Strawberries
Watsonville- Salinas:
Quality: Overall strawberry quality is very good with recent cold mornings helping with color and firmness.
Volume: Volume will keep declining as the end of the season for this area comes to an end. However, as long as weather is cooperative, harvest of good quality fruit will continue.
Pack Counts: Conventional: 20-24; Organic: 28-32
Planting: Growers have begun balancing both planting for Spring 2021 and continued harvest of good quality strawberries.
Santa Maria:
Quality: Growers are fighting pin rot, bruised and soft fruit in the field. Crews are dropping a high percentage of the fruit in order to maintain strong packs.
Volume: Total production volume out of Santa Maria is now past its peak; however, it will remain in good supply now through early December.
Pack Counts: Conventional: 20-22 / 22-24; Organic: 20-24 / 26-28
Mexico:
Quality: Strawberries out of Mexico are very good.
Volume: Expected to increase week over week now through early January.
Pack Counts: Conventional: 24-28
Florida:
Planting: Planting of the upcoming season's crop is close to completion.
Quality: Some red fruit is already being spotted throughout some of the early planted fields.
Harvest: Expecting to begin harvest in light volumes mid-November.
Blueberries
Mexico:
Quality: Blueberries out of Mexico are looking very good with good size, bloom, flavor and firmness.
Volume: Production this week was higher than forecast. Crop is currently in its peak until mid-December.
South America:
Quality: Of our most recent arrivals, blueberries are firm with good size and bloom.
Volume: Light volumes are being received from Peru, Argentina and Uruguay. First Chilean arrival is estimated for the first week of December.
Oxnard:
Harvest: Our organic blueberry production out of Oxnard is estimated to have an earlier start compared to previous years. Forecasting the first pick to begin in late November.
Raspberries
Mexico:
Quality: Very good.
Volume: Fields have now past their peak volume supply for the season; however, steady production numbers are expected for the remainder of the year.
Blackberries
Mexico:
Quality: Good overall.
Volume: Volume increasing week over week and growers anticipate a strong season.
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.
In case you didn’t get enough chocolate over the Halloween weekend, here’s one more recipe to tantalize your taste buds.
This week’s featured non-profit is Pajaro Valley Shelter Services. Pajaro Valley Shelter Services provides families with a path to stable, self-sufficient futures through short-and longer-term housing and supportive services. PVSS has 136 beds of Emergency Shelter, Transitional Housing, and Long-Term Housing. Families build skills, savings, and networks to lift themselves out of homelessness and secure permanent housing. In 2019-2020, 87% of families exited PVSS’ programs successfully into permanent housing.
Please consider donating HERE to this worthwhile cause.
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