Does life get any better than during stone fruit season? Juicy, sweet, and tart, perfectly ripe fruit is a hallmark of summer’s arrival and we’re here for it! 

Stone fruit are botanically known as drupes. They have thin skin, soft flesh and a hard stone-like pit in the center, which holds the seed.  Peaches, nectarines, cherries, plums, apricots and pluots are all considered stone fruit. But so are mangoes, lychees and even olives!  Stone fruit can be ‘clingstone’, ‘freestone’, or ‘semi-freestone’ depending on if the flesh clings to the pit. However, this characteristic does not impact flavor.  

Peaches, nectarines, apricots and plums are ripe and ready to eat when they are soft to the touch but not squishy. Wrinkles around the stem indicate sweetness, because it means that the water within the fruit is evaporating. Don’t forget the aroma test: ripe stone fruit should smell aromatic, floral and fruity!  

All stone fruit is rich in dietary fiber, potassium, antioxidants, and vitamins. Eat fresh out of hand or add them to salads, smoothies, or desserts!  Chefs love to contrast proteins with fruits in savory dishes, so get creative and be bold! 

The California season is only just beginning, so keep an eye out for new varieties (including hybrids!) throughout Summer and early Fall! 

As the great music legend Bob Dylan says “Everybody must get stoned!” 

Merchandising Corner 

How to Merchandise Stone Fruit 

While stone fruit practically sells itself, it’s always nice to help it along with a colorful, well stocked display, product information, or by featuring particular growers. Here are a few suggestions to keep the momentum going throughout the entire season. 

• Delicately stack items like peaches and nectarines. 2 layers high is perfect. 3 layers high is okay, but anything higher or heavy may bruise fruit. 
• Use baskets or fiber pints to merchandise smaller-sized fruit like plums or apricots. These fruits can easily get lost in large retail displays; baskets help them stand out. Easy to grab & go! 
• Include signage with helpful product information such as grower profiles, flavor notes, how to tell when the fruit is optimally ripe and ideas on how to prepare. 
• Cut up a few pieces of each variety to sample out to customers. This helps introduce different varieties and has customers shopping with their tastebuds! 
• Don’t forget your color and texture breaks. Red and black colored plums and vibrant cherries are great for breaking up the high traffic peach and nectarine display and keep your display from blending all together. 

You can also check out our handy stone fruit variety guide as you make your shelf talkers.  

Weather Watch  

Unusual weather continues to be a challenge for our California and Mexican growers. Apricots from Blossom Hill and other farms are coloring up very slowly due to cool weather. Masumoto Family Farm peaches and nectarines are experiencing the same chilly fate. Mid-day temps are averaging in the 60s and 70s which has resulted in low harvests to date.  

In citrus land, a freaky rain event caused harvest delays for Valencia oranges in the Reedley region of California’s Central Valley and also for our cherished Pixie tangerines, coming from further south in the Ojai Valley. The fruit is on the tree, but not packed yet. 

Unusual & extreme heavy morning mist and fog have prevented picking of avocados from all areas of California, including our beloved Las Palmalitas Ranch in the Santa Barbara area. Slim pickings! 

The latest reports from the Northwest on the organic cherry crop predict a huge crop in overall tonnage, due to good rainfall this winter; but a record-breaking heat wave back in May affected sizing. Be prepared for great deals on small sizes. Expensive pricing on large cherries will continue throughout the season, no relief in sight on big sizes. 

New crop California-grown celery is behind schedule as Mexican supply winds down—causing prices to tick up. 

Produce Resources 

Stone Fruit Variety Overview 

Masumoto Variety Notes 

Check out the Customer Toolbox on our website (login required) for more produce resources! 

New & Exciting! 

Apple: From New Zealand, Dazzle are bright red with juicy sweet flavor and crisp texture. Guaranteed to dazzle your tastebuds! The Premier Star was first discovered on a home orchard in Nelson, one of New Zealand’s premier apple growing regions. Beautiful blush coloring and sweet taste with a hint of tanginess helps this apple shine! 

Corn: Did someone say corn? We’re all ears! Bi-Color trimmed corn is expected to be available through June. 

Grape: The first domestic red seedless grapes grown in Coachella from Anthony Vineyards are here! The Flame variety has round berries with firm, crisp fruit. The first green seedless grapes from this superb grower are on our truck now!. 

Melon: California-grown Honeydew, Cantaloupe and Galia are coming on next week! 

Squash: Mixed medley specialty squash from Comanche Creek is simply gorgeous! A mix of the season’s best tasting varieties including: Crookneck, Zucchini, Patty Pan and Costata Romanesco. 

Stone Fruit 

• Apricot: Still a little limited. Helena apricots from Frog Hollow Farm available now. If the weather warms up as expected, Blossom Hill may have Leah Cots available next week! 
• Cherry: Rainiers have started! This super-sweet and popular variety (white/yellow skin with a red blush) make a great addition to your cherry offerings. All red varieties (Coral, Chelan, Benton and Brooks) this season have kicked off with a great flavor profile, sweet & tasting terrific. We have a full range of large sizes and super great deals on smaller size fruit. Stand by for the classic Bing coming from Ferrari Farms in a few weeks. We also found a source for organic sour cherry (think home-made cherry pie) from our friends at Murray Family Farms; ask your account manager for special order details. 
• Peach: Spring Flame, Princess Time, Pearl White, Snow Lady, oh my! These fairytale-like names can only be some of this season’s current yellow and white peach varieties. Availability looks good, plenty more fruit to come in all sizes. Look for Spring Lady from beloved stone fruit grower Masumoto Family Farm coming soon!
• Nectarine: Polar Light white nectarines are tasting incredible! Yellow nectarines are still somewhat limited but availability should improve. Rose Diamond—a staff favorite from Masumoto coming soon!
• Plum: Red and Black plums are still a couple weeks out!
• Pluot: Right behind the plums! 

Promotable 

Artichoke: Good supply and looking great. Perfect for grilling displays! 

Blueberry: Pint clamshells are tasting great and priced to move! 

Bulk Mushroom: Promotional pricing extended on Maitake and Trumpet Royales from Gourmet Mushrooms. Sumano’s Organic Mushrooms is also offering fantastic pricing on Shiitake #1 and #2 and Lion’s Mane. It’s mushroom mania! 

Globe Eggplant: Volume available; prices are very low. 

Green Bean: Gorgeous snappy green beans from Rundle Family Farms have arrived and are plentiful. We wait all season for these beans! 

Lettuce: Leafy greens are plentiful. Romaine, Greenleaf, Redleaf, Little Gems—we got ‘em!  

Mango: Steady supply on Tommy Atkins and Ataulfo mango. 

Ruby Grapefruit: We’re still enjoying some late season citrus gems such as the Ruby grapefruit from B&J Ranch. The sweet-tart flavor is the perfect addition to seasonal fruit salads or fancy drinks like this Paloma mocktail. 

Strawberry: Strong local supply; promotable prices. The berries are sweet, juicy and delicious! 

Watermelon: Mini seedless and full– size seedless are readily available. Bins of full– size melons are also available for pre-order. It’s not too early to start planning for the fourth of July! 

Limited 

Apple: Imports from South America are limited. Prices will remain high on Honeycrisp and Granny Smith throughout the season. 

Broccoli: Producers are in between plantings. Bunched and crowns are both limited. 

Cherry Tomato: Extremely limited on all cherry tomatoes. 

Celery: New crop California-grown season is off to a slow start. Expect a spike in prices as the Mexican season comes to an end. 

Lemon: Supply is tightening up; prices are trending up. 

Meyer Lemon: Gapping for the next few months; we may see small amounts here and there. 

Napa Cabbage: Gapping 

Persian Cucumber: Gapping for 2-3 weeks 

Poblano Pepper 

Done for the Season 

Mexican-Grown Tomatillo