Last week, rain in California caused interruptions in the ripening and harvesting of some fresh produce, like strawberries, but shortages and higher prices are not expected to last.
The season for a few crops is running out — for example, Mexican asparagus and South American blueberries, but new growing areas will be sending Montreal crops over the next few weeks. It’s a week to dust off all those summer recipes for zucchini because this vegetable is extra-plentiful, good and cheap from Florida. Green onions, plentiful from down south all winter, also continue to be a good buy. Eggplant, another Florida crop on its way to town, is expected to increase over the next couple of weeks.
Greenhouse tomatoes continue to overflow produce counters and price competition between sizes, brands and colours is intense. Coloured bell peppers are not cheap, but if you invest in one, and slice it thinly, it will really liven up a tossed green salad with both colour and crunch. The best lettuce for flavour right now seems to be romaine.
Citrus fruit and Quebec apples make good fruit salads at reasonable prices. Grapefruit from Israel should be available around town this week and next, but U.S. grapefruit is continuing. Watch for soft spots before you shop for the U.S. fruit, as some of it has matured in the storeroom. Cantaloupe from Guatemala are plentiful and have a bit more flavour than they did a month ago. Watch those bags of Chilean grapes to make sure the fruit is still attached to the stem, a sign of freshness and careful storage.
Source: montrealgazette.com
