Fruit and vegetables Hot weather the time to sample tropical fare

Press, 9 March 1984, Page 2

Fruit and vegetables Hot weather the time to sample tropical fare

Unseasonally hot weather might tempt buyers to try a taste of the tropics. For those interested, pawpaws, pepinos, babacoes, and rockmelon were included in the “tropical” fare offered in Christchurch shops this week.

Excellent quality pepinos from the North Island and Ne]gpn made a start to their season. Sometimes known as the mellowfruit or treemelon, the fruit is best eaten when the skin changes colour to pale lemon with purple stripes. Supplies were reasonably priced yesterday at $5.50 to $6 a tray.

Pawpaws from Fiji were plentiful and fetched to $lB a carton. Babacoes were available earlier in the week for about $8 a carton and more are expected next week.

Passionfruit met a good demand at $5 to $8 a quar-ter-case, as did good quality grapes at $2O a 4kg carton. Once again the stone-fruit offering was good with adequate supplies of apricots, nectarines, plums, and peaches available.

Although the apricot season is nearing an end, good quantities of the fruit came forward this week and sold for $4 to $l4 a halfcase, slightly cheaper than last week. Supplies are expected to start dropping over the next two weeks.

For the keen preserver, bottling peaches were still Jlentiful and cheap at $4 to 7 a case,< again slightly cheaper on last week’s prices. Dessert peaches were also available at $5 to $7 a case.

There was a shortage of good quality plums this week but adequate supplies

of Purple Kings were available at $2O a case. Nectarines sold to $lO a case and $4 to $6 a tray. Strawberries were plentiful and of good quality, selling for $8.40 to $11.60 a tray. Raspberries were $l2 a tray and blackberries were relatively cheap at $5 a tray. Most lines of vegetables were plentiful and met a good demand.

Carrots were good in both quantity and quality, and fetched $1.50 to $3 a bag. Courgettes were also plentiful and have remained at steady cheap prices for the last few weeks. They sold yesterday for $1.50 to $3.50 a half-case.

Corn sold well and met a good demand at 12c to 17c a cob, as did celery at $2 to $4.50 a case.

Broccoli was a good buy this week. It was plentiful, of excellent quality, and prices were reasonable at $2 to $6 a half-case.

Those still thinking about freezing beans for the winter will have to be quick. The beans are nearing the end of their , season and as quantities are falling, prices are rising. This week they sold to $9 a half-case for the best quality supplies, slightly dearer than last week.

The “between seasons” period left onions scarce this week but supplies

should pick up again'next week. They sold for $l2 a bag. Spring onions were also scarce, to $8 a dozen, but radishes were plentiful and much cheaper at 50c to $3 a dozen.

Good supplies of both drumhead and red cabbages were available. Drumheads were $1 to $2 a bag and Reds were $3 to $5 a bag. Oamaru Brussels sprouts came forward at $4 to $6 a bag, as did North Island kumara, from $l2 to $l6 a carton. Capsicum prices were reasonable at $1.50 to $3 a 2kg carton. The winter vegetables became more apparent at produce markets this week. The lines included full supplies of red pumpkins, at $1.50 to $4.50 a bag, Crown pumpkins, at $8 to $l2 a bag, and Southland swedes, at $3 to $6 a bag. A good range of potatoes was available. These included Ham Hardy, at $2 to $2.80 a bag, Chippewa, at $4 to $6 a bag, and Red King, at $2.80 a 10kg bag. Spinach, silverbeet, cauliflowers, mushrooms, and marrows were included among the other vegetables available. Today’s recipe

PEPINO AMBROSIA 2 pepinos 4 tbspn honey 2 tbspn lemon juice 3 tbspn orange juice 1 cup coconut milk

2 tbspn apricot brandy Method: Combine ingredients except pepinos. Slice the pepinos into rings and marinate in the syrup mixture in refrigerator for several hours. Serve chilled with whipped cream and chopped preserved ginger (optional).