market report 3/12/11
2nd December 2011
Hello again everyoneWeekend certainly comes around quick doesn't it We've noticed a little more buoyancy in the trade this week with an uplift in sales of one or two of the seasonal lines such as sprouts, nuts, dates and fresh cranberries.
Vegetables
I have to begin here by discussing Brussels sprouts and as things stand I'm predicting there could be a glut of product this year. The local lads are all in full production and now the Scotch growers are coming on stream too. It's been so mild in Scotland that the crops have matured far faster than could have ever have been anticipated. The Scotch lads usually send sprouts after Christmas and they fill the gap from local farmers finishing in January until about the middle of March. This is going to cause a double whammy in that it will drive prices down in the run up to Xmas and then there will be a shortage in Feb/March next year. The only thing that can change this situation is if we start to get some hard frosts on a regular basis and this will slow down production from north of the border.
Parsnips are super quality at the moment and are coming from our farmer chum Rob down in Staffordshire. If the warm weather continues he is not anticipating any supply issues in the run up to the festive period but they have half the crop safely covered in straw just in case the weather turns cold. That said, the temp has to drop below -6 degrees before any damage to the crop occurs.
Next week will be the last week for local white turnips and then we will have to switch over to Lincolnshire product. These will continue to be available until the first hard frosts arrive as they grow almost on top of the soil and so are very vulnerable.
December is a good month for January King cabbage , now that may sound mental but I think it demonstrates how the seasons have shifted over time. This is a very old variety of savoy cabbage dating back to the 1800's and as the name suggests used to prevail in the month of January - we now start to see this lovely product in late November. It's very similar to a savoy but has a nice purple blush to the centre leaves.
English china leaf has now finished and we shall be switching over to a rather nice sample from Holland. Sales are usually a bit slow this side of Christmas but come new year, when everyone is on a diet and stir fries become the order of the day, things tend to pick up.
Fruit
A very difficult week for all berries I'm afraid. Dutch greenhouse strawberries peaked at nearly £45 a box and have only come down slightly since this crazy point. The Egyptian crop is still well behind schedule to poor weather but now the civil unrest in the wake of the elections and the back lash against the military rule is hampering product leaving the country. We have received some air freight product this morning but the prices are very high indeed and the berry quality is not comparable to the Dutch.
Changeover time for blackberries - this is the last week for the Dutch hot house product and next week we move over to product from Mexico. These will have a slightly harder core and will be considerably sharper than the Dutch.
Ive just tasted one and they are not that bad TBH !
Red currants - still Dutch greenhouse product and prices are reasonable still , given the time of year.
Blueberries are now airfreight from Argentina, berry size is generally very good and prices steady.
I took some galia melons home last night to sample and I have to say the sugar levels were extraordinary high - I know this because the kids devoured them in an instant. From Brazil at this time of year and very reasonably priced.
It's been a super week for stone fruit with some fabulous quality arriving from South Africa - the peaches and nectarines are beautiful but I think the plums are worthy of special mention because they look an absolute picture. They are AA in size which means they are big ! and the variety is black giant. The Chilean cherries have also come down in price and the colour is much deeper than it was.
Don't forget your daily dose of kumquat too to fend off the winter blues . Looking like miniature elongate oranges these little babies really pack a citrus punch and a half ! I like to munch on them whole ( yes you eat the skin as well ). They are also great for making marmalades and syrups for roasting pork etc. This is the best time of year to buy them when Israel is in production with the main crop.
The major Spanish producers of peppers and cues are all threatening to go on strike on Saturday. Not only that but they are also threatening to dump 20% of their crops in protest at the low prices of their products. The last time they did this was back in 2009 when they chose to dump cucumbers on the main tourist beaches. I have to admit the prices have been very low this year and really need to improve for all concerned.
Well , that's all folks for another week
Thanks for reading Andy,
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