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Last week we started off the week in the high 50s – low 60s, with nighttime lows in the mid 30s. Following a cooler week in Santa Maria we are now transitioning into a warming trend, with temperatures this week fluctuating in to high 70s – low 80s, and nighttime lows in the 50s. The next few weeks should be dry, with no rain in the immediate forecast. While we hope for some scattered showers in the coming weeks to nourish our berries, these warm temperatures should help with size and firmness. San Andreas looks nice at 10-14 count on most ranches – main challenges with this commodity being half colored fruit. That said, we are remaining disciplined with our grading and only packing 90-100 percent colored fruit. Fronteras looks very good – we just began picking this commodity on one ranch last week. Monterey variety has some inconsistent coloring as well, but should clear up with the warmer temperature ahead. Our organic fall crop under hoops looks excellent at 18-22 count – numbers are dropping slightly but quality is great.
Mexico:
Weather has been favorable up until last week when we began experiencing showers in much of our Mexico growing regions. Looking into the forecast ahead we see rain predicted for Los Reyes, Ziracuaretiro and Zamora today and again toward the end of the week. That said, volume could be decreasing in these regions due to weather – with harvesting only taking place for dry fruit under tunnels. Maravatío and Irapuato have no reports of rain, so numbers should remain steady in this region. All regions are forecasted for rain going into the first week of February. Despite some rainy days – quality remains good among all commodities.
Oxnard:
We experienced some cooler weather and light drizzles last week – with temperatures mostly in the 60s with nighttime lows in the 40s. This week, temperatures should remain in the 70s with nighttime lows in the 50s with a slight warming trend ahead. We foresee no rain for at least the next 10 days – and anticipate a push in volume this week with the warmer weather. Volume is slowly increasing each week, and most fruit has 95-100% color and no issues with quality- both San Andreas and Fronteras varieties are looking great at 16-18 count for San Andreas, and 14-16 count for Fronteras.
Blueberries:
Weather looks warm this week in much of our Chilean growing regions – with Chillán and Linares reaching temperatures in the 90s, and Temuco staying steady in the 70s – 80s with a 40% chance of rain on Tuesday. These warmer temperatures should be producing steady volume – with full harvest of rabbiteye- varieties such as Brightwell and Tifblue. We are also increasing volumes of Ochlockonee harvest and in the southern region we have high volumes of mid-season varieties such as Bluegold, Legacy and Brigitta. Quality and size is looking great.
Florida:
Weather in Florida was relatively seasonal last week – with daytime temperatures in the low 70s and mid-low 50s at night. A rain front came through over the weekend resulting in 2.5 inches of rainfall, which resulted in a decrease in volume as we began the week. The remainder of the week should be back in the 70s with nighttime lows starting off in the 40s and creeping up into the 50s toward the later end of the week. Radiance counts are 20-22, Sensation 12-14, and Florida Beauty 18-20. Florida Beauty is the most uniform berry we have on the farm in terms of size and shape – overall quality among our commodities is excellent and the best we have seen in 8 years.
Salinas-Watsonville:
Here's a sneak peek of our next season's strawberry and raspberry crops. Watsonville strawberry crops are looking very advanced for this time of year - with a lot of green fruit and blossom underway. Salinas raspberries were planted a few weeks back and are coming along nicely as well.
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.
Last week we teased about our Galentine’s Day Brunch inspiration – this week we’re sharing it ALL. From White Chocolate Rosé Covered Strawberries, a Galentine’s Day Sprinkled Strawberry Cake, a Berry Granola Station, Berry Mimosas all around (and that’s not even it!). Did we mention a commercial-inspired video that captured all the fun? We hope to bring our customers creative, innovative and realistic approaches to everyday entertainment with our recipe and tablescape inspiration for this holiday of love – not just for couples, but gal pals, sisters, daughter’s and mothers too! We understand the importance of utilizing video content through our marketing efforts, and showing real-life glimpses of everyday moments our shoppers experience with California Giant berries. We look forward to bringing more of these moments to life in 2018.
This consumer messaged us directly from Facebook to give a big thumbs up on their recent Cal Giant blackberries purchase. We're glad this first experience with our berries was one to remember!
This Abbotsford British Columbia Save on Foods has all the mightiest Cal Giant blues!
Send us your own "pick of the week" and we will feature it here!
