Spring is just around the corner! Spring onions are coming onto the scene and looking great. They are botanically classified as Allium cepa. Spring onions are small, tender bulb onions that are harvested early before the bulb has a chance to swell and mature. The round to oval bulbs have moist, thin skin, and range in color from white to red depending on the variety. Both the long, slender green tops and the small bulbs are edible either raw or cooked. Spring onions taste sweeter and mellower than regular onions, but the greens are more intense in flavor than scallions. Spring onions provide a fresh sign that warmer days are almost here– add some to your order today!

Early Spring Displays

We are currently in a period of transition as we await spring’s official arrival. As winter products start to move to different growing regions, this may cause gaps and inconsistency in supply. There are still some great items ready to make their seasonal debut. Mangoes and Pixie tangerines are both great items to feature as we transition to spring. Mangoes are in great supply and will be readily available for the next few months. Mangoes are easy to work and make for colorful, fun, and tropical displays. Pixie tangerines from the Ojai region in Southern California are another item that customers have eagerly awaited all winter for. These are some of the best citrus of the season! Pixies are just starting up and are available until July, so there is plenty of time to promote this special item. Here are some tips on building displays of these early spring favorites:

• Build Large Displays: Mangoes are the number one selling fruit in the world. Don’t be afraid to build a robust display! They do well stored at room temperature and they also come in the perfect sized box for stacking right on the sales floor! A half pallet is the perfect volume to build a sizable display.
• Cross Merchandise: Mangoes can easily be worked into any dry table display. They complement avocados and peppers, and citrus very well. They also display well with other tropical fruits like bananas, pineapples and papayas.
• Pre-Packed Bags: Make it easy for your customers to grab a pre-packed bag of Pixie tangerines!
• Signage: When many are fatigued by all the winter citrus, add signage to your Pixie tangerine displays touting their appeal! Pixies are seedless, easy to peel, and the perfect child-friendly sized sweet treat. Customers have waited all winter for these treats, so make sure to prominently announce their arrival!

New & Exciting!:

• Avocado*: The heirloom Pinkerton variety will be making a brief and dramatic appearance soon. With pebbly, thick skin (similar to a Hass) these long-necked fruits are rich and flavorful. Domestic! Sharp pricing compared to California grown Hass. Get ‘em while you can.

• Green Garlic: Young garlic plants that have been harvested before reaching maturity. Slender, straight, green stalks with a developing bulb at the root base. Bulb end has a savory aroma and sharp garlic flavor that is similar to dried garlic. Green stalks have a mild garlic flavor.
• Green Seedless Grape: Imports are here now! Steady supply is expected until the end of April.
• Pixie Tangerine: Just starting up with a small volume. Supply expected to be steady by the end of March. Round shape with a flat bottom. Juicy, firm flesh is always seedless! Easy to peel. Sweet and aromatic.

• Retail Salad Kit*: Josie’s Organics now offers premium salad kits in Lemon Herb, Rustic Tomato Parmesan, and Spring Blush flavors. These are great options for customers looking for packaged, quick and healthy meal options!
• Strawberry: California-grown fruit starting up. Steady supply. Volume expected to increase as season progresses.

• TDE Tangerine*: Starting the second week of March. Large in size with a squat shape. Deep orange colored rind. Easy to peel. Seedless, firm, juicy flesh. Sweet, slightly tart, and rich flavor.

Did you know TDE tangerines are also known as Triple Cross tangerines? They are a cross between the Temple tangor, Dancy mandarin, and Encore mandarin!

Promotable:

• Avocado: Hass supply on small fruit is strong this season. Ask your account manager for guidance, but look for hot deals on California-grown 70- and 84-counts for the next month.

• Bartlett Pear*: Imports here now with promotional pricing! Skin brightens as fruit ripens, from a green to golden yellow. Flesh is cream-colored and is aromatic, moist, and fine-grained. Central core contains a few small, black-brown seeds. Texture is crunchy, tart, and slightly gritty when fruit is mature but not ripe. Becomes juicy, smooth, and buttery with a sweet flavor when fully ripe.
• Cabbage: Green, red, and savoy in great supply. Build up your St. Patrick’s Day displays!
• Mango: Kents in good supply through March with promotional pricing. Ataulfo in great supply.
• Nantes Carrots*: Great supply with sharp pricing. Cylindrical in shape with blunt, rounded ends. Flesh is orange, fine-grained, crisp, and juicy with little to no core. Crunchy and tender with a mild, sweet flavor.
• Seville Orange*: In flush supply. A sour variety that is perfect for marmalade. Try cross-merchandising with recipe cards and ingredients for marmalade!
• Valencia Orange: In abundant supply from B&J Ranch. Peaking in large sizes with promotional pricing. Easy to peel with a thin, smooth, deep orange rind. Slightly acidic with a few seeds. Sweetens as fruit ripens. Exceptional for juicing!

*Staff Pick

Limited:

• Chioggia Beet: Gap in supply expected until late-April or May.
• Hass Avocado: Fruit grown in California continues to be sporadic. Large sized fruit extremely limited. Mexico-grown and domestic fruit prices on the rise, particularly on 48-count.
• Orange Bell Pepper: Limited. Pricing trending higher on larger sizes.
• Persian Cucumber: Very limited.

Done for the Season:

• Cameo Apple
• Pomelo