Fruits in NZ

Old Dec 8th 2017, 6:22 pm
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Default Fruits in NZ

How are NZ grown fruits compared to Britain? Specifically, raspberries & strawberries ? We're out of season now, and I've just had some raspberries from Morocco, which definitely were inferior to the Scottish and English raspberries this summer. Is much fruit imported there? I suppose you're sorted on Kiwi's though.
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Old Dec 8th 2017, 7:37 pm
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Default Re: Fruits in NZ

Others of course will disagree but I feel we mostly get the leftovers after the best of the crop has been exported overseas.

Strawberries are always great but like most things have a short lived season and we don't get much imported stuff; raspberries are phenomenally expensive and I don't think they grow too well here.

Everyone raves over blueberries, apricots and stone fruits but most are pretty tasteless.

Cherries are popular over Christmas but again ridiculously priced. I saw an 'offer' the other day for delivery at Christmas $49 (25 quid) for 2kg.

Kiwifruits are often imported from Italy.
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Old Dec 9th 2017, 2:47 am
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Default Re: Fruits in NZ

Originally Posted by Bo-Jangles
Others of course will disagree but I feel we mostly get the leftovers after the best of the crop has been exported overseas.
I agree with this.

It is not fruit, but I am certain that the cuts of New Zealand lamb that I used to buy in the supermarket in Britain were better quality (and cheaper ) than the ones available in the supermarkets in NZ.

Consumer expectations are different in NZ. When an item is out-of-season then they expect to go without rather than import replacements from somewhere else.
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Old Dec 9th 2017, 3:41 am
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Default Re: Fruits in NZ

Fruit and veg shopping brings out the worst in us; I know I shouldn't have looked.

New World today had Raspberries at $6.99 for one of those small punnets.

Dare I mention .....

Spoiler:
Tescos has Scottish Rapberries for two quid...

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-G...ucts/287377667

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Old Dec 9th 2017, 9:32 am
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Default Re: Fruits in NZ

Originally Posted by Bo-Jangles
Fruit and veg shopping brings out the worst in us; I know I shouldn't have looked.

New World today had Raspberries at $6.99 for one of those small punnets.

Dare I mention .....

Spoiler:
Tescos has Scottish Rapberries for two quid...

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-G...ucts/287377667

Don't worry, M&S has no qualms about charging £3.50 for a small punnet of raspberries. I wonder if those Tesco rasps are available now, I hate Tesco so rarely enter its premises. If they are from Scotland they would be indoor grown I suppose.
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Old Dec 9th 2017, 12:16 pm
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Default Re: Fruits in NZ

As bo-jangles noted, New Zealand exports its best stuff.

I have family who are raspberry farmers in Quebec and I know a lot about the fruit.

NZ is not known for producing them and anyways the ones in NZ and Australia are a different variety/taste than the ones in the UK. They also have a short season.

There would be some small areas of NZ where they would do OK but it would have to be worth it for the farmer to diversify into that crop. Western Australia has a fairly new blueberry industry and it started here by accident; it was on a vineyard, they planted a trial crop of blueberries as a way to diversify their crop and were as surprised as anyone when a bumper, high-quality yield was produced.

NZ is much more known for its blueberries and there was a shortage in Australia when there was an issue with the NZ crop earlier this year.

Raspberries can also be quite fickle. We do have a very limited number of raspberry farmers out my way and I was talking to one the other day who had a very small crop of black raspberries for sale. They tried to grow yellow and purple ones and the crop totally failed for whatever reason and they won't re-plant. One of the problems with selling raspberries that are the other colours is customer education; only twice in my life have I ever seen yellow raspberries at a supermarket, one of those times I bought several punnets and when I got to the check-out the shop assistant thought they were red raspberries that had gone off.

Where are you in NZ? If you can I would recommend just starting a hobby patch.
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Old Dec 9th 2017, 12:18 pm
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Default Re: Fruits in NZ

Adding to that - supermarket quality will always be less than buying direct from the orchard. Find out where the orchards are and buy directly from them and that will stop issues with taste and quality. I do that in Australia and the quality is amazing. I really believe some of the best produce in the world is here; I wouldn't think that if I only shopped at the supermarket.
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Old Dec 9th 2017, 12:34 pm
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Default Re: Fruits in NZ

Originally Posted by carcajou
As bo-jangles noted, New Zealand exports its best stuff.

I have family who are raspberry farmers in Quebec and I know a lot about the fruit.

NZ is not known for producing them and anyways the ones in NZ and Australia are a different variety/taste than the ones in the UK. They also have a short season.

There would be some small areas of NZ where they would do OK but it would have to be worth it for the farmer to diversify into that crop. Western Australia has a fairly new blueberry industry and it started here by accident; it was on a vineyard, they planted a trial crop of blueberries as a way to diversify their crop and were as surprised as anyone when a bumper, high-quality yield was produced.

NZ is much more known for its blueberries and there was a shortage in Australia when there was an issue with the NZ crop earlier this year.

Raspberries can also be quite fickle. We do have a very limited number of raspberry farmers out my way and I was talking to one the other day who had a very small crop of black raspberries for sale. They tried to grow yellow and purple ones and the crop totally failed for whatever reason and they won't re-plant. One of the problems with selling raspberries that are the other colours is customer education; only twice in my life have I ever seen yellow raspberries at a supermarket, one of those times I bought several punnets and when I got to the check-out the shop assistant thought they were red raspberries that had gone off.

Where are you in NZ? If you can I would recommend just starting a hobby patch.

Good post. Didn't know rasps came in other colours.

I am in the UK. I often pick raspberries at orchards in the UK or BC. They are usually good, but supermarkets good too.

Last edited by Shard; Dec 9th 2017 at 12:37 pm.
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Old Dec 9th 2017, 12:59 pm
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Default Re: Fruits in NZ

Raspberries grow in red, yellow, purple, and black. Blue raspberries - of the artificial flavour - don't actually exist. The flavouring comes from a black raspberry as its base. Don't know why companies chose to market it as blue except possibly that a brighter colour would appeal more to children.

Sometimes it can be hard to tell apart a purple raspberry and a black one by sight, if you aren't familiar with the crop - in that case if you squeeze it the juice will clearly give it away.

Last edited by carcajou; Dec 9th 2017 at 1:01 pm.
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Old Dec 9th 2017, 7:24 pm
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We are apparently the world biggest producer of Boysenberries (raspberry / blackberry cross) but we hardly ever see them sold as fresh fruit for sale in the shops.

I guess they must all go overseas or get made into jam and flavouring for sauces for ice-cream, of which there is no shortage of boysenberry options.
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Old Dec 10th 2017, 12:26 am
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Default Re: Fruits in NZ

We live in Marlborough, an area abundant with amazing local produce (not just the wine).

Currently in our wee little town, I can take the kids on a bike and come back with strawberries, raspberries, boysenberries, stone fruit, apples, veggies and visit to the butcher (which has its own abattoir) to get my "export quality" lamb.

All of which is cheap, from the grower (often pick your own).
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Old Dec 10th 2017, 12:31 am
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Default Re: Fruits in NZ

Originally Posted by carcajou

Raspberries can also be quite fickle. We do have a very limited number of raspberry farmers out my way and I was talking to one the other day who had a very small crop of black raspberries for sale. They tried to grow yellow and purple ones and the crop totally failed for whatever reason and they won't re-plant. One of the problems with selling raspberries that are the other colours is customer education; only twice in my life have I ever seen yellow raspberries at a supermarket, one of those times I bought several punnets and when I got to the check-out the shop assistant thought they were red raspberries that had gone off.
We have raspberries (red and yellow) and blueberries.

Grow them in large containers, easier to control and manage the soil. They all like acidic soil (which could be why your friends plants died, watering helps to!). A handful of pine needles in your soil will help the acidity.
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Old Dec 10th 2017, 2:00 am
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Default Re: Fruits in NZ

Originally Posted by Catchafire
We live in Marlborough, an area abundant with amazing local produce (not just the wine).

Currently in our wee little town, I can take the kids on a bike and come back with strawberries, raspberries, boysenberries, stone fruit, apples, veggies and visit to the butcher (which has its own abattoir) to get my "export quality" lamb.

All of which is cheap, from the grower (often pick your own).


Slightly off topic - in the garden we have apples, peaches, satsumas, grapefruit, tamarillo, Nashi pears, feijoa, avocado, figs, nectarines, persimmons, lemons, lime and plums. A small berry patch of raspberries, tayberry, blueberries, boysenberries and a grapevine (no kiwifruit)! The raspberries and apples aren't that enthusiastic in a far north climate though.
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Old Dec 10th 2017, 8:39 am
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Default Re: Fruits in NZ

Originally Posted by Catchafire
We have raspberries (red and yellow) and blueberries.

Grow them in large containers, easier to control and manage the soil. They all like acidic soil (which could be why your friends plants died, watering helps to!). A handful of pine needles in your soil will help the acidity.
Yeah. My friends are actually small-scale commercial growers - their red and black raspberries were fine, but the yellow and purple ones didn't take and they have no idea why. They said they're not up for the commitment in time and capital to try those crops again. My relatives in Quebec stick to red for sale and export, but have the other colours and some other berries in their personal patches.

As you noted in your other post - there are tons of things around if people know where to look, and the supermarket is a poor indicator of what is available (ie, I find wild blackberries all the time in WA forests and bush, but my local supermarket is charging $5.90 per punnet). In Nelson and Marlborough - where there is excellent wine that means there are excellent grapes so everything else that grows well in that climate will also be there (like, surely, figs).

Regrettably with some types of berry the market just isn't there; NZ may be the world's largest exporter of boysenberries, but that doesn't mean the market is very lucrative:

Boysenberry growers call it quits after continuing losses | Stuff.co.nz

With all farmers they have to carefully assess what crop their land will generate the biggest return on, and go that route. Rarely are thin-volume berries the answer barring some type of specialty contract and maybe not even then. I once said that farming is like being in a casino, and one of my friends said yes but only up to a point because you would never carry that much money with you into a casino.

The best place in my experience to get a wide, cheap array of exotic or thin-volume berries is Russia in July or August. Get on a train to the country towns and the babushkas will be out at the markets selling things like cloudberries, gooseberries and so on by the rubbish-bag full for just a few dollars.
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