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In August, northern produce heads south

Snowbirds may have flown north, but the states to which they've retreated are sending us something in return.

While Florida growers prepare for fall crops, New Jersey and New York, among others, are shipping supplies our way.

From New Jersey we can expect green and yellow squash, peaches, bell peppers, eggplant and more this month, said Lynne Richmond, public relations officer for the New Jersey Department of Agriculture.

"Farmers in New Jersey are enjoying one of the best seasons ever, in spite of a storm that hit Burlington County, which resulted in severe flooding," she said.

"The perfect mix of rain, sun and warm temperatures helped to bring many crops in early and provided for great yield and high-quality product.

"The peaches are big, juicy and sweet."

New Jersey, the nation's fourth-largest producer of peaches, makes an important contribution to agriculture, Richmond said. The United States Department of Agriculture ranked it second in number of acres devoted to blueberries and fresh-cut herbs in its 2002 Census of Agriculture, Richmond said. The report also ranked New Jersey third in cranberries; fourth in peaches, bell peppers and spinach; sixth in squash, and eighth in tomatoes.

Jessica A. Chittenden, director of communications for the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, says that this month the state is sending apples - McIntosh, Empire, Red Delicious, Crispin, Gala, Jonagolds - as well as a variety of other fruits and vegetables to Florida.

Included are sweet corn, green beans, cabbage, summer and winter squash, cucumbers and peppers, she said.

Some Florida fruit and vegetables will continue to show up in markets this month. Sam Skogstad, a buyer for Brooks Tropicals in Homestead, said August is the beginning of star fruit season. Now is a perfect time to shop for avocadoes, he said, mentioning particularly the Brooks Tropicals SlimCado brand.

The SlimCado avocado has 35 percent fewer calories and 50 percent less fat - "a naturally occurring phenomenon" - than the Hass avocado, which comes chiefly from California, Skogstad said.

Craig Wheeling, chief executive officer of 75-year-old Brooks Tropicals, said mangoes and Caribbean red papayas also are in markets this month. Brooks' mangoes are being imported from Mexico, he said. Mostly the Keitt variety, they are large and light green.

"It's a very good eating mango. It's one of my favorites," Wheeling said. "The best way to test it (for ripeness) is to use your whole palm and see if it has any give to it."

Brooks Tropicals, a family-owned company in the hands of the third generation, started planting Caribbean red papayas in Belize about six years ago, Wheeling said.

"We've had great success with the public with those. We're shipping them as far away as Alaska. The demand basically is exceeding supply," he said.

For those unfamiliar with papaya, Wheeling suggests simply scooping out the seeds and enjoying slices of the fruit.

"I like it as a dessert. I also eat it in salads. It's great with breakfast. The seeds are bitter, so you want to get rid of them," he said.

The Caribbean red variety is ready to be eaten when the skin is about 30 percent yellow, he said. It ripens easily on the kitchen counter but can be allowed to ripen slowly in the refrigerator, Wheeling said.

This month shop for avocados, apples, apricots, snap beans, berries, blueberries, cabbage, sweet corn, cucumbers, grapes, honeydews, mangoes, nectarines, peaches, pears, bell peppers, papayas, star fruit, cantaloupes, plantains, plums, squash, watermelons, tomatoes and okra.

Florida lobsters, Alaskan salmon and mahi mahi are just a sample of offerings in seafood markets this month.

Steve Cox, president and owner of Cox's Wholesale Seafood Inc. in Tampa, promises plenty of Key West pink shrimp.

Besides Florida shrimp, Sarma Reynolds of Dunedin Fish Market said she's also carrying Alaskan salmon and Chilean sea bass.

"It's a really nice, mild white fish, and it's perfect for the grill," Reynolds said of the sea bass available at her store for about $13.45 a pound for fillets.

Reynolds, whose shop is in the Dunedin Marina, said she is able to buy fresh Florida catches from a angler who docks there.

"I always get fresh grouper from him and fresh snapper," she said.

Reynolds' market, however, will be closed from Sunday through Aug. 23 while she visits her daughters in Germany.

At Bama Sea Products in St. Petersburg, shoppers can buy red and black grouper fillets for $7.99 a pound and whole grouper for $4.99 a pound, said David McMahon, who is in charge of the company's retail department and special events. Bama's also will have yellowtail snapper at $3.99 a pound whole and amberjack fillets at $4.99 a pound.

Wild sockeye salmon from Alaska, freshwater bream from Georgia and mahi mahi from the Gulf of Mexico also will be for sale, along with smoked Idaho trout and smoked wild salmon, McMahon said.

Gib Migliano of Save on Seafood, which has a retail store on the St. Petersburg-Gulfport border and another in Tampa, reminds us that lobster season opens Monday. Florida lobster should be in Save on Seafood stores by Aug. 11, Migliano said. Whole lobsters will sell for about $5.99 a pound, and the tails will cost close to $20 a pound, he said.

Save on Seafood also will have wild Alaskan salmon and farm-raised salmon, grouper and red snapper. The season for red snapper opened Sunday and closes Tuesday. The next season will not open until February.

Migliano warned that rock-bottom prices for shrimp could be a thing of the past because of proposed tariffs for some imported shrimp. Wise shoppers might want to stock up, he suggested.

Waveney Ann Moore writes about produce and seafood monthly for the Taste section. Contact her at 727 892-2283 or moore@sptimes.com