The Top Specialty Produce of 2018

Here's a top 10 list that will help you shop for the best and most interesting produce.

It's from Melissa's, the largest supplier of variety produce in the USA, which means some 1500 items. The list was determined by sales figures, says Robert Schueller of Melissa's. Here it is:

TOP 10 SPECIALTY PRODUCE ITEMS IN 2018

1. Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes
2. Baby red potatoes
3. Fresh ginger root
4. Packaged steamed lentils
5. Dragon fruit
6. Packaged steamed beets
7. Ruby gold potatoes
8. Chayote squash
9. Red papaya
10. Jackfruit

It's interesting that jackfruit is at the bottom of the list, because we know how much vegans and vegetarians like it, and for good reason. "It's the only fruit that is a protein," says Schueller (above), holding an example during the annual presentation of produce trends at Melissa's.

Some tips from Schueller:

Large red papayas are a better buy than small papayas. They may cost more but provide more servings--more bang for the buck, in other words.

Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes (above) are the only potatoes that don't turn green under the skin as they age.

There's another supplier of packaged steamed beets, but Melissa's beets (left) come from France, which makes them elegant as well as delicious. 

Pink dragon fruit with white flesh is the most popular. The newest variety, from Ecuador, is yellow-skinned and very sweet. The yellow dragon fruit in the photo above is from Israel.

And a tip on cooking the 8th place best seller, chayotes (above), from Melissa's chef Tom Fraker: slice them unpeeled and cook on the grill. There's a seed in the center, but it's tender and edible. 

The 2018 top 10 list shows "what consumers are going to be buying more of in 2019," Schueller says. Let's see if that's what happened with the top produce picks in 2017.

TOP 10 SPECIALTY PRODUCE ITEMS IN 2017

1. Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes
2. Baby red potatoes
3. Fresh ginger root
4. Packaged steamed lentils
5. Packaged steamed baby beets
6. Ruby gold potatoes
7. Dragon fruit
8. Young coconut
9. Kiwano melon
10. Veggie sweet peppers

As you can see, Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes still head the list, and ginger and lentils retained their position in 2018. Beets dropped a notch to 6th place from 5th. Ruby gold potatoes dropped from 6th to 7th, but dragon fruit rose from 7th place in 2017 to 5th in 2018.

Three from 2017 didn't make the 2018 list. They are young coconut, kiwano melon and veggie sweet peppers. This doesn't mean that they are not big sellers. The tiny sweet peppers can be used in many ways, and the fresh water from young coconuts, like the drinking coconut above, is pure, naturally sweet and good for you. 

But baby red potatoes (above) are the all-time best sellers. They've held second place for the last 10 years. And no wonder. They're delicious, easy to cook and look cute on the plate.