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Watsonville - Salinas:
Weather was in the low 70s all last week and got into the mid 70s over the weekend. This week should be back down into the low 70s during the afternoon hours. Labor continues to be the biggest concern industry-wide, but growers are working vigilantly to do their best despite these hurdles – the favorable weather is certainly helping keep quality good as well. Our QC team is working hard to make sure only the best quality fruit is coming in to be packed. Growers are working ground for next year, as many have fumigated and are assembling mulch and drip systems until October planting rolls around.
Santa Maria:
The marine layer has been keeping crops cool until the afternoon hours as we transition into temperatures in the low-mid 70s. We experienced a warming trend that heated up into the 80s over the weekend, and is expected to drop back down into the 70s this week. Our fall crop is looking strong with a lot of flower – we should start to pick at the end of the month. Our Portola counts are 14-16, with Monterey 12-14 and size that should hold. Organic Providence is holding steady and making pack at 26-28 count. Blackberries are coming off their peak the week after this, with mostly good quality. Labor continues to not be an issue.
Mexico:
We have experienced scattered showers all throughout Central Mexico. We started picking raspberries for the domestic market last week with great quality. Today, we will start receiving and sending fruit to California. Fruit count per clamshell on raspberries is 18-20, with full, nice, conic shape, and beautiful red color. Strawberry plantings have wrapped up for the season - plug-plants look healthy and strong. We expect to start picking fruit by early October. Our blackberry fields are full of blossom and green fruit, and are off to a great start. Blueberries have great size, flavor, full bloom, and nice firmness.
Florida:
We are beginning to lay plastic, and could see a later start to the season due to wet weather. Varieties we have this year are Radiance, New Brilliance, and Sensation. Labor is not an issue as all H2A workers have shown up for prep work. There is a 40-50 percent chance of rain the next few days and temperatures look to remain high in the 80s.
Blueberries:
Last week was our last harvest in B.C. We are still seeing good quality fruit in Oregon, and anticipate a finish to the season in the next 2-3 weeks. Mexico started its first pick last week, and already has excellent quality, however, volume is slow to start. We will have a very light supply of blueberries from South America the first week of October.
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.
Our influencer Amanda (Striped Spatula) created a healthy, refreshing Wheat Berry Salad, taking the place as this week's Recipe of the Week. It's perfect for those busy school or work afternoons, when whipping up a lunchtime meal sounds daunting. It's light, easy, and has all the nutrients needed to get you through the day.
Speaking of school - we are excited to announce a recap of our Fresh Start: Back to School Promotion that ran through the month of August and September. As it wraps up this week, we've taken a look at the results of the promotion to date, and can see that we have received over 160,000 submissions this year compared to last year's 120,000 - with an increase of consumer contacts generated from 4,000 last year, to over 18,000 new contacts this year from the promotion! We are delighted with the intel we have received thus far as we conclude this promotion. The numbers solidify the importance of fresh, healthy options during back-to-school season, for both college-age students and mother's of young kiddos, and reassures us that these demographics are looking to include berries into their everyday diet, and especially into their very own Fresh Start.
Send us your own "pick of the week" and we will feature it here!
