Yes, it's been a harsh winter for California produce.

Buongiorno.
Without a doubt, this has been a difficult winter to eat local and seasonal produce in California. The worst freeze here in decades began January 11 and lasted several days, making $1 billion worth of California crops worthless.  What I've heard from farmers, vendors, and consumers in these past weeks has been very sad. Apparently unaware of the warming trend enveloping the globe, inclement weather brought to our sunny state freezing temperatures that have affected our economy and our meals. Very few vegetables have been spared, and the effects of this freeze will have economic and gastronomic repercussions that may last into summer and beyond.

For a few lucky West Coast farmers the freezing temperatures haven't been all bad: Peaches, cherries, apples and grapes are maturing nicely thanks to the chill. Something to look forward to!

Meanwhile, the cost of locally produced vegetables have gone up as supplies become scarcer, raising local produce to prices you find in parts of the country where produce is mostly imported from sunnier regions in winter. All that fuel doesn't come cheap, and we wind up paying for it with a premium on our produce.

The flavors and textures of frost-damaged vegetables are noticeably inferior to what they are when the weather behaves. Damaged produce may look damaged or stained, the texture will be dry and mealy, and flavors will tend towards the bitter or bland (or both, argh!)

But if consumers feel frustrated by all this, think how tough it is on producers. The people who are the backbone of our agricultural sector in California are migrant workers with very little job security, and thousands of families rely on the incomes from seasonal jobs harvesting and processing produce. For a month, these jobs have been lost to the freeze. What would you do without a month's pay?

At a time like this, I would urge you more than ever to continue buying local and seasonal food. It still has the highest probability of being flavorful, satisfying, and nutritious, since it doesn't spend weeks in transit. At our house we've been enjoying a gratifying variety of squashes, pumpkins, chard, bok choy, mushrooms, blood oranges and kiwis -- none of which (with a little discerning) have failed us -- and we feel great about supporting the people who work hard to provide us with the best the fields have to offer.

In these harder times, I'm realizing that eating according to the seasons isn't just about varying ingredients with the ebbs and flows of time: it means coming to terms with the unpredictability of the world, and finding a way of incorporating it in our lives.

Buon appetito!
Marco Flavio

Here's the breakdown of our current situation, crop by crop:

Citrus fruit
The crop has been decimated by the freezing temperatures, especially oranges and tangerines. You can easily figure that out by going to the markets and paying $1 to $1.49 for a navel orange, only to find it's fairly dry and tasteless. Some crops were picked early and stored, so citrus is still available -- but texture and flavor are highly unpredictable. Before buying a few pounds of something, buy one, taste it, then commit to more. You can also count on the price of orange juice going up soon, as some of our oranges are used for juice along with Florida ones.

There is one saving grace: Although the lemon crop was damaged, a new, undamaged lemon harvest scheduled for March could offset the 80 percent loss of the lemons in the Central Valley.

Avocados
It seems we've lost 20%-30% of our crop, with the possibility of damage to the buds for next year's crop. We'll have to wait and see on this one.

Strawberries
There will be a delay on the current crop. If there's frost damage to the crop, we may have to wait a few weeks for new ones to be harvested.

Winter Vegetables
They've taken the freeze especially hard. We've had extensive lettuce and artichoke losses, and the temperature fluctuations may have altered the flavors. I was talking to an organic farmer from Fresno who explained that some of the affected produce is on the markets now, because they already fronted the costs to grow it, and need to sell it to recover at least some of the money. Buyer beware! As always, taste before you buy ... that's what farmers' markets are for.

Spring Vegetables
Sweet corn, bell peppers, lettuce, cantaloupes and watermelons have been affected. We'll have to wait and see how they develop.

Artichokes
Castroville-area artichokes are gone until March. There may be a few available from other regions, but they too are damaged. The California Artichoke Commission says we'll be getting new ones  mid-March.

Olives
We'll have to see about the damage, but a similar freeze in 1990 cut production by half. I'll ask around, but it all depends on the location of the trees.

Flowers
Flowers that were being grown for Valentine Day have been affected. Most flowers will be flown in or from greenhouses. (Chocolates, anyone?)

Other Crops and Bees
The freeze appears to have destroyed small blocks of tropical fruits such as guavas and cherimoyas grown in San Diego County.

Beekeepers are providing sugar water to their bees to make sure they have enough nourishment to sustain them through the cold weather.

Data is from the California Farm Bureau Federation.

Comments

[Scott W]

Great writeup Marco... thanks for all the info on the time frame for different crops. Nice work.

[Mini Kahlon]

What an exceptional post Marco. Thanks for a reminder on who the frost is hitting the hardest - and no, it's not me ...!