IN FRUIT
Those not quite so pink ladies are on again this week, even cheaper than when we ran them at the end of May. Great to eat and the price is extraordinary. Other bargains there are topless pineapples and kiwi fruit. Heavy rain in Central Queensland will affect the quality of Imperial mandarins (still by far the most popular variety) such that we will have to move down south a week or two earlier than we would like. So those southern mandarins will look fabulous but won’t be as sweet as the Queensland fruit we have been enjoying. The Queensland fruit will still be in store until Friday or so. Raspberries have really come on strongly, allowing us to reduce prices. Navel oranges are great but the strawberries which are normally the mainstay of our business in June copped another drenching last weekend and so it will be another week before they hit their straps. The imported cherries are now from the right areas and the right varieties also. They are superb.
IN VEGETABLE
This week there is a couple of unseasonal flushes of product that we don’t really expect at this time of the year. The Truss tomatoes from Coffs Harbour have really come on strongly, allowing us to reduce prices. The truss tomatoes will be a similar price to the gourmets this week and this never happens in winter, we expect this in Spring. As winter sets in we are seeing parsnips and Swedes weaken in price also. Loose beetroot continues to be oversupplied and there is a lot of spinach in the market. The first signs are here that mushroom supplies are on the increase and so prices should ease with this product also. In line with this, our local Australian truffles have started this week. As supply increases both in Australia and worldwide we will see truffles in season ease in price. They will definitely not be cheap but the will be less expensive than they have been in the past.
