Produce scene Pears reach lowest price at market

Press, 24 February 1978, Page 2

Produce scene Pears reach lowest price at market

One of the more popular varieties of bottling pears, the Bon Chretien, will be available in Christchurch shops next week at a very reasonable price. The Bon Chretin was sold at auction at the produce markets this week and fetched the cheapest price yesterday: from $4.50 to $6.50 for an 18kg carton. The price variation depended mainly on the size of the fruit. Although there are adequate supplies of this variety of pear, the season could be finished within a month. Bartletts are suitable for eating fresh as well as bottling, and growers are experiencing a strong demand. Early varieties of apples are also in good supply. At the markets yesterday Gravensteins were most plentiful.

The season is well advanced for most other fruits and there was less quantity available than there has been during the last few weeks. There is still a strong demand for bottling fruit as well as fresh eating fruit.

There are now several varieties of stone fruits available. Plum varieties, including Purple King, Shiro, Burbank, Billington, Satsuma, Omega, and Black Doris are all in good supply. Dessert plums sold at $5 to $10.50 a half-case yesterday, eating plums at $3.60 to $5 a tray, and cooking plums at $3 to $4.80 a tray. Old English greengages are also available These fetched $5.50 to $9 a half-case.

A strong demand is still being felt for peaches, apricots, and nectarines, and prices remain firm. The consumer has plenty of varieties of these fruits to choose from.

Trays of peaches sold at $2.50 to $4.20, while cases fetched $3.80 to $5.30. Nectarines were $4.50 to $7.80 a half-case and $2.50 to $4.90 a tray. Apricots sold at $5.70 to $7 a half-case, the Moorpark variety fetching good prices. Supplies of Californian grapefruit and oranges and Ecuadorian bananas will be replenished next week when a consignment arrives at Lyttelton on Wednesday. Most vegetables remained cheap this week, mainly because of a slow demand

brought on by home garden crops reaching their flush. Nelson tomatoes are nearing the pnd of the crop, and although there are plenty available, many are overripe. They sold at $1 to $2.50 for a 4.5 kg carton and local tomatoes fetched $1 to $3.30 for a skg carton. Cucumbers, cabbages, and carrots are all cheap because of a quiet demand. Short cucumbers were 50c to $l.BO for quarter and half-cases, telegraph cucumbers were $1 to $1.25 a half-case, and apple cucumbers sold at $4 a half-case. Loose carrots were $1.40 to $4 a bag, and

cabbages fetched 30c to $1 a bag. There was a wide variance in quality of cauliflowers and silver beet. Hot weather has taken its toll on cauliflowers, which require plenty of moisture for growth. These sold at $5 a bag. Silver beet was $1 to $5.30 a case. Local potatoes are in good supply and sold at $1.40 to $1.50 a bag. One variety, Chippewa, fetched $1.60 to $2 a bag. Beans are cheap at $1.50 to $7.10 for quarter and halfi-cases, and so are

■ marrows, which sold at 30c Ito 50c a bag. Lettuces were $l2O to $2.80 a case, crown pumpkins $4 a bag, red pumpkin $1.50 to $2.50 a bag, and courgettes $3.20 to $4.80 a half-case. Parsley fetched 60c a bunch, radishes $2.50 for a case of a dozen bunches, and spring onions $1.50 to $2 for the same quantity. Red onions sold at $4.30 for a half-case, and picklers were $7.50 a bag. In the berry line, strawberries were 65c to 70c a punnet and $3.30 a carton for jam strawberries. Blackberries were 65c to 70c a punnet, and jam blackberries $3.30 for a 3kg bag. Grapes varied from $6.50 to $8 for a 2.5 kg carton and $l5 to $l7 for a 4kg carton.