Wide range of fruit, vegetables available

Press, 22 December 1978, Page 2

Wide range of fruit, vegetables available

Canterbury growers have ensured that fruit and vegetables are plentiful for Christmas week-end. For those who like something extra special on the Christmas menu a number of “exotic” lines are available in shops this week. Rockmeions arrived from Australia early in the week. Tongan watermelons, which make attractive bowls for fruit salad, are also readily available. Prices for these have been steady during the last few weeks. Californian grapes, shipped to New Zealand in coolcontainers, have been availabe for some time, and to meet the Christmas demand grapes have been flown in from Australia, too. These are in full supply. Tahitian mangos brought good prices, according to

their condition, in the market. These sold about $l5 a carton.

However supplies of pawpaws have been restricted because of pressure on the Air New Zealand Jet-X service which brings them into the country in times of peak demand.

This week has been exceptional in that there have been good supplies of pines apples in the market. These have come from the Cook Islands and Australia. Watermelons and coconuts are being unloaded from the Frysna at Timaru, weather

permitting; these will probably be available in the market today. Australian oranges and bananas (Equadorean and Island) are also in good supply. Four kinds of stone fruit are in the shops. Cherries, a Christmas delicacy, are very popular. Prices for these vary according to quality, the best selling about $l4 a 4.5 kg case. In the last three days, apricots, peaches and plums, mainly from Hawke’s Bay, have been readily available. These have varied in price and quality. Although it is the end of the season for tangelos, those available are in good condition and cheaper than earlier in the season; these sold for $6 to $8 a bushel case.

The old favourites, strawberries and raspberries, are also plentiful. However the weather may have “dampened” the supply for today.

Yesterday, strawberries sold from 90c to 81-32 a punnet, in the market. Retail prices will probably be up today. Raspberries sold from $1 to $1.37 a punnet.

People do not usually bother to pod peas, but Christmas time is the exception. Fresh green peas are plentiful and reasonably priced. Glasshouse green beans are also available.

Local new potatoes are in full supply and at prices lower than expected. New potatoes sold from about $3 to $3.20 a sugarbag yesterday, and $1.20 to $1.60 a 9kg case. Wet weather may affect supplies of these today. Courgettes, kumaras, newseason pumpkins, spring can rots, and cabbage are also in good supply for Christmas. Salad vegetables will probably be an important part of the menu during the four-day week-end. The price of tomatoes firmed in the last week according to demand. These sold from $6.50 to S 8 a 4.5 kg case, and cheaper grades were as low as $4 a 4.5 kg case.

New season’s spring beetroot and red onions are two of the “extras” available at this time of year. Red onions sold for $3 to $4 a half-case.

As Christmas is a time for tradition we make no suggestions as to a Christmas recipe. No doubt each cook has his or her own familyrecipes for preparing the traditional Christmas fare.