jwatsonoz

Hi,

We just bought a huge Cauli for 2.99

Previousley it used to cost about that for a tiny piece. Also the quality is much much higher.

So....I was wondering if people knew what veg's were best bought at what time? Its not just the money side but rather the quality. Also...if you follow some kind of system it makes it exciting - waiting for certain things to come round.

Eg:

Jan
feb
mar
april
may
- cauliflour?
june
etc...

PS. I realise this message is a bit 'girly' so I am going to pretend that my wife wrote it.....

PPS. could this message be thought of as spam? (not much to do with emigrating!). When is the best time of year to buy Spam?...

ABCDiamond

This link may help with seasonal info for various vegetables

http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/horticulture/624.html


Not "spam": at all.

I think new migrants would find it very useful to know when they can buy vegetables at the best prices

MrsDagboy

Jay, most of the fruit & veg you buy here in Oz is seasonal. There is only a small percentage that is imported (unlike the UK where most of it is imported & therefore a similar price & quality year round). In general Brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower) are best (& cheapest) in the winter months, thats when they grow. Lettuce (:scared: again!) grow best in the cooler months cos they run to seed very quickly when its very hot (jan/feb) & can literally rot away in a day. Other salad stuff like tomatoes & capsicums grow best in the warmer months, same as snowpeas, zucchinis & pumpkins, Strawberries are best from Aug - Dec, apples & oranges in winter, bananas/rockmelon/watermelon in summer.

Cant think of any more for now, but its a start!

(ps, those are for Brisbane, there is some seasonal variation in other states)

HiddenPaw

in general, it's very difficult to know whether the product you are buying is freshly picked or has been sprayed with chemicals and stored in a cool room for months on end (unless you buy organic). The picking season for many products can go on for several weeks or even months - so if you buy grapes in April, for example, depending on their variety, they may have been picked in January, or they may have been picked a week ago.

things like lettuces are often grown under artificial conditions - not just for year-round yield, but to speed up the growing process (and hence produce more). Produce that has been artifically speeded up can lack nutrients as they haven't had the normal growing time to develop their goodness.

Last year there was a bit of an 'orange war'. Australia was importing oranges from the US - places like COles, Safeway were selling more US oranges that local ones. The US ones looked nicer - nice shape, perfect colour etc, but it was the Oz ones that tasted better. However, people were shying away from the Oz oranges due to their pocked, green-tinged skin - apparently this is a natural form of sun screen. So good idea to check country of origin for produce as well.

jwatsonoz

thanks for that.......

So:

1) brit summer veg's are in the winter here
2) strange tropo stuff in the summer
3) beware of chemicals and imported shite