Market Report- Week Beginning November 22nd 2021
What’s Hot
Local Apples are still eating wonderfully, and our favourites right now are still the Mutsu and Honey Crisp varieties.
The team at Gomes Farms are continuing to produce a fantastic tomato that eats like a summer field tomato! The majority of our tomato supply continues to be local, which allows you to have a tomato that has stayed on the vine longer and tastes sweeter than other import tomatoes.
Our local squash remains a highlight of our fall product lineup.
Our friends at Beanhaven Farms have had another great year of cabbage production, with all varieties in abundance. We have been particularly impressed with the delicate flavour and beautifully light colour of this year’s green cabbage harvest. We think it’s a must for this year’s late fall and early winter menus!
Asparagus quality remains high while prices have stayed level, which makes it a great option for those with upcoming Banquet menus.
Poinsettias are available by pre-book only this year, so please make arrangements as soon as you know how many you require.
Christmas citrus has started to arrive! Clementine and kumquats are in, and blood oranges should be available as of the second week of December.
All citrus is now California, and the quality so far this season is excellent.
Items of Concern
As many of you may have noticed, the supply chain is experiencing severe shortages of ‘fancy’ mushrooms. Oyster/Shitake/King Oyster mushrooms have been in extremely short supply and are not consistently available. Hilite procures every case of these mushrooms we can, however the availability of these items changes day by day with little to no notice. We strongly suggest that you switch out of these mushrooms for the time being.
Leaf lettuces are still a challenge currently, in terms of both cost and quality, however the conditions are improving. This is caused by a switch in growing regions, specifically from Salinas to Yuma, with the former being fully harvested while the latter is not yet in production. This gapping is causing major shortages in product available to ship, and as such large daily price fluctuations.
We are currently stocking California and Chinese peeled garlic. The California is far superior quality; however, this is reflected in the price. Please note which product you would like to receive when ordering.
Avocadoes are early in the harvest cycle, and as a result are tougher to ripen. Please ensure you stay well ahead in your supply to ensure a steady stream of ripe avocadoes.
Regional switch
The following local seasons have ended: broccoli, brussels sprouts, corn, zucchini, radish, mini top beets, beans. The following seasons are ending, get them while you can: Ontario potatoes, mini top carrots
Joe