Poor weather puts huge damper on 'Miracle Juice' health fad
Growing conditions in California have put a damper on the latest celery craze
CELERY JUICE THE MIRACLE JUICE?
Celery in a cup. Even for those not willing to drink anything green, it's hard to find someone that hasn't at least heard of celery juice.
That's thanks in part to the latest health fad that seems to be driven by celebrities sipping up the leafy green, and ultimately swearing by it as the "miracle" drink.
"If people knew all the potent healing properties of celery juice that I’ve observed, it would be widely hailed as a miraculous superfood," says best-selling author and medical medium Anthony William who started juicing celery years ago. "In my opinion, celery has an incredible ability to create sweeping improvements for all kinds of health issues."
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Williams has no scientific or medical background, but promotes celery juice as the greatest tool for recovering health issues like digestive or skin conditions. Other dieticians however, say although juicing fruits and vegetables may be an easier way to consume, other health benefits that are gained from the fibres and roughage of the foods are lost in the process.
GROCERY STORE SHELVES ARE BARE
Whether you're a believer or not, grocery store shelves are a prime indicator of the ridiculous demand for the marshland plant. Not to mention local juice shops that are scrambling to find any celery supply.
"Prices of celery have gone from like $20 a box to anywhere from $90 to $150 a box," Zach Berman, co-owner of The Juice Truck in Vancouver, B.C. told CBC News. The company's stores go through almost 20 boxes a day, all to produce about 30 bottles of the green elixir, the CBC says.
And while the celebrity craze plays a role in being able to find the leafy veg, poor weather conditions are also a big piece of the puzzle as well.
CELERY SHORTAGE LINKED TO POOR CALIFORNIA WEATHER
"NOAA’s spring outlook really highlighted the heavy rain that California saw over this past winter, stating that it was so above average that it pulled the entire state out of its seven-year drought," says Weather Network meteorologist Nicole Karkic.
That heavy rain saturated the celery plants, while below seasonal temperatures disrupted the growing cycle as well.
"It was the coldest February in downtown Los Angeles in nearly 60 years with the city seeing snow for the first time since 1962," Karkic adds. "As a result, farmers reported that the rain and cooler temperatures delayed harvests and damaged crops this year."
SEE ALSO: How the 2019 winter washed away California's drought
Near normal precipitation and above average temperatures are expected in the northern section of the state this spring, but supplies are expected to remain tight, according to a U.S. farmer's report.
"The celery market is up with record pricing. Supplies continue to be extremely tight due to the cold, wet weather in Oxnard. Supplies are expected to be very tight for the foreseeable future," the report reads.
Celery prices aren't expected to get back to normal until at least August.
With files from CBC News
