Mid-spring is here and it’s a time of fruit and vegetable abundance.
Spring’s iconic green veg – fennel, beans and peas – are in full swing. Dutch carrots, artichokes and potatoes are also ready for harvest.
Zucchinis are only a few more warm spells away from being ready, with their season set to extend throughout summer. The very first cucumbers, capsicums and tomatoes of the season are also starting to show up, but will be much easier to come by once the weather gets hot.
Strawberries and blueberries are already good to go (in fact, there was a glut of strawberries earlier in the season) and the same goes for mangos, pineapples and passionfruit grown in the tropics.
Also just around the corner are the first of the stone fruits, such as peaches, nectarines, plums and apricots.
Asparagus, which is best in September and its appearance usually marks the change of season, is close to finishing its criminally short season (we’d love to have these spears of joy all year round!). Mandarins, which have been providing their citrusy goodness all winter, are expected to finish up soon. Oranges, on the other hand, will hang around a little bit longer.
Good and Fugly’s produce guru Lucy Henry says that people can expect to see these fruit and vegetables in their delivery boxes when the produce is in peak season.
Earlier in the season, growers are only selecting the best-looking fruit and vegetables to harvest. Once the bulk of the crop ripens up, farmers will be looking to pull everything out of the ground or off the trees. This is where our fugly rescue service is more likely to be needed!