produce alive hydro watercress
We are proud to introduce local Hydroponic Watercress from Produce Alive, available in a 1# bag! Grown in Loomis, CA (Placer County) by Erik Powell, Produce Alive Hydroponic Watercress is a succulent, leafy plant with a sweet, spicy flavor. Its unique peppery taste makes watercress a wonderful addition to a salad, paired with roasted meats or fish, pureed into soups and sauces, or sprinkled on a sandwich or pizza. Growing 100% hydroponically allows Erik to control the environment and guarantee consistency even with poor weather. He is able to grow year round in his 4,100 square foot green house, and he uses 90% less water than traditional growing methods. Hydroponic Watercress is a live product that continues to grow in the bag after harvesting. We are delighted to now offer this great Placer Grown product! Enjoy the harvest!
clover sonoma dairy field trip
Want to explore one of Clover Sonoma’s family dairies? Join us for a field trip on Tuesday, June 12 when we visit a dairy to learn all
about the cows, milking process, and land that make Clover Sonoma products so delicious and rich. We will also tour their state-of-the-art packing and distribution center. We will meet at Produce Express at 8AM for coffee and pastries, leaving promptly at 8:15AM, and returning by 3PM. Lunch will be provided as well. Please RSVP- call/text (916)956-5536 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
We offer the following Clover Sonoma products:
- Milk (whole, 2% low fat, fat free)
- Manufacturing Cream
- Half & Half
- Buttermilk
- Yogurt
- Butter (salted or unsalted)
- Sour Cream
- Organics available with a pre-order by 8am on Saturday, Wednesday, and Thursday: Eggs, Milk (all), Cream, Half & Half, Yogurt, Butter (salted or unsalted), Sour Cream.
mi rancho tortillas
Our long time tortilla provider, Mi Abuelita, recently closed its doors which led us on a search for another exceptional tortilla company. Our solution is Mi Rancho Tortillas! We are impressed by their flavor and quality and we love that Mi Rancho chooses to support local farmers and business by purchasing California ingredients. Every tortilla is uniform in shape, size, weight, and quality; and they contain subtle toast marks from their old world baking process. Now based in San Leandro, CA, Mi Rancho began as the only Mexican grocery store in Oakland in 1939, eventually being purchased by Robert Berber Sr. and Robert Berber Jr. in 1954. The father/son team expanded the grocery store and solidified Mi Rancho's place as the best place to find Mexican chiles, spices, and fresh tortillas. Eventually, things really took off when Mi Rancho began supplying tortillas and chips to local restaurants, and in 1992 began selling internationally. Today, Mi Rancho continues to be family owned and operated, combining their ancient family recipes with modern baking techniques to produce over 4.5 million tortillas a day with consistency and superior quality.
We are proud to offer the following:
Corn TortillasMi Rancho corn tortillas are delicious and durable. They are made using whole grain corn cooked with lime, then stone ground into fresh masa. Fresh corn adds strength to the tortilla that holds up to preparation– no need to double up. Baking slowly allows their corn tortillas to puff up and form flavorful layers. |
Flour TortillasThese hand-crafted flour tortillas are soft, thick, pliable, and delicious with a rich, irresistible buttery flavor. They are baked in small batches with the dough slowly proofed before being heat pressed, baked, and gently cooled for packaging.
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summer farmer's market - wednesday, july 18
It's that time of year again and you do not want to miss it! Our annual Summer Farmer's Market brings together over 40 local farmers and
chefs to highlight the best of the season! Get to know the people that grow your food and supply your kitchens every day! Stay tuned for more details as we get closer.
Interested in participating as a featured chef? Please contact your sales rep or Marissa with inside sales at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (916) 956-5536.
Orchard, located in Newcastle, CA. is a fifth generation family orchard which supplies Produce Express with high quality peaches and nectarines in the summer months, and a variety of citrus in the winter months. Twin Peaks was established in 1912 and continues to be family owned and operated. Since its inception, family members have lived, worked and played on the farm, allowing them to constantly monitor the progress and growth of the fruit trees in the orchards. They follow the principles of sustainable agriculture, using beneficial insects to control pests and organic fertilizers to promote healthy tree growth. Twin Peaks is a huge part of the community in Placer County and is a popular presence at several local farmer’s markets.
Cherry season is upon us! We are starting out the season with Coral Cherries– an early season variety with low acid, glossy red flesh, and a very sweet flavor similar to a Bing. They are delicious eaten out of hand or in salads; roasted or pickled to compliment pork or other fatty meats; or used in desserts like pies, tarts, cobblers, clafouti, and ice cream. We offer cherries in a 16# case, or by the pound. The local cherry season can be short, lasting 8-10 weeks, from the first of May through the July 4th holiday. Cherry trees need a cold winter to introduce dormancy, no frost during their spring bloom period and warm weather to ripen well. Any untimely rain in May when the fruit has ripened will cause the cherries to crack and ruin the crop. Varieties such as Bing and Brooks will follow in the coming weeks, weather permitting.
Farm is a 350-acre certified organic farm located in the beautiful Capay Valley north of Sacramento. They supply us with an array of produce throughout the year, depending on the season. This week, we are pleased to offer Fully Belly Farms Fresh Hand-Dug Potatoes. The potatoes need to be rinsed and cleaned before use as there is some dirt that remains on the skin. They are best when simply prepared with the skin left on and using a minimum of additional ingredients- baked whole, sliced and roasted, or mashed! This week’s harvest includes:
A few weeks ago we announced the much anticipated arrival of Farmer's Market Strawberries from Watsonville, CA. Farmer's Market Strawberries stand out from conventional berries because they are more flavorful and are typical of the quality you find at farmer’s markets- picked riper resulting in sweeter flavor, juiciness, and red color all the way through! Our Farmer's Market Strawberries are carefully sourced by Ainslee Urkofsky Reyes. They are hand-packed into 12/1 pint baskets; available by the flat only. Price is slightly higher than 8/1# flats, but the yield is greater as well. Farmer’s Market berries are picked at the peak of ripeness and should be used within 3 days. Please specify Farmer’s Market Strawberries when placing your order.
Local should include milk and dairy products too! Join us for a tour of one of Clover Sonoma’s family dairies where we will learn about the entire process from raising and milking the cows to packing and distribution. We will meet at Produce Express at 8AM and return by 3PM. Transportation and lunch will be provided (please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions or allergies). Space is limited; please RSVP by texting/calling Marissa at (916) 956-5536 or email 
farmed using organic practices since 1985 and is certified by California Certified Organic Farmers. The farm produces an amazing diversity of vegetables, herbs, nuts, flowers, and fruits year-round. The farm also has a flock of chickens, a herd of sheep, a tribe of goats, and several cows. Full Belly’s system includes: growing and marketing over 80 different crops; providing year-round employment for farm labor; using cover crops that fix nitrogen and provide organic matter for the soil; selling produce within a 120-mile radius of the farm; and planting habitat areas for beneficial insects and wildlife. One of the farm’s goals is to integrate farm production with long term environmental stewardship. This week Full Belly Farm is supplying us with fresh hand-dug potatoes. The potatoes need to be rinsed and cleaned before use as there is some dirt that remains on the skin. They are best when simply prepared with the skin left on and using a minimum of additional ingredients- baked whole, sliced and roasted, or mashed!
for over five decades. The farm’s highly fertile and nutrient rich topsoil is naturally nourished by the Yuba River. The Noland family is extremely hands-on with all aspects of the farm from designing their state-of-the-art irrigation system to planting, pruning, and harvesting the fruit. Wild River Green Kiwi is the very popular Hayward variety, known for its sweet, tangy flavor and vibrant green color. Wild River Green Kiwi is CCOF-certified organic grown without the use of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides. Green Kiwi has fuzzy, fibrous brown skin and bright green, soft flesh with a starburst of small, black, easily digestible seeds. Green Kiwi also contains an enzyme which allows it to be used as a meat tenderizer. They are ready to eat when they are soft to the touch. Available in a 36 count case, or volume-filled (108 count) case.
Produce Express now offers a variety of premium chocolates from Cordillera Chocolate- an exceptional brand of chocolate used by renowned chefs worldwide in fine desserts and confections. It was developed by chefs for chefs. Cordillera Chocolate has a delicious flavor and aroma, high shine and soft consistency. One reason for the exceptional flavor and quality of Cordillera Chocolates is that their products are made with Latin American "fine or flavor" cocao beans. Fine or Flavor beans are a product of Criollo or Trinitario cocao trees exuding fruit, floral, and herbal flavors with notes of nut and caramel. Fine or flavor cocoa beans are known to be of higher quality, and less bitter, than "bulk" cocoa beans (Forestero trees) which are widely used in the conventional chocolate industry. Chocolate is also categorized by amount of cocoa used. The percentage on a chocolate label refers to how much of the bar, by weight, is made from pure cacao beans, cocao butter, and/or cocao solids. The percentage is a general indicator of chocolate flavor intensity versus sweetness. The higher the percentage, the more intense and less sweet the chocolate.
Let the R&D fun continue! While we usually wait to visit Twin Peaks when the trees are full of fruit, we are going to see it from a different perspective this time around! We will take a tractor ride through the orchard and learn about the various stages of growth. At this time of year, the blooming stage has passed and the fruit is set, currently in the ripening process. We will learn more about Twin Peak’s growing and harvesting methods such as hand thinning the trees to allow the fruit to grow to size, get the right amount of sun, and distribute their energy and nutrients efficiently. We will meet at Produce Express at 8:45AM and return by 2:30PM. Transportation and lunch (by Tap and Vine) is included. Space is limited so please RSVP by texting/calling Marissa at (916) 956-5536 or email