Fruit and vegetables Plenty of cheap ripe bananas

Press, 8 June 1979, Page 2

Fruit and vegetables Plenty of cheap ripe bananas

Big quantities of ripe bananas arrived in a shipment from Ecuador which was discharged from the Plod at Lyttelton on Wednesday. Bananas usually arrive green and are ripened as necessary. However, cartons from this shipment were repacked and the matured fruit auctioned in the markets yesterday. Cartons of banana “seconds” fetched $1.70 to $6.50 yesterday. More will probably be auctioned again today. The maximum wholesale price for Ecuadorean bananas is $11.05 a carton. Good supplies of top quality Ecuadorean and Island bananas are available as a shipment has also arrived from Tonga. As well as bananas the Frysna discharged watermelons, and Island yams at Timaru. The watermelons sold well earlier in the week and the markets are waiting for further supplies. The yams from Tonga can in no way be compared with New Zealand yams as they are much bigger. Even though oranges are still fairly scarce there is no excuse for missing vitamin C: plenty of good quality mandarins, are available. The shipment of Queensland navel oranges which was due on June 12 is now expected to arrive in Lyttelton on Sunday and these should be in the shops next week. Shrinking quantities of kiwifruit are in the markets, probably because much of this fruit from the Bay of Plenty is being exported. Top quality kiwifruit sold for $l3 to $l4 a half-case yesterday. Tamarillos are at the

height of their season, and plentiful. The first Californian cherries in the South Island for the year were in the market yesterday. These are definitely a luxury at a wholesale price of $4l for a case of about Bkg. The markets were well supplied with most vegetables yesterday, although

lettuces and cabbages were not as plentiful as earlier in the week. The lettuce market firmed, top quality selling to $5 a carton. Cabbage prices rose in accordance with the drop in supply, yesterday selling to ss4 a bag. Cauliflower supplies are heavy and prices dropped to $1.70 to $3 a bag yesterday after being as high as $5 on Wednesday. Plenty of carrots, parsnips and swedes are in the markets and their prices are reasonable. Brussels sprouts are a little cheaper this week. Some red pumpkin is still

about, although almost at the end of its season. After that the markets will have to depend on grey pumpkin, mainly the Crown variety. Kumara ate still as cheap as can be expected and now is the time to buy them. Cartons sold for $4 to $7.50 yesterday. Leeks, broccoli, and celery continue to be available and small quantities of spinach and silver beet are coming into the market regularly. The potato market is well supplied, prices ranging from $2.30 for the cheapest Ham Hardy to $4 for Chippewa. Onions range greatly in size and price. This week’s recipe Ripe bananas are ideal for cakes; here are four variations. BANANA CAKE i cup sugar | cup butter 1 cup self-raising flour 1 egg 4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon mixed spice 2 bananas Method: Sieve together flour and spices. Cream butter and sugar, add beaten egg, then dry ingredients. Line cake tin with greased paper, spread on half the mixture, then the mashed bananas, then the rest of cake mixture. Bake half an hour in a moderate oven. VARIATIONS 1. Put cake mixture in tin, cover with sliced bananas. 2. Mix the two mashed bananas into cake mixture. 3. Sprinkle the cake mixture with cinnamon and sugar and then bake.