Produce updates: June 17th 2015

So Harper has finally figured out that there is climate change and says we’re going to quit burning carbon fuel by 2100. Well, Stephen, it’s here and happening big time and glad you finally got on board.  Vancouver has received 7 mm of rain in the last 6 weeks, instead of 130mm like average, and boy what a change it has made to local farming!  After decades of learning tricks to speed up growth, now people are asking how to slow things down - BC blues and raspberries are in house – another record!Local veg is picking up steam so fast we are pretty well finished with backup product out of California on lettuce, chard and expect to be done with import kale in days!   Yes, BC cherries in mid-June and they keep on coming, and going out just as fast.  Main crop is expected 10 days early so we need very little of Washington’s blueberry or cherry crop to back us up this year.  Local stone-fruit should start in 10 days – that being apricots first off the block before the end of the month.  Garlic and other ground-crops, potatoes, carrots, etc. Will also be featured earlier than normal this year.  We will bc garlic before the end of the month all going well.Strawberries?  Holy Dinah – movement has been terrific and we’ve dropped price for the last ½ of the week to move a kazillion more – mother’s day is always a big draw for straw’s – well dad’s like them too and it’s that time again this weekend.  The rest of the fruit category, from pears to plums is excellent – which makes up for over-priced, under-watered and limited selection on oranges – the only fruit category suffering.California veg is in strong supply – and we still need to lean on them for broccoli, cauli and celery.  Celery is still a suffering market, cauli is inching down, but fast-growing broccoli has appeared in everyone’s field at full size at the same time and now producers are begging to take it away - pricing should stay in the gutter on this one for 10 days.Roots are stable with the first BC spuds just starting, but there is a looming gap on yams with storage just about done well ahead of the first new crop harvest and prices are changing daily.  Onions are stable and should hold at current levels until Andersons and others start pulling in Washington in August.