We’re officially in the thick of the late summer harvest and our Northwest staples are starting to take shape. Onions and potatoes are leading the charge, with growers reporting strong early starts and promising conditions across the region.

Onion harvest is ready to ramp up in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Early loads out of the Northwest are coming in strong, with plenty of jumbo and colossal sizes expected to ship next week. Quality looks solid so far, and volume will steadily increase throughout the month. California’s San Joaquin Valley and New Mexico are still shipping a good supply for the next few weeks, but both regions are beginning to wind down. Northwest onions are showing thinner skins at the start of the season. As curing progresses, we’ll see those skins toughen up and quality improve from good to excellent.

Potato harvest is gaining momentum in Idaho, Colorado and Washington. The early crop is leaning toward smaller sizes, but sizing should balance out as harvest continues. Quality is already looking better than last year. Some growers are keeping an eye out for hollow heart in later storage lots, which can develop after temperature swings. A bit of skinning is showing up in early russets, but that should fade as the crop sweats out excess moisture. It’s also common to see a white blush or fuzz on new crop potatoes. This is just excess starch left behind from the sweating process, and it washes off easily without affecting quality.

All signs point to a strong start to August. We’ll be keeping a close eye on sizing and weather as harvest continues into the fall. The outlook remains encouraging and now is a good time to get ahead of fall demand and lock in your programs.