The vast majority of America’s table grapes are grown in the San Joaquin Valley. But this year, a freak summer storm took a big chunk out of that production. One grape grower stated that for every plump, green grape, there’s another one that’s purple and shriveled.
What has caused this? Hurricane Hilary. Though it was downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it reached California in late August, Hilary was the first storm of this kind to hit the state in decades. It dropped more than four inches of rain on some parts of the San Joaquin Valley. All that rain made a fungus named botrytis, or bunch rot. Roughly three-quarters of all US table grapes are grown in Tulare and Kern Counties. Tulare County estimates Hilary caused $191 million in damage to its table grape crop, while Kern County estimates $532 million.
Source: kvpr.org