Produce scene Pumpkins are cheap and plentiful

Press, 12 April 1979, Page 2

Produce scene Pumpkins are cheap and plentiful

Pumpkins have rarely been as plentiful or as cheap as they are now in the Christchurch produce markets. Market gardeners are harvesting good pumpkin crops, especially the red variety; before the frosts get to them. Other varieties readily available are Hubbard’s Squash, butternut and buttercup. Supplies of most varieties of fruit and vegetables are adequate this week. Good-quality Oamaru lettuces are supplementing local supplies. Carn is getting towards the end of the season and quality is deteriorating as the weather becomes cooler. Cauliflowers, cabbages and celery are available. Prices are now firming for courgettes as supplies begin to dwindle. North Island kumara appeared in Christchurch for the first time in several weeks after ferry sailing disruptions. Black-soil Chippewa potatoes are scarce because of recent bad weather. Market gardeners are busy harvesting their onions to get them off the paddocks before they get too damp. Leeks are becoming more plentiful, good bunches fetching to $5 a case. There is a very good de-

mand for Brussels sprouts from Oamaru. These are fetching to $7.30 a 6kg bag. Outdoor grown spinach is nearly finished and now is the time for the sale of hothouse spinach which is selling reasonably well.

Tomatoes were dear on Monday and Tursday but yesterday prices fell $4 a. 4.5 kg case. This is the last week that oranges will be selling cheaply. An over abundance meant that they have been sold below the usual set price. They will revert to a retail price of about $1.60 a kilogram from the present 99c for 10 oranges. A full range of apples is available at realistic prices. These range from Gala, Kidd’s Orange, and Cox’s Orange to Jonathan, Red Delicious, and Golden Delicious. A recent shipment of bananas was released last Friday after ripening. A new shipment of pineapples from Queensland will be auctioned today. Gisborne and Tauranga lemons are now available after being scarce last week. Apricot sales have finished and a few plums, peaches, and nectarines in poor condition, are still selling. Both cultivated and field mushrooms have ready mar-

kets. Not quite so many field mushrooms are coming in for sale as was the case a few years ago. Tamarillos yesterday made their first appearance this year. This week’s recipe PUMPKIN AND BACON SOUP 450 g pumpkin 2 onions 3 cups chicken stock 2 to 3 rashers bacon 25g butter Salt and Pepper Method: Peel and chop onions, chop bacon, and fry both in a large saucepan until onion is soft. Peel pumpkin and cut into chunks. Add to pan together with the stock and seasonings and simmer until pumpkin is tender. Mash the pumpkin until the soup is smooth. Serves four.