September brings the first wave of new crop fruit—fresh-picked, fragrant and ready to enjoy. Orchards are buzzing with activity as ladders go up and field bins fill fast. Crisp Fujis and Galas from Cuyama Orchard are fresh-picked and ready now! Offer along with some limited quantities of heirloom varieties to add something special to your apple set. 

Each variety brings its own personality: Galas are light and floral, Sweeties offer a snappy sweet crunch, and Granny Smiths have that unmistakable bright, tart flavor. Early harvests carry a distinct taste of fall, when cool nights and crisp mornings help bring out the fruit’s flavor, color and crunch. 

Alongside the first new crop from Northern and Central California and Eastern Washington, we’re also bringing in apples from Chile, New Zealand and Canada, giving you plenty of variety as the season gets underway. 

Some varieties have a short window at the start of the season, so now is the time to enjoy the first crisp, juicy apples of fall. 

Fun fact: When we say apples have a ‘floral flavor profile’ it’s because they are in the same botanical family as roses. Apple blossoms look like wild roses! 

New & Exciting! 

Fingerlime (right): Tiny, caviar-like pearls burst with bright citrus flavor. Edible whole and naturally eye-catching, finger limes are a fun finishing touch for seafood, salads, cocktails and desserts. 

Hard Squash Bins: Bins from Durst Organic Growers are available for pre-order.  

• Single Variety Bins: Butternut or Honeynut 
• Mixed Variety ‘Fancy’ includes an assortment of Acorn, Butternut, Honeynut, Spaghetti, Sugar Pie, Red Kuri and Delicata 
• Regular Mixed Variety includes Butternut, Acorn and Spaghetti

Jujube (right): Fresh and dried fruit available now! From Rock Front Ranch, a regenerative woman-owned farm in  California’s Cuyama Valley. Jujube, also known as Red Date, or Chinese Date, are incredibly nutritious. When fresh, jujubes pack up to 20 times the vitamin C found in citrus fruits. For thousands of years, these sweet fruits have been prescribed for anxiety and insomnia and are considered an ancient superfood.     

Macintosh Apple: A classic fall favorite is back! Deep red with greenish-yellow mottled undertones, Macintosh apples have tender, juicy flesh and a distinctive sweet-tart flavor that’s great for snacking, applesauce and baking. An all time favorite on the East Coast! 

New Crop Medjool Date:  Arriving from California’s Coachella Valley! Soft and chewy with a rich caramel-like sweetness—nature’s candy! The fresh date harvest is underway.

New Girl Saladette Tomato (left):  Same sweet, high flavor profile as Early Girl tomatoes. Medium-size fruit with a classic tomato flavor, New Girl is an outstanding choice for salads, sandwiches and everyday slicing. From Santa Cruz area grower, Sea to Sky. 

Quince: Remarkably versatile fall fruit that often gets overlooked. Completely inedible when raw but transforms into a sweet, floral delicacy when cooked. Often used in jams, jellies, or poached desserts. Quince slowly releases a delicate fragrance of apple, vanilla and citrus when left out on a counter or sunny spot.

Sugar Pie Pumpkin (right): Fall is in the air; bring on all things pumpkin! Capay Organic is starting up with Sugar Pies, getting us in the holiday spirit early!   

Wild Mushroom: Specialty wild mushrooms from Far West Fungi are available for preorder, including earthy Porcini, golden Yellow Chanterelles and richly flavored Lobster mushrooms. A great way to bring seasonal variety and distinctive flavors to the mushroom set. 

Celebrate GROW Month!

September is GROW Month! We are partnering with Organics Unlimited to bring awareness to the GROW (Giving Resources and Opportunities to Workers) banana program. The GROW program benefits underserved communities in banana growing regions of Mexico and Ecuador through the sale of fairly traded organic bananas. Available exclusively from Organics Unlimited, GROW label bananas are all organic. 

Learn more about the GROW banana program\ and download a GROW toolkit for in-store promotions. 

Promotable 

Cantaloupe: Sweet, juicy and refreshingly classic, cantaloupe is a timeless staple with plenty of uses—from breakfast and fruit salads to smoothies or as a great dessert (with yogurt or Straus vanilla ice cream!) 

Gold Kiwi (right): New Zealand Gold Kiwis have smooth golden flesh and a sweet, tropical flavor. Their bright color and easy-to-eat texture make them a standout in the fruit set.

Hass Avocado: We lucked out with a sudden rush of supply from our California growers. Order now before they’re gone! Prices have never been so low this time of year when the quality of domestic fruit is at its best! 

Keitt Mango: California-grown Keitt mangoes are peaking on 6/7 count. Exceptionally sweet with silky, low-fiber flesh, they stay green even when ripe. 

Mini Seedless Watermelon: Sweet, crisp and conveniently sized, mini seedless watermelons are an easy late summer favorite.  

Red Bell Pepper: Bright red, crisp and naturally super sweet, Choice Red bell peppers are a versatile kitchen staple. Great raw for snacking or salads, or roasted and grilled for added sweetness. Choice grade indicates the random shape of these babies, plus they are an affordable choice. 

Romaine Lettuce: Supply is steady; quality is strong. Merchandise and promote with the Saladettes, Heirlooms, Beefsteaks, and specialty Cherry tomatoes (don’t sleep on Sea to Sky’s Bumblebee cherries!) 

Shallot: Various bulk pack sizes available from California grower, John Tobias Farm who packs under the familiar Hummingbird label. Mild and savory with a touch of sweetness, shallots add depth to dressings, sauces, roasted vegetables and more. 

Slicer Cucumber: Prices have dropped significantly, with volume available. Crisp and refreshing, slicers are a natural fit for salads, sandwiches, pickling and summer snacking. 

Thompson Green Grape: Marian Farms has volume on this heirloom variety, with supply expected through September. Intensely sweet, satisfying, and juicy. Thompson Seedless is a distinctive grape worth highlighting. Don’t be scared of amber color, it’s the nature of this ‘old school’ natural grape, not like these ‘new fangled’ bright green varieties.  

Weather Watch 

After last week’s rain, a sharp shift to extreme heat is hitting growing regions across Northern and Central California. The sudden change is adding severe stress to plants during an already transitional time for many crops. These temperature swings increase insect pressure and contribute to sudden changes in supply, quality concerns, and resultant erratic pricing. For example, berries stop producing and many leaf crops get sunburn. Please be tolerant and patient.  

Limited 

Bagged Roots: Parsnips, turnips, rutabaga, gold beets are all gapping. 

Berry: California blackberries and raspberries are tight as rainy weather followed by a heat wave compounds normal seasonal decline in production. Supply is available but limited, with prices rising quickly. Mexican blackberries are expected to begin near the end of September, while California raspberries should continue through November. Blueberries are also limited as Washington winds down and the Peruvian crop ramps up. Strawberry supply is recovering from last week’s rains and are coming back into availability. 

Bok Choy 

Bunched Greens: Bunched greens (Mustard, Chards, Kales) are in a challenging transition, with weather and insect pressure contributing to yellowing and tip damage. Expect volatile availability and pricing in the near term, with conditions potentially improving over the next couple of weeks. 

Cabbage: Extremely limited. Red is limited as well. 

Cauliflower: Gapping; prices are spiking quickly.  

Cucumber: Both Persian & English are tight or gapping. 

Fennel 

Green Onion 

Lemon 

Papaya 

Pineapple: Prices are going up. 

Zucchini 

Done for the Season 

Flame Red Grape Tote from Capay Canyon Ranch

Mini Yellow Watermelon 

Orange Honeydew 

Red Jalapeno 

Stonefruit:  Angelino black plum and Santa Rosa red plum are the only stonefruits still available.

Check this Out! 

Hoes Down Harvest Festival 

Saturday, Oct 3, 2026 

Celebrate sustainable agriculture, good food and community at the 35th annual Hoes Down Harvest Festival at Full Belly Farm in Guinda. This family-friendly day brings farming to life with hands-on workshops and demonstrations, farm tours, live music, local organic food, a farmers market, crafts and plenty of activities for kids. Now in its 35th year, Hoes Down is also a fundraiser supporting organizations working to strengthen sustainable agriculture and farming communities throughout California.

Learn more and get tickets