Dave's Market Update 06.01.2015

IN FRUIT

This will be an absolutely sensational week for summer fruits at Harris Farm. This hot and humid weather is bringing on the tastiest fruit of the year. Conversely it is not so good for vegies. So the fruit line up this week is as follows. Mareeba KP mangoes that have been finishing up by this week in previous years are at their peak the crop being 2 or 3 weeks later this year. Grapes are falling in price as supplies increase . Peaches from all over NSW , Victoria and South Australia are fantastic. Nectarines are superb, particularly the large yellow varieties ,sweet and juicy. The later better eating figs are underway. Passionfruit has halved in price in two weeks. Limes have done the same, and best of all the fabulous Tassie cherries are underway. January and February mean fantastic flavoured rockmelons and this year is no exception. The extreme hot weather in Victoria and South Australia is not fantastic for berries, they are eating well but most come from down south where it is so hot that their shelf life is very limited, try to buy on the day you want to use them. Pineapples are about the only disappointment of the week, the winter was too cold for their liking.

IN VEGETABLE

Instead of a boring list of what is good, what is bad, what is dear and what is cheap I thought I would talk about three products that I am loving at the moment in our shops and that are in their peak season right now. Firstly Oxheart tomatoes. Possibly the tastiest and a really old variety. They are in our shops this week at not a cheap price but probably the lowest price they will be all year and weather permitting should be still flushing next week. They ripen extremely quickly, don’t keep for long after that but are an absolute taste treat. Secondly we have a packaged product from our New Zealand capsicum grower that I am whacking on the BBQ every time I have steak (have you tried our Cape Grim Scotchies, Porterhouse or the absolutely sensational Flat Iron Steak Packs). They are called Sweet Peps and each pack contains two large bull horn chillies that are the sweetest pepper you will ever taste. Just split in half long ways, remove the seeds, coat lightly with olive oil and slightly char on the BBQ, unbelievable! Finally a really old fashioned item. This week we have an unbelievable glut of sweet tasty fresh peas. Those of us reared in the pre-computer era will fondly remember sitting around the kitchen table shelling the peas with Mum waiting for Dad to get home to eat. They were then and still are the most tasty accompaniment to most traditional meat or fish or poultry meals. We are going to put these on special this week at a price very similar to what which we sold this product forty years ago!