of produce. Check out our locally grown list and the farms where the product comes from. The list gets bigger and bigger every week. A lot of local production will start to take the place of outside crops, we want to support our farmers close to us but we are selective in who we will buy product from. They must have certain standards and be willing to make sure their product is safe, that’s the way we do a local program.

Beans are steady, Cucs are down, Celery is higher, Broc is higher, Cauliflower is down, and French Beans are higher.  Baby Veggies are steady and prices are steady. Years ago, when I first started in business, Baby Veggies were all the rage- prices were always high and you couldn’t get enough. Now lots of choices for supply and prices are mostly lower rather than higher. By the way, Mesclun was selling for $28 for 3 pounds back then, and I am not going to tell you how long ago that was, but I did have a mustache at the time.  

Onion prices are higher on Spanish and Red Onions. White Onions are the same. Red and White Pearl Onions are steady. Potato prices have stayed steady for two weeks and that is good news. Red Potatoes are also steady, good supply is helping. Fingerling and Pee Wee fill out the list so you have plenty of choices for Potatoes for summer.

Eggplant is down but Brussel Sprouts are still high and a touch on the small side- that’s because of the heat. When it gets hot, Brussel Sprouts don’t do well and turn yellow quickly, so farmers harvest them sooner hence the small size. We do try to get larger ones but some days we don’t have much choice. Fennel is down, Rapini is steady, Broccolini is steady, Rhubarb is steady, and Baby Eggs are also available.

Green Onions are steady, Zucchini is down, Yellow Squash is steady, and Hard Squash is down also. Head Lettuce is steady, Red and Green Leaf are down, Romaine is steady, Boston is higher, and Mesclun is steady. Tomatoes are steady and Plum Tomatoes are higher, they are switching areas and supplies are tighter.

Arkansas Vine Ripes are going strong and product is excellent quality. Gourmet Medley have been short lately, the grower that makes them is having production issues and is shorting vendors till he can get more product.

Strawberries are steady, Raspberries are down, Blues will be switching to pints later in the week, and Blackberries are still tight and you may be shorted till the following day when supplies are not available.

Single layer tree-ripened fruit is now available. Pluots, Nectarines, Peaches, Apricots, and Saturn Peaches are in stock. We can switch these around depending on availability and demand. Clementines are also available. All summer fruits are in stock and all different sizes and varieties are available. Yellow Watermelon is back and Figs will start in a big way next Friday. Our Fig grower is sending us a pallet and says quality is excellent. If you want to try them, pre-order for next Friday, they are coming in pints and clamshells.