Potatoes are far more intriguing than they’re often given credit for—there’s a whole exciting world of spuds beyond the standard baked Rrusset or French Fries. Potatoes are a wonderous and ancient food; there are over 5,000 different varieties! Originally cultivated in the Andean highlands thousands of years ago, the potato traveled to Europe and Asia-Pacific regions from South America with Spanish conquistadors and have been embraced globally since. 

Fun Fact: Potatoes are sometimes called “spuds” after the tool (a narrow spade) used to dig them up. 

In recent years, specialty potatoes have taken center stage in kitchens and on menus across the globe, elevating the potato category as a whole. Unique specialty varieties, often distinguished by their shape, color, texture, and flavor, are not just a feast for the eyes but also a boon for culinary creativity. Many regional cultures around the world have developed ‘local’ varieties over generations.

Very popular in the USA are the eye-catching fingerling types, which are oblong and slender. Here are some notable fingerling varieties available this season: 

• Amarosa: Red skin, pink flesh. Sweet and creamy flavor with velvety texture. Keeps its color when cooked. 
• French Fingerling: Attractive rosy-red smooth and tender skin, rich yellow flesh streaked with red and exquisite flavor.   
• Purple Fingerling: Dark purple skin, deep violet flesh with a slightly nutty flavor. High in antioxidants. 
• Russian Banana: Heirloom variety with dense, creamy white or yellow skin. and flesh.  
• Purple Pelisse: Purple skin and deep purple flesh. Great for boiling, baking, or chips! The color is retained when cooked. 

Specialty potatoes are not just visually appealing; they also pack a nutritional punch. Many varieties are rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Their unique flavors and textures lend themselves to a wide range of culinary applications–from gourmet potato salads to colorful gratins. Fingerlings are very tender when cooked; the thin skin is always eaten, no matter how they are prepared. 

Take your potato display up a notch with a mixture of eye-catching red, purple and yellow specialty potatoes. More diversity will lead to increased excitement and spud-tacular potato sales! 

New & Exciting!

Dracula Pepper (right): Coming soon! These spicy purplish-black chili peppers are just what you need to create a spooky produce display this Halloween!  Combine with dramatic red Ghost Peppers to round out the theme! 

Dragonfruit: AKA Pitaya. Beautiful tropical fruit with sweet deep magenta flesh and fantastical pink scaly exterior. California-grown and available in larger (premium) sizes.   

Goldenberry: Small, round bright yellow-orange fruit encased in a protective papery husk. The flavor is sweet-tangy and reminiscent of pineapple and mango. Attractive and delightful addition to salads, salsa, desserts, and preserves.   

Gold Kiwi: Local coming soon! California-grown from local producer, Wild River. Extra sweet and a little tart, with a wonderfully tropical kick, these gold kiwis are sure to wow with every bite. Contrary to their green sibling, gold kiwis have smooth, fuzzless skin.      

Jujube: Fresh and dried fruit available now! From Rock Front Ranch, a regenerative woman-owned farm in Santa Maria, California. Jujubes, also known as Red Date, or Chinese Date, are incredibly nutritious and full of antioxidants, potassium, and flavonoids. When fresh, jujubes pack up to 20 times the vitamin C found in citrus fruits. For thousands of years in Central and South East Asia these sweet fruits have been prescribed for anxiety and insomnia and are considered an ancient superfood.  

Kiwi Berry (left): Kiwi berries pack the same bright, fruity flavor as a classic green kiwifruit, but have an edible smooth thin skin. No fuzz on these adorable grape-size fruits! Perfect for kids as a healthy and unusual snack.     

Honeyboat Delicata Squash: Considered to be sweeter than other Delicata varieties but has characteristic light orange flesh, green stripes and long refined shape. Sweet and nutty flavor. 

Quince: Produces a tantalizing aroma reminiscent of pineapple, guava, pear and vanilla. In its raw form, quince is hard, astringent and inedible. But when cooked, the flesh softens is delicious: though often paired with other fruit, it can be made into quince paste, put on oatmeal, added to tarts/pies and more! High natural pectin content firms up berry pies and any type of jelly or jam as well.    

Passionfruit: A staff favorite! Delicious sour & sweet flavor with citrussy floral finish. Eat fresh or add to smoothies, yogurt or desserts. Known as Lilikoi in Hawaii, passionfruit is overtaking pineapple and guava in all things tropical. Available in limited supply from Las Palmalitas Ranch and Foothill Organics.

Pomegranate (right): Coming soon! The season will start off with the Early Wonderful variety. Our grower reports that the fruit is taking its sweet time to color up—nature can’t be rushed!

Reed Avocado: Large round creamy heirloom variety, California-grown. Perfect for guacamole, or slicing on a sandwich, burger or salad. Bonus: The skin is thick and sturdy enough to use as a natural bowl. Just mash and add salt!   

Specialty Citrus: Key Lime and Finger Lime are available in limited supply. Key limes are more tart than regular limes and perfect for pairing with sweeter ingredients. Finger limes are a unique variety that contains tiny juicy pearls of fruit also known as “citrus caviar” to chefs everywhere. 

Sugar Pie Pumpkin: It’s officially pumpkin season! Sugar Pies are the traditional pumpkin for making pies. Their sweet, fine grained, orange flesh is more firm and less stringy than their carving cousins. Keep an eye out for specialty and ornamental squash coming early October! 

Promotable

Apple: New crop California-grown Fuji and Granny Smith apples are here from Ferrari Farms, a third- generation family farm located in Linden, CA. New crop apples are freshly harvested and have never been in cold storage.  

Asian Pear: Earthseed Farm’s Asian pear season is in full swing! This 14-acre solar powered farm is located in Sebastopol, CA and is the first Afro-Indigenous, all Black-owned permaculture farm in Sonoma County. Their Asian pears earn a cult following every season for their superb quality and flavor. Yellow-skin varieties are readily available: Kosui, Shinseki and 20th Century. Brown-skin varieties including Hosui and Chojuro are more limited. Bring in some of each type for an abundant fall display. 

• Chojuro: Known for its rich and distinctive sweet butterscotch flavor  
• Hosui: Rich sweet flavor with distinct brandy aroma. 
• Kosui: Crisp, juicy, very sweet and refreshing. 
• Shinseki: Sweet and juicy with a delightful fruity aroma.  
• 20th Century: Exceptionally juicy, mild sweet flavor with hint of lemon.  

Biodynamic Thompson Seedless: Intensely sweet, juicy and flavorful and seedless. These grapes are hand-picked at peak ripeness and packed in environmental white paper totes—which shows off their gorgeous color. Unlike almost all non-organic and organic grape growers, Marian Farms never treats their vines with gibberellic acid to increase berry size.  Remember amber color indicates sugar!   

Bronx Grape: From Lagier Ranches in the San Joaquin Valley. The grapes are packed in recyclable paper clamshells. Bronx grapes are unlike any other grape- the berries range in color from pale green to gorgeous pink. They are super flavorful—juicy, sweet, with honey-like taste. One bite and you’ll understand the magic of Bronx grapes! 

Hass Avocado: California-grown supply is steady for one more month with great pricing on superb Hass from beloved grower, Las Palmalitas Ranch. The fruit has been on the trees all season, resulting in high oil and high flavor! 

Mixed Heirloom Tomato: Veliz Organic Farm is coming on with volume on 1-layer Mixed Heirlooms. This is the last of local supply! Help us finish out the season with a bang! 

Red Starkrimson Pear: Don’t sleep on these pears while supply is plentiful! The pear crop this season is the smallest it’s been in 40 years and many varieties will be ending much earlier than it has in past seasons.

Specialty Potato: Washington based grower, Bouchey, is expecting 3 more weeks for their specialty potato program. From gorgeous, pink-fleshed Amarosa to buttery Russian Banana fingerlings and superfood Purple Pelisse—we’ve got your potato needs covered. Talk to your Account Manager for our spud run-down! 

Limited

Artichoke 

Blueberry: Northwest blueberry is done for the season. Expect a gap until the Peruvian season starts up in mid-October. 

Lime: Very limited; no estimate on when the market will ease up. 

Peas: Very limited. Full season volume is not expected until November 

Persian Cucumber: Very limited 

Rutabaga: Gapping 

Valencia Orange 

Done for the Season 

California Nectarine: Don’t fret, Peach, Plum and Pluots are continuing for two more weeks! 

Concord Grape 

California-Grown Bell Pepper 

Hamburg Grape