On a regular basis, we’ll bring you suggestions on the best produce to buy, advise you of the many innovations in fruit and vegetables, recommend quick and easy ways to prepare fruit and vegetables and offer nutritional information and hints on storage of our fresh produce.
In vegetables as I said tomatoes are horrendous. Most other vegies are firm in price, we must now wait for Queensland farms to crank up to full supply for prices to ease. That of course will happen � it�s just a matter of time!
This industry is definitely in nature�s hands not ours. For a couple of weeks I have been telling you that it is all over with Shepard Avocadoes and near the end of the White Seedless Grapes. And today I have to eat my words. A farming group that we deal with has come to us with some fantastic late picked Shepard Avocadoes and our procurement team from Mildura has come up with a good line of White Seedless Grapes which are still the grapes everyone looks for.
Add to this some fabulous new season Sweet Corn and then you have three great specials for Harris Farm this week. Other news in fruit this week is that we have a huge demand on the Berry category for Mothers Day lunches and this is pushing prices up to record levels - particularly in Strawberries. Other Grapes, all sorts of Pears and Apples and Mandarins continue in heavy supply.
The Papaya I have been taking home is absolutely superb at the moment. As the weather up north has cooled off our Bananas are taking a little longer to mature and as a result they are now more flavorsome than they have been. At last our Australian Navels are right to put in the shops but I would caution against cheap fruit from NSW � it is still sour, we will be paying a premium to secure the sweeter Queensland fruit at this stage.
Most Vegies are well supplied with warm daytime temperatures in most areas promoting growth in this category. Two exceptions here are washed Potatoes and Shallots which are both quite expensive. There are quite a few Mushrooms available at this time � which is quite unusual. This time of the year the generally cooler nights make for slow Mushroom production by late April. We are looking at gourmet Tomatoes being quite difficult to procure and, as happens occasionally, it looks as though Truss Tomatoes will end the week cheaper than the gourmet.
Papaya is eating very, very well though still a little pricey. Other excellent products this week include mandarins, and Australian kiwis both green and gold (no pun intended). The Australian kiwi season is relatively short. Kiwi is a 12 month fruit round the world crop, but in Australia mid April to mid July is all we get � May and June are the best months for our domestic product. Avocadoes continue to be difficult to secure and I am surprised to see the Hass variety are not too bad to eat even before the skin goes black � the usual test of ripeness for these, a gentle squeeze, will show which are ready to eat.
Some of the bunch lines from the Sydney basin are coming good for us this week. Spinach and English spinach and all our Asian greens have gotten over last week�s drenching and are coming back in price and improving in quality. Lots of broccoli available and better quality snow peas as we start our new season crops of most vegies from Queensland rather than Victoria where the majority of the vegies have been coming from.
Excessive rain has caused some planting gaps which in turn has led to some shortages in product this week. The vegetable lines appear to be the worst affected with Lebanese cucumbers, cos lettuce, lettuce, broccoli, corn, eggplant, black zucchini and beans all in short supply. No need to worry though - things will turn around quickly as the Queensland season kicks into gear over the next few weeks. The best value for money this week in vegetables is the humble cauliflower. Coming predominately from both Victoria and Bathurst my favourite way to eat cauliflower is roasted, with Parmesan cheese, olive oil, and fresh crushed garlic. What a great way to enjoy fresh cauliflower.
Seedless watermelon has been adversely affected by the rain. The excessive amounts of rain has created issues with cracking of the melon through the centre. The melon however is eating great and a refreshing way to finish off that Easter meal. The Easter period is also synonymous with chestnuts. For all connoisseurs of chestnuts this is your week! Loaded with flavour and plenty of good size fruit the distinctive flavour of roasted chestnuts will undoubtedly fill the air of many homes this Easter long weekend.
Rain has impacted the volumes of lemons which are always in strong demand at this time of year. Some good news however, is that Australian limes are a fantastic substitute and are very reasonably priced. The smaller fruit is great value and the quality is excellent.
New season Australian Imperial mandarins have commenced. Imperials are always well received by our customers - I think it�s because the easy peel skin makes them an ideal snack for children. Expect to see prices come down over the next few week as the volumes start coming through. Fruit is eating surprisingly very well for this early part of the season. Sometimes early Imperials can tend to be a bit tangy but I haven�t eaten a bad one yet .
Australian kiwi fruit have also started replacing the Italian product. I reckon these new season kiwis are still probably a week or so off from their best eating. Australian Pomegranates have begun. Do not be put off by some of the skin blemishes on the fruit (caused by the excessive rain ) as the eating quality is still fantastic.
Custard apples are also now available. For those of us that have a sweet tooth Custard apples are a fantastic fruit. Look for the pink mammoth variety which, unlike other varieties of custard apples, is indentified by its smooth skin as opposed to an abrasive skin. Pink mammoth custard apples are much creamier and have less seeds then other varieties. If you are looking for something slightly differently for your fruit bowl give custard apples a go - I think you surprised just how good this fruit is!
The highlight this week is undoubtedly the start of the new season Pink Lady apples. Without question the most popular of all the apple varieties Pink Ladies will be welcomed by all apple lovers. They are coming from Shepparton and Cobram in Victoria and Stanthorpe in Queensland. The excellent growing conditions means that Pink Lady crop will be a ripper! The fruit eats exactly like you would expect from a new season product - sweet and crunchy!