the pdf version of the report here

March is a month of change.
Salad supplies start to shift
from Spain to Holland and
a few early apples and pears
arrive from the Southern
hemisphere. The first tunnel
grown Jersey Royals are in
the markets along with the
first wet garlic from Egypt.
AT THEIR BEST
A MONTH OF CHANGE JERSEY ROYALS
Majorcan New
Potatoes
Early Jerseys
Cyprus Potatoes
Wild Garlic Leaves
Monks Beard or Agretti
Egyptian Wet Garlic
Spanish Artichokes
Dutch Tomatoes
COMING UP
British Asparagus
Outdoor Rhubarb
British Strawberries
Spanish Peaches &
Nectarines
British Tomatoes
Outdoor Jerseys
British Cucumbers
Italian Peas & Broad
Beans
British Salads
Spanish produce, so important during
the winter, is slowly winding down as
the Dutch season gets underway. There’ll
be more and more peppers, tomatoes,
aubergines and cucumbers from Holland as
Spanish supplies come to an end. We may
even see a few very early British cucumbers
and salads by the end of the month. Dutch
tomato growing has really changed in the
past few years with a real focus on flavour
rather than just growing for volume. New
technologies, varieties and attitudes have
all contributed making Dutch tomatoes
some of the most delicious on the market.
Stored European apples and pears are
coming to an end and the first new season
top fruit will soon arrive from growers in
the southern hemisphere, we’ve already
had a few Williams Pears from South
Africa. Worth mentioning that apples and
pears from the southern hemisphere come
here by boat, the most carbon-efficient
form of transporting goods. They’ve come
along way but there’s minimal impact on
the environment.
The first Jersey Royals are here. These
early spuds are tunnel grown so they’re
not cheap but prices will drop quite
considerably when we move on to the
outdoor crop, usually that’s in late April.
MORE SPUDS
If you’re looking for
more bang for your
bucks potato-wise then
you might consider the
Majorcan new potatoes
that have just started.
Great flavour, proper flaky skins and a very
sensible price.
The other big potato news this month
is the fabulous Cyprus spud. With its
distinctive oval shape and red, soil stained
skin the Cyprus is a remarkably versatile
potato that can do just about anything.
It’ll roast, mash, puree, chip, bake and
boil. It also has an excellent flavour. Not
the cheapest potato you’ll ever buy but
certainly one of the best.
Total Produce Local Market Report // January 2016
MARCH 2016
MARKET REPORT
CITRUS
European Citrus is still in cracking form. There’s still
plenty of late season Nadorcott clementines from
Morocco and Spain which are all absolutely tip top,
full of juice and a wonderful flavour.
Spain have just started sending us some very good
Mineolas, a late season easy peel variety.
Blood oranges should be around for at least another
month. We’re particularly impressed with the
Sanguinello variety from Spain. Excellent deep colour
and a very good flavour. Blood oranges are usually
past their best by early to mid April, something you
might want to consider when writing new menus.
ASPARAGUS
Those very clever chaps at Wye Valley are harvesting
some very early English asparagus, they cut the
first of it in late January which is frankly amazing.
However supplies are very limited and sporadic at
best. If you’re thinking about using it please do check
availability first. You should also check the price
which is inevitably fairly steep. Aspargus growth is
completely dependent on temperature, cold weather
means it just won’t grow. We don’t expect to see
regular supplies of British asparagus until early April,
it all depends on the weather. ‘
IN BRIEF
There’s some
terrific new season
artichokes arriving
from Spain. Smaller
violets (duck egg size)
and larger Calico.
Supplies of peas and
broad beans from
Spain have improved
slightly but are still
fairly dear.
GARLIC
An excellent month for garlic lovers. Wild garlic or
Ransoms is in abundance, definitely a key menu item
for March.
The first of this year’s wet or green garlic has started
arriving from growers in Egypt. These glorious
bulbs have none of the throat catching acridity of
dried garlic and an amazing aroma that will fill your
kitchen. Cooked, particularly roasted, they have
a wonderful sweetness that dried garlic can never
match.
Strawberries and raspberries from Spain are
surprisingly impressive. New varieties mean much
better flavour.
Cauliflower supplies are very limited and prices are
unseasonably high. Warm weather before Christmas
caused a glut and, inevitably, a glut is followed by a
shortage. Best avoided for the moment.
British Cavolo Nero is over. It’s all imported now,
mostly Spain and Italy.
www.totalproducelocal.co.uk
Total Produce Local Market Report // MARCH2016