The avocado originated in south-central Mexico, sometime between 7,000 and 5,000 BCE. However, it was several millennia later until avocados were cultivated. Archaeologists have found domesticated avocado seeds buried with Incan mummies dating back to 750 BCE and there is evidence that avocados were cultivated in Mexico as well. The Bacon avocado is a hybrid of two Mexican avocado varieties, and it was originally cultivated in 1954 by James Bacon. It is a cold resistant cultivar that is available for a limited window of time.

Bacon avocados are oval-shaped and have smooth, thin, dark green skin. They are easy to peel, particularly for a ‘green-skin’. Their flesh is pale yellow and less oily than Hass avocados. Bacons have a delicious, mild flavor with a very buttery and creamy texture; the central pit is relatively large. Bacon avocados are considered healthy and high in monounsaturated fatty acids, dietary fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K and folate. We still love avocado toast!

Shake up your winter displays with California-grown Bacon avocados!

Get Ahead for the Christmas Rush

In past years, there is a shopping lull between Thanksgiving and Christmas. However, nothing about 2020 has been typical so it’s a good idea to be prepared for the unexpected. Take the time to strategize and tackle small projects so your store continues running smoothly for the upcoming Christmas rush.

• Deep Clean: Now is a great time to do some deep cleaning and display resets. Schedule time when your store is not open to the public to break tables downs and give them a good cleaning. During the Thanksgiving shopping craze, thorough cleaning falls by the wayside since there is so much focus on keeping product on the floor and the displays full.
• Advertise Popular Items: Plan some exciting specials or ads to run to keep customers interested and shopping. Build a large citrus display to bring color into your department. Specialty citrus like satsumas are here and in good supply. Amazing apple varieties like Honeycrisp, Arkansas Black and Pink Lady are always a big hit with customers. Californian green-skin avocados are in season and will provide an eye-catching color break to Hass avocado displays. Import berries are in great supply and sell well at this time. Advertising a variety of popular items will drive sales and keep your shoppers coming in.
• Social Media Promotion: Kick up your social media presence. Talk up and promote all the spectacular new produce offerings and holiday items available. Post recipes your customers can try and list out ingredients they will need.
• Get Ahead: Catch up on any projects that got pushed to the side during Thanksgiving. Promote Christmas specials as early as possible. Plan out your weekly schedules as far out as you can. Catch up on recording invoices and credits. Don’t wait until after the New Year to play catch up!

New & Exciting!

• Cosmic Crisp Apple*: Large and round in size. Extremely crunchy and juicy. Balance of extreme sweetness and acidity. Exterior is a rich red coloring with starburst-like white lenticels—where the name “Cosmic” comes from. Great storage life. Perfect to eat out of hand. Extremely popular and highly sought-after variety launched in 2019. The flavor is out-of-this-world!

Did you know…Cosmic Crisp apples have been in development for over twenty years? They are a cross between the Honeycrisp and the Enterprise apple—creating a perfectly firm, crisp, and juicy apple!

• Navel Orange: Starting up from California growers and in good supply.

• Orlando Tangelo: Cross between a Dancy tangerine and a Duncan grapefruit. Medium sized with a round to oval shape. Very juicy, sweetly tart flavor, very few seeds and easy to peel.

• Zutano Avocado*: Pear-shaped with thin, glossy green skin. Pale-green flesh is low in oil and has a high-water content. Mild flavor with a fibrous texture. Grown in California.

Promotable:

• Bacon & Zutano Avocado*: California-grown and expected to be readily available until mid-January. Add these delicious avocados to your order and support domestic growers!
• Blueberry: Import berries are plentiful with promotional pricing.

• Chanterelle Mushroom*: Supply is flush right now. Cap is smooth, delicate, and gold-orange with irregular, uneven edges that are thick, blunt, and taper down. These specialty mushrooms have a woodsy, earthy flavor with hint of pepper when cooked.
• Hot House Cucumber: Sharp pricing and in great supply.
• Satsuma Tangerine*: The flavor is superb this season! Looking great and volume is strong. Make an eye-catching retail display with 5-Pound gift boxes!
• Yellow Onion: Make sure your produce displays are well stocked with these essential alliums!

*Staff Pick

Limited:

• Anaheim Chili Pepper
• Bartlett Pear: Season is winding down so grab these delicious pears while you still can.
• Bell Pepper: Orange and yellow bells are extremely limited in supply. Red bells are limited but thankfully prices are expected to start dropping.
• Cranberry: Ending the season with a flourish, buy extra for freezing!

• Daisy Tangerine*: Expected to end by the second week of December. Squat and round in shape with a deep orange, smooth rind that is easy to peel. Very few seeds. Juicy with a full-bodied sweet flavor. Grab these while you can!
• Melon: Mini seedless watermelons and honeydew are quickly winding down from Mexico. Availability hopefully expected to improve in January.
• Pea: Mexico-grown sugar snap and snow peas are starting up. Volume is expected to improve over the next few weeks. California-grown peas are gapping due to cold weather affecting production.

Done for the Season:

• Black Grape
• California-Grown Jicama
• Chestnut
• Goldenberry
• Green Grape
• Mini Seedless Watermelon