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The Greengrocer 6 June 2013
Welcome to our latest edition of The Greengrocer, containing all the latest seasonal information.

As ever, please let us know what you think or if there is anything you feel we can add to help you, by sending any feedback to newsletter@reynolds-cs.com.

Here's what's happening out there in the world of fruit and veg...
Fruit

Peaches

Spanish stone fruit including peaches, nectarines, cherries, apricots and plums are coming through now. Flat peaches and flat nectarines can be made available and offer that point of difference, particularly on the baked dessert front.  
Cherries
UK grown stone fruit is unlikely to be on stream until August, except for cherries which should make an appearance towards the end of June.  
Bramleys
Bramleys are almost finished now until the new season starts around August time. We shall be getting some cooking apples from our friends at Brogdale in Faversham, Kent as soon as they are ready. Granny Smiths may be the best alternative for now! 
strawberries The British strawberry is running late this year, but we are already taking in supplies from our Scottish grower, Andrew Gray, who appears to be earlier than most. You can read about Andrew, as well as some of our other growers, on our website. As we move through June, other home grown summer berries will come on stream including raspberries and blackberries. For those of you after something a little extra special, Mara des Bois, Gariguette and Anais strawberries are also available from France. 
Charentais
The eagerly awaited Spanish melon season is finally here and expect the quality to only get better as we move through the season - especially when we switch from Almeria to the Murcia region. 
 
Vegetables

round courgettes Carrots and parsnips
are a little tricky right now with some imports filling availability gaps, especially on larger sizes. Spanish courgettes are a little tight as we approach the end of the season and British crops are running late, looking likely to start at the end of June. Why not try round courgettes for a change? Ask your sales contact for details. 

potatoes group
With potatoes now coming from storage or imported, Large potatoes and Bakers
are still very short in supply and will be for the next couple of months. Volumes of Jersey Royals are coming through now though still expensive. Cornish new potatoes are also becoming available, with cropping some two to three weeks behind schedule due to delayed planting. 

veg group

Supply of most brassica crops is not being helped by the recent cool and variable weather. Savoy cabbage may be short in a couple of weeks as the Spanish season ends and we wait for UK volumes to come through. Meanwhile kale is also yet to start but is not too far away. Domestic broccoli production is a few weeks later than planned and Spanish supplies are drying up so supply will remain tight for some time - the situation is very dependent on the weather. Meanwhile, UK cauliflower supply and quality is also variable - again for weather related reasons. 

Asparagus

British asparagus is a must right now. Meet our fantastic grower John Chinn from the Wye Valley, who also grows our rhubarb when in season. For the first year, John is also growing blueberries which will be ready around the end of the month. And if you want something a little different, why not ask about our purple or white asparagus? Be quick though as it's only around for the next two to three weeks!  

Salads and herbs

Batavia Green On the salad front, we have now moved to our UK growers. However, due to the very cold spring and recent rain in the UK, availability of all lettuce types is very tight - although we are maintaining full supply. However, head weights may be lower than expected as crop development is slow. Soiling may also be evident in various crops due to the heavy rain splashing the soil onto the lettuce, which is difficult to remove without damaging the product.

  

Mixed peppers

Bell peppers are currently a combination of late season Moroccan, Spanish and early season Dutch. Some green tinge is being seen in the yellow as our growers are harvesting the fruit a little earlier to ensure good quality and shelf life. Full Dutch supply will start in early July.

We hope this newsletter has been useful. Remember, if you have any views on how we can improve The Greengrocer, please drop us a line at newsletter@reynolds-cs.com.


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Pick of the current crop...

Peaches

Nectarines  

Cherries 

Apricots

Melons  

Jersey Royals

Asparagus   

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Fruit
Vegetables
Salads and herbs
Recipes
British produce
Crop update

Recipe Links

Peach and serrano ham
Why not try out this simple summer recipe? Chargrilled peach and Serrano ham salad.

 

White choc and nectarine fondant   
Make the most of our new Spanish nectarines with this delicious Chilled white chocolate and nectarine fondant recipe.

Asparagus ravioli   
   
Try our Asparagus ravioli with chargrilled asparagus, Taleggio and Proscuitto dish  - the perfect recipe for new season asparagus!
UJ
At Reynolds we always try
and source British produce where we can. If you want to know what UK sourced produce is available at any one time, check out our British availability guide.
Red Tractor logo
Reynolds has also upped the ante on the amount of Red Tractor assured products offered, including an extensive list of dairy products. Check out further details regarding our Red Tractor assured range here.

Crop update 

mooli  
You will notice some variability in the quality and sizing of mooli, as the Italian season is coming to an end and the new Dutch season is running behind by a few weeks due to the cold temperatures. Weather permitting, the situation is expected to improve as we move through June. 


fine beans
Availability of fine beans is very tight from Kenya due to very wet weather recently, however the situation is starting to improve. Egyptian and Moroccan supply is a contingency, but product tends to be larger.  
Herbs   
Herbs including chervil, coriander, flat parsley, curly parsley and dill are a little short, all for weather related reasons. Reynolds is however managing to maintain supply currently.