TIME OF THE HEART 

No matter how callous you may be about love, Valentine’s Day triggers a soft spot in almost everyone’s heart. This holiday is not just about romantic love either. Love comes from many parts of our lives and, hopefully, we have someone or ones to love as well. Your dog counts. Again this year, Mariposa Market is here to make your Valentine gift-giving as simple as possible. Our staff has picked out an assortment of wonderful cards, candies, flowers, and wines, as well as heart-motif candles and small gifts for the loves of you lives. We encourage everyone to have affection for your own self too, because this is the source of love for others.

This mid-winter season finds us recovering from a two week cold spell which seriously damaged produce crops in California, Arizona, and Northern Mexico. You may have noticed the extraordinary cost of produce these days. Lettuce and spinach, as well as specialty greens of all types, are especially affected. We are struggling to receive clamshell and bulk greens, which are extremely limited. Cauliflower, broccoli, celery, and mushrooms, have all become pricey. The citrus crop has been compromised as well, but the extent of the damage is not known yet. The citrus growers have access to some forms of frost protection. This is the first year that we have had enough California avocados to cover most of the season. We have supplemented with Mexican Hass Avocados from time to time.  New crop avos from California are starting to come in now. There are also California tomatoes which have been fairly reasonable. Though they are greenhouse grown, they are relatively flavorful. The little Sugar Plum cherry tomatoes from Mexico are still the best tasting tomato in stock. Other produce items remain stable, and warm season vegetables from Mexico like cucumbers, bell peppers, and eggplant are reasonable and of good quality.

Mariposa Market will be in our new store four years on Feb. 2. Although we do not celebrate this date as our official anniversary, it is still an important milestone day for our business. We are all thankful for our success and hope to carry on as your local healthy grocery store for years to come.