Bumper time for stone fruits

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34046, 9 January 1976, Page 8

Bumper time for stone fruits

(By

TERRY McGOVERNE)

Some of the finest stone fruit seen in Christchurch for many a day has been moving over the floors of the two markets this week.

The range has been generally faultless, supplies coming steadily from Hawke’s Bay, Nelson, Central Otago, and local orchards.

The market authorities are delighted with the efforts of growers to offer the pick of their crops this season, which, because of the unfavourable weather lately, is about two weeks late for some fruits. There is no evidence that erowers have anything other than best-qualitv fruit to offer, notablv in dessert fruits such as peaches, apricots, plums, and nectarines. At Macfarlane and Growers, Ltd, vesterdav there were hundreds of cases of mouthwatering peaches and nectar-

ines from Hawke’s Bay — large, juicy Earliblaze nectarines that easily matched the best that arrived from California last winter.

Earliblaze is one of the most popular early stone fruits, and is supported by Independence, another highlyregarded dessert fruit. Also from Hawke’s Bay are excellent highly-coloured Dixie Red peaches, which are ■'ommanding premium prices. The Santa Rosa plum was represented on the floor by a consignment from a Mangateretere orchard in Hawke’s Bav. and it, too, sold to very willing buyers. Apricots from Central Otago are running later than usual, but the first arrivals suggest that the crop is of good quality. As well as the wealth of stone fruits there is a good supplv of water melons from Tonga, which were selling in some shops yesterday for 21c per lb.

Ecuador bananas are also available, and Californian oranges and lemons will be available next week. Except for blackcurrants, now plentiful, the berries are getting scarce. Strawberries are selling at prices easily matching pre-Christmas sales, some lines making $l.lO yesterday. The second pick of strawberries is about three weeks away.

Vegetable prices were something to be wondered at. Generally they were firm — much firmer than one would have expected with many still on holiday. Green vegetables were in strong demand, cauliflowers bringing a staggering 57c each and cabbages as much as 35c each for good drumheads. Silver beet brought up to 20c per lb and spinach from 20c to about 34c a bunch. Green beans were 20c to 40c per lb and peas $2.50 to $4.40 an apple-case. Celery was dear, as it has

long been, fetching more than $1 a stick. Retailers are still paying only 40c to $1 a case for lettuces, which makes their wholesale price about 4c to 9c each. Some of the lettuces are enormous. One grower, Mr Laurence Trott, cut a lettuce on Wednesday night weighing 61b. Those he took to market were so big that he could get only six in the case: the usual number is 12. Carrots are still very popular, and a big supply yesterdav sold at 10c to 14c a bunch. North Island pumpkins also sold keenly at 13c per lb, but swedes and white turnips met little interest.

Christchurch retailers yesterday described retail vegetable and fruit prices as “mad” for this time of year. They blamed high prices on delays caused by poor weather.

Peaches were selling at about 49c per lb for good

fruit, while poorer fruit was bringing up to 35c per lb. Central Otago apricots were selling at between 39c to 59c per lb, while plums were about 25c to 45c per lb.

Nectarines topped the bill. One shop did not mention pounds on their price card — they were being sold at 15c a nectarine. Cherries were also firmly priced — at about $1.20 per lb. Strawberries were being sold for about 99c a punnet, and blackcurrants were about 40c per lb. Cauliflowers were retailing at about 59c each, cabbages up to 69c each, silver beet about 27c to 28c per lb, spinach 35c a bunch, and green beans about 35c per lb. Lettuces are about 25c to 29c each, carrots 29c a bunch, and pumpkin 25c per lb. Water melon is selling for about 21c per lb.