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MARKET UPDATE
VEGETABLES
ARTICHOKES – local globe artichokes are available along with some Victorian supplies. South Australian Jerusalem artichokes have started as well as a crop of local.
ASPARAGUS – currently using mainly South American produce. Supplies are low with prices moving up.
BEETROOT – there are no target beets about & only a handful of gold beets are coming through. Quality on regular baby & larger beetroot continues to be good.
BEANS – hand picked beans are very good. Broad beans are only available on the odd occasion; borlotti’s are scarce but very good when available, roman beans are good & reasonable value. Snake beans are limited & butter beans continue to be scarce.
BROCCOLI – prices & availability have improved considerably.
BRUSSELS SPROUTS – plentiful & great value.
CABBAGES – all cabbage prices remain up but quality is good. There is no baby cabbage available.
CARROTS – yellow & purple heirloom carrots are very good. Dutch carrot prices, quality & availability continue to improve.
CAPSICUMS – red & yellow caps are extremely hard to source & stocks will be short for some time. Green caps are by far the best value. Red banana caps are also very tight.
CAULIFLOWERS – availability & prices have improved. Quality is very good.
CELERY / CELERIAC – quality & prices are much better on celery & celeriac also, as South Aussie produce has now started.
CHILLI’S – birdseye, long red & green & jalapeno are all available. Some habanero’s are about but deliveries generally are small & only come in early in the week.
CORN – better this week with a bit more stock about
CUCUMBERS – telegraph are good value while Lebanese are still up a little
EGGPLANTS – local hydroponic eggplant are still very good
FENNEL – quality is great on both baby & large fennel
HERBS & GREENS – basil prices are moving up as cooler weather affects supply, french tarragon has finished, Victorian chervil is great, rappe bunches are available, silverbeet & English spinach are very good & chicory is also excellent. Pre packed mache rosettes from Victoria have started again. Local radicchio continues to be very good along with bunched rocket. Fresh local garlic bunches are also available. Iceberg & cos lettuce are both good value. Kohlrabi & turnips (baby & large) are available & spring onions are great although there is not a lot of large produce about.
HORSERADISH – good quality Tasmanian produce
LEEKS – there is a new supply of beautiful Victorian baby leeks. Local pencil leeks are very good also.
MUSHROOMS – Tasmanian shitake supplies are very low, button mushrooms are tight, pine mushrooms are available but numbers are down due to much cooler weather. Some slippery jacks available as well.
PEAS- peas are basically not available with only the odd very expensive box coming through.
POTATOES & PUMPKIN – Nicola, kipfler, pink eye, dutch cream & king Edwards are available. Butternuts, jap & QLD blue pumpkins are all great value. Sweet potatoes continue to be great value.
TOMATOES – very little quality produce to choose from. The best available is locally grown with QLD stocks coming in quite marked & with not much flavour. Truss tomatoes are very good with prices on par with roma & gourmet lines. A very small amount of heirlooms are about this week, Johnny lovebites are back on & very good quality. Cherry & grape tomatoes are quite good & good value.
ZUCCHINI – prices & quality have improved & zucchini are great value again. Lebanese zucchini’s are also available but numbers are limited & prices have climbed
FRUIT:
APPLES – golden & red delicious, granny smith, gala & fuji are all very good. Supplies of quality pink lady apples are low
AVOCADOES – hass avocadoes are back on
BANANAS – good quality & great value
BERRIES – blueberries continue to be very limited & the dearest berry at the moment, raspberry quality is very good & strawberry prices are back a little but quality is patchy.
FIGS – supplies are very low with prices rising steeply
CITRUS – lemon supplies are low; ruby grapefruit is back on & very good; Australian navel oranges are now available. American blood & navel oranges have finished. Cumquats are just starting & limes are good but supplies are slowing up.
GRAPES – Australian grapes are slowing up fast. Red & whites still available but we already have American black coming in.
MANGOES – a handful of QLD brooks left along with Mexican imports
PEARS – Packhams, beurre bosc, corella, josephine & nashi pears are available
STONEFRUIT – the very end of the season is here with the last of the plums available
OTHERS- Aust pomegranates, custard apples, persimmons, fuji fruit & some New Zealand feijoas are available. Western Australian tamarillo’s are now in. Panama passionfruit continue to be limited but quality is very good. South Australian quinces are great, young coconuts are in short supply & papaya is also scarce. Rockmelons, although not looking the cleanest are cutting fantastic & honeydews are very clean & flavoursome. Pineapple supplies have finally improved with prices coming for the first time in long while.
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