Deliveries as usual this coming week, (Friday deliveries will be delivered on Thursday),  but no deliveries the following week due to the market being closed on Easter Monday and Anzac Day.

The first of the Imperial mandarins from Queensland have started, I haven’t tried them yet, but the grower assures me they are good to eat.

Gold kiwi started last week, the green ones are in the market, but are very hard, so will start them after Easter.  

This week’s early bird coupon code for a 5% discount is: CC77

Have a great week, and enjoy your Easter

Cheers, Michael

The new season Jazz apples have finally made it to market, bringing the number of new season apple varieties to three (Royal Gala and Granny Smith being the other two).

The Jazz are just off the tree, and are very crisp and crunchy. Now, all we are waiting for are the Pink Lady variety, which is still two to three weeks away.

Australian grown Navel oranges, Imperial mandarins and green kiwi fruit shouldn’t be that far away either. The only remaining stone fruit available are the plums.

Regarding the delivery schedule, we are delivering both weeks of the school holidays, but closing down for the week beginning Easter Monday 22nd April. So, no delivering between Tuesday 23rd and Friday 26th April.

That means, deliveries as usual this week, and next week.

This week’s early bird coupon code for a 5% discount is: CC66

Have a great week!

Cheers, Michael

The quality of watermelon is often a bit “hit and miss”, particularly the local Victorian melon. The Victorian season has finished, and the Queensland season has just begun. Flavour and texture is excellent, not flowery at all, so I highly recommend it at the moment.

Last week’s strawberry special was very successful, so will continue it for at least another week. The actual strawberries were probably a bit smaller than I had wished, but that’s fruit and vegetable growing for you. If it’s not the hot summer, it’s the hail storm from last Friday week ago that keep the growers on their toes. 

Regarding deliveries over the School Holidays/Easter/Anzac Day period, it’s going to be a bit of a juggle. We usually take the first week of the school holidays off, but for these upcoming school holidays we are delivering the first week.

That means, deliveries as usual this week, and next week.

This week’s early bird coupon code for a 5% discount is: CC55

Have a great week!

Cheers, Michael

It’s been a very tough year for local strawberry growers. The excessive heat over summer caused a lot of stress in the strawberry plants which resulted in poor quality strawberries.

My grower has instructed me that the quality has improved, and time to start them again. Hoping we can move a few this week, in order to help the grower make up for a very slow start to the season. 3 for $5.98, 2 for $4.49 or $2.49 each is the offering.

Most of you should have received a text message from me late last week reassuring you that our Jindi Pasture Fed (genuine free range eggs) and Aginbrook eggs are safe to eat, and are not effected by the Coles and Woolworths egg recall due to a potential microbial contamination.

More details are available here: goo.gl/h3zS26

Will let you know next week what our delivery schedule is over the school holiday/Easter/Anzac Day period.

This week’s early bird coupon code for a 5% discount is: CC44

Have a great week!

Cheers, Michael

It’s that time of the year when the green pears change from the William variety to the Packham variety. The William pears ripen up very quickly and change colour from green to yellow when ripe.

The Packham variety are a whole different story. They take much longer to ripen, and don’t change colour. Definitely don’t put them in the fridge or they’ll never ripen.

I’m still reluctant to start doing the local strawberries, the plants in the Yarra Valley were very badly affected by the extreme heat over summer. Those of you who have been buying them at the supermarkets have probably noticed that the quality hasn’t been that great.

This week’s early bird coupon code for a 5% discount is: CC33

Have a great week!

Cheers, Michael

Hope you are enjoying the long weekend, not much change this coming week. Broccoli is cheaper, beans are back on, so too are red capsicum (but they are still expensive).

Red seedless grapes are the best of the fruits, royal gala apples are new season, but the quality is only so so.

The baby love beets are available again, after being in short supply for most of this year.

This week’s early bird coupon code for a 5% discount is: CC22

Have a great week!

Cheers, Michael

It’s not a great time for apples at the moment. The new season Royal Gala are ok, but the hot summer has really taken its toll on them. Probably best to keep them in the fridge if you can. Left in the fruit bowl on these hot days, and they quickly loose their crispness. 

Last week we swapped over to the red seedless grapes, quality is excellent, very sweet and crunchy.

Time to also swap over to the Sheperd avocado variety, which has the green smooth skin. The Hass have been very consistent for the last six months, but supply is starting to dry up.

I can’t imagine this hot spell of weather is going to help the quality and supply of broccoli and cauliflower. 

Broccolini is the better option at the moment.

This week’s early bird coupon code for a 5% discount is: CC99

Have a great week!

Cheers, Michael

Time to change over to the red seedless grapes beginning this week. They are slightly smaller than the green ones we’ve been supplying, much crunchier and very sweet.

Beans are back on this coming week, after a price spike of $150 per box (for 10kg) last week. Broccoli continues to be expensive, broccolini is a better option. Bananas will possibly be expensive for another four to six weeks, while the stone fruit is still available, that is a more affordable fruit option.

 

NEW PRODUCT: From the producers of the baby love beets, introducing baby love potatoes cooked and ready to eat. Two varieties: Garlic and Herb, and Salt and Pepper.

 

This week’s early bird coupon code for a 5% discount is: CC88

Have a great week!

Cheers, Michael      

The weather is still playing havoc with a number of fruit and veggie lines, it’s quite hard to keep up with it all, so I rely on my suppliers to update me with what’s happening in the coming week.

 

Beans were $130 a box towards the end of last week, so they are definitely off the menu this week.

 

Bananas have also jumped in price, due to transport issues created by the Townsville floods.

 

My strawberry supplier has advised me not to purchase strawberries for another couple of weeks, as the quality is very poor due to heat stress in the plants.

 

I hadn’t eaten a passion fruit for a while, so cut one in half last week and ended up eating three, very delicious!

 

Nashi pears were supposed to begin last week, but the grower delayed picking as they weren’t quite ready to send to market. They should be available this week.

 

Hope those ordering the stone fruits (white peaches, nectarines and clingstone peaches) are enjoying them. They haven’t got that long to go, so enjoy them while you can.

 

This week’s early bird coupon code for a 5% discount is: CC77

Have a great week!

Cheers, Michael