A problem with beds on the West Coast caused 10 – 15% loss of mushrooms.

You can’t just grow mushrooms overnight. It will take time for supplies to get back to normal.

MUSHROOMS (Monday, Oct. 27): We have already discussed the loss of some product here on the West Coast, which has caused some shortages and prorating to take place from the major mushroom producers. Magnifying the problem, which could now last right on into the holidays, is the affects of Hurricane Isabel, which blew into New England in mid-September. About 50% of all mushrooms fo the United States are grown in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. Many of those mushroom beds are still grown in the old limestone caves. As Isabel blew through, then as a tropical storm, it brought a lot of moisture and wind. As we learned with Hurricane Andrew, the storm’s damage to agriculture is not just from the rain and wind, but from bacteria and viruses it can take with it. Hurricane Andrew, for example, spread the citrus Canker virus many miles inland from the storm itself. This Canker virus cause citrus growers to literally destroy virtually every Lime tree in the state. The rains and winds from Andrew didn’t blow one tree over, but the viruses it carried, destroyed an industry. In talking with mushroom growers in Pennsylvania, Isabel did the same type of damage. Overall, most growers say they lost between 25 – 30% of their mushroom crop. Unlike mushrooms in your backyard, you can’t just re-grow the mushrooms overnight. It takes growers 21 days just to prepare the compost and growing conditions for the mushrooms. From there, you have another two weeks for growing before the first pick. This is going to put us right into the heavy holiday demand, and may continue to force some pro-rating, shortages, and even some higher prices. We are starting to see more Canadian mushrooms come in to help pick up the slack. Because of NAFTA, there are no more tariffs of duties on imported mushrooms from Canada. The Canadian supplies may help ease the shortages, but in the long-term, may end up causing more marketing trouble for US growers. On the West Coast, growers experienced contamination of their compost. Once a bacteria or virus contaminates a mushroom growing bed, the entire bed, sometimes an entire room of beds, has to be disposed of so that other beds or rooms won’t be contaminated. One major west coast supplier said that their production on white button mushrooms had dropped about 30%. Now that we are into Fall and closing in on the holidays, there will be increased demand, which will put even more pressure on the already tight mushroom supplies. Prices may not skyrocket, but many mushroom growers in Canada and on the West Coast are already pro-rating orders to stores.

The grocery store strikes in Southern California and St. Louis will have an affect on pricing of some produce items…like Bananas.

PUMPKINS, BANANAS, AVOCADOS (Tuesday, Oct. 28): Major retail grocery stores in Southern California and St. Louis are struggling for business during labor strikes. In Southern California, the strike affected chains that control 60% of the region’s grocery business. Strikes like this can cause major hiccups in getting produce to the stores, especially for seasonal or highly perishable produce items. Like Pumpkins. Growers can just “hold” the product. Once Halloween is other, their market is over. If they can’t get Pumpkins to the stores, they stand to loose hundreds of thousands of dollars. Bananas also are affected. Importers work 6 – 8 weeks out. They can’t just hold a boat at sea, waiting for the strike to end. That fruit must be sold. This doesn’t always lead to cheap prices, but it does certainly lead to disruptions in harvest and marketing schedules which affects supply and quality. Ripening avocados will also be affected. Again, like bananas, they can’t just sit in a warehouse like a can of green beans, waiting for the strike to be over. They need to be sold now. Importers of Bananas and Avocados may indeed divert supplies from Southern California to other regions of the country, which could lead to slightly lower prices.

Huron lettuce fields ready for harvest.

LETTUCE (Wednesday, Oct. 29): The Salinas season for lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower and celery is quickly coming to an end. Growers expect to harvest for another couple of weeks. The next major growing region is Yuma, Arizona, but traditional start dates for harvest there is usually mid-November. In between the two regions is a place called Huron, in Fresno County. For about 4 – 6 weeks, growers here will be harvesting primarily iceberg. Acreage is down to about 5%, to around 9,500. Because of the very hot summer, growers here delayed their planting schedule by about a week. The fear was that hot temperatures would cause sporadic seed germination or cause transplants to die, causing a very weak and scattered stand of lettuce. Growers opted to hold off for temeratures to drop 10 degrees. That put them behind about a week or so. There first cut of lettuce was last week, October 20th. Harvest is generally completed by the first week of December. This is also the time of year when cotton growers are spraying their fields to defoliate the plants before harvest. Agricultural officials make sure there is a mile buffer between cotton and lettuce fields, and that aireal sprayers do not operate on windy days.

Is it proper to eat Asparagus with your fingers?

The Queen of Etiquette will help us eat Asparagus.

ASPARAGUS (Thursday, Oct. 30): Today is National Etiquette Day, on the birthdate of Emily Post, who was born in 1872. She is the matriarch of modern Etiquette, and wrote a book on the subject. With some great supplies of Asparagus coming in from Peru, I thought it would be beneficial to us guys, and to kids, to find out a very important answer to this question: Is it proper to eat Asparagus with your fingers? Well, according to Emily Post’s book, “Etiquette: A Guide to Modern Manners,” here is the difinitive answer: “By reputation, Asparagus is a finger food, but the ungraceful appearance of a bent stalk of asparagus falling limply into someone’s mouth and the fact that moisture is also likely to drip from the end, cause most fastidious people to eat it – at least in part – with a fork. That is, cut the stalks with the fork to where they become harder, and then pick up the ends in the fingers if you choose. But don’t squeeze the stalks or let juice run down your fingers.” The bottom line: It’s perfectly fine to eat asparagus with your fingers. You can print this page and cut it out as proof for those who still doubt.

MacIntosh: The official apple of New York City.