First Up's Minister of Fruit and Veggies Glenn Forsyth picks his fruit of the week. Photo: Cole Eastham-Farrelly
New Zealand grown encore mandarins are peaking but best to avoid local stone fruit just yet.
Here's what you need to know before you head to the supermarket or farmer's market this weekend.
Fruit and Vege Report with Glenn Forsyth
First Up's Minister of Fruit and Veggies Glenn Forsyth provides RNZ listeners with a weekly run down of which fruit and vegetables are in season, in stock, and offer good value.
This week the best green buys are lettuces, cauliflower and cabbage, he said.
"It is the first day of November and the vegetables just keep growing with very little in short supply."
There were good numbers of courgettes, pumpkin, kumara, brown onions and new season Pukekohe carrots were "looking and tasting great".
"Tomatoes continue to fall in price, plenty of cucumbers and eggplant, and if yellow capsicums are your favourite colour - you're in luck there."
Asparagus was at its peak and small gourmet baby potatoes were also around, Forsyth said.
Fruit of the week
New Zealand Encore mandarins were Forsyth's fruit of the week.
They were in good supply now after a poor season last year following Cyclone Gabrielle and subsequent wet weather. They bounced back thanks to hot summer and decent winter, Forsyth said.
"We expect to have good volumes through to January and they peak late November to mid-December so it's the perfect add in for that Christmas Day fruit salad."
There was also a steady supply of New Zealand kiwifruit and avocados, Vietnamese limes, Australian melons, California grapes and Chinese Nashi pears.
"The good news is our most popular purchased fruit in New Zealand is back ripe on the shelves, and that is the banana, a load of fresh pineapples also came in on that boat.
"We can't forget berries post Labour weekend and strawberries and blueberries they lead the pack with raspberry volume every so slowly building and the first of the blackberries, they'll begin their harvest around the country in the next one to two weeks."
But take care, it wasn't all good news on the fruit front.
The first apples from the US season were here, but the Gala he tried was soft, Forsyth said.
And it was best to wait another two weeks for local stone fruit.
"The first of the New Zealand nectarines are out, but these will also disappoint, sad to say, along with the first New Zealand cherries which have very little if any flavour."
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