How do you know it is Spring? Daffodils and Crocus bloom and the grass is starting to look a shade of green instead of brown? Maybe your head tells you before your eyes with allergies? North Bay knows it is Spring when a couple of things happen, asparagus starts popping its head through the cold ground in Michigan, and when we start shipments of Peruvian snow and snap peas!
The highlands of Peru are not only beautiful but in the city of Caraz where our grower has their farms, the high altitude and mountain ranges create a unique atmosphere for the crop. The snowmelt channels that come down from the mountain ranges irrigate the rich soil and create really beautiful (and tasty) snow and snap peas. These peas have minimal scarring and always taste sweet and have a firm, crunchy texture. As a consumer, I always search out Peruvian snap peas when shopping in the produce department this time of year, because they taste so darn good!
Reach out to your sales representative if you would like to know more about North Bay Produce’s Peruvian Highland Sugar Snap and Snow Peas.
Shipments start arriving end of April!
Michigan Asparagus: Another sign Spring is here, at least in Michigan, is our asparagus harvest! Though the season only runs a short time (about 6-8 weeks if we are lucky) we are blessed with some of the best tasting asparagus in the country! Michigan ranks second in the nation for asparagus production thanks to its unique, sandy loam soil. This particular soil found most often near Michigan’s west coast, is dominated by sand particles, but also contains enough clay and sediment to provide structure and fertility.
When asparagus season starts, you might be too late for sales. This commodity is always hot and we usually sell out quickly. Talk to your sales representative now to get your pre-orders in because you don’t want to try and stalk it later! We offer conventional and organic asparagus in green and purple.
Blueberries: April will be a great month for blueberries, with Florida and Mexico being in peak production. Georgia is right around the corner with an end-of-April start. We will be able to offer small promotions, but consider May as a better time to push blueberry promotions with Memorial Day sales.
North Bay will offer conventional and organic in the sizes below:
12x6oz
12×1 pint
8x18oz
12×2#
Don’t forget Jumbo Blues are still available, and we have added Florida Jumbos into the mix! 12×9.8oz will be available for the month of April.
Raspberries: Raspberries have been in limited production due to some weather-related issues in Mexico, but we see a good rebound toward the end of April with better volumes coming soon.
Blackberries: Currently blackberry production still remains low without any promotable volumes of fruit until we start our domestic production in Georgia that will start late in May. Stay tuned for more information on our domestic crop.
Apples: As Spring starts up in Michigan, our growers are keeping a close eye on the orchards, and continue to anticipate up and down temperatures that could affect the fall crop. We should have a better idea in May if we fared well through the Spring warm-up.
Currently, we are about 85% through our CA (controlled atmosphere) apples and we have about 1 1/2 months of packing left for the season. Our color and eating experience is still great! I just had a Michigan Gala and the flavor and texture was amazing! We still have promotable amounts of Gala’s, Fuji’s and EverCrisp to go through April so pick some up while the varieties are plentiful.
Currently, you can choose from Galas, Golden Delicious, MacIntosh, Jonathans, Fuji, Ida Reds, Jonagolds, Romes, and Evercrisp. We will have good volume into spring out of CA on most varieties.
We currently offer these packs for April:
- Poly and mesh bags: 2lb, 3lb, 5lb, 8lb
- Farm market tote bags: ¼ peck & ½ peck
- Pouch bags: 4lb
- 27lb bulk Euro trays
- 40lb bulk trays
- Variety specific packaging
- Display ready cases
North Bay’s Michigan apples are a great addition to your produce department and are offered in many different packaging styles and sizes. If you would like to know more about our Michigan apples, contact your sales representative.
