COLLEGE STATION — Texas consumers will find their supermarkets and grocery stores to be just peachy in May. That’s when the first of the Texas peaches will be rolling into the produce sections from the Rio Grande Valley.
If everything goes well, consumers will be able to find the quality and quantity for which they’ve been waiting for several years from the start of the season until the last of the state’s peaches are picked in North Texas in August or September, said Dr. Nancy Roe of Stephenville, horticulturist with the Texas Agricultural Extension Service.
Producers were able to dodge a big bullet when their crops escaped a late-season freeze. In some areas, the freeze may have been a boon, thinning the crop a little.
“The crop overall looks extremely good,” said Dr. Larry Stein of Uvalde, Extension horticulturist. “The big problem the growers are going to have is thinning. There’s too much fruit on the trees. They’ve got to get a bunch off so the fruit left will be big and of good quality.”
Ample rains across the state could cause diseases such as brown rot. “Timely sprays will be needed to keep everything in check,” Stein explained.
Also, hail could be a problem in some areas, Roe said.
Overall, though, growers feel optimistic. “The crop is certainly better than last year, anything’s better than last year,” she said.
Roe urged consumers to buy Texas peaches. “They are better because they haven’t been shipped and they’re picked ripe.”
According to Dr. Richard Edwards of College Station, food marketing specialist with the Texas Agricultural Extension Service, the price may be a little high — in the 89-cents-per-pound range — at the beginning of the season, but that should drop to somewhere around 59 cents per pound as more peaches are harvested in Texas and peaches from other states such as Georgia and South Carolina are shipped in.
May marks the entry into the season of getting domestically-grown fresh fruits and vegetables after a long winter of imported produce, Edwards added.
Strawberries will be a featured item through the month of May, he said. However, consumers should shop carefully to find the best bargains. The grocery stores are now pricing strawberries by either the pound or the pint, and Edwards advised consumers to compare the two to get the best buy.
Additionally, consumers also will be able to find fresh tomatoes, green beans and squash.
Shoppers also may want to keep their eyes open for seedless watermelons, another featured item at the produce counter.
“It’s been about three years now since the seedless watermelon was introduced on a fairly consistent, commercial retail basis,” Edwards said. “And each year we’ve seen the production and consumption of those go up and up.
“The main concern of most consumers is the price is still significantly higher than the traditional watermelon,” he explained. “It will probably be less than last year, though, if you are a real connoisseur of the seedless watermelon.”
Florida growers began the nation’s sweet corn harvest in April. As the harvest moves west, prices will drop to about six or eight ears for $1.
At the meat counter, Edwards said Memorial Day specials will feature the beef and poultry cuts that feed large family gatherings. Packer-trimmed briskets will be spotlighted in store ads for $1.09 and shoppers should be able to buy ground beef for 89 cents per pound for five-pound quantities.
Poultry prices have been holding steady; however, consumers should be able to find boneless breasts for $2 per pound on sale, he added.
Memorial Day features also will include soft drinks, picnic supplies and pre-made salads.
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NUTR AGEC