THIS
WEEK : Alex-The-Buyer
Returns! - and he’s wandering the market like
The Dark Knight with an order-book, determined to
prove he’s still “the Daddy”. Paul-The-Purchaser
has handed in his cape and tights and returned to
his more customary role of Production Paul. Will
life at the veg factory ever be quite the same again?
Well, the answer is a probable ‘yes’ - at least
until Alex takes another holiday.
The English
Apple season is beginning to gather momentum
with the arrival last week of varieties such as
Tydeman’s Early Worcester, Worcester Pearmain
and Katy. The Tydeman’s are sweet,
medium-sized with matt-red skins. The Pearmain
are also medium-sized, pale-ish green with an intense
crimson flush when fully ripe and a taste and aroma
similar to that of strawberries. Katy are
quite similar in both looks and size to last week’s
Fruit of the Week, Discovery Apples (which,
by the way, should be good for at least another
week or so), the main difference being that the
Katy have a firmer and crisper texture and
are arguably the sweeter of the two. Also in season
- but only available if ordered in advance and by
the box - are sweet, aromatic Delbard, which
are large and slightly elongated with golden-green
skins possessing a red blush consisting of a blend
of stripes and flecks.
Sadly, English
Opal Plums (a big hit as Fruit of the Week
a couple of week’s back) have come to an end and
I for one shall miss their flavour of burnt sugar
reminiscent of candy-floss dissolving on the tongue.
-
|
|
- Don’t despair,
though, because they’ve been replaced in our warehouse
and in our hearts by Kentish-grown Bell Plums.
Slightly larger on the whole than the Opals, although
of a similar elongated oval shape, their skins are
a pearlescent deep-red turning to purple the riper
they become. Their flesh is firm and golden and
possess a sweet, mild lemony tang. Dee-lish! There
are still some English Damsons around, but
the season is relatively short and they may not
last much longer - so get them while you can. English
Victoria Plums should now be at their best.
Maroon-skinned
Turkish Brown Figs, aka Brown Turkey Figs,
are big, bulbous and bursting with sweet succulence.
Lovely! The flavours of both Peaches and
Nectarines are starting to lose their intensity.
However, their skins remain attractive and the flesh
firm and juicy, I reckon they’re still a good buy.
I’m not going
to bang-on too much about the delights of just-in-season
English Curly Kale. Suffice to say, it’s
the subject of this week’s Veggiepedia article.
There are also a few simple ideas on how to cook
and prepare it on the back page. Good quality, new
season Belgian Donkey Carrots are now available.
The market price of Peruvian Asparagus has
gone down for the second successive week. Despite
recent shortages, English Cauliflowers are
cheaper this week. Alex has spotted some English
Brussels Sprouts in the market. Early crops
tend to be quite firm and take longer to cook but
have a milder, nuttier taste.
Alex-The-Buyer
says that English Radicchio is “very nice”
at the moment.
PRODUCT ALERT:
English
Coriander is still very short - in fact,
Alex reckons he’s never known it to be so scarce
and could be due to lack of rain in the English
growing regions. Lollorosso is tight. Apricots
have all but finished. New Zealand crops should
be available in 2-3 weeks’ time. Current season
Watermelons are dwindling and likely to rise
in price as a consequence. Lemons continue
to be short and expensive.
|