IN FRUIT
This citrus season is shaping up as the best I have seen for many years in fact for as long as I can remember. First with mandarins. It used be that these were out of season and unavailable from December until late April or early May. They were then rushed by the consumer as a new fruit. We now have areas growing fruit earlier (though not that well in my opinion) plus imported fruit in the time when there was none. As a result that new season eager rush is no longer there. I have never seen a better quality season for Imperial mandarins than this year, I have not had even one that has not been perfect, and yet this would be the cheapest year we have seen for a decade. Now Navels are well underway and they also are cheap and excellent. For navels to really eat they need a good frost and that has happened in the growing areas over the last week, so they will just get better and better. Other fruit that is fantastic includes red seedless grapes and all varieties of apples. We have a heap of very tasty old fashioned paw paw in our shops this week. Most consumers now prefer papaya to paw paw, but if you would like a bit of variation in the fruit you enjoy the paw paw are superb and cheap this week. We must now say farewell to the green skin avos and from now the majority of our fruit will be the black when ripe Hass variety. Best bargains here are our bucket and prepack fruit. Very good quality and very small seeds inside.
IN VEGETABLE
Vegetables this week are largely unchanged with the exception of tomatoes where that gap in the winter crop plantings is really hitting home and fruit is very dear and will probably remain so for a short while. However as always if we look hard there are some bargains to be had. Iceberg lettuce has eased up in price. Carrots, Brussel Sprouts and Chinese Cabbage are all good buying, and as is often the case at this time of the year most potatoes, onions and pumpkins are all cheap and good. The next exciting thing for our business will be those fantastic Queensland strawberries starting up in two or three weeks time.
