RECOMMENDED VEGETABLE BUYS THIS WEEK
BEANS, CAULIFLOWER, SQUASH, ZUCCHINI

Asparagus | Mainly imported Mexican supplies. No white asparagus is available.

ASPARAGUS – Available Now.

Artichokes | Queensland globe artichokes are limited and poor quality. Jerusalem artichoke supply is very limited.

GLOBE ARTICHOKES – LIMITED

Beans | Good Victorian supplies continue to be excellent value this week. Butter beans are limited. Baby, Snake, French flat, Flat Italian & Borlotti beans are all available.

BEANS – EXCELLENT VICTORIAN BEANS REPRESENT GREAT BUYING THIS WEEK.

FLAT ITALIAN – AVAILABLE

BUTTER BEANS – LIMITED

SNAKE BEANS AVAILABLE IN BUNCHES

FRENCH FLAT BEANS AVAILABLE

CONTINENTAL & BORLOTTI BEANS AVAILABLE

Broccoli | Prices are up as crops have suffered with the heat; supplies are dramatically low.

BROCCOLI – SUPPLIES ARE LOW

Broccolini volumes are down also.

BROCCOLINI – VOLUMES ARE DOWN

BRUSSEL SPROUTS – Supply out of Victoria is improving.

BRUSSEL SPROUTS – SUPPLY IMPROVING

CORN-Excellent cobs of corn from local areas and Victoria.

CORN – EXCELLENT

CAULIFLOWER- Great buying this week for cauliflower out of Bathurst and Victoria

CAULIFLOWER – GOOD VALUE

CHERVIL- Very limited; local supplies are now suffering with the heat and small quantities only are out of Victoria.

CHERVIL – LIMITED

CELERIAC- Moderate supplies only; heads are still on the small size.

CELERIAC – MODERATE SUPPLIES

CABBAGE – Chinese and regular cabbage are well supplied; red is limited.

CHINESE CABBAGE – WELL SUPPLIED

CABBAGE REGULAR – WELL SUPPLIED

RED CABBAGE – LIMITED

CHILLIES | Good supplies of Red, Green, Habanero, Jalapeno, Birdseye and Thai Green Chilli.

RED & GREEN CHILLI – GOOD SUPPLY

HABANERO CHILLI – GOOD SUPPLY

JALAPENO CHILLI – GOOD SUPPLY

BIRDSEYE CHILLI  – GOOD SUPPLY

THAI GREEN CHILLI  – GOOD SUPPLY

Cucumber | Regular, Lebanese, Telegraph and Baby cukes are all well supplied.

TELEGRAPH CUCUMBER – WELL SUPPLIED

REGULAR CUCUMBER – WELL SUPPLIED

LEBANESE CUCUMBER – WELL SUPPLIED

BABY CUKES – WELL SUPPLIED

Eggplant | Regular is well supplied and good quality.

REGULAR EGGPLANT, GOOD SUPPLY

Supply of baby eggplant has been limited;

BABY EGGPLANT LIMITED

Edible flowers | Apart from mixed flowers, why not try some of the following: Elder Flower (delicate white – looks great), Marigolds, Mixed Viola, Society Garlic (looks stunning), Nasturtiums & Linaria.

ELDERFLOWER – AVAILABLE NOW

MARIGOLDS – AVAILABLE NOW

MIXED VIOLA – AVAILABLE NOW

SOCIETY GARLIC FLOWER – AVAILABLE NOW

NASTURTIUMS- AVAILABLE NOW

LINARA – AVAILABLE NOW

FENNEL-  Regular, baby and finger fennel are all available – quality has improved.
REGULAR FENNEL – AVAILABLE

BABY FENNEL  – AVAILABLE

FINGER FENNEL  – AVAILABLE

LETTUCE – Limited supplies of Iceberg are forcing prices up. Moderate supplies of Cos lettuce are at the market.

limited supplies of Iceberg.

ICEBERG LETTUCE –LIMITED SUPPLY

Moderate supplies of Cos lettuce this week.

COS LETTUCE – MODERATE SUPPLIES

Micro Vegetables/Baby Vegetables | Micro radish, French radish and medley radish are very limited; they are not handling the heat well. Also suffering in the heat is all Heirloom Carrots and to a lesser degree, Baby Beetroot and Baby Golden Beetroot.
RADISHES – VERY LIMITED

HEIRLOOM CARROTS – LIMITED

BABY BEETROOT  – LIMITED

GOLDEN BEETROOT  – LIMITED

Mushrooms | Oyster mushroom supply is slow due to the heat. No supply is currently available for Pine Mushrooms. For pine mushrooms to grow in the wild they need heat followed by rain; since the weather has not been favourable we do not expect to see any pines until later in autumn, assuming the weather conditions allow.

OYSTER MUSHROOM – SUPPLY IS SLOW

PINE MUSHROOMS – NOT AVAILABLE UNTIL LATE AUTUMN

Onions | Cipollini onions have started again. The combination of a small flat / sweet onion makes it ideal if you want a whole roasting caramelised onion.

Petite Bouche | A new product to perhaps try – Yuuki Mix, an Asian herb and leaf mix. Iceplant and Jap Seaweed have been limited in supply. Good supplies of Red Vein Sorrel are available however Sorrel and Woodland will be limited while the weather continues to be hot.

ICEPLANT – LIMITED

JAP SEAWEED – LIMITED

RED VEIN SORREL – GOOD SUPPLIES

WOODLAND SORREL – LIMITED

Sweet Potato – Excellent red sweet potato available; quality is great.

SWEET POTATOES – QUALITY IS GREAT

POTATOES – Cocktails and large Desiree are very limited.

COCKTAIL POTATOES – LIMITED

LARGE DESIREE – LIMITED

SHALLOTS –  Regular dry shallots are available. Banana shallots are also available.

BANANA SHALLOTS – AVAILABLE

Spring onions | Little or no supply has been available this week.

SPRING ONIONS – LITTLE OR NO SUPPLY THIS WEEK

Very good supplies of both small & medium squash.

SQUASH – GOOD SUPPLY

Spaghetti Veg | Supply is available for those wanting to try something different.

SPAGHETTI VEG – AVAILABLE

Tomato | Extreme heat in Victoria is keeping the volumes down on both Regular and Roma tomatoes. Reasonable supply of gourmet lines including Teardrop, Medley, Cherry Truss, Truss Tomato, Kumato, Heirloom large trays & Grape Tomato. Ox Heart tomatoes are limited.

REGULAR TOMATO – VOLUME IS DOWN

ROMA TOMATOES – VOLUME IS DOWN

TEARDROP TOMATO AVAILABLE

TOMATO MEDLEY AVAILABLE
\
CHERRY TRUSS- AVAILABLE

AVAILABLE TRUSS TOMATOES

AVAILABLE HEIRLOOM LARGE SIZE

AVAILABLE GRAPE TOMATO
Limited supplies only of Ox Heart tomatoes.

OXHEART TOMATO – LIMITED SUPPLIES

 

Zucchini |Local and Victorian supplies are good and great value this week. Grey is available. Moderate supplies only of yellow zucchini.

REGULAR ZUCCHINI GOOD SUPPLIES

GREY ZUCCHINI GOOD SUPPLIES

YELLOW ZUCCHINI – MODERATE SUPPLIES

Zucchini Flower | Good supplies this week of male and female zucchini flowers.

FEMALE ZUCCHINI FLOWERS – GOOD SUPPLY

MALE ZUCCHINI FLOWERS – GOOD SUPPLY

RECOMMENDED FRUIT BUYS THIS WEEK –
BANANAS, ROCKMELONS, ROYAL GALA APLES, FIGS

APRICOTS – Season is now over.

APRICOTS – SEASON IS OVER

APPLES – New season Royal Gala represent great value this week

ROYAL GALA APPLES – GREAT VALUE

Bananas | Supply and quality is excellent; great value this week.

BANANAS – EXCELLENT QUALITY

STRAWBERRIES – Quality is the main issue this week with fruit affected by heat.

STRAWBERRIES – MODERATE QUALITY ONLY

Blueberries & Raspberry | Supply is good.

BLUEBERRIES – SUPPLY IS GOOD

RASPBERRIES – SUPPLY IS GOOD

Blackberry | All but finished now.

BLACKBERRY – ALL BUT FINISHED NOW

Chestnuts | Victorian season has now started.

CHESTNUTS – SEASON STARTED

CITRUS-
LEMONS – Lemons & Limes | Excellent supplies are coming into the market.

LEMONS – EXCELLENT SUPPLIES

LIMES – EXCELLENT SUPPLIES
Valencia | Good supplies, fruit is sweet, although the skin is showing significantly green now due to the heat.

VALENCIA ORANGE – GOOD SUPPLIES

Navels | Excellent USA fruit if you need an “orange” orange.
NAVEL ORANGES – EXCELLENT USA FRUIT

Pomelo | USA fruit is available.

POMELO – USA FRUIT AVAILABLE

Mandarins | USA fruit only.

MANDARINS – USA FRUIT ONLY

Figs | Peak of the season and well worth including on the menu; excellent quality and great value.

FIGS – QUALITY IS EXCELLENT

Fuji Fruit | Good quality Queensland fruit has now started.

FUJI FRUIT – GOOD QUALITY

Grapes || Black, White and Red Seedless, Globe and Black Muscatel grapes are all available. Current grapes have now finished.

GRAPES – RED/WHITE/BLACK SEEDLESS – AVAILABLE

GLOBE GRAPES – AVAILABLE

BLACK MUSCATEL GRAPES – AVAILABLE

Lychees | Season is NOW OVER.

LYCHEES – SEASON IS NOW OVER

Mango | North Queensland fruit now continues to be good.

MANGO – GOOD QUEENSLAND FRUIT

 

Rockmelons | Excellent supplies; great quality; super sweet and a must buy this week.

ROCKMELON – EXCELLENT SUPPLIES

WATERMELON -Both regular and seedless prices are up this week due to the high demand throughout Australia during the hot weather.

WATERMELON – HIGH PRICES

HONEYDEW MELON – Supply and quality is good.

HONEYDEW MELON – GOOD QUALITY

Nectarines & Peaches | Probably past their best now; quality is the problem now for end of season fruit.

PEACHES – QUALITY NOT SO GOOD

Nectarines| Probably past their best now; quality is the problem now for end of season fruit.

NECTARINES – QUALITY NOT SO GOOD

Passionfruit – Moderate supplies only of regular and Hawaiian fruit.

PASSIONFRUIT – MODERATE SUPPLY

Plums | The best of the stone fruit now; Blood and Sugar plums are available.

YELLOW PLUMS – AVAILABLE

BLOOD PLUMS – AVAILABLE

SUGAR PLUMS – AVAILABLE

Pears | Packham season has now started. Corella, Beurre Bosc and Nashi are all available. No paradise pears now but small Corella are available.

PACKHAM PEARS – SEASON HAS STARTED

SMALL CORELLA PEARS – AVAILABLE

BEURRE BOSC PEARS AVAILABLE

NASHI PEARS – AVAILABLE

Pomegranate | New season local fruit is now available.

POMEGRANATE – NOW AVAILABLE

Pineapples | Limited supplies of regular and topless pines; prices are up.

TOPLESS PINEAPPLES LIMITED THIS WEEK

REGULAR PINEAPPLES LIMITED THIS WEEK

Quince | New season fruit has started however quality is poor; probably best to wait for another week or two.

QUINCE – WAIT FOR A WEEK OR TWO

EXOTIC FRUIT BUYS
Pomegranate, Figs, Starfruit, Dragon Fruit, Rambuttan, Prickly Pear

PRICKLY PEAR – EXOTIC BUY

LOGANS EXOTIC BUY

POMEGRANATE – EXOTIC BUY

FIGS – EXOTIC BUY

RAMBUTAN – EXOTIC BUY

DRAGONFRUIT – EXOTIC BUY

STARFRUIT – EXOTIC BUY

FOCUS ON SEASONAL PRODUCE – QUINCE

The quince – a large, firm, ugly but incredibly aromatic fruit – is a relative of the apple and pear. Eaten raw, quinces are hard, astringent and quite sour, but gently poached in an aromatic sweet liquor, they are transformed into a delightful late-autumn/winter treat. Give the quince a couple of weeks to be at its peak – the season has just started – Available and T&F All States.