IN FRUIT
Not much change this week. The Imperial mandarins are that little bit more mature and better, and in grapes the crimson seedless are really good but there is strong demand still for the whites. I think either this week or next will be it for Harris Farm on the whites. They are still great to eat but fall off the bunch really easily (we refer to that as shatter) and just wont keep well. So if you buy them, eat them quickly. This week will see the commencement of the Australian navel orange season. They wont have the colour of the imported fruit and in fact are quite pale by comparison, but will be fresh and sweet. One of my favourite late Autumn fruits is kiwi gold and we are about to see a bumper crop start from New Zealand which will be great value compared to previous years. Bananas are still great value. Between smaller apples, mandarins and very attractively priced bananas - filling the kids back to school lunch box should be no problem.
The milder weather continues to improve the quality of our vegetables. All bunch lines are now excellent, especially improved is the English Spinach. The hydroponic lettuces are at their absolute best, they don’t like really hot or really cold. I store them not in the fridge, but in a jar or even a large glass of water. Simply place the roots underwater in the storage vessel and it will keep for a week. You can even break part off to use and the remainder will continue to live with its roots in water. Rhubarb crops are recovering after big losses of product in Victoria strained our local supplies. Snow peas are starting to ease in price and beans are the best value option this week. Nothing is overpriced this week, only product we are struggling with is parsnips, due to our largest supplier in Victoria having difficulties. We can probably live without them until it gets a bit colder or else we may secure some product from New Zealand.
