Fall is here, and pomegranates are a delicious and healthy way to celebrate the changing of the seasons.

Pomegranates are considered a superfood because of their high levels of antioxidants (3x more than green tea or red wine!) and numerous health benefits such as lowering cholesterol, preventing disease, and reducing inflammation.

This unique fruit has been cultivated in Southeast Asia and the Mediterranean region going back as far as 5,000 BCE. Pomegranates have been referenced in many religions and historical texts. In Jewish tradition, each fruit is said to contain 613 arils (seeds), the same as the number of commandments in the Torah. Esfandiyar, a hero from the Iranian faith, Zoroastrianism, ate pomegranates to gain great strength before battles.

Even though this fruit has been around for millennia, people still have questions about how to get the very juicy arils (seeds) separated without making a mess. We recommend cutting a pomegranate into six sections.

We sell fresh ready-to-eat arils, as well as whole fruit. Ask your account manager for details about these exquisite ruby-colored jewels.

Pomegranates are available now, and are a versatile fall fruit that can be eaten fresh, scattered over salads, or used in Middle Eastern-inspired meals, desserts, and beverages. Encourage shoppers to try pomegranates this fall!

Merchandising Corner

Hard Squash Merchandising Tips

Hard squash is an autumn must-have! Here are a few suggestions to get your customers excited about hard squash and keep them coming back to try all the varieties.

• Introduce new varieties in an endcap with ingredients used to prepare the squash. For instance, make a display with the Black Futsu squash and stuffing ingredients, such as walnuts, cranberries, onions, bagged quinoa, and olive oil to generate interest and provide inspiration. Include recipes as well.
• Use shelf talkers to discuss flavor notes, storage tips, and the best ways to prepare.
• Mixed bins are a fantastic way to lower your price point and draw attention, but they may be confusing for the novice squash customers. It’s always useful to provide small displays with individual varieties separated to educate shoppers about different types.
• Rotate the varieties you bring in. Keep one or two of the staples in stock and change out the others. This is also a great way to keep your customers happy with the standard Acorn or Butternut, while also introducing them to less familiar varieties, such as Black Futsu, Honeynut or Kabocha.
• Build displays with complimentary seasonal items like herbs, greens, mushrooms, leeks, apples, persimmons, pears, and pomegranates.

Weather Watch

The sustained September heat wave in California continues to affect crop production and quality.

• Blossoms on zucchini plants dropped off in the brutal temperatures, preventing any fruits from developing, causing supply gaps from all growing areas three weeks later, (which is now!)
• Carrots went into a self-protective “hibernation” and stopped growing, even though they were in the soil underground! Table carrots from Cal-Organics will be limited for several weeks.
• Peppers of all types were damaged by the heat. The walls and blossom-ends of the fruit became thin and weak. The damage cannot be determined when packing, resulting in quicker deterioration than normal. Many growers and varieties are having this same challenge.

Back in the Spring there was a freak snowstorm in Oregon while Asian pears were in bloom. One of our favorite labels, Columbia Gorge, got over a foot of snow and lost most of their Asian pear crop, as did other Northwest growers.

New and Exciting

Apple: MacIntosh and Sunrise Apples are coming soon, with Washington Fujis coming on strong now!

Fun fact: The Macintosh Apple is the national apple of Canada.

Calamondin: A cross between a kumquat and a mandarin, the calamondin has refreshingly sour flesh, with sweet, edible skin. They are round, about the size of a kumquat, and bright orange. Very popular in Philippine and South Asian cuisine.

Cranberry: You know it’s fall when cranberries show up! We expect to have the first arrivals from Canada by mid-October.

Decorative Gourd: The perfect autumn art, decorative gourds will make your display shelves feel warm, welcoming, and get your customers excited for the upcoming holiday season.

* Hard Squash (left): Black Futsu, Autumn Frost, and Tetsukabuto are fun varieties of specialty squash to feature. Black Futsu has thin, edible skin, with a sweet, creamy flavor that tastes like roasted chestnuts when cooked. Autumn Frost is deliciously sweet like Butternut squash. Tetsukabuto has dark skin, with gold flesh, and upon being cooked, has notes of hazelnut and browned butter. Check out our hard squash guide to learn more!

Jack O’Lantern Bin: Get into the Halloween spirit with these pumpkin bins. Each 650-pound bin contains dozens of pumpkins and will get your customers excited about fall.

California-Grown Keitt Mango: Grown in California’s Coachella Valley, these mangos are large and deliciously sweet with few fibers. These green-skinned mangoes stay green, even when ripe. The California Keitt season won’t last long—don’t miss out!

* Kiwi Berry (right): This delicious little fruit is making a brief and dramatic appearance right now. Unlike kiwis, the kiwi berry is hairless with thin, edible skin. But it has the same bright, tropical flavor we’ve come to love from kiwis. Supply won’t last, as this season is short – get them while you can!

Mexicola Avocado: Small and egg-shaped, with buttery texture and nutty flavor. The thin black skin is 100% edible!

Persimmon: Fuyu and Hachiya persimmons will be starting soon. Hachiyas are acorn-shaped and must be soft before eaten. When they are ready to eat, their thin skin will be translucent orange and the flesh juicy and custard-like. Fuyu persimmons are non-astringent and can be eaten while still firm. They are squat in shape and taste sweet and mild with a smooth texture.

*Staff Pick

Promotable

Basil: Steady supply and high quality California-grown herbs from Dosner Organic Farms, located in the Coachella Valley.

* Black Seedless Grape (right): Steady supply on these juicy, sweet, seedless grapes with a fantastic price.

Celery: Make sure to “stalk” up on celery – especially with these great prices!

* Pear (left): Bartlett and Starkrimson pears are wonderfully sweet, and at promotable prices. Their contrasting colors will provide a nice color break and really make those displays pop!

Squash: Great supply on all hard squash staples like Butternut, Acorn, and Delicata,. Ask about our mixed squash bins, our specialty varieties, and our straight-pack single variety bins!

Tomato on the Vine (TOV): Mexican-grown fruit is plentiful, including Fair Trade certified.

Limited

Artichoke

Broccoli: Supply is tight, and costs remain up on broccoli, baby broccoli, and crowns.

Cauliflower: Production is down, and costs are up

Grapefruit

Lettuce: Romaine is limited

Rutabaga

Soft squash: Green & Yellow soft squash are extremely limited, as are California slicing cucumbers.

Turnip

Done for the Season

Domestic Hass

Finger Lime

Jonagold Apple

Thomcord Tote

White Nectarine: One last shipment coming in! Get it before it’s gone!