EGG HARBOR CITY, NJ — Warm weather in early May has brought on spring crops that were running a week or more late, which is music to the ears of many growers in South Jersey.

“We were about five to 10 days late, depending on the item, but the warm weather has brought on the crops, allowing us to start catching up,” said Tom Consalo of The Fresh Wave, the sales arm of Consalo Family Farms, based in Vineland, NJ.

Consalo said The Fresh Wave handles a full line of vegetables, including asparagus, arugula, parsley, cilantro, kale, collards, chards, kohlrabi and beets, as well as an array of leaf items and lettuces.

At the Consalo Family Farms facility, based in Egg Harbor City, NJ, are Tom Consalo, Chelsea Consalo, Skip Consalo and Jerry DeFiccio. The company handles a full line of vegetables, as well as an array of leaf items and lettuces.In all, Consalo said The Fresh Wave has around 600 acres of vegetables in production, representing a 10-15 percent increase over last year.

The vast majority of The Fresh Wave’s products are sold direct to retail, said Consalo, and the company offers custom packs to accommodate its clients’ needs.

“We have the crews and facilities to handle everything our clients want,” said Consalo.

He said May 6 that the markets have been strong for produce from the Garden State, offering dill and cilantro as examples.

“Right now, we are seeing $40 a box for dill, and that normally goes for $8 to $12 a box,” he said. “Cilantro is now at about $30 per box, and it’s normally about $6. So we’ve been seeing some very favorable prices.”

Consalo said that often the markets would normalize in about 10 days, but that doesn’t look to be the case this year, as other production areas in surrounding states are also late. The bottom line is New Jersey was enjoying a window of its own in the early part of the spring deal.

But while the markets might be hot, Consalo said much of his business is on contract basis, which means product is sold to clients on an agreed-upon price.

“In this situation we sometimes take a beating, but we ride the highs and lows,” he said. “We’re used to it.”

Asked if there is any particular commodity that is enjoying the wave of popularity, Consalo said kale is still hot.

“Kale has more than doubled in production the last 10 years, but lately we are seeing a number of new kale items, like red kale and black kale,” he said.

“Also, cauliflower is definitely on the upswing, and we are seeing new varieties and colors. It seems like whatever is featured on the Food Network becomes the hot new product,” he added.

Consalo, 29, is now in his fourth year at The Fresh Wave, but he said he has been working on the family farm since age 8.

“This is a unique industry in that we provide a healthy product that everyone needs and enjoys,” he said. “I especially love the industry because of the health and wellness trends, which are important to me personally.I also very much enjoy carrying on the family legacy.”