March 6, 2020

Happy Friday!

We're already in the month of March and looking forward to what's ahead this spring! Our local Watsonville-Salinas crop is kicking off within the next few weeks, and Oxnard and Santa Maria are loading up with great quality strawberries. Organic blueberries are ramping up and looking excellent as we continue to celebrate all things 'blue' throughout the year ahead. Be sure to set your clocks this weekend and prepare for longer days and more opportunities to snack on fresh berries.

For more information, including crop and weather reports, please scroll below.

Crop Updates

Santa Maria:

Rain is on the way in our Santa Maria region next week - with showers beginning this Saturday over the weekend and into next week Monday-Wednesday. Rain totals are expected to be anywhere from .5 -2.5 inches and we will update our customers as necessary on weather and crop conditions. and will plan to harvest before the rain comes. That said, quality is looking great and fields are loading up with fruit. Fronteras is 12-16 count with nice size, shape and sheen. The Monterey is working through the mud crop and should clean up very soon, but for now fruit is ranging from 16-18, and 20-24 among other ranches. Our organic spring crop is putting out great fruit and production will pick up soon. Counts are 16-18 in both San Andreas and Fronteras with nice shape and color. Organic fall crop Portola is 18-22 with full color but still slightly sensitive to touch. Labor is in good shape and we are continuing to recover from the frost a few weeks back.

Oxnard:

Weather in Oxnard will be similar to Santa Maria next week - although this region should not expect much rain tomorrow, with the bulk of moisture coming in between Monday-Wednesday. We are expecting anywhere from 1-3 inches - we are expecting setbacks from the rain and will harvest ahead of the wet conditions and clean fields post-storm as necessary. Fruit is in great shape with nice shape, color and sheen with both San Andreas and Fronteras 14-16 count and 95% color. Size and numbers will be picking up, and labor continues to be a non-issue.

Mexico:

In general, all the Central Mexico regions will be mostly sunny. The temperatures continue to increase. Tala and Irapuato are hotter than the other ones reaching 90 degrees with nights in the 50s. Sayula, Jocotepec, Los Reyes, and Zamora are regions that stay between 55-85 degrees. Maravatio remains our coolest region with temperatures ranging from the high 40s at night and low 80s during the day. Forecasts are projected to remain consistent over the next few weeks.

Blueberries

Blueberry production is increasing. The stage of production varies between growers. Growers are reaching their peak, and others are just starting production. Volumes will increase the next two weeks and quality remains good.

Organic Blueberries

Organic blueberry volume is increasing. The quality looking good at this time.

Raspberries

Raspberry production is increasing. The quality is just right. However, the weather is affecting irregular ripening but growers are continuing to make good pack selections.

Organic Raspberries

Organic raspberry production will remain consistent, and after the next two weeks will begin to decrease. The quality remains good.

Strawberries

The weather is affecting the amount of fruit that is packable. The quality selected is the best exportable fruit. Volume will reduce for the next weeks and will then maintain. Maravatio continues to be our region that packs the most fruit.

Blackberries

Blackberry production will continue to be low and will eventually increase. The quality has been affected by the weather due to hot temperatures. However, growers have been working diligently to keep packs clean and top-quality.

Unknown-4-18

Unknown-55

Unknown-5-8

Blueberries:

Mexico

Production is steadily increasing both in conventional and organics. Steady volume is ahead going into our peak production in the next 2-3 weeks.

South America

Our Southern Region of Chile has finished harvesting for the 2020 blueberry season. We will continue to receive containers on both coasts for the next 10 days and that will conclude the season.

Florida

We will begin harvesting light volumes next week and will continue to increase production going into April.

Florida:

Weather in Florida has been a series of warm and very cool weather the last few weeks. Going into the weekend, temperatures will be relatively mild and moderate. Further into next week, temperatures will increase significantly into the 80s. We are projecting a few more weeks left in our conventional season, with organics to wrap up after that likely in April. For now, quality is holding up well and Brilliance is 20-24 count, while Sensation is 18-22 and slight bruising from the warm weather. More photos to come next week.

Weather Conditions

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.

Beat the Daylight Savings Blues

Daylight savings is upon us and we knew this would be an excellent opportunity to resonate with shoppers about those earlier mornings and longer afternoons. Our morning folks may not be excited to set their clocks this weekend, but we have some recipes we're sharing this week to save them time when whipping up breakfast, and snacks to keep them fueled for those after school and work activities. What's your favorite time saving recipe?

Blackberry Fruit Leather