Apricots near end of season

Press, 12 February 1982, Page 2

Apricots near end of season

Business at the produce markets yesterday reflected the traditional patterns for this time of year, with most lines of fruit and vegetables adequately supplied and no significant fluctuations 4jn prices or demand. M? The apricot . season is drawing to a close, although produce from Central Otago is expected at the markets over the next two weeks. Shoppers who intend to bottle or freeze the fruit but have not yet bought apricots, should buy next week. Apricots were scarce at yesterday’s markets and the best-quality fruit firmed at ?10.40 a case, with, lesser quality produce selling at $5.50 a case. Roxburgh Red, Moorepark, and Trevatt .varieties were all available.

■ Old English greengages were in strong demand and ■buyers paid between $8 and

$l2 a case for fruit from Nelson, Central Otago, and Canterbury growers. Peaches, plums, and nectarines were all in reasonable supply with a good demand for the Eclipse freestone peaches for preserving. Prices ranged from $4 to $5 a case and $3.50 to $5 a tray for this early variety x of peaches. Other varieties are expected later in the season. Case lots of yellow and red plums were quickly snapped up and nectarines sold well at $3 to $5 a tray and $6 to $9 a case.

A shipment of citrus fruit from California which arrived early in the week, provided shoppers with good quantities of fresh tangelos, oranges, lemons, and grapefruit.

Tangelos fetched up to $25 a case, and several retailers were selling the fruit indivi-

dually to 65c each. Pineapples from Australia, another shipment of bananas from Ecuador, and D’Anjou pears from California were all available.

Pineapples sold for $35 a case. The imported pears were supplemented by the first" of the locally grown Bon Chretien pears. Both varieties were well supplied and sold at auction at various prices. When 1 the season is properly under way the pears will sell at the Apple and Pear Board’s set price. Good supplies of Gravenstein and Albany Beauty apples were available. Although strawberries did not reach $3O a tray, as they did last week, they were still scarce. Buyers paid between $l5 and $23 a tray. Blackberries were available at $8 to $lO a tray. Grapes, watermelons, avocados and pawpaws completed the range of fruit for sale. Grapes sold at $l4 for a 2.5 kg carton, avocados at $35 a tray of 24, and pawpaws from the Islands at $l9 to $23 a tray. Watermelons from Nelson were plentiful and this refreshing fruit made 70c to 80c a kilogram for producers.

The best buy in the vegetable lines was tomatoes, which were at their cheapest this week. They were plentiful, being mainly from the Nelson area, to meet the demand and a 4.5 kg carton sold for as little as $l. Prices ranged up to $5 for a carton. Cucumbers were plentiful and adequate quantities of lettuces, spring onions, radishes, parsley, celery, and courgettes were on hand to meet the demand for salads created by the continued warm weather.

were scarce. Runners sold for $2 to $6 a case while the price for green beans reached $8 a case lot. Spring carrots brought up to $l6 a bag for growers as they were in scarce supply because of the dry weather. A few brussels sprouts appeared at the markets early in the week. It is very early in the season for this vegetable and a bag fetched $l2. This week’s recipe ORANGE PUMPKIN PIE 2 dessertsps gelatine 2% cups mashed cooked pumpkin % tsp salt

I'6 tsp ground cloves ‘A cup orange juice 2 egg yolks 1 baked pastry shell ‘A cup cold water l‘/4 cups brown sugar IVz tsp cinnamon l‘/z tsp ground ginger 2 cups milk 2 dessertsps butter Method: Soften the gelatine in cold water for five minutes. Cook in the top of a double boiler the pumpkin, sugar, salt, milk, mixed spices, orange juice, egg yolks, and butter until slighly thickened. Add gelatine and stir until dissolved. Cool. Pour into pastry shell and chill until firm.