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Weather this week looks moderate in the high 60s low 70s, with nighttime lows dipping into the low 40s and even high 30s with some very cold mornings. Today, lows in Watsonville crept to a chilling 36 degrees. This week looks clear with no signs of rain on the horizon. Saturday was our last day of packing at our New West Watsonville cooler, with all fruit being received at Central Coast in Salinas. Volume is steadily decreasing week by week, but harvest will continue among our strawberries and raspberries weather and quality permitting. We estimate another week or so left in the season for these regions. New plants are making great progress - with some progression shots of our recently planted organic strawberries shown below.
Santa Maria:
Temperatures this week are anticipated to range in the high 60s to mid-high 70s, and may even peak into the low 80s over the weekend. Nighttime lows should remain steady in the mid 40s. Quality wise – both fruit and flavor are great.
Mexico:
All regions – Los Reyes, Ziracuaretiro, Maravatío and Zamora all have similar temperatures – with temps ranging in the 70s-80s, and nighttime lows steady in the 40s – 50s. Maravatío being the coolest of the regions with 30s – 40s at night. These cooler nights will help strawberry counts and increase fruit size. Minor defects include some green fruit and uneven ripening – but all things we have a handle on. Overall, quality is looking great. Blues are plentiful, with raspberries and blackberries looking good in size and firmness. Strawberry counts are in the high 20s, but we are expecting to see larger fruit by next week.
Blueberries:
Blueberry production is currently stemming from both our Mexican and Chilean regions – with Chilean fruit off to a slow start, but with vessels arriving this week. There is a delay in customs with blueberry exports but we anticipate a swift resolution in this delay.
Florida:
Weather this week is scattered – with temperatures starting off on the warmer side and nighttime lows consistent in the 60s-50s at night. We would like to see temperatures slightly colder to firm up fruit – and expect a cooling trend by Wednesday. In the coming weeks, temperatures should continue dip to 60-70s with nighttime lows in the 40s – 50s, which should increase size. Currently size among varieties is low 20s for Sensation, high 20s for Radiance, and mid-high 20s for Florida Beauty. Labor in this region is plentiful and not an issue.
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.
Now that it’s officially December that only leaves a few more weeks of Christmas shopping, party planning and meal prepping. In an effort to make the lives of our consumers a little easier during this busy holiday season, we have rounded up A Few of Our Favorite Things to give away between now and December 25th to help stock their stuffers this Christmas!
With the help of some of our brand ambassadors such as Fit Mitten Kitchen and her yummy, seasonal berry recipe creations like this decadent Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cheesecake - to our interactive Stocking Stuffers video teaser to get shopper’s excited for the chance to win – we’re all about making this Christmas easy, festive and fun for our shoppers!
This shopper gave us a shout out on our Contact Us form regarding our ‘amazing quality’ berries – and says that Cal Giant strawberries are the ‘best he’s ever had’. We love to make our consumers smile, and pride ourselves in our rigorous quality standards to ensure top notch berries to all our retail partners and consumers just like Brian.
BJ's has the berries! These Cal Giant blues and raspberries look delicious and ready to eat.
