California Flooding Sends Lettuce Prices Soaring

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- If you've been in the produce aisle lately, you may have noticed it's getting a lot more expensive just to make a salad.

Heavy rain in California is to blame, CBS2's Ali Bauman reported.

Over the last few weeks, shoppers have been dealing with some serious sticker shock when it comes to lettuce. Prices have doubled and even tripled to $5 and $6 a head.

"I have a salad every day," said Jane Heilig, of Farmingdale. "I'm just having it without lettuce. I'm not going to spend $5 for a head of lettuce."

Produce managers say they have no choice but to pass on the huge price increases caused by extreme weather in California.

"A lot of water ... destroyed what was good," said Dominick D'Oria, a produce manager at Grace's Market in Greenvale.

And it's not just lettuce. Asparagus, broccoli and caluiflower have also doubled in price.

But savvy shoppers are finding creative ways to have their salad without breaking the bank. Many are turning to far cheaper mixed greens even as they comparison shop.

"I'm just going to watch the prices and find the best store that has the best prices and buy there," said Danielle Dalvano, of Massapequa Park.

And CBS2's fresh-food expert, Tony Tantillo, has a money-saving suggestion.

"If you go to the prepackaged salad section and you buy just a simple package -- not the fancy packages with all the different nuts and the dressings that add prices to it," he said.

Tantillo says the price hike should be short-lived because the weather out west has improved and lettuce is a row crop that farmers continuously plant year round.

"It only lasts so long, and leaf lettuce is highly perishable, so this could change in about two or three weeks the other way," Tantillo said.

And supermarkets will soon receive new shipments of lettuce from other regions of the country, including Long Island.

Meanwhile, get ready to pay more for peaches. Most of the peach crop down south has been lost due to cold weather.