September is here and the start of Spring along with it. Let’s find out what’s in season this month.
Fruits
This month, there are still plenty of Apples but they will be late-season varieties. Apple growers have had an excellent season so there should be a good supply until after Christmas. Pears have had a good season but only Packham varieties remain and will finish by the end of the month.
Navel Oranges, Lemons and good quality Grapefruit are available in September. There are still some Tangelos and Blood Oranges around too, but expect them to finish early in the month.
Banana supply is good from North Queensland and prices are quite low. Red Papaya, Rockmelon, Honeydew and Watermelons are coming from the same region and are also in good supply. Sunshine Coast Strawberries are flushing, which means it’s time to start freezing, jamming, baking and blending them into your favourite smoothies.
Avocadoes deserve their own paragraph this year. It has been a bumper crop, unfortunately for the farmers though, the cafés aren’t open to serve them and the planes aren’t flying to deliver them to export. Hence, there is a large oversupply of avocados, with record low prices. So be sure to help out the avocado farmers and buy some avos today!
Other notable fruits for this month include Custard Apples, Passionfruit, Lemonades, Afourer Mandarins and lots of Kiwifruit but supply will start to thin into summer. Limes are still well supplied but will start to shorten up mid to late September.
Vegetables
The Mornington Peninsula growers are coming out of their winter months. Expect to see Globe Artichokes and Asparagus in early to mid-September. Broccoli has seen market gaps and record-high prices, but supply and prices should stabilise through the first month of Spring.
Beans, Beetroot and Brussel Sprouts are in good supply but expect Brussel Sprouts to finish up mid-month. We should be getting some local Parsnips out of the Brisbane and Lockyer Valleys in late September.
Cabbages and Cauliflower are being supplied from multiple regions in good quality and at good prices. Carrots will continue throughout the month with low prices. Celery is tight for this time of year, so expect the pricing to reflect the market.
Cucumbers and Tomatoes are still coming out of the Bundaberg region, however, they are not as plentiful as previous years – quality is down and prices are up. Sweet corn supply is still being impacted by crop pests, expect lower yields and higher prices.
There are good supplies of Potatoes and a glut of Pumpkin available. Zucchinis have been in short supply, but are coming on with the warmer and drier weather and prices are finally dropping.
There is a good supply of Chinese vegetables, Eggplant and most Lettuces. Rocket has been a little short due to the cold, wet weather in Victoria. Queensland Onions are on and Purple Garlic is just around the corner too.
All up there’s a very solid supply of vegetables this September. Queensland growers will be slowing down and the Southern suppliers will be ramping up as the month goes on. As with all transitional months, there may be some gaps in supply, but they will be short-lived.
Welcome to Spring and remember to eat all of your colours.
The Team at United Organics
