Demand has been good for green cabbage from California, which is seeing less supply from the region. "Green cabbage is a little different in our area this summer. Fewer people are growing it here because it's become a little tougher to grow with the pesticide restrictions to control bug pressure during the warmer summer weather," says Russ Widerburg of Valley Produce West. "There just doesn't seem to be as much cabbage around here, along with Brussels sprouts and some other cruciferous vegetables that are prone to bug pressure when it gets a little warmer in the summer."
This spring, green cabbage production shifted from the desert region and Mexico, where it's grown from early December to April or until it gets too hot, to Salinas and Santa Maria, California. "The weather has been mild. It's not been too hot or too cold in this area with high temperatures in the high 70s-low 80s and overnight lows in the mid 50s. Because there hasn't been any rain in the last few months, we haven't had a whole lot of fluctuation in the temperature," says Widerburg.
© Valley Produce West
Winter production in California
During that winter season, production is also in Oxnard, California, though that's largely for processing, with some fresh product available, though less so this year due to those restrictions around pesticide applications.
Now, more local production is beginning across the country, such as in British Columbia, Canada, and in another month, the Ohio Valley, Georgia, the Carolinas, Eastern Canada, and New Jersey will also start their local deals.
All of this has left a good market on green cabbage. While in the past two to three months, the market fluctuated between the low $10s to as high as $17-$18, right now it's settled in between $13-$15.
For more information:
Russ Widerburg
Valley Produce
[email protected]
