Dave's Market Update
In Veg
"There are a number of fabulous bargains in Winter/ Spring lines this week.
First of all, on offer we have imperfect zucchini - really inexpensive and great quality. Cauliflowers are also great value, as they were last week. I would not enjoy being a cauliflower grower - it's feast or famine for these guys.
In NSW, we have good supplies of rhubarb, along with the same inexpensive brushed potatoes that were on special last week.
Pre-pack carrots remain reasonable as ever and there are plenty of Brussels sprouts available.
By the weekend, I think beans will have fallen in price, allowing us to offer a really keen special. And with spring around the corner, the outlook for veg is fantastic."
- David Harris
In Fruit
"Like last week, strawberries are the pick of this week. The price is easing in the next few days, weather permitting. Blueberries unfortunately are still suffering and we would normally have massive quantities now, but the Coffs fruit just isn't happening.
Citrus especially blood oranges and imperfect lemons are well supplied and peak quality. Apples and pears remain reasonable as our avocados.
I am really enjoying our new season white grapes from North Qld, which have effectively closed the window that is normally filled by USA fruit at this time.
Mangoes are still very early and dear, however in a fortnight, this will adjust and there will be bargains here to also. "
- David Harris
Dave's Pick of the Week - Imperfect Black Zucchini
"Zucchini is an extremely versatile vegetable and can be eaten cooked or raw. In our house, we sometimes slice them thinly into ribbons with a mandolin and put them in lemon juice and olive oil salt & garlic, which cooks them nicely.
They grow very quickly especially in warm weather with rain, so picking them can be a daily task. Miss a day and they end up in our Imperfect stack, miss a week, and they can be a metre long! Ideally, they should be 10 to 14 centimetres long. This size will be tender and flavoursome. Much smaller is not desirable either.
At this time of the year, we get warmer weather in Qld, the zucchinis tend to grow quickly. They have halved in price since last week so take advantage of this bargain."
HOW TO PICK
In premium fruit, you would normally look for zucchini that's around 10 to 14 centimetres in length and still relatively thin. Most of the imperfects are somewhat larger. The zucchini should feel heavy for its size. The skin should be dark green and smooth and free of blemishes. If the skin looks slightly shrivelled, it likely wasn't picked fresh.
HOW TO STORE
Store zucchini in the fridge, whole, dry and unwashed. Store them in a paper bag with one end open to encourage air circulation and pop them in the refrigerator crisper drawer. They'll keep there for 1 week or more, though you'll probably see the skin start to shrivel over time."
- David Harris
