Little Gem Lettuce Hearts

MARCH 30, 2015
Join us
Foodland
ONTARIO
Happy easter!
Please remember that we
are closed on Good Friday,
April 3rd and there will be
no deliveries on that day.
We will be open with
regular schedule on the
following days:
Saturday, April 4th
Sunday, April 5th
Monday, April 6th
Little Gem
Lettuce Hearts
A cross between Butter and Romaine lettuce, Little Gem Lettuce Hearts
combine a uniquely sweet, buttery taste with perfectly shaped, vibrant green
leaves for a one-of-a-kind meal experience. This specialty romaine variety
produces dense, compact heads that offer a crisp, firm texture throughout
making it an extremely versatile product for many cooking, preparation
and serving applications. Unlike many lettuces, the Little Gem Lettuce
Hearts’ sweet, buttery flavour profile is found in the outer leaves on
through to the edible core.
We wish you a joyous Easter
long weekend with your
family and loved ones!
Join us
Little Gem
arts
Lettuce He
e:
Pack xsiz
6
10
Twitter - @bamfordproduce
Facebook - Bamford Produce
Be sure to follow us on Twitter and like us on
Facebook for industry updates, product availability,
new product updates and recipe ideas.
2501 Stanfield Rd, Mississauga L4Y 1R6
Tel: (905) 615.9400
Fax: (905) 615.9401
MARKET REPORT
MARCH 30, 2015
Delivering Over 130 Years
and 4 Generations Of Fresh
Produce in Ontario
Strawberries
Blackberries
Raspberries
Easter is upon us so with that
the holiday pull has helped
increase demand moving prices
higher for most berries. Quality
of California berries are fair at
best due to warm weather in the west coast.
Some dry bruising is evident in all arrivals
right now and the calyx has some browning
due to the heat. Please keep this in mind
when receiving product.
Pricing remains fairly
stable however supplies
are slightly shorter this
week. Quality is fair.
Product is arriving from
Guatemala as well as Mexico.
No change this week for
raspberries. Overall quality
on raspberries has been
fair. Shelf life is shorter
and the berries have a
dull appearance. This is
characteristic for this time of year.
Driscoll brand is still the best available
and most alternate brands are not as
good.
Blueberries
Cantaloupes
Honeydews
We are in the last few
weeks of shipping Chilean
blueberries and we will switch
to Mexico and Florida product.
Quality is fair right now as
product is all storage based.
Prices are stable
again this week for
cantaloupes as we
continue to ship offshore
melons. Overall quality
is good. Large size
melons are demanding more money
than small fruit as retail demand is
swayed heavily towards larger sized
fruit.
Quality has been
quite good on
offshore dews.
Pricing is holding
steady and there is a
good spread in sizes.
Watermelon
Green Grapes
Red Grapes
Markets are on the move
due to Spring demand for
watermelon. Supplies are
coming from Mexico and
Florida will begin harvest
in a couple weeks. Pricing
has moved up slightly this
week due to increased demand. Quality is
quite good but as mentioned colour is more
pink than red. Eating quality is fine for an
early Spring melon.
Thompson arrivals have
been quite good. These
grapes will show a little more
amber colour and the odd
softer grape. Eating quality
is very good. Pricing is at
reasonable levels.
As mentioned last week
we are moving to Crimson
grapes away from Flames
this week as this will be
the grape of choice until we start with
Mexico product in May. Quality is good
and colour is decent for Crimsons but
lighter than Flames. Prices are edging
upwards compared to Flames.
Field Tomatoes
Greenhouse & Specialty Tomatoes
Oranges
Local Greenhouse tomatoes
should start by the weekend.
Quality will be good, colour
may be a little light. New crop
tomatoes will have a flatter
appearance. TOV’s have also started locally and
quality is quite good. Yellow are premium priced
and supplies are light. Heirloom quality is improving
and we are starting to see more varieties and
colours. Medleys are also looking very nice. Spring
is here!
Quality continues to be
very good for Navels from
California, Spain and
Morocco. Eating quality
is good and we expect no
shortages in supply for the
next month. Blood oranges are available from
Italy and Cara Cara are still available upon
request.
Pricing on Field tomatoes is
off slightly with the start of the
Spring Florida deal. Quality
is looking very good. Roma
markets are a bit high but
should settle moving into next
week. Roma colour has been
a bit light but quality is quite
good. Grape tomatoes are at lower price levels
and quality is great. Cherries are a bit higher and
supplies are lighter.
2501 Stanfield Rd, Mississauga L4Y 1R6
Tel: (905) 615.9400
Fax: (905) 615.9401
MARKET REPORT
MARCH 30, 2015
Lemons
Asparagus
Broccoli
Prices are up
slightly this week.
As supplies start to
tighten out of Spain
and California fruit remains
expensive. Overall quality is
fair for lemons.
Typical holiday demand has
moved prices up slightly this
week. Quality remains good
for asparagus as we have
Mexican product along with
Peru arriving.
We have moved from
Yuma back to Salinas
area of California for
the majority of the
bunched broccoli
production. Prices
have started to slide after rising the last
few weeks. Overall quality is good.
Cauliflower
Cucumbers
Celery
Supplies have increased
after about three weeks
of being in a really short
supply situation. Prices are
much lower. We anticipate
prices to fall again next week with less
demand after the holidays.
Numerous local growers are
coming on line and pricing is
holding at lower levels. Quality
is very good. Mini Cucumber
supplies are increasing. Field
cucumbers are finishing up in Mexico,
Colour is a bit light and pricing is starting
to climb.
Prices remain at low levels again
this week. Quality has been
quite good.
Lettuce’s – Romaine, Iceburg, Green Leaf & Red Leaf
Warm Vegetables: Beans,
Eggplant, Zuccini, Squash
Holiday demand on Green, Yellow and
French Beans has driven market prices up
quite high. Quality over all is nice. Yellow
Beans are very short. Eggplant pricing
has come down and most growers in
Mexico are winding down. Florida crops
are just getting started. Mini Egg supplies
from our local growers are increasing and
pricing is steady. Zucchini pricing is up,
quality is fine. Yellow squash supplies are light and pricing is
high. Hard squash pricing is advancing and some varieties
are in limited supply.
Romaine and Romaine Hearts continue to be priced at higher
levels with overall decent quality but limited supplies. Green
Leaf/Red Leaf have both moved up slightly however minimal at
best. Iceberg lettuce is the best deal of the week for all leaf items
with good overall supplies and prices at low levels.
Field Peppers
Greenhouse Peppers
Onions
Mexico and the Dominican
supplies of coloured bells
are light. Demand is high
and pricing is going up.
Green Pepper is also
starting to go up with
Mexico slowing down and
California crops behind.
Quality on Green Peppers is quite good. Size
is big on New crops from Florida.
First of the season Local
peppers have arrived. Quality
is excellent! Sizing is quite
big. Pricing is up a bit but
should settle as supplies
increase. Orange supplies
are light. Specialty Green house
Hot peppers are just getting started.
We will be finishing up with storage
red and Spanish onions out of
Washington later this month and
will have to move to Mexico/Texas
areas and then to California. Local
cooking onions will end sometime usually in
mid to late May as well. Overall prices are
steady for this week as growers continue to
want to move product. Some mold issues
are showing up upon arrival as product was
harvested last Fall and is getting tired.
Carrots
Potatoes - Large & Yukons
Pricing has been increasing the
past few weeks. Storages are
cleaning up fast. These older
crop carrots will have a dry
appearance that easily wipes
away when wet. Quality is fair.
New crops will start in Mexico and
the USA and pricing will continue to
advance. Mini Carrots have been
quite good and pricing is steady.
This time of year most potatoes come
from storages. Potatoes can turn
quickly as they change temperature
and some black discolouration may be
seen on certain varieties along with
some added decay. Fortunately pricing
is still reasonable for now. Please keep
potatoes refrigerated at all times. The
Little Red Potato Company continues to attract
attention with its three distinct colours and
fingerlings are looking great.
2501 Stanfield Rd, Mississauga L4Y 1R6
Tel: (905) 615.9400
Fax: (905) 615.9401