Market Outlook

Primo Weekly Market Update

Lettuce:

The Iceberg market is steady to stronger. Demand exceeds supply. We have seen a wide range in quality from fair to very good.

Leaf:

California romaine market is strong with a wide range on both cost and quality. Green and Red leaf are steady and shippers are selling out daily. Quality has been fair to good with romaine showing fringe/tip burn.

Broccoli:

Broccoli market is much stronger. Shippers are pro-rating and holding to averages. Quality has been good on arrival.

Cauliflower:

The cauliflower market is following broccoli up. Quality has been good.

Carrots:

Carrot market is steady with new crop arriving from Michigan.

Celery:

The Celery market is steady. Quality has been good overall.

Strawberries:

Strawberry market is very snug. Shippers have only a small amount of fruit that they are able to ship and make good delivery. Quality has been only fair, and we are seeing some minor to extensive bruising and the occasional moldy berry on inbound.

Potatoes:

New crop Norkotahs continue to arrive looking very sharp. Larger sizes have tightened up and cost is up slightly.

Onions:

The market has remained pretty steady on onions this week. New crop Spanish onions from Idaho will begin arriving over the next few weeks.

Citrus:

The Lemon market continues to remain strong. We are seeing limited arrivals from Chile and Mexico with fruit selling out just about as quickly as it arrives. California fruit is near impossible to find. Orange market is steady overall. Quality has been good. Lime market is steady with good arrivals.

Cucumbers:

The Cucumber market is mostly steady to stronger with product available in multiple growing areas. Quality has been good.

Peppers

Pepper market has remained steady with very nice quality out of New Jersey, Michigan and Canada.

Tomatoes:

Tomato market on rounds is steady. Overall, quality has been good. Roma market is a little stronger. Grapes and cherries are steady.

Feature of the Week

This week Primo is featuring heirloom tomatoes. Heirlooms are so-called because the seeds have been handed down over generations, and they are open-pollinated, meaning they produce seeds that resemble the parent plant, not always the case with commercial hybrids, which are bred for durability rather than taste. There are 100-plus kinds of heirloom tomatoes growing on vines these days, and most have names — Sun Golds, Green Zebras, Black Krims — as unique as their looks. Explore the flavorful and diverse world of heirlooms, and you’ll be a true believer!

Recipe of the Week

Ricotta Pizza with Fresh and Roasted Tomatoes

Ingredients

1 cup whole-milk ricotta

1 cup grated Parmesan (4 ounces)

Salt and pepper

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 pound pizza dough, thawed if frozen

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes

1 large tomato, preferably heirloom, cut into half-moons

2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves, for serving

Directions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 500 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Combine ricotta and Parmesan, season with salt and pepper, and stir in egg. On a baking sheet, drizzle pizza dough with 2 tablespoons oil and stretch or roll into a 16-inch-long oval. Spread ricotta mixture on dough, leaving a 1-inch border.

Step 2

On a rimmed baking sheet, toss cherry tomatoes with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake cherry tomatoes on bottom rack and pizza on top rack until tomatoes are soft and skins have burst, 15 minutes. Remove tomatoes and bake pizza until crust is deep golden brown, about 8 minutes more. Toss cherry tomatoes with sliced tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Transfer pizza to a cutting board and top with tomato mixture and oregano.

 

 

Fun Facts of the Week

• For the wolves? The scientific term for the common tomato is lycopersicon lycopersicum, which mean “wolf peach.”
• While tomatoes are perfectly safe and healthy to eat, their leaves are actually toxic.
• When the tomato was introduced to Europe in the 1500s, The French called it “the apple of love.” The Germans called it “the apple of paradise.”