There was a time when shoppers knew exactly what to expect in the produce department of the grocery store. Citrus was a fall-through-spring treat. Berries had seasons.

These days, with global sourcing, most commodities are available year round through a non-stop rotation of local and imported products.

For more than six months, the onion market has been very solid — reaching record heights along the way — and the good run is expected to continue for at least several more months.

"It's been a good market since December," said Don Ed Holmes of The Onion House, based in Weslaco, TX. “And I think it will last until at least mid- August when the folks in Idaho, Oregon and Washington start shipping.”

Cool weather in California and in Sonora, Mexico, has pushed back the harvest of most grape varieties by one to two weeks in all growing areas.

As of June 1, when desert grapes in Coachella, CA, would normally be in strong production, the harvest was just beginning. Similarly, the Mexican grape deal in the state of Sonora, which would normally be in full swing by the first of June, was just starting to build in volume.

PARMA, ID -- High-tech's cutting edge was made even sharper for the Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Committee recently when the organization began utilizing two-dimensional, or 2-D, codes.

Joe Namath, former star quarterback of the New York Jets, once said, "When you have confidence, you can have a lot of fun. And when you have fun, you can do amazing things."

There's a Western-themed restaurant in my town that offers in great food, friendly service and a good atmosphere. The waiters and waitresses enjoy working there, and they occasionally entertain customers with a country- western dance that really excites the crowd. The employees have a lot of fun at this restaurant, and the customers keep coming back again and again.

Though the total volume of mango exports was down about 10 percent by the end of May, most of the losses were early in the season and mango importers are expecting good supplies for the next several months. In fact, May shipments were running ahead of last year, and the outlook is good for the foreseeable future, which includes June and July.

Gary Clevenger, co-owner of Freska Produce International in Oxnard, CA, said that the strong May helped close the volume gap, which saw deficits of more than 3 million cartons after just a couple of months of shipments.