Written by Tom Moggach
August 04, 2015
Who can help? What's this strange, fuzzy object? It's not often I'm left entirely baffled on Buyers' Walk....
It’s a glorious time on the market - a brilliant month to visit.
"It's a fantastic season: you've got the best of everything at its best and at its cheapest," agrees Marcus Bunney from distributor J Connell.
Soft fruit is a definite highlight. You'll find currants (red/black/white), gooseberries (incuding red), raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and strawberries - often British:
The first Kentish plums have landed:
Greengages, too, from across the Channel:
From Southern Europe, peaches and nectarines will continue for the next three weeks or so. This includes 'flat' and 'blood' varieties, like the final picture below, with darker, crimson flesh:
Note that apricots will finish soon - in the next week or two. You may even find some English apricots if you hunt around:
English cherries, too, are coming to an end - hurry for the last batches. (I can't wait for the first English apples. The early Discovery variety is not far off...)
Melons are a great buy, with watermelons in particular offering great value:
Fresh nuts are also worth considering, including the first French cobnuts and green almonds.
On the veg front, English runner beans are in high demand and occasionally tight.
You'll still find English peas and broad beans:
Quality brassicas, especially broccoli, cauliflower and purple sprouting, have been occasionally tricky due to erratic weather.
Kale is more reliable:
Tomatoes are abundant:
Marrows and courgettes are in their prime:
Sweetcorn will soon be plentiful. Right now, it's mainly from the Continent but homegrown supplies will swiftly catch up:
Other veg of note includes this beautiful rainbow chard:
Salads are in excellent fettle, including homegrown spinach and spring onions:
These crunchy breakfast radishes are French:
Other veg of note include borlotti and Paimpol beans, and artichokes - Globe, Petit Violet and Jerusalem.
For wild mushrooms, this is a poor time of year. Currently it's mainly girolle, including harvests from Scotland.
Check out these gigantic Canadian morels, although sadly they are the last of the harvest:
So what is the fuzzy green object in the photo at the start of this report?
Answers - or anything else you fancy - in the Comment box below please!
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