IN FRUIT:
It is very hard to go past figs as the fruit of the week; top quality, inexpensive and delicious. Personally I prefer the loose figs to the punnets, you do need to handle these loose figs extra carefully to avoid bruising and spoilage, however to me they are the best! In avocadoes, we have now transitioned to the green skin Shepard variety. They don’t go black but do ripen extra quickly. You may have to put them in your fridge as they start to soften as the process from a bit soft to overripe is very speedy.
Limes continue to be cheap as do grapes, especially the Thompson seedless variety. Peaches are very close to the end of their run; I strongly suggest not holding them much beyond a day or two. I would suggest the Tegan Blue plums we source from Western Australia (as opposed to the lesser quality albeit cheaper Victorian fruit). Tegan Plums are the best plum and possibly the best stone fruit available this week. Again this week, we have our late season super sweet KP mangoes from Mildura, enjoy them whilst they last - by next week it's probably all over with them. All the apples and pears are great value.
IN VEG:
It’s as tough buying vegetables this week as I have seen it in 50 years. The drought that was in full swing until a month ago hindered our Autumn veg growers ability to plant seeing us now have no crops to harvest, this has particularly affected crops in the Darling Downs and other areas in Southern Queensland. The drought has also seen some reduced yield on fruit trees. On the positive side good rains and good temperatures mean the leafy greens, herbs and other vegetables from the Sydney basin are looking good and by next week we will see increased volumes from these local producers. With the recent rains things will return to normal in late Autumn or early winter.