What is brown, fuzzy, green and absolutely delicious? The season has started for local California-grown green kiwi and we couldn’t be more excited! Kiwis have a distinctive flavor profile, balanced somewhere between sweet, tart, and refreshing! The ‘citrus-y’ flavor also varies depending on the variety; higher acidy equals more vitamin C! Native to Eastern China, there are at least 60 varieties and counting, as they develop new hybrids. Most  popular types are the golden kiwi, very sweet with full yellow flesh, and green kiwifruit, which is the most familiar type, both with fuzzy brown skin. The newly developed ‘Giant kiwi’ and other unique red and purple fleshed varieties are becoming more available. Also increasing in popularity is the smaller grape-sized kiwiberry, a smooth-skinned botanical cousin. When first introduced to the USA in the 1970’s, the wildly successful marketing campaign focused on ‘ugly on the outside but sweet on the inside.” Chefs and bakers quickly embraced the sweet, tangy and colorful neon green-fleshed fruit.    

The kiwi’s unique taste, bright emerald color, and health benefits have caused it to explode in world-wide popularity. China is the largest producer of kiwis, followed by New Zealand and Italy: late breaking news: Greece is ramping up production as Europeans are ‘krazy for kiwi!’ 

Fun Fact: New Zealanders renamed kiwi fruit (originally known as the Chinese Gooseberry) because of its similar appearance to the fuzzy drab kiwi bird—New Zealand’s National Bird!  

Kiwifruit has a variety of uses, such as in fancy fruit salad, juices, smoothies, garnish, and even cocktails and mocktails. Kiwi is also great in marinades, thanks to a special enzyme that helps tenderize meat.  

So what are you waiting for? Get on the kiwi train this season! We’re in steady supply of green, gold AND red kiwifruit from local grower, Wild River. Build a festive red and green tropical display for the holidays! 

New & Exciting! 

Fairchild Tangerine: Coming soon! Rich, bright, sweet flavor with a subtle tang. Contains some seeds. 

Huckleberry Gold Potato: Specialty variety with purple skin and rich flavored golden yellow flesh. High inantioxidants and tastes wonderful roasted, baked or boiled. 

Mexican Guava: Sweet, with a classic tropical flavor, and aromas of pineapple and passion fruit. Excellent eaten fresh and make delicious jams, jellies, preserves and juices. 

Oro Blanco Grapefruit: Floral scent, delicate sweet juicy flavor with no acidic or bitter aftertaste. Nearly seedless!  Oro Blanco means ‘white gold’ in Spanish.   

Pomelo: Similar to a grapefruit but with milder sweet flavor and less bitterness. 

Satsuma Mandarin: Juicy, sweet, seedless and easy to peel. It’s no wonder it’s one of the most popular tangerine varieties!  Capay Valley and Wild River fruit here now. Heath Ranch coming on the 18th!  

Tommy Atkins Mango: The Ecuadorian season is starting up with Tommy Atkins. This variety is mildly sweet with a touch of tartness. The skin has dark red blush with green and yellow accents. 

Walnuts: Ferrari Farms has come on with in-shell and shelled walnuts! They are the Tulares variety, an old English variety with a lot of meat! 

Promotable 

Blueberry: The Peruvian season is in full swing. Expect steady supply through November.

Celery: Steady and plentiful through the holidays from local growers. Get your holiday orders in now for this essential Thanksgiving staple! Interested in a bin—talk to your Account Manager! 

Chestnut: Roasted, pureed, baked in stuffing and added to any savory side dish, this is the time of year for rich, flavorful chestnuts from our beloved Heath Ranch in 8– pound netted bags.  

Cranberry: Time for cranberries to shine! 8-ounce and 12-ounce bags readily available from Wisconsin, now through December. Just in for Thanksgiving: volume-fill cases from Oregon-based growers, Black Moon Farms and Eagle Organics   

Fuyu Persimmon: We’re seeing steady supply and sharp pricing on this fall favorite. Nothing says autumn like a display full of bright golden Fuyus. Offer samples in-store to entice new palates!   

Green Bean: Green beans are in abundance this season with great quality. We’re seeing sharp pricing through Thanksgiving. 

Kiwi: Green and Gold are readily available from Wild River; supply is expected to be steady. Check out the beautiful Red Kiwi which has a unique berry-sweet flavor.  

Passionfruit: Yes, you can have a taste of the tropics in the middle of fall! California-grown passionfruit is plentiful!

Snap Pea: Strong supply and great quality from small California growers, Veliz Organic Farm and Luna’s Farm. Sweet and snappy!   

Limited

Blackberry/Raspberry: Mexican berries are still limited as most growers are just starting up for the season. Availability is expected to improve in a couple weeks. Recent cold weather has slowed down domestic production; December should bring better supply. 

Broccoli: Limited and costs are up as the local season winds down.  

Cilantro 

Green Cabbage: Supply is tight 

Leek 

Melon: Mini Seedless and Honeydew gapping as the fall Mexican season nears an end. 

Savoy Cabbage 

Strawberry: Supply is limited as the local season winds down. 

Zucchini: Both fancy and medium are limited. 

Done for the Season 

Blue Hubbard Squash 

Keitt Mango: The California mango season is ending. 

Rambutan 

Red Kuri Squash 

Santa Rosa Plum 

Merchandising Corner 

Are you ready for Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving is just a couple weeks away! Early planning and organization are key for optimizing sales and a stress-free. So how do you get your produce department Thanksgiving-ready? Read on for tips for order planning, scheduling staff and labor and merchandising your produce displays. 

Download the Thanksgiving Readiness Packet