Torrential rain has caused massive amounts of damage to current and immature crops in both South-East Queensland and Victoria. There appears to be little light at the end of the tunnel with quality and price continuing to be issues in the immediate future for lettuce, Cos lettuce, cabbage varieties, broccoli, tomatoes, beetroot, spinach, kumara, beans, salad mixes and zucchini.  On the bright side, there are good quantities of snake beans, asparagus, corn, snow peas, fresh peas and sugar snaps this week.

Look out for the Valencia oranges in store. Case sales are excellent value for money and the juice is as sweet as honey.  Traditionally this is also one of the better times of the year for juice so look out for freshly squeezed Harris Farm Markets Valencia Orange Juice in 1-litre and 2-litre varieties at your local store. There is no comparison with the taste of the fresh product.

White nectarines are good eating and good value, but unfortunately their run has almost finished. At the moment, White nectarines are far better eating than yellow flesh varieties, so be sure to include them on this weeks shopping list. Peaches are also in their last throws for the season and some of the late varieties are really good eating, so dont miss out before the season ends.

The last of the mango varieties for this season is the Brooks mango. Coming out of Far North Queensland, these mangoes have a surprisingly good flavour and will be well received by all mango eaters. Reasonable quantities, almost exclusive to Harris Farm Markets, ensures they are also good value for money.   

Fuyu fruit (jiro) season has started and theyre coming from Queensland. Fuyu fruit is quite often confused with persimmons for their colour and shape, however Fuyu fruit is hard and sweet unlike persimmons which are a much softer.

For the discerning pear eaters the Beurre Bosc pears are eating beautifully at the moment. With the majority of the fruit coming out of Orange (NSW) and Goulburn Valley (VIC) it looks like being a good year. Good yields with an excellent covering of russet (brown colour skin) and maturity indicate it could be a bumper season for this flavoursome fruit.

This weeks plum is the October Sun.  October Sun plums have a thin yellow skin. They are extremely fleshly with a small seed. These plums have a great strong taste and I think its the perfect way to end the plum season.

At the risk of sounding repetitive, vegetables continue to be a hard slog. Lettuce, Cos lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, beans, zucchini and kumara are all still proving difficult to obtain in large quantities.

Lebanese cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, carrots, avocados, asparagus and snow peas are all representing good value this week. In particular, local Cherry tomatoes from greater Sydney are deliciously sweet to eat. For something a bit different, Pine mushrooms hit the stores this week. Pine mushrooms tend to grow under pine trees and pop up in late summer/early autumn after warm sunny days and a good downpour. With a full, roasted nut flavour, these mushrooms are perfect with fresh pasta and egg based dishes and will provide a unique eating experience. 

With the new apple season just around the corner, we are anxiously waiting our first crops to be delivered. The unusually warm weather has played havoc on new season Gala apples and as a result, they may not keep as well as in previous seasons.  However, the weather has been kinder to Red Delicious, Bonza and Jonathan apples. Recent cool nights have coloured those varieties well and at this stage we are happy with crop loads. More will be revealed when we start to pick these varieties later in the week.

The old fashioned Jonathan apples are the next new season apple. We have had a few from Queensland, but the better eating Batlow Jonathans have started again for another season and are now in store. This apple fell out of favour for some years but is now quite popular again; the secret is to eat them in season when they are fresh and not later in the year.

In season we now have fresh pistachios, but hurry as they are only around for a few weeks. When purchasing the nuts, chose those that are split at one end as the unopened shells are an indicator of immaturity. A native nut of the Middle East, Pistachios are great on their own or added to stuffings and desserts.

Brighter news on the vege front!  Lettuce, broccoli, snow peas, Telegraph cucumbers, zucchini, asparagus, avocados and Truss tomatoes are all good value. The supply of Truss tomatoes has increased and allowed for a considerable drop in price. Still the best eating tomato going around, Truss tomatoes compliment summer to perfection. New Zealand Red capsicums are fantastic quality, and at rarely seen prices they are an absolute must for the shopping list.

The versatile asparagus is one of the more popular vegetables in store and are in good supply at the moment.  

Avocado prices have dropped significantly and there are plenty of excellent opportunities this week in stores on Hass avocados. The Hass still remains the avocado of choice amongst those avocado connoisseurs.

Be aware, there are some cheaper, inferior New Zealand blueberries going around. The eating quality of these cheaper blueberries is sure to leave a nasty taste in your mouth!  The pick of the plums this week is the Teegan Blue.  Mainly from the Forbes region, Teegan Blues are an extremely sweet and refreshing fruit. Rockmelon and seedless watermelon continue to be excellent eating and still good value.

In a welcome relief banana prices have fallen this week and will continue to fall further over the coming weeks with good numbers coming down from Far North Queensland.

The Australian citrus season has commenced. During the course of the week we would have made the transition to Australian lemons and grapefruit. Limes from Far North Queensland continue in good volumes and prices are excellent. Currently there is a flush on yellow flesh nectarines. Good quality, good eating and well priced make them a must for your shopping basket.

Plenty of good eating fruit for lunch boxes this week with William pears and apricots in good supply. William pears are arriving in good volumes from Victoria, whilst sweet and juicy William pears are best eaten when they are a bright yellow. Excellent quality apricots are currently arriving from New Zealand but only have a small window so dont miss out.

Vegetables continue to be a struggle with the local season all but destroyed by the adverse weather conditions this has placed enormous pressure on supply. Lettuce, Cos lettuce, beans, tomatoes, kumara, corn and cauliflowers are all difficult to procure.

Better news on the vegetable front is that broccoli quantities have increased. Mainly from Victoria, broccoli quality has improved and prices have fallen substantially.  Red capsicums are also good value coming out of Queensland and South Australia. Lebanese cucumbers, Telegraph cucumbers, leeks, carrots and Spanish onions are all good value for money.

There is a buzz around Harris Farm Markets this week with the news of a store opening. Potts Point will open its doors this Thursday, 18^th February, and it will be bigger than Ben Hur.

What a terrible week of weather it has been! Torrential rain coupled with extreme humidity is an undesirable combination in our industry, as inevitably it leads to quality issues. The main sore spots this week are leafy vegetables, herbs, salad mixes, broccoli, lettuce, strawberries, mushrooms, chokoes, and all cabbage varieties. Other vegetables in short supply include beans, sweet potatoes and leeks.

Some better news on the vegetable front is that those excellent eating Grape tomatoes have come down fairly significantly in price and are an excellent alternative to Cherry tomatoes which are more expensive. Snow peas represent the best value for money out of all the legumes. A welcome relief is the avocado quantities are starting to increase in volumes so expect the prices to ease over the next few weeks. Quantity of leeks are building up and prices are keen so be sure to add these to your shopping list.

Two of the major events on the Harris Farm Markets calendar are Valentines Day and Chinese New Year, and this year they both fall Sunday 14th February. Unfortunately berry quality is not what we would like for Valentines Day. In particular, the quality of strawberries is below expectation. Eating quality is fine but shelf life is limited so buy them daily.

Better news for Chinese New Year. Large nectarines and peaches (both yellow and white flesh), dragon fruit, ya pears, lychees, Seedless watermelon, large Navel oranges, Teegan blue plums and Tasmanian cherries are all in good supply.