MARKET REPORT FOR JUNE 2024
Stone fruit includes white, yellow and blood peaches and nectarines. Donut peaches and nectarines also available. Also blush apricots and Rainier cherries. Spanish red-flesh plums are excellent. In about the third week of June, we are expecting the first harvests from a Kentish grower of homegrown peaches and apricots!
All of the English berries are coming through. We had the first of the Annabel’s strawberries in third week of May. For the first time, they are picking for us strawberries with a stem and green strawberries. Berries that must be pre-ordered include strawberry Anais, pineberry, Tulameen raspberries, black raspberries and golden raspberries. Gooseberries and vanillacots will be along later in June.
Charentais melons and watermelons (incl. excellent black-skinned seedless) are recommended.
Green almonds are in season. All the courgettes are excellent including male and female flowers, and yellow and green round courgettes.
We now have lovely yellow beans from Nourrit in France. Other beans include Borlotti and broad beans. Coco beans coming soon.
Elderflower will be with us for just a few weeks.
Lemon verbena is absolutely amazing now - a fantastic scent. All the tomatoes are really banging now – really beautiful.
The big story now is what is NOT happening. Normally Midsummer’s Day, 21st June, is the end of the English season but it is drying up already. It has not been a great season.
Scottish girolle is two to three weeks away – be nice to see that.
English baby veg is absolutely exceptional.
People tend to forget Jersey Royals. They want them in February and March but forget about them when they get into summer. But they are still eating very well and are excellent value.
Our watercress supplier Kingfisher has celebrated 170 years. As a company, we can trace out roots with them to at least the 1960’s. It was John Bunny and before that his mum Margaret Bunny in the 1940’s. I vividly remember John coming to the Market in the 1980’s. He has seen the whole watercress business change hugely. For decades, it was the only green salad you could get in Britain in the winter.
