Our Fresh Produce Report

This report was updated on Wednesday the 28th July for deliveries 2nd - 5th August 2010

For delivery Monday - Wednesday: Order by 4pm Friday
For delivery Thursday: Order by 8am Monday 
  • Imperial Mandarins from Joanne Knight in Berri, South Australia have been delicious. Sadly deliveries of the 4th August is likely to be the last week we will see her fruit this season. I’m sure you will all agree the fruit has been very good, sweet, juicy, easy to peel and with very few seeds. Emperor’s will start this week from Anthony & Jeromy Wallis in Lower Portland. These mandi’s are the most aesthetically challenged. In fact they are a real shock – including the amount of seeds you will find…but, flavour is excellent and they are so juicy that you almost need to wear a tea towel tucked into your shirt to make sure you don’t have to change your outfit…Know what to expect. Honey Mercott mandarins from Mount Gayndah are not far off….available in 1 – 2 weeks. 
  • ..Treat yourself to Pim’s Strawberries. Full flavoured and at the peak of the season you will not be disappointed… Pim will also have lots of 2nd Strawberries available this week – special price $7.00 kg….Pim has experienced heaps of rain over the last few days which essentially makes the strawberries split….so there should be plenty to go around.
  • Apples in general have been picked from the trees for some time now and should be stored in the fridge. Unfortunately this week will see the last of Graeme & Fiona Schultz’s Fuji Apples…we will look to Raw in Tassie to top up numbers this week. Pink Ladies, Golden and Red Delicious, Granny Smith, Jonathon and Sundowner are still available from Forest. All but the Pink Lady have lost their crunch, Grannies are feeling a little waxy and generally we can no longer have the apples at the top of our pick in fruit. Flavour is still good – especially the Golden Del’s….but their age is starting to show. As many of you know, this really has been one of the worst seasons we have seen with Forest Apples due to unfavourable weather at the time the fruit was setting…we have graded quite hard at our end making for a huge pile of Juicing Apples….still $1.00 per kilo. Fruit is an odd shape, has some bruising/ damage spots. Need to be used as a ‘use first’ item as the change in temperature on delivery will see them deteriorate at an alarming rate. 
  • Lemons should also be stored in the fridge to prolong life. The fruit coming from Wayhalla is good, but will deteriorate quickly if left on the bench. 
  • Packham Pears back on the list this week from Highvale in WA. 
  • Cavendish Bananas from Maurice Franklin, Lemonade Fruit from Peter Fraser, Hass Avocadoes from Michael & Louise Hogan, Kiwifruit from GreenLady, Navel Oranges from Anthony & Jeromy Wallis and Hybrid Pineapples from Top End have all been fantastic. Tangello’s from Brander and Rockmelon from Wilderness Farm also back on the list this week. 
  • Charlie has been in touch this morning to lettuce know his local Cauliflower is ready for the picking. Heads are white, tight and a very good flavour. Special this week $4.40 each…Crumbed Cauliflower balls are coming to mind…Yum ! 
  • Jap Pumpkin from Brisbane Valley Organics is absolutely fantastic and still at Summer price. The fruit smells delicious, skins are smokey in colour as we like them and flesh is a deep orange colour with full flavour. Pumpkin Soup anyone ? Check out Peta’s recipe now. Pumpkin price will increase over the next month or so as we move into Winter Pumpkin prices….know what to expect. Butternut Pumpkin price has just sky rocketed…now $3.20 per kilo coming from Wilderness Farm in Edith River, Northern Territory. 
  • Rocket Pre-packs coming from Earth & Sun is starting to include a little ‘Winter Grass’. At this time of the year it really can’t be helped, there is a lot of sorting at the Farm end, but the odd grass blade could slip into your bag…  
  • You may have noticed we sent out Garden Peas no charge this week. On arrival the pods were showing signs of a powdery mildew…a direct result of being picked in the rain. The peas themselves are fine but need to be used asap….If you are not going to use them in the next few days, de-pod and freeze to maintain best flavour.  
  • Beans coming from Trevor Mahaffey in QLD are fantastic – sweet and crisp. Order with confidence.
  • English Spinach from Paul Cremona has been very good. Leaves are short, soft and sweet. Remember that English Spinach should be examined for any broken or damaged leaves before putting in the fridge as a bad leaf can send the others bad before your eyes….also remember to take the elastic band off the bunch as it can create bruising…..
  • Cucumber is back in good supply, both English and Lebanese. Coming from Wilderness Farm, Lowood, Nutrene and Cove -  supply should now be consistent and very good quality….
  • Brian has been in touch to lettuce know that Anthony Bauer has heaps of Celery ready for the picking. Bunches are mature, light green in colour and a very good size. Special this week - $5.20 per bunch.
  • Broccoli & Cauliflower from Garry Hamm, Carrots now from Bauer, Red Capsicum from Shane Eldridge, Green Capsicum & Roma Tomatoes from Kevin Black, Corn from Hugh Smith, Eggplant from Mexborough, Snowpeas from McClure, Shallots from Big River, Squash from O’Shanessy, as well as Zucchini from Silverado have been really good. Chinese Cabbage (also known as Wombok) back on the list this week coming from Troy Huggins in QLD.
  • Onions and Garlic are sprouting…. This does not mean that there is anything wrong with them…the veg is just ready to grow again. We have been grading very hard, but there will always be the odd sprout slipping through….The onion family has been out of the ground for some time…so if you do have a problem please let us know. New season for Onions and Garlic will start in September ….won’t be long before we see Garlic Greens….Spanish Onions are the very last of the season and extremely small, while Russian Garlic is now arriving in segments or open bulbs (the most ordinary garlic we have seen all year) and is costing us $32.00 per kilo.  Know what to expect... New season Spanish Onions will come from Gomsi Zeleno in August/September in the form of Red Spring Onions.