Even with the recent week of significant rain in California, kale supplies out of the state continue to be very good.
“The quality is outstanding right now and we look to have continued good supplies,” says Mark McBride of Coastline Family Farms in Salinas, CA. He notes that as a commodity, the green leafy vegetable has a high level of durability. “It’s pretty resilient. Each commodity has its own weak spots or strong points and kale is a strong, sturdy plant. It can weather rain well, it handles heat and cold well. It’s as strong a leaf item as we grow out here in California and it’s a fairly steady commodity.”
"Our demand on kale has grown in the past three years," says McBride.
Growing regions
Currently, the majority of kale supplies come from California and Arizona. For Coastline, that’s the Imperial Valley in California-Yuma, AZ and Coachella, CA. Supplies will continue to come out of there until April 10th and after that, transition over to Salinas, CA.
With demand, kale’s come a long way from when it was simple a background vegetable at salad bars or supporting displays in the grocery store. “Overall usage is probably up. Kale’s a superfood that’s been identified in the past couple of years and I suspect everyone overall is focusing more on proper nutrition because of the pandemic,” says McBride. “Our demand on kale has grown in the past three years.”
For more information:
Mark McBride
Coastline Family Farms
Tel: +1 (831) 755-1430
mark@coastlinefamilyfarms.com
www.coastlinefamilyfarms.com