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Weather in Santa Maria has been cool and sunny with a dense marine layer in the morning that weans off into the afternoon hours. Temperatures have been in the 50s-60s and are forecasted to increase into the 60s-70s this weekend and into next week, with wind on the radar as well. Quality in the fields is strong and cleaning up well from the recent storms. We are still dropping fruit here and there as we make passes through the furrows, but overall quality looks good and fields are loading up with nice fruit. Fronteras is sizing down at 18-22 count and slightly sensitive to the touch. However, this variety still has nice shape and color overall. San Andreas and Monterey are holding up really well - some 8-10 count and mostly 14-16. The Monterey is coloring up inconsistently with some berries half red and green, and we are doing our best to ensure fully red fruit is being packed. Fronteras is 18-22 count while Cabrillo and organic San Andreas are slightly larger. Labor is good and foot traffic in the fields is not an issue at this time. Sanitation and social distancing measures are being addressed and communicated to field crews daily. We are going to begin summer planting at the end of the month, with more to take place the first week of May and into June.
Oxnard:
Oxnard weather has been cool and sunny and will have temperatures warm up into the 60s-70s this weekend and into next. Quality has cleaned up nicely from the recent rainfall, with color 90-95 percent and counts anywhere from 16-18 in both San Andreas and Fronteras. Saturday will be our last day of harvesting fresh in Oxnard.
Overall, weather in Central Mexico is dry, warm and windy. There is no rain on the forecast and high temperatures are in the mid-90s. All commodities are looking good and production is mostly steady.
Blueberries:
Blueberry production continues to decrease, and growers are getting into a longer harvest rotation. Growers are also flowering the blueberry plants to prepare them for another push in volume in about two months. The quality continues to maintain despite the high temperatures.
Blueberry organic
Organic blueberry production is going to reduce slowly, however, quality remains consistent.
Raspberry
Raspberry production will continue to decrease as our growing regions in Jocotepec and Sayula are finishing their seasons. However, the decrease will not be rapid or abrupt due to Zamora and Guanajuato still increasing their volumes. The weather is affecting crops in a variety of ways, but growers are working diligently to slow any damages and ensure quality of exportation.
Organic Raspberry
Organic production will conclude in the next three weeks. The quality remains the steady.
Blackberry
Blackberry volume continues to increase to achieve its peak production in the coming weeks. We have minor quality concerns due to warm weather, but growers are doing their best to ensure quality and clean packs.
Blueberries:
Mexico:
Quality out of Mexico remains good.
Oxnard:
Quality on Oxnard organics is very good, and fruit is holding up very well in the fields.
Florida:
We are beyond our peak in Florida and quality remains very good. The extended forecast projects wet weather ahead in mid-April.
Georgia
Quality out of Georgia is good for the most part. We are seeing mostly firm berries with a few minor defects here and there. Production is expected to increase the next few weeks.
Central Valley California
The first organic fruit from our Central Valley ranch is expected to be packed around 4/27. Our large conventional volume out of the Central Valley will not arrive until mid-May.
For up-to-date weather conditions in all of our growing regions, click on the region below. Wunderground.com is our go-to weather resource for fast and reliable weather updates.
Spring is in the air! Our berries love the spring season – the cool mornings and sunny afternoons make for the perfect climate for our local berry season in our California growing regions. While days look a little different lately, there are still so many reasons to snack on fresh berries - whether it’s a warm afternoon on your porch with a bowl of freshly washed berries, tossing berries into a morning smoothie or oatmeal bowl, a sweet and savory lunchtime salad or an indulgent dessert or cocktail because let’s face it – it’s about time we enjoy the sweeter things. Here are some April eats we are MOST excited about sharing with our shoppers – all featuring fresh California Giant berries.
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A wonderful message from this Texas Walmart shopper:
“Hello. I am not sure how often you get positive feedback about your produce, but I wanted to send in a message anyways. I have never tried your brand of long stem strawberries and I can say without a doubt that they are the best packaged strawberries I have ever had. My clamshell was dark red, which usually means the berries are soft - but they were still very crisp and firm! I will definitely continue to buy your product as long as my stores carry it.”
It’s safe to say this Safeway has the prettiest red strawberries – California Giant strawberries that is!
