Organic greens supply is coming on strong in Ontario right now following last week's heat wave and rains. At Pfenning's Organic Farms, red and green lettuce, romaine, spinach, red and green kale, collards, red and rainbow chard, and red and green dandelion greens are available in volume.
© Pfenning's Organic Vegetables
In Ontario, there was a later start to the greens season this year. "It seemed like a slow start with the cooler weather. Then, in the past week or two, things have been coming on so fast. The recent heat and rain have really helped bring the crops on," says Lauren Stallard Wedderburn, sales and marketing manager for Pfenning's, adding that last year's spring was warmer, which led to an earlier start than this year. "However, the volume is coming on strong now."
Length of season
In southwestern Ontario, production on leafy greens goes until late fall-early winter, with first frost affecting more delicate items such as lettuces and chards. "With the kales, they can withstand some frost, and it actually makes them sweeter, so we'll go on with kale late into the fall," says Stallard Wedderburn. "Depending on what the fields are like and what storage is like, kale will cut and store pretty well for a couple of weeks. At the end of the season, we can usually expect things into November–the longest I've seen is December."
© Pfenning's Organic Vegetables
As for demand, it too started slower, given supply was transitioning from other parts of North America to Ontario product. "However, people are really eager for it. There's an appetite for local and organic product," says Stallard Wedderburn. "While different pockets of Ontario have different levels of sentiment about their commitment to Canadian-grown product, the stores are definitely still seeing people looking for local, Canadian product. Inevitably, that influences demand."
Meanwhile, given the strength of supply, pricing is slightly softer than at this time last year. "With lettuces, we have some large fields on right now, and lettuce doesn't like the heat so much. You want to get them out of the field before bolting, so we've priced accordingly," says Stallard Wedderburn.
For more information:
Lauren Stallard Wedderburn
Pfennings Organic Vegetables Inc.
Tel: +1 (519) 662-3468
[email protected]
https://pfenningsfarms.ca/
