The late apples are still coming in and the citrus begins to arrive. All sorts of mandarin varieties as well as tangelos, juicy oranges and ruby grapefruit are available.
Strangely this year we are getting really cheap strawberries.
In winter????
I thought they would have to be imported but, no, they are from Queensland (where the season usually starts in August) and Victoria (November) so the hot houses must be running overtime.
Talking of imported fruit, Australia has some of the strictest quarantine laws in the world. Anyone exporting fruit to this country must be jumping through hoops. But it must be worth it.
Last year we saw American cherries for the first time. They are here again now and pretty cheap $A10/kg ($US 4.50lb). Big and juicy and much better than the local ones which come into season just before Christmas.
Californian table grapes and berry fruits are readily available too. Citrus from the USA is not uncommon. They come in during our off season. I have seen Australian citrus in American supermarkets during their off season so guess there is some reciprocal trade.
But imports are not limited to fruit. Out of season fresh vegetables appear as well. Asparagus from Peru and Israel, shallots from Holland and garlic from China. Of course New Zealand being so close and having similar quarantine concerns are a major supplier.
The import of processed vegetables, mainly from Asia is another subject (and point of concern) we won't go into here.
Well, not for now, anyway.
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