Holiday - Sysco Seattle

October
Fresh Produce
October is National Apple Month – Apples protect your heart, prevent constipation, block
diarrhea and improve lung capacity and cushion joints. What a coincident that October would
also be National Caramel month.
Washington Apple Harvests – Gala’s, late August to early September / Jonah Gold’s, early to
October is Spinach Lovers Month – Promote fresh Spinach Salads and Florentine entrées.
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month – Apricots, assorted beans, beets,
blueberries, broccoli, cabbage and assorted Savoy’s, cantaloupe, carrots, cauliflower, cherries,
chestnuts, chili peppers, figs, fish, garlic, grapefruit, grapes, green tea, lemons, limes
mangos, mushrooms, oats, olive oil, onions, oranges, peaches, peanuts, rice, strawberries,
sweet potatoes and yams, walnuts water, watermelon, wheat germ and wheat bran combats
cancer.
November
The month of November hosts National Fig week, National Pomegranate month, Vegan
Awareness month as well as American Diabetes month and National Hunger Awareness
Month.
November Harvest – Local cucumbers, bell peppers, cabbage, lettuce assorted greens are
susceptible to finishing at first frost. A few hearty root vegs, chards & greens will wait for a
ground hardening freeze to stop production. Cranberry bogs outside of Aberdeen and
Hoquiam, WA, flooded, berries floated & packed. “The first to find cranberries edible by
sweetening the berries, perhaps, had ties to those who figured out how to calm down the
pucker factor olives create prior to soaking in a brine.” West coast tomatoes start from Baja
Mexico prior to moving into mainland, California summer season finishes early November.
Assorted row crop veg starts in winter desert regions and transition from Huron to Yuma,
AZ will near complete after the Thanksgiving holiday (unless Mom Nature says otherwise).
Melons will transition south into mainland Mexico with eggplant, soft squash, cucumbers, bell
peppers, other assorted vine veg, fruit and greens. Stone fruit imports from Chile are underway
by the end of the month. We will return to central California late March after Salinas
Valley has a well deserved rest from salad plant production.
Figs promote weight loss, help stop strokes, lowers cholesterol, combats cancer and controls
blood pressure.
Pomegranates were first grown in San Joaquin Valley a few hundred years ago. Their season
starts early fall and peaks thru December and finishes late January.
Avocados, flax, oats, olive oil and rice help battle diabetes.
December
December Harvests – Florida kicks off the start of their strawberry season and west coast
production shifts to Coachella. Central valley grapes finish, Chilean imports will follow soon.
California avocado season is slow to start at the turn of the year. Avocados from Michoacán
Mexico are at the peak of their season at the turn of the year.
Happy Holidays. Enjoy a “fresh” and healthy New Year !
Your Sysco Seattle Produce Team
Sound Advisor • Fall 2012 15