Market Outlook  

Lettuce: 

The lettuce market is active and costs will be higher for next week. Supplies in Yuma are very light as the season winds down. Quality has been good on inbound.  Shipping point reports blister and peel on iceberg.

Leaf: 

Romaine is active and costs are higher for next week. Romaine Hearts are much higher and in short supply. Quality has been mostly good on all Romaine items. Green leaf is a few dollars stronger and Red leaf is steady. Quality has been good, but we are being warned to expect some minor blister and peel damage.

Broccoli:

The commodity broccoli market is easing. Salinas has started production.  Quality has been looking good.

Cauliflower:

The cauliflower market is declining with shippers in Salinas getting started. Quality has been good on inbound.

Carrots:

The carrot market is just a little higher for next week. We are seeing good arrivals on Canadian product.

Celery:

After months of trading at or near the bottom, the celery market is moving up with Western shippers. The Yuma season is about done with Oxnard being the only choice for loading. We are seeing good quality. Florida celery is available and the market remains strong.

Strawberries: 

Market is stronger for next week. The over- supply situation seems to be behind us. There are many only fair quality berries in the marketplace. Quality has been fair to good on our inbounds. Customers can expect to see some minor bruising.

Potatoes:

The costs on Idaho potatoes has increased slightly on some items. Freight rates are steady now,

however, they will likely move up with the Easter holiday. Quality remains good.

Onions:

The Western onion market is feeling a little stronger as we head into next week. We are seeing great quality onions.

Citrus

The California lemon market is a little lower for next week and quality has been very nice.  We are seeing good quality over all on navel oranges and that market remains pretty steady.  The Lime market remains high for next week with fruit availability coming up very short. Freight remains on the higher side. Overall, we are seeing fair to good quality on inbound.

Cucumbers:

The cucumber market is strong again for next week as availability on quality product remains poor. Florida is just starting with the spring crop, so we should see better availability in coming weeks.  We are seeing good quality overall.

Peppers:

The green pepper market remains soft and peppers are a good value. Quality has been very good overall.

Tomatoes:

The round tomato market is much stronger with light availability until the spring crop comes on in the next few weeks. We are seeing good quality. The grape tomato market is stronger as the over-supply has cleaned up. We are seeing good quality. Cherry tomatoes are steady and showing good quality. The Roma market has really turned around. Both Florida and Mexico supplies dropped off sharply in the last week and supplies are very short.

 

Recipe of the Week

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray

1 large zucchini

1 cup packed light-brown sugar

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2/3 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan with cooking spray, and set aside. Grate zucchini on the large holes of a box grater (to yield 1 3/4 cups); set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together sugars, oil, vanilla, and eggs.

Step 2

Into a small bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt. Add flour mixture to egg mixture, and stir to combine well. Stir in grated zucchini.

Step 3

Pour batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes; invert onto a wire rack, then reinvert, top side up. Cool completely before slicing.