Thread: FRUIT

Hi,
Tomatoes have been bland for years. They get picked green for transport and don't get to ripen on the vine.
We used to be able to get a case of 'sauce' tomatoes from the grower's farm gate for a few bob, and most were good for eating, we only cooked the left overs.
Cherries, apples plums, apricots, pears, peaches etc are all available freshly picked even in big supermarkets in Hobart.
Cheers

Originally Posted by 1950landy

I have a question about fruit. I am getting to the stage of not buying fruit (don't buy from any of the big supermarkets & only buy fruit that is in season) all the fruit shops near us only sell fruit that is no were near ripe & I leave it out in a dish on the bench to ripen but it never dose & if it does it has no taste or is rotten in the middle & I end up having to bin it.
My question is what others do? What with the price of fruit these days I feel like I am wasting my money buying it. Have tried putting bananas in with it but this trick does not seem to work anymore.

I can only add this: buy direct from the grower, before it gets "shelf life" treated, which can cost more because you have to travel, or buy only organic, which costs a LOT more these days.

Sadly, fruit is probably the worst affected by the weather events we've experienced lately.

I've found Aldi quite good for fresh fruit & veg.

Has been one of my bugbears for a long time, pears absolutely green, what happened to the sweet ripe yello pears of yesteryear, they are not all, peaches, nectarines plums all rock hard.
Seems that growers have acceded to the major buyers who want the fruit to last while traveling and in store, doesn't matter about the end purchaser they are just the money source.
The only fruit I can get that I like that is acceptable to me are bananas, rock melons, apples (pink lady) and grapes. Occaisonally during off season our Spud Shed brings in Californian peaches which leave our local peaches for dead.

I guess I have to accept the way it is, there are no local growers within cooee of us.

Cheers
RichardK

Originally Posted by RichardK

Has been one of my bugbears for a long time, pears absolutely green, what happened to the sweet ripe yello pears of yesteryear, they are not all, peaches, nectarines plums all rock hard.
Seems that growers have acceded to the major buyers who want the fruit to last while traveling and in store, doesn't matter about the end purchaser they are just the money source.
The only fruit I can get that I like that is acceptable to me are bananas, rock melons, apples (pink lady) and grapes. Occaisonally during off season our Spud Shed brings in Californian peaches which leave our local peaches for dead.

I guess I have to accept the way it is, there are no local growers within cooee of us.

Cheers
RichardK

I bought some yellow pears on Friday after two days waiting for them to get ripe, they started getting brown soft patches on them about as big as a one cent (look like fruit fly bites) They are still hard but starting to get soft around the stork, think by tomorrow should be ready to eat but by the time i cut the bad bits out I may get half a pear. Just don't buy stone fruit any more rots from the seed out. Yes Bananas, grapes & strawberries seem to be ok & I do get some cherries sometimes but only if a takeout a bank loan, but they are usually sower not sweet like they used to be.

I agee. It is a sad situation.
For tomatoes, I buy the miniature oval ones called Perino. They taste like tomatoes tasted like many years ago.
Yes, more expensive on a weight basis, but because they have plenty of flavour, you don’t need many. Also, I have zero waste with them. They have a thick skin and last extremely well. can’t remember throwing any out.
Mangoes still deliver flavour and texture for me. Buy when there are ample in stock and the prices are reasonable.
grapefruit in winter still seem ok, but it’s “buyer beware.” I buy one. If it’s good, I go back and buy a dozen.
Oranges are so disappointing. The growers are not rewarded for quality, so no surprise, they dont grow for quality.
Apples. Just go seasonal. Ardrossan Orchard at Batlow grow beautiful apples. Call them and ask who sells them in Brisbane.
a bit of work but worth it.
Good fruit is a gift from god and a real shame to miss out.
best. Jeff

I don't seem to have most of the troubles listed. Fruit is mostly from Aldi. I get some that are disappointing, but most is OK. Is it coincidence that most of the complaints above are from Brisbane? I expect experience to be different for different locations, simply because of the supply chain.

We go through tonnes of fruit and don’t have those issues often but we do pick and choose. Anything in season seems to be ok and you have to expect anything that isn’t to be expensive and of poorer quality if you end up finding some.

At the moment it’s berries, mangos and bananas we’re going through and I’m putting up with a poor quality crop of passion fruit - our vine got diseased and had to be removed so we’ve got a gap in our own production at the moment.

I don’t buy apples or pears from any supermarket as they always seem to be garbage, so not worth trying anymore.

Our tomatoes are going wild but when buying them I buy the Solenato variety as they seem to taste the best IMO.