As we enter the second month of winter, let’s see what’s in season this month!
Fruit
This July you will see lots of apples available across all varieties, however, pears have had a really bad 2023, volume and quality is down. Nevertheless, you will see Nashi, Packham and Buerre Bosc (brown skin) still in the market.
Red papaya is flushing, so help out our North Queensland growers by putting these on your shopping list. They pair very well with the North Queensland limes, which are also in plentiful supply. Pineapples have had a better start than in previous years, with good stock levels.
We are continuing to see plenty of citrus – you will find Eureka lemons, limes, mandarins, grapefruit and navel oranges in stores. Cara cara or blood oranges will also start this month and there are good stocks of bananas and melons coming from North Queensland.
Avocado prices are low with great supply and good quality. Most growers have had their second year of good crops. Expect the oversupply to continue for at least another month.
Strawberries are coming out of the Sunshine Coast region, and as you may have seen, supply is light and prices are high. Blueberries are available but not in any great numbers and prices are also high. It has been another wet start to winter, and berries don’t cope well with the damp.
Vegetables
Traditionally for vegetables, July is a month of over supply – with produce coming from our southern suppliers, as well as from Queensland growers. This year has pretty much gone to script, and we have good supply from multiple regions. The southern guys will start to finish towards the end of the month, but Queensland growers will continue through until early September.
Broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower are all at full supply and low prices, unfortunately to the extent that some of our growers are ploughing crops in, because of the over supply in the market.
Celery has dropped a little in price, and supply has strengthened slightly, most of the celery is now being supplied out of Queensland.
Last year, leafy greens like cos and Iceberg lettuce, silverbeet, eschallots were all making the news, for just not being available and for the record pricing. July 2023 is a very different scenario with an abundance of salad greens from a variety of regions. Eggplant from North Queensland and beetroot from Tasmania, Victoria and Queensland are in reasonable supply. Sweetcorn from around the Childers area has started and is looking good. Fennel as well as Chinese veg, pak and bok are coming out of Victoria and New South Wales and in better supply than previous years.
Potatoes are off to a strong start in the Brisbane and Lockyer Valley, and are also coming out of Tasmania and Victoria. Dutch Creams, Sebago, Pontiac, Nicola and King Edward potato varieties are all available. This years potato crop is a little light, with some varieties finishing early due to the wet planting period. Still much better than last year and we should have a consistent potato supply.
Carrot season has also kicked off in Queensland’s salad bowl, the southern season was just OK. Quality was affected by a higher than average rainfall, so volume and quality was done. Early indications suggest that Queensland is going to have a pretty good year for carrots.
Tomatoes are in reasonable supply and look like they will be staying that way for at least the next month; cherry tomatoes are doing pretty well this year, with sufficient quantities to make up the short fall in rounds.
Zucchinis are a mixed bag this July, volume is not too bad, but the quality is lower than what we would expect to see. This situation should improve as we progress further into the month.
The southern farmers are almost done and dusted with onions, with the Queensland growers hopefully starting in the next month. Keep in mind that Queensland onions are a softer skin variety, so don’t be surprised when your next onions don’t have the hard shell of the southern growers.
Keep warm this month and remember to eat all of your colours.
The Team at United Organics
Image: The Diggers Club
