Box Divvy Oatley - Glen

16/12/2024

Market update

Fruit

In fruit, literally everything good: lemons are holding their price, but limes are coming down sharply. Lychees are a little cheaper again, and passionfruit has dropped below $1. Rockmelons may appear a little pricy, but they are very large.

We’re starting red seedless grapes this week: they will be cheaper than the whites.
Watermelon is still great value, berries are still $3, and although cherries are tightening, they are still good value – and the Lapin variety is great eating.

Peaches, nectarines, apricots and plums are all great eating and great value.


Vegetables

In vegetables, the only pricy lines are green beans and (still) potatoes and red onions. The rest is between cheap and real cheap: cabbages ($2 for both green and red: coleslaw anyone?), capsicums, eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, lettuce, herbs (basil? $2.25 a bunch), mushrooms (we’ll try and get enough fancy shiitake, oyster and lion’s mane from Little Mountain this week – we ran out at the end of the last week).

Baby spinach is back, pumpkin (including the small butternut) is cheap, and with tomatoes you can’t go wrong (but our pick are baby truss tomatoes).

Speaking of tomatoes: did we shame Coles into reducing their truss tomato prices? For most of the past 2 weeks, they’ve been selling them between $4 and $6 a kilo. However, our story on the plight of truss tomato growers got a lot of coverage on the ABC, in the Herald Sun, Townsville and The Mercury and Coles have now reduced their tuss tomato price to $2.90 a kilo. About time too.

16/12/2024

Stone fruit

And not to forget the stone fruit – easily 10-15% cheaper than this week last year.

15/12/2024

Mango

Or mangoes: $2.25 for a KP or $32 for a tray of Mareeba Honeygolds

15/12/2024

Berries

All berries will stay at $3 a punnet. That’s an average 24% cheaper than last year.

15/12/2024

Watermelon

Seedless watermelon: $1.69 a kilo this week – 22% cheaper than last year.

14/12/2024

Is this going to be the best value Christmas week on record? With Box Divvy fruit and veg prices down 3-4% on this week last year, it’s looking good.

14/12/2024

More NEW NEW

The Stock Merchant sauces

From the Stock Merchant, we have 4 different sauces - 100% flavour from 100% real food: there's nothing artificial inside.

• Old Fashioned Gravy
• Red Wine Jus
• Peppercorn Sauce
• Mushroom Sauce

13/12/2024

New this week with Clover Fields

We've a big expansion of our Clover Fields range:

If you’re after a last-minute gift – for yourself of course – we have a lovely range of Bath Salts, Facial Cleansers, Moisturising Body Oil and Exfoliating Body Scrubs. As is the case with all Clover Fields products, they are 100% natural, smell great, and are very reasonably priced between $10 and $20. A 10% discount has been applied to this Christmas week only. Go on, treat yourself! You know you deserve it. You’ll find these in Pantry ➡️ Health & Beauty ➡️ Body Care.

The Clover Fields soaps that have been out-of-stock for several weeks are all back in, with ample stocks
In addition, there is a range of new household products – all with a 10% introductory discount:

* A carpet detox in 2 fragrances – lemongrass and mint.
* An air freshener that goes by the name of Laundry Remedy, but its usefulness goes way beyond the laundry: Add a few drops to the inside core of your toilet paper roll to scent your bathroom. Dilute with vinegar and use as household spray. It consists entirely of essential oils like patchouli, Vetiver and Frankincense that you would normally find in upmarket fragrances.

There’s a range of products that helps you reduce the amount of plastic going to landfill:
* A dishwashing block that replaces dishwash liquid in plastic bottles
* A wooden dishwashing brush to go with the block
* A vegetables brush to brush your…vegetables
* A bamboo soap holder, and
* An aluminium travel tin for your shampoo bar

13/12/2024

Could this be the cheapest Christmas on record – at least for fruit and vegetables?

Compared with last year, prices are down 3-4% across the board – and at least 20% lower for mangoes, berries, nectarines, pineapples, rockmelons, watermelon, cabbages, capsicum, almost all lettuces, shallots, pumpkin, all tomato varieties and baby Q’s.

Moussa's Market Update
https://youtube.com/shorts/gXOEMg6v1LU

13/12/2024

Reminder for Xmas dates

12/12/2024

ABC RADIO SA Country Hour

Then in SA with Selina Green ABC chatted with the farmer, Matt Mcinerney, farmer K Fresh in Virginia SA, who is experiencing a glut of truss tomatoes and explains why growers are offloading them at a price well below the cost of production. Listen from 27:55 to 37:41
https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/sa-country-hour/sa-country-hour/104672366

Grain delivers to the Viterra network surpass two million tonnes for the season so far, as the first new season shipment sets sail, Australia experiencing a glut of truss tomatoes as growers offload them at a price well below the cost of production, and farmers concerned about inexperienced drivers....

11/12/2024

Tomatoes

Lastly, tomatoes are still cheap – and Roma tomatoes are our pick at $3 a kilo.

11/12/2024

Broccoli

Broccoli is coming right down – good timing again. Expect to pay no more than $4.80 a kilo.

11/12/2024

Corn

Almost as sweet: Manuel Xerri’s corn for a dollar a cob.

10/12/2024

Cherries

We weren’t expecting the berries to be this cheap – and the same goes for the 2kg cherry boxes: we don’t know about next week, but this week we’re starting them off at $29. Sweet as.

10/12/2024

Berries

It’s Berry Bonanza! All berry varieties have synchronised to be at $3 a punnet. Now we’re hoping for a berry merry Christmas.

09/12/2024

ABC RADIO Sydney

Then on the airwaves with ABC Radio Sydney chatting with James O’Loughlin about the tomato glut, co-founder Anton van den Berg chatted about how the oversupply affects the industry. Have a listen on the ABC Listen 54:21 – 1:00:21

www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/sydney-mornings/mornings/104670842

Keep informed, amused, entertained and inspired each weekday morning.

09/12/2024

Lion’s Mane Mushrooms

Grown by FungiCo aka Little Mountain Mushrooms in Moss Vale, Lion’s Mane mushrooms have a mildly sweet flavour and a tender texture that mimics shellfish like scallops, crab, or lobster.

Brain health: Lion's mane mushrooms contain compounds that may stimulate brain cell growth and protect the brain from damage. They may also help with mild cognitive impairment and improve mental performance.

They also aid digestive health, support the immune system and reduce inflammation. These beauties sell for $60-80 a kilo – if you can’t find them. Leonie from FungiCo says they’ll have plenty over the coming weeks, and whilst they’re not cheap at around $49 a kilo, they’re worth it.