December 10, 2018
Christmas is cherry season, and representatives from the Brisbane Produce Market paid a visit to Kingaroy on Monday to remind shoppers the best cherries can be obtained right now at their local fruit shop.
To prove the point, James Fletcher and Emily Holden handed out fresh cherry samples to shoppers at Anderssons Fruit Market.
The cherries were harvested at Young in NSW just a day or two beforehand.
They were big, red, ripe and delicious … and at $12.99 a kilogram, roughly a third the price they’re currently selling for in Brisbane.
James said the low price was a credit to owner Dan Andersson, who travels to the Brisbane markets at Rocklea as often as three times a week to stock up on fresh supplies.
“Dan has been getting up at 3:00am and travelling to the markets for the past 30 years,” James said.
“He tastes and picks what he wants to bring back to the shop, and over the years he’s built up very strong relationships all the wholesalers so he can get a better deal.”
Apart from cherries, James and Emily were also visiting the South Burnett to promote the Your Local Fruit Shop program, which aims to encourage buying from independent greengrocers.
“We want to remind people that buying from their local greengrocer is always a better choice because the produce is fresher,” James said.
“The big supermarkets store a lot of their produce in cold stores.
“This helps them supply some things in the off-season, but the fruit is nowhere near as fresh and the taste is often nowhere near as good.
“Most supermarkets also have a flat approach to pricing, while independent greengrocers can take advantage of constantly changing market conditions to secure great specials for their customers.”
Cherry season runs from November to February, and people who’d like to secure the best fruit should look for cherries with green stems attached.
While colours can vary, the best cherries are plump and have a shiny skin.
Cherries stop ripening as soon as they’re picked, so they should be consumed within three to four days of purchase.
To store them, pack them loosely in a plastic bag or air-tight container and keep them in a refrigerator.
