It’s a hard call this week so I am going with two lines as my pick of the week.
First we have honey gold mangoes. There are two distinct windows when these are available and the first of these is this week. They are a hybrid breed of mango developed by chance in central Queensland in the early 1990s. Quite orange/gold in colour when ripe and ready to eat, they are predominantly a larger mango. They mature later than other traditional varieties and so as we come to the end of the Northern Territory season and although picking has commenced in Queenland that fruit needs more time to mature, so these are the best mangoes you can buy over the next week or ten days. They are a little dearer than other varieties and in my view worth every penny.
The other product we have been waiting for is premium mainland cherries. Twenty years ago these were the best we got and they were finished by Christmas week but Tassie has changed the landscape a bit with fabulous fruit all January and half of February. They are grown from the Queensland border through central western NSW down through Victoria and South Australia. A lot of the early varieties can be soft and weather like last Friday does not help. This week however we have moderate temperatures and good varieties underway. There will be bargains galore as the week goes on, time to think about a two kg box for home or the office.
We are currently sourcing many of our yellow and white peaches from Swan Hill in Victoria. At the moment, the white flesh peaches are eating especially well. Yellow and white nectarines are also in good supply. Once again I would steer customers towards the white flesh fruit as I feel these are eating better. Apricots are currently in the peak of their production. It looks to be an excellent crop with really strong volumes. Prices are reasonable so a good time to enjoy Australian apricots.
Seedless watermelon is eating well and is in excellent supply. Mainly coming from Queensland, seedless watermelon is the perfect way to cool down after a warm summer’s day.
Tasmanian raspberries are now in the markets. The Tasmanian fruit is some of the best eating raspberries we produce and a highlight for all berry connoisseurs. Strawberries are on the road to recovering after the devastating storms that hit Victoria a few weeks ago. Volumes and quality have had a remarked improvement which is in contrast to Blueberries which have been hit with two hail storms on the north coast of NSW causing widespread damage. Blueberries supplies will be somewhat spasmodic until Tumbarumba near the snowy mountains kicks in.
IN VEGETABLE
Vegetables are still recovering from excessive heat. Many vegetable lines have quality issues and poor shelf life. It's recommended all vegetable purchases be made a day or two from use. Leafy vegetables lines in particular have been adversely affected. Broccoli and cauliflower in particular are light in supply.
