Market Outlook

Lettuce: 

The Iceberg market is steady to a little higher. Quality has been good overall. We are seeing occasional tip burn and some lighter weight product.

Leaf: 

Romaine is steady to stronger, and leaf is lower. Quality has been good overall. We are seeing occasional minor tip/fringe burn on inbound.

Broccoli:

Broccoli market is higher with good quality out of Salinas.

Cauliflower:

The cauliflower market is unsettled, but seems to be adjusting down. Quality has been good.

Carrots:

Carrot market is steady to higher. We are sourcing product out of Mexico.

Celery:

The Celery market is steady out of Oxnard.  Quality has been good overall.

Strawberries: 

Strawberry market is higher as shippers have less fruit available. Quality has been good overall.

Potatoes:

Market has been moving weekly on all counts, product is tight, #2 market has taken a jump in price this week and has become very tight. Rails are done for the season which will make prices even higher due to truck freight.

 Onions:

The market has stayed steady on onions out of Mexico. Product has been very good.

Citrus:

The Lemon market is steady to higher.  Orange market is steady overall. Quality has been good. Lime market is returning to seasonally normal levels

Cucumbers:

The Cucumber market has fallen quickly this week, and quality has not been all that good, New Jersey has started but prices are very high.

Peppers:

Pepper market has come off a bit. Quality and sixing has been a struggle this week.

Tomatoes:

Round and Roma tomato market is steady. Grapes and cherries are active.  Overall, quality has been good.

 

Cantaloupe, honeydew, and grape markets are higher as the offshore deal is done.

Red pepper market is up sharply as shippers struggle to meet increased demand now that Mexico is about finished.

Feature of the Week

This week Primo is featuring bell peppers.A wonderful combination of tangy taste and crunchy texture, sweet bell peppers are the Christmas ornaments of the vegetable world with their beautifully shaped glossy exterior that comes in a wide array of vivid colors ranging from green, red, yellow, orange, purple, brown to black. Despite their varied palette, all are the same plant, known scientifically as Capsicum annuum.  Green and purple peppers have a slightly bitter flavor, while the red, orange and yellows are sweeter and almost fruity. Bell peppers are not ‘hot’. The primary substance that controls “hotness” in peppers is called capsaicin, and it’s found in very small amounts in bell peppers. Although peppers are available throughout the year, they are most abundant and tasty during the summer and early fall months.

 

 

Recipe of the Week

Ingredients

1 (3 1/2-ounce) bag boil-in-bag long-grain rice

4 medium red bell peppers

3/4 pound ground sirloin 1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

2 cups bottled tomato-and-basil pasta sauce, divided

1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup dry red wine

Cooking spray

 

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°.

Cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Set aside.

While rice cooks, cut tops off bell peppers; reserve tops. Discard seeds and membranes. Place peppers, cut sides down, in an 8-inch square baking dish; cover with plastic wrap. Microwave at high 2 minutes or until peppers are crisp-tender. Cool.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and the next 5 ingredients (beef through allspice); cook 4 minutes or until beef is lightly browned, stirring to crumble. Remove from heat. Add rice, 1/2 cup pasta sauce, and cheese to beef mixture, stirring to combine.

While beef cooks, combine 1 1/2 cups pasta sauce and wine in a small saucepan; bring to a boil.

Spoon about 3/4 cup beef mixture into each pepper. Place peppers in a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray; add wine mixture to pan. Cover with foil.

Bake at 450° for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake an additional 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve peppers with sauce. Garnish with pepper tops

 

Fun Facts of the Week

•  Peppers are actually fruits because they are produced from a flowering plant and contain seeds – most people think of them as vegetables
•  Red bell peppers are sweeter than green ones because bell peppers sweeten as they ripen
• Capsicums are what peppers are called in Australia