With Cinco de Mayo (May 5) and Mother’s Day (May 10) landing back-to-back, the next two weeks are one of the strongest promotion windows of the spring — from festive taco spreads to brunch tables and family gatherings. 

Cinco de Mayo: Build your displays around the holiday’s MVPs — Hass avocados for guacamole, tomatoes for salsa, and plenty of limes, onions, and cilantro to tie it all together. Round out the offer with Mi Rancho tortillas for easy meal-building and organic sour cream from Straus Family Creamery or Alexandre Family Farm to finish every plate. 

Mother’s Day: This one is all about brunch. Stock up on the bright, beautiful produce that anchors the spread — strawberries, blueberries and blackberries, sweet cantaloupes and watermelon, Ruby grapefruit, and vibrant California asparagus, corn, and squash. Don’t forget Burrough’s eggs and Maple Valley Co-op syrup to complement all the yummy brunch dishes!

Weather Watch

California stonefruit is entering the season after a stretch of challenging weather. Much of the Central Valley was subject to unusually persistent Tule fog (some areas did not see sunlight for 3 straight weeks!) To add to this, the region had swings of intense heat and bouts of chilly weather and rain. The last two big storms wrecked the California cherry crop and pricing remains higher than normal. Stonefruit relies on cool nights and warm days to build sugar and size. Matsumoto Family Farms reports that intense heat in early spring caused blossoms to remain on the plant, when they should have fallen off, resulting in quality issues now. They are having to cull 30% of their stonefruit! Yet despite all the hiccups, the season is now underway and growers are saying stonefruit is coming on rapidly.  Desert–grown California table grapes are starting early! 

New & Exciting!

Bosc Pear: Another Argentinian pear joins the spring lineup! Bosc has a distinct appearance—warm cinnamon brown with russeting all over. The flavor is crisp and woodsy with a honey sweetness.    

Fun Fact: Many artists feature Bosc pear in their paintings, drawings, and photography because of the natural beauty it imparts 

Corn: California-grown bicolor corn is coming in sweet and tender with great flavor. Ears are trimmed for a clean, ready-to-merchandise presentation. 

Dragonfruit: White flesh fruit has just arrived from Ecuador.  

Elephant Garlic: A standout with its oversized cloves and mild, slightly sweet flavor that’s much more subtle than traditional garlic. Available in netted bags from Brentwood, CA-based Knoll Farms. 

Loquat (left): Small, delicious golden subtropical fruit. Typically, about the size of a plum, with smooth or slightly fuzzy skin. The flesh is juicy and can vary in flavor from sweet to slightly tart. Scuffing is very normal for loquats. 

Mayshaw Berry: Native to the Southeast USA, these are small red fruits with a bright sweet-tart flavor similar to cranberries. Too tart to eat raw, they’re best known for making exceptional jellies, jams, and syrups. 

Nopales: Edible pads of prickly pear cactus known for its tangy flavor. Nopales is a staple in Mexican cuisine and can be prepared raw or cooked.  

Red Potato: New crop Red Potatoes from Desert Gem are finally ready. Harvested early, they are a bit sweeter than storage potatoes, with thin, tender skins. 

Red Seedless Grape: Coming soon! California-grown season is starting up from the Coachella Valley.  

“Short-Day” Onions: With Spring comes the arrival of new crop or “short-day” onions. Spring/summer onion varieties are called “short-day” because they are planted in the fall, and their growing patterns are matched to days with shorter periods of sunlight. Short-day onions are sweeter than storage onions and have thinner lighter-colored skins. Be gentle, as they bruise more easily. These are best used fresh and not over-cooked.  

Stonefruit 

• Apricot: Coming soon! Blossom Hill should start up next week!
• Cherry: New cherry arrivals are here with Royal Hazel from Delta Organics and Fruitworld and OB1 Kinobi from Murray Farms kicking things off. Brooks from Sweet Adeline have also started. Ferrari should have Chelans soon. Prices are high due to heavy losses from storms at the wrong time. Persian Green Plum: AKA Gojeh Sadz or Armenian plum, from Murray Farms are an Iranian delicacy, similar to Ume Japanese plum. These are usually eaten raw with salt as a snack. 
• White Peach: Balakian Farms started with the Snow Angel variety. Boldt & Valley Pride are into Snow Lady.  White peaches are more delicate in flavor than yellow, and need gentle handling, as well.  
• Yellow Nectarine: Honey May from Balakian Farms started but are in a gap. Valley Pride is picking now. More fun to come!   
• Yellow Peach: Krista & May Princess peach are here! 
• White Nectarine:  Polar Whites from Valley Pride expected any day! 

Summer Squash: Local California supply of sweet and tender squash has begun!  Zucchini, Gold Zucchini, Straightneck and Mixed Medley are available.  

White Mulberry: Delicate, honey-sweet berry with soft, chewy texture and a hint of floral flavor—an eye-catching, limited-season item worth checking out. We can’t keep it stocked fast enough! Let your Account Manager know if you’re interested in ordering.

Promotable

Blueberry: Delicious berries from Murray Family Farms in recyclable fiber pints, get your projections in, they have multiple varieties in good supply.  

Cantaloupe: Readily available! Sweet, aromatic flavor and solid eating quality. With good availability and sharp pricing, it’s a great piece to feature in the melon set.

Globe Eggplant: We are seeing volume on Globes. It’s mild, slightly sweet flavor makes it a versatile and easy item for grilling, roasting and any number of spring dishes.  

Mini Seedless Watermelon: Melon season is starting up in both California and Mexico growing regions. Flavor is sweet, crisp, and super refreshing—an easy grab for shoppers looking for something convenient and ready to enjoy. We also have bins available to help create eye-catching displays and drive movement. 

Rhubarb: A seasonal favorite that pairs perfectly with strawberries; it’s a great item to highlight while it’s here. 

Ruby Grapefruit: Continues to deliver with juicy flesh and a balanced sweet-tart bite. Quality is holding steady, making it a reliable citrus item to keep in rotation. 

Strawberry: Now is the time! Goes with both Rhubarb and Mimosas!

Limited

Artichoke: Limited due to harvest delays from rain. Plenty of smaller sizes available. 

Bell Pepper: Season is ending. All colors limited with quality issues 

Broccoli: Very limited and prices are high. Quality showing knuckling and purpling from temperature swings. Baby broccoli is in better shape. 

Cabbage: All cabbage is tight. Savoy and Napa are gapping. Red is very limited. Lean into Green cabbage, which has the strongest supply. 

Carrot Cello Bags: Limited availability due to weather impacts. 

Cauliflower: Most growers are gapping; price is high.

Celery: Limited 

Collard Greens: Growers are all reporting slow growth on collards. 

Honeycrisp Apple: Supply has tightened up.  

Iced Dill: Small amounts are coming in intermittently but mostly gapping with unreliable quality. Retail dill is a good substitute. 

Living Butter Lettuce: Local Bounti is reporting low growing yields. 

Navel Orange: The season is winding down; smaller sizes are limited.  California fruit is a couple weeks out.

Papaya: Gapping.

Pixie Tangerine: Winding down quickly. 

Romanesco: Gapping

Roots: Limited supplies on many roots including turnips and daikon.

Peas: California supply is still gapping. 

Tomato: Tomato market is still very tight overall for all varieties. 1-layer and Roma are gapping. TOVs prices have increased; supply remains limited. Cherry and Heirloom are also limited.

Done for the Season

Abate Fetal Pear 

Cara Cara Orange 

Fava Bean 

Murcott Tangerine 

Red Bartlett Pear 

Walnut in Shell