In season in December

Conditions are still very challenging, which is affecting our fresh produce supply, with cold and wet conditions continuing through November in many areas on the east coast. Growers are struggling to plant and to harvest. Seasons of some produce are starting late or finishing early, or both. Labour shortages are still affecting farmers, particularly those whose crops require bunching, such as kale and silverbeet. As a result, produce is short in stock and expensive, with quality also suffering.

Fruit

On the upside, mangoes look like having a better season this year than last, with the Queensland stock starting to appear in stores. North Queensland fruit in general is good, including papaya (with the red flesh) and rockmelons. Stonefruit – such as nectarines, peaches and plums – prefer warmer, drier conditions so will be down on supply and quality. Grapes are starting to come through, but it’s still early for these so they are expensive. Apples are from cold storage with new season apples starting to appear in late January.

Jo Fahey from Glenbernie Orchard at Darkes Forest tells me that their stonefruit is starting the season slowly this year owing to the incredible amount of rain that they have had up there (read the October article Long wet is 'worse than Covid' for local farmers). The trees have been waterlogged so don’t flower and fruit as they should. They have lost the whole crop of yellow nectarines for this season but the white nectarines are coming. Peaches are coming on slowly with the recent Pick Your Own tours at the farm grabbing most of what was available. Expect more to come on as soon as they ripen enough on the tree. Jo says the apples that will begin in late January are looking like a bumper season.

Veggies

As mentioned, the bunched veggies such as kale, silverbeet and Chinese veg are in short supply, as are cabbage, cauli, broccoli, carrots, pumpkin, potatoes, beetroot and onions. It seems the only vegetables currently in oversupply are green beans and cucumbers.

With continuing dry conditions, we can expect to see South Australian celery, Tasmanian carrots and brassicas available in time for Christmas.

In the meantime, to avoid high prices you can head to the freezer section of the supermarket for your some of your vegetable staples.

An even better option is to support local with our market gardens around the Illawarra producing excellent kale, lettuce, silverbeet and many other varieties. Here is a reminder of the places to source these local options:

• Green Connect boxes
• Popes Produce
• Dapto Community Farm
• Wollongong Online Farmers Market
• Flame Tree Co-op