IN FRUIT
I was pleasantly surprised how well some of the Mandarins were eating on the weekend. The old adage was always that you waited until May for Imperial Mandarins, but they are actually very good now. I know its school holidays now, but I don’t think there is an easier or more popular piece of fruit for kids than the mandarins at this time of the year. The other fruit that I am really keen on is our all Australian pomegranates, now in full swing. These are incredibly versatile, you can juice them, put them in a salad, sprinkle over dessert or cereal in the morning or just spoon out the seeds and enjoy eating them. Two things to remember first, the best looking, even red all over pomegranates, are not necessarily the best eating fruit. In fact, the blotchy yellow fruit that is preferred in the countries that have had pomegranates for thousands of years, ranks well ahead in my view. The other great asset of this fruit, is that it stores incredibly well in your standard domestic fridge. Stock up when they are cheap!!! Apples and pears are now at their absolute best. Growers often get rid of their lesser fruit first, keeping the best for later in the season, and that is what is coming to market now. Everything is eating well now, this is the time when Grannies are at their best (always around Anzac Day) as are Pink Ladies in the last couple of weeks. Fujis and newer varieties such as Jazz and Kanzi are all now superb. Josephine and Bosc pears are now mature and sweet and very soon we will commence Packhams also. Autumn is a wonderful time for citrus and Pomme fruits.
IN VEGETABLE
Anzac Day is a very special day to many Australians and here at Harris Farm we feel that way too. Rosemary is the special herb that we associate with Anzac Day because the Greeks from ancient days believed that Rosemary assisted memory and so we use rosemary to celebrate Anzac Day so that we do not forget the sacrifices made for us by our fathers and grandfathers on distant shores. We grow a considerable amount of Rosemary and donate this to Legacy to construct Rosemary sprigs to raise money for Legacy. In addition, we have bunches of Rosemary in our shops this week as it is a fantastic herb that can be used for both decorative and a myriad of cooking uses. Look further in this communication for some great uses for Rosemary. Some cooler nights over the weekend have led to different vegetables gaining popularity again. Spinach, onions of all descriptions and Jap pumpkin are included in this group and are very well priced this week. Broccoli is also very good value and Brussels Sprouts are selling very well at quite reasonable prices. The only product that is right off limits is cauliflower which is the dearest I have seen in my 40 something years in the industry.
