Passion fruit suppliers say California's season has been very changeable in recent years due to adverse weather effects. At a time when growers are traditionally entering their spring season after a winter lull, some have reported that production has continued right throughout the winter season.
"The California passion fruit season has been very bizarre in recent years," noted Matt Pfeffer of Fresh Fruit Sales Nevada. "Usually we start in mid-August and finish the fall season in the third week of October. There is then normally a break between October and February before going into the spring harvest. The 2017 harvest however, spanned from August to December, and this past year we continued to harvest right through winter. The weather has changed somewhat and this has affected the passion fruit season."
Pfeffer added that the recent rains caused only minimal disturbance to harvesting. "The week before we had just over 5" of rain in one day which caused substantial flooding," he said. "But because of the floods of 93, we were better prepared and subsequently only out of action for one day. Also the rain has caused no issues with the fruit."
Although the weather has been somewhat cooler during winter, the effect of this has not been as severe as the extremely high temperatures in summer which followed a freeze in spring. "We did have some freezing weather in recent months which can be potentially disruptive but we were able to get through it. Overall, 2018 was a very tough year however. During summer, we experienced temperatures of 117 degrees for a week. This led to a lot of the fruit looking great, but hollow inside. It was the freeze during the spring where we felt the most damage though. As a result of that late frost, we lost 40 percent of our vines and fruit and had to replant. It can take a few years to build up yields again after planting new vines."
California quality is excellent
Growers of passion fruit in California say they are proud of the quality of their fruit and have the capacity to meet demand nationally.
"We grow the Frederick variety and depending on volume, ship nationally when we are not in competition with Florida," Pfeffer shared. "The quality of California-grown passion fruit is outstanding and the juice is sweet and plentiful. We pack the passion fruit in trays of 33s and 36s and also wash and wax our fruit for an extended shelf life."
For more information:
Matt Pfeffer
Fresh Fruit Sales Nevada, LLC.
Ph: +1 (702) 202-2120
[email protected]