Our July crop report sees a glorious array of new season salads, brassicas, and an ever-growing list of soft fruits awaiting to fill your larders.
Recent reports from our growers suggest the warmer weather in June has helped salad crops to grow, but the root veg & potatoes require more rain to help them bulk out. Overall, however, they are tentatively happy and reporting good salad and fruit crop volumes.
July is also the month to champion all there is to love about our home-grown produce!
Fruit
We’re now in full flow with UK blueberries, complementing the home-grown strawberries and raspberries.
However, don’t miss out on the humble gooseberry! Red or green, its unique colour, shape & taste make it a must for both sweet and savoury dishes, adding a sour note to a jus or cream.
Poor weather has affected the Spanish cherry crop causing damage and premature breakdown.
However, peaches & nectarines are plentiful, with the yellow and white flesh available in both round and donut varieties.
Apricots provide a lovely alternative to peaches & nectarines if you want to give a dish that special touch.
Spanish melons have taken a real battering this season, with unseasonal heavy rains damaging crops in Murcia. Unfortunately, the rain has caused the roots of the plants to collapse, making it super tough to salvage the crops.
The rain has also led to rot, cracks, and mud, affecting melons that have already been harvested and those that are still on the way.
We’re working closely with our trusted suppliers to handle the situation as best we can. However, it’s important to be aware that melons are in short supply, so prices might be a bit higher than usual.
Plus, the quality of the melons has taken a hit too. We appreciate your understanding as we work through these challenges.
We’re hopeful that things will start looking up in the next 2-3 weeks. We’ll keep you updated on any major changes or improvements.
On a brighter note, the Cantaloup variety has shown a bit more resilience since it had a delayed growing season. But, even so, we can’t say for sure.
Prices are expected to creep up through the summer months as farmers attempt to recover their crop.
Pineapples offer a more consistently priced alternative!
Vegetables
This month will see summer cauliflower and broccoli in full flow from our local growers replacing the imports.
Carrots have been exclusively imported over recent months, however, new season crops are now coming through in decent volumes which will help reduce pricing.
Staying with root veg, new season UK parsnips will start in July, sporting bright white skins!
Imported and UK broad beans can add a delightful change to a summer dish from traditional veg.
By mid-month the arrival of UK courgettes & leeks will offer great value and be a welcome introduction, especially UK courgette flowers!
Some other summer crops that are worth a name drop are UK runner beans, UK rainbow chard, Spanish corn on the cob, romanesco & purple cauliflower.
Old season potato volumes are gradually diminishing, however with new season salad potatoes in full flow there is still plenty of quality potatoes on offer as we await the arrival of the new season crop.
We expect to see the first of the main crop in early August, which is later than in previous years, due to cooler temperatures in spring which delayed planting. The dry June has not helped either as growth has slowed. Fingers crossed for some rain so the crop can catch up.
Onions are at a real transition point. Large onions from Spain have just started with prices starting to ease back from their peak in mid-June. However, the smaller brown and red onions are finishing, with Egyptian & South African onions replacing the European crops during the gap.
We should start to see UK & European main crop onions starting mid-late August which will see prices ease back.
Salad
Whole head UK lollo rosso, oakleaf & baby leaf salads are at their absolute peak during July.
We’ve also seen UK herbs starting with coriander, chives, tarragon & parsley to name a few, bringing flavour & fragrance to a seasonal menu.
UK Heritage tomatoes are delicious and offer real value for money. Whether they’re grown in the Vale of Evesham or on the Isle of Wight, they never fail to impress.
Peppers, cucumbers and aubergines are arriving in good volumes from our growers in Holland and they are great quality.
Finally, July brings exclusively UK samphire to your larder. This salty delicacy is suited to not only fish but is capable of freshening up any salad on a warm day.
At their best
Blueberries, peaches, nectarines, gooseberries, new season salad potatoes, UK courgettes, corn on the cob, heritage tomatoes, baby leaf salad, UK fresh Herbs and UK samphire.
Our monthly crop reports, like our July crop report, is sent by email every month – you can subscribe to our mailing list here.
You can also take a look at our recent blog posts here.
To start a new order, or to add to an existing order, call us: 01793 683299 or email orders@fsfruit.co.uk
