Tramutola says there’s been a great deal of “farm-to-table activity, rooftop gardens, and city greenhouses as part of the local movement. People know it supports the local economy and area farmers, and they think it’s fresher. But even though it might have been picked more recently, it’s not precooled like California produce, so the shelf life isn’t as long.”
Outside the wholesale terminal, farmers’ markets, green carts, and produce stands throughout the city and state also provide an outlet for locally grown crops. “There’s not enough volume at produce stands to seriously affect my business,” Tramutola remarks. “But if enough people who want to buy a head of lettuce—who would normally go to the store—stop by a farmstand in Union Square instead, that could affect us to some degree.”
In addition to the buy-local trend, kale continues to enjoy solid demand, including specialty varieties such as Tuscan kale (also called Lacinato kale). Avocados are firmly in the mainstream and no longer just an ethnic commodity, while other items such as root vegetables yautia and malanga, continue to grow in popularity (for more information on malanga and other Hispanic commodities, see the “Multicultural Immersion” article in the Hispanic market supplement, included with this issue).
