12/04/2024
📊 Market update
Growing conditions across the eastern seaboard over the next few months look promising: warm and dry conditions over May leading to a relatively warm winter with somewhat above average rainfall. Winter is our dry season – so this is not a bad thing.
However (there’s always an IF and a BUT), planting was delayed in many growing regions due to soggy conditions over the past month, and the effect will be felt well into June for crops like cauliflowers, broccoli, tomatoes, capsicum and cucumbers.
🍎Fruit
New season Pink Lady apples from Qld east superbly: they are our pick-of-the-apples, along with Galas for their value. Shaholli is forecasting a good pear season, with prices moderating over the coming month – but they are good value already.
🍍In Tropicals, pineapple – most likely topless this week – is cheap, whilst good-sized pomegranates and ruby grapefruit offer excellent value. Unfortunately last week’s early flush of imperial mandarins turned out to be a bit of a flash-in-the-pan, with supply tightening up again – but lemons are cheap 🍋👍🏼
Figs and plums make up the rear guard, but both are approaching the end of the season – so get some whilst you still can!
New season Aussie kiwis have dropped in price (but they are still well above their seasonal average). Rockmelons are still good value, but watermelon prices are rising
🥦Vegetables
Wombok for $1.70Prices are volatile across the board in vegetables, with big price drops for avocados (cheap at under $1 each), broccolini (featured in Moussa’s video), Brussels Sprouts, some herbs and Asian greens (courtesy of emergency supply from Victorian growers – as many locals are still cleaning up), celery and iceberg lettuce from Manuel Xerri, butternut pumpkin and some chillies 🌶️✨
George Portelli is taking a break with his cabbages, so we’re now relying on limited supply from Victoria which is pushing prices up to almost $10 a pop. Instead, George is picking loads of baby wombok which can be yours for just $1.70 a head. These crisp young wombok are great when eaten raw in a salad, or quickly stir-fried with some garlic, ginger, chillies and soy or Teriyaki sauce.
🥬Other good value vegetables include Cos lettuce and daikon – mild, white radish also grown by George Portelli – Lebanese cucumber, ginger, celery and Iceberg lettuce from Xerri Bros, brushed Sebagos and butternut pumpkin.
New season parsnip is now available – around $7-8 a kilo.