Produce update: some great citrus coming our way and Chilean farmers seeing the effects of Climate Change

It’s all good news today……very few shorts, and prices are wandering down as more fields open up in Southern California and Northern Mexico. 

Welcome back to Sue Heger who is back in production!  

You are in for more seasonal treats as growers as far north as Yolo Country are just starting Satsuma production, and that starts this week, with a flood of other varieties (Cara Cara, Bloods, Minneola) fast on their tracks. 

Berries remain very tight except our incredible Argentina Fair Trade blues – this will run for another three weeks, then we switch to Chile for what looks to be a very long season with new fields opening up farther and farther south. 

We aren’t keeping up with grapefruit sales, so have yet another truck rushing north – don’t know what it is about that Michoacan fruit, it’s just the sweetest, juiciest around.  This grapefruit is grown just two hours from Ixtapa. Texas Rio grapefruit is on as well, arriving early in the week. 

Lemon prices are slowly improving as cold nights turn the fruit to yellow! 

So speaking of Chile – the growing area is between 20 and 60 km. wide, between the Pacific and the Andes, but stretching 2700 km. long.  Growers there don’t replant any varieties of fruit on the same land.  They drive 5 hours south and plant there – because climate change is changing the landscape so quickly.  Avocado groves are being replanted with mango, apples with avocado etc., and new growing regions are opening up farther south, and higher up.  Farmers are always the first to see climate change, and Chile is a great example!