Canada: Plenty of vegetables to bring home for the holidays
Green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, celery and sweet potatoes are all coming in from the U.S. and Mexico. Unless weather plays tricks in winter growing areas down south, foods for festive meals should be in good supply. String beans, currently produced in Florida and Mexico, are excellent. Specials in cauliflower are for white, orange or green varieties. Asparagus from Peru is plentiful. Don’t forget Quebec’s Nantes carrots, Jerusalem artichokes, cabbage and all the local root vegetables when planning Christmas dinner.
Cranberries, some from Quebec, some from the U.S., are reasonably priced. Load up now so you have enough to freeze for baking later on in the winter. Florida strawberries have arrived early and in good shape, surprising importers. Blueberries and blackberries are coming from South America; both are expensive, but worth a splurge for quality.
Fruit from Chile is on its way, beginning with grapes.
Cold weather a few weeks ago delayed the peach, nectarine and sweet cherry crops, but these fruits should appear here by next week. South Africa is sending apricots; any fruit from that country is worth a try.
Citrus variety is good. Clementines from Morocco and Spain are good buys; some stores are offering five-pound (2.27 kg) boxes for about $3. Florida grapefruit continues to be good. Look for honey tangerines and red navel oranges from Florida, and minneolas from California, all arriving in the next week or so. You should find bargains for pomegranates from California and papayas from Mexico, and the stores are stocked with exotic fruit for the holidays.
Source: montrealgazette.com
