A sudden change to turbulent weather in Tasmania and Victoria has had reduced effect on the price of fresh produce this week as the season picks up in Queensland harvest areas.
Great supplies of quality broccoli have resulted in a reasonable price along with value-for-money beans, beetroot, capsicum, eggplant, snow peas, silverbeet, squash, zucchini and all hard lines including onions, potatoes and sweet potatoes.
Pumpkin is cheap and versatile enough to be used in sweet and savoury cooking.
However, the wild southern weather has seen the price of carrots rise to a firm price.
Asian vegetables, sweet corn and zucchini have also risen to a firm price and join asparagus, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, leeks, parsnips and mushrooms at a higher price point.
Many salad items have reduced in supply pushing lettuce, herbs and eshallots to a firmer price. They join good quality tomatoes and avocados which have been firmly priced for some time.
However, mixed salad leaf and cucumbers are reasonably priced and of top quality.
Fruit lovers can eat their fill of bananas, mandarins, kiwifruit, pawpaw, pineapples and both navel and valencia oranges this week and barely make a dent in their piggy bank.
Be prepared to pay firm prices for average quality strawberries, blueberries and raspberries.
Limes and watermelon have risen to a firm price. Good quality lemons, rockmelon, pears and passionfruit are also firmly priced while end of season grapes, figs and plums are expensive.
Talk to your local fruit shop about how to cut and prepare some of the more exotic fruits on offer this season, including pomegranate, custard apple, rosellas, dragon fruit, carambola (star fruit) and feijoa.
For those who like dried fruits, branches of golden sultanas are also on offer with the super sweet, seedless, shriveled grapes easy to pick off for a quick snack.
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