Produce Prices and Shortages

Sometimes produce items become scarce or even completely unavailable. In the last 2 weeks, I am seeing a 100% increase in the cost of organic broccoli and nearly 50% increases in the cost of organic kale and lacinato kale.
Chard and collard and lettuce prices are likely to climb. On any given day, any of these items may become temporarily unavailable. Random fluctuations of supply or price, even when they feel extreme, are entirely normal, but often unpredictable.
We all have to remember that we live in a part of the world where if we were to run out of broccoli for a day or 2, we would still have dozens of alternative green choices. While in other parts of the world people are dying for lack of bread in countries that have little previous experience with daily hunger.
I'm going to continue to scramble to get what we need but I am realistic that our part of the world is changing too and I fear that random commodity shortages may become a more common occurrence for us.

—Allen Zimmerman

Winter Weather Shortages

Cold weather in current growing regions, Florida, California, Texas, and Mexico, have led to various crop shortages and higher prices. Rain, wind, mud, and frost will affect the availability of many green things for a few weeks. Among the items that are most affected are artichokes, arugula, basil, beans, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, cilantro, chard, collards, cucumbers, dandelion, escarole, all kales, leeks, lettuces, okra, parsleys, radishes, scallions, and spinach. The severest shortages will affect availability of salad mixes and baby spinach. All tomatoes are scarce, expensive and why do you all need to eat tomatoes in the winter anyway? Let this scarcity problem inspire you to try something new, and to continue to support our local family farmers by eating more roots.
—Allen Zimmerman