Box Divvy West Pymble - Comenarra

Limit

H2G $2 Passata with a Best Before Dateof 31 Aug: limit of 2 jars per member. Just spreading the love: the Friday hubs would like some too..

Honest to Goodness came to our new warehouse last month, and realised that 3500 sqm is a LOT of space. So, when they ended up with a few pallets of Passata with a Best Before Date of 31 August, who were they going to call??

“We’ll take ‘m”, we said. Over 1500 jars that we normally sell for $4.49 – but are now going out the door for $2 a pop.

We think they’ll be gone in a fortnight – well before they have a chance to expire. BTW: there’s every chance they’ll be good for another year…

Market update

⭐️Fruit⭐️

🍎Best value fruit: apples, mandarins, tangelos, Cara Cara oranges, pineapple, passionfruit, watermelon.
🍓Strawberries are still a tad expensive, but are about a dollar cheaper than last week.

⭐️Vegetables⭐️

🥒In vegetables, the cold is starting to have a big impact on the supply of cucumbers, broccoli and especially beans. 🫛On the other hand, Snowpeas and sugarsnaps love a bit of cold – and prices for both are under $10/kg.
🥬Leafy greens will be a little tighter, and the remainder is still reasonably priced.

⭐️New Products⭐️

🍲Lolli’s Soup Mixes
🌰Mayver’s nut spreads (10% off until the end of July)
⭐️Nutrisoy range of tofu and tempeh.

⭐️ New Product ⭐️

Have you ever found yourself standing in front of the oral care section in the supermarket, and felt somewhat overwhelmed? A bewildering assortment of brands and product claims – sensitive teeth, gum health, whitening, fresh breath, or all of the above. At least 95% of products are owned by multinationals, and manufactured overseas: US-based Colgate controls about two-thirds of the market, and the remainder is divvied between Oral-B (US-based P&G), Sensodyne and Macleans (both British-owned), Red Seal (NZ) and a sprinkling of tooth whiteners like White Glo, Hismile and Smile Hero that mostly import.

Just one Australian-owned and made brand is left standing: Grant’s of Australia.

We like Grant’s not only for that reason – it’s also as natural a toothpaste as you can get:
🪥No Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) which is an industrial cleaner that helps the foaming process, found in most toothpaste (and shampoo and other personal cleaning products for that matter). Some research links over-exposure to mouth ulcers and allergies.
🦷No Sodium Hydroxide (or caustic soda aka drain cleaners) found in many toothpaste brands. Do we need to say more??
🪥No Chlorine dioxide – an industrial bleach.
🦷No polypropylene glycol – a spreading and wetting agent.
🪥No saccharine – an artificial sweetener that has been on the on-and-off list of FDA for causing cancer. Xylitol is a better option.
🦷No fluoride. This is a common ingredient in toothpaste to help prevent tooth decay, and does not appear to have side effects – unless swallowed. That is why there are warnings on toothpaste packs (1) not to swallow, and (2) not to use fluoride toothpaste for kids under 6.

They are competitively priced, and can be found under Cleaning ➡️ Personal ➡️Oral Care.

Market Update

⭐️Fruit⭐️

🫐 Berry supply will improve by the end of July – so give it another 2 weeks.
⭐️ In the meantime, enjoy passionfruit, 🍎 apples (including $2 Granny Smith from Prima and Shaholli), 🍊mandarins (20% cheaper than last week) and any other citrus, melons and kiwi.

⭐️Vegetables⭐️

🫛In vegetables, green beans are probably the only pricey vegetable: everything is priced somewhere between reasonable and cheap.
🥒Even Lebanese cucumber – from Basil in Rossmore and Golden Fields – has dropped in price by over 30%.
⭐️Best value: red capsicum, snow peas, potatoes (Sebagos at $1 a kilo), most leafy greens, lettuce, Roma and Field tomatoes, zucchini, potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli and pumpkin.

⭐️New Product⭐️

Grant’s Natural Toothpaste and Mouthwash. Find it under cleaning - personal - oral care.

We got our chilled delivery this morning so sausage rolls were on the menu for lunch today. Yum!

⭐️Market Update⭐️

⭐️Fruit⭐️

🍌Predictably, banana prices will go back up this week – but less so than expected, so they should stay below the $4 a kilo level.
🍍Other tropicals like passionfruit are still cheap, and we’re celebrating International Pineapple Day with a special price of $2.76.
🍎Pink Lady prices are slowly drifting lower, but Granny Smith remains the best value apple. 🍐Pears are a little tighter, except for Nashi pears.
🍉In melons, watermelon and honeydew melons are best value.
🍊Mandarin supply seems to be picking up, and prices are moderating.
🍋Other citrus – from lemons to Cara Cara – is cheap.
🫐Not much movement in berries: they’re good, but still a little pricey.

⭐️Vegetables⭐️

🍅A mixed bag, with some popular vegetables – broccoli and zucchini in particular – tightening, but others getting cheaper (Brussels sprouts, beans, capsicum and tomatoes).
🌽Corn is back - not cheap, but prices are expected to fall over the next month.
🥬Leafy greens remain good value, despite the current cold snap.
🥔In potatoes, Sebagos and Kestrel (or King Edward) are good value.
🥬Many local vegetables – from kale and wombok (Portelli) to celery and Iceberg (Xerri) – remain very affordable.

⭐️Bakery⭐️

⭐️New Product: Kabul Star Bakery’s famous Afghan wood-fired flatbread. Contains just 4 ingredients - flour, salt, yeast and water.

Beetroot bunches from Raymond Camilleri

Ray will be digging up some beets (and dirt) this week: $3.40 a bunch. I love doing beetroot, apple, carrot and ginger juice at this time of year!

⭐️Market Update⭐️

⭐️Fruit⭐️

🍌The big surprise this week is bananas under $3. However, before you jump too high with joy: this is likely to be a One-Week-Wonder.
🍊In other fruit news, we’re finally changing over to Imperial mandarins – but they’re not super-cheap. Yet.
🫐 Blueberries are back.
🍍Pineapples are also back, and THEY are cheap – as are the purple passionfruit from Bundaberg.
🍉Watermelons, apples, pears (Nashi!), Cara Cara oranges, Ruby grapefruit and lemons are also excellent value.

⭐️Vegetables⭐️

🥑Avocadoes, Snowpeas, beans, broccolini and Brussels Sprouts are again cheap this week.
🫑Capsicum and baby spinach are coming down in price. ⭐️Although local produce will slow a little in the current cold snap, it’s not likely to have an impact until the following week. Therefore, celery and cauliflower from Manuel Xerri and Wombok and kale from George Portelli continue to be fantastic bargains.
⭐️After a long absence, we’re getting beetroot bunches from Raymond Camilleri in Freemans Reach: $3.40 a bunch.
🍅Field tomatoes are good value, but truss and Roma less so.
🫛New this week: rainbow snacking tomatoes, yellow capsicum and sugarsnap.
🥒Zucchini and cucumber prices are elevated: still waiting for Queensland to crank up the volumes.

Market Update

⭐️Fruit⭐️

🍎In early winter, NSW fruit goes a little dormant – except for apples from Orange of course.
🍊Most deciduous fruit and citrus is coming from the southern states.
🍓Tropical fruit, melons and berries are coming from up north.
⭐️Panama passionfruit are still cheap.
🍊For mandarins, it’s a toss-up between Afourers and imperials – and Afourers will probably come out on top this week.
🍉Seedless watermelon are great value at $1.50 a kilo.
🍎Pink Lady apples from Prima Fresh Orchards in Tatura have dropped below the $4/kg mark. 🍐In pears, Nashi are great value – but Packham pears have tightened up.
🥝Oh, and we’re starting kiwi gold this week. We never know how long the supply continues so don’t wait too long.

⭐️Vegetables⭐️

⭐️As has been the case over the past weeks, vegetable supply has generally improved and prices have eased – even though tomatoes in particular remain pricey.
🥑Avocados, beans, snow peas, broccolini, cauliflower, kale, silverbeet, wombok, cabbages, leek and onions are excellent value.
🫑Red capsicums from Bowen are the ones to watch, with prices dropping to around $6.50/kg – the lowest in months.
🥕Carrots (from both Qld and VIC) are plentiful and should sell around $1.50 a kilo.
🎃Pumpkin prices have tightened a little, but they are still good value.
🍄‍🟫Mushroom soup anyone? Regular mushrooms are expected to come to $11 a kilo this week.

Join our hub to save on your weekly shop. Thanks for the price comparison Box Divvy Cromer - Lynwood

Here’s the link to join:

https://app.boxdivvy.com.au/register/hub/261

I thought it was time for an updated price comparison!
I Love that our Box Divvy members are saving 40-50% this week on their groceries on just these 10 items alone!

Why not Join and start saving today!

🍊Mandarins🍊

We managed to secure a good supply of Daisy mandarins this week: they taste terrific, peel ok and are low on seeds. We think you’ll like them, especially at $2.34 a kilo.

Market Update

⭐️Fruit⭐️

🍎Bite Rite Orchards in Orange are bolstering our apple supply with some good value Royal Gala ($2.69 a kilo), whilst Prima Fresh is continuing its Granny Smith under the $3 mark. Even Pink Lady apples have started to drop.
🍊In citrus, we continue to cycle through the Mandarin varieties: this week, it’s Daisy – a slightly darker-orange variety somewhat similar to Afourers. They’re $2.32 a kilo.
🍐The pear category has been bolstered by Beure Bosc – not the prettiest but certainly the tastiest pear around, and at $2.20 a kilo, you shouldn’t miss it.
🍉Watermelon prices are dropping below the $2 a kilo mark.
🍈🍍passionfruit, rockmelon and pineapple remain good value.
⭐️Pomegranates and persimmons will both go for another week.
🍓This week’s strawberries will be from Queensland – beautiful but pricey.

⭐️Vegetables⭐️

🥦No major changes in vegetables, with all brassicas – from Broccoli to cauliflower and cabbage – excellent value.
🥬Leafy greens are looking good – assuming this weekend’s rain is not going to create havoc – with rocket and dill both back on the menu.
🥔All lettuces, potatoes, onions, leek, eggplant, zucchini and pumpkin are in good supply.
🫑Capsicums remain problematic – we really need Queensland to kick in here – but we are increasing the options by offering a mixed colour capsicum (red and green) at a more reasonable price.
🍅Also tomato supply is weak, but Comfresh have come through with some reasonably priced truss tomatoes.

⭐️ New Product ⭐️
Shepherds Bakehouse pies and sausage rolls. Find them in the chilled section under fresh prepared meals.

Simple Friday night dinner after a long week! Thanks Belicious Foods and of course Box Divvy.

Market Update

⭐️Fruit⭐️

⭐️We thought last week’s Panama passionfruit from Cameron Farm was good value, but this week’s supply – from Moorland Produce near Bundaberg – is downright cheap. The fruit is still large, but they will cost you just 74c apiece.
🍊Afourer mandarins pure flavour and juice - completely seedless, and under $4 a kilo.
🍈Rockmelons from north Qld are making a come-back and at $3.40 each, they’re not bad value.
🍍We still prefer the large pineapple-with-tops: same price, more bang for your buck. Of course, you can always get both.
🍎Apples and pears remain excellent value, with Granny Smith, Royal Gala and Packhams all shining through.

⭐️Vegetables⭐️

🍅QLD supply is starting to show up in some categories such as Roma and truss tomatoes, as well as capsicum, zucchini and eggplant – which is starting to bring prices down. 🥦Plenty of broccoli and broccolini – much of it local – as well as cabbages from Portelli.
🥣Excellent value Victorian leeks conspire with cheap Sebago's for a heart-warming leek and potato soup.
🫛Beans and Snow peas are cheap.
🥬Leafy greens should continue to edge down in price, and lettuces of every persuasion are plentiful.
💜Purple kale at $1.70 a bunch, it’s remarkably cheap – and full of anthocyanins which are responsible for the purple colour (the same nutrient that blueberries and cranberries contain), with even more powerful antioxidant properties.

Chilled delivery came this morning so it’s sticky pork spare ribs for dinner using the Berenberg marinade 🤤

Market Update

⭐️Fruit⭐️

🍎Prima Fresh Orchards in Tatura (south-west of Shepparton) is the latest fruit grower to supply Box Divvy directly. Owned and managed by 3rd generation apple and pear grower Gerard Alampi. Prima Fresh is supplying this week’s Granny Smith and Pink Lady apples.
🍇This will be the last week for grapes, so grab some whilst you can.
⭐️Also pomegranates are getting close to their season’s end.
🍋Any citrus is good value, especially lemons and limes.
🍍Large pineapples (with tops) and Panama passionfruit also good value.
⭐️Cheaper this week: Raspberries, Grapefruit – Ruby, Lemon, Lime, Seedless Watermelon and Kiwi.

⭐️Vegetables⭐️

There have been widespread falls in produce prices, with a few exceptions.
🫛Falls are expected for: beans, corn, cauliflower, broccoli, fennel, celery, mushrooms, lettuce, zucchini and leafy greens – notably coriander, rocket and English spinach, as well as Silverbeet.
🫑Capsicums, cucumber, tomatoes and to some extent eggplant remain pricey – but supply from Bowen is expected to pick up within the next two weeks, and prices should fall.

Back to school baking today - banana bread and apple muffins (almost half of the apple muffins have already disappeared).

The celery in last weeks order was quite big. I’ve used what I can in some cooking and I’ll freeze the rest in portions to be used later. Just blitz in my thermomix, bag and freeze!

Easy Monday night dinner - veg and chicken tray bake with Belicious Foods Portuguese Spice. All delicious, all from Box Divvy

🐟Pink Ling: perfect white fish for Tacos🌮
Sometimes confused with cod, Pink Ling holds its own as a species. It’s versatile, but it loves to be pan-fried, used in a curry – or in Tacos as per Amy’s (a member of the Rozelle hub) recipe below.

Evia 700g Yoghurt: 10% off this week!

Evia rang us and said: “We’re taking 10% off all our 700g packs of Yoghurt”. Great! If you haven’t tried them before, here is a good occasion as ever: real Greek yoghurt, made by a Greek family in Marrickville.

🍎Fruit🍍

In Fruit, pineapples (topless), citrus (especially Ruby), figs, pomegranates, apples (Pink Lady are coming down in price) and plums are good value – but watermelon and berries remain expensive. Peaches, nectarines and kiwi berries have finished – and we’re pausing the mandarins due to quality issues caused by rain.


🌶Vegetables🥦

In vegetables, cucumbers, daikon, kale, ginger, celery, leek, eggplant, zucchini, pumpkin, okra and chillies are good value. Broccoli is up, cauliflower is down (but still pricy), and mushrooms have come down as well. George Portelli is pausing his baby gem lettuce

New this week:
⭐️New season Ruby Grapefruit – earlier than usual – from QLD. Very cheap at 91c each.
⭐️Modi apples – excellent eating and reasonably priced.
⭐️Large Spaghetti Squash from Victoria, but not cheap at nearly $9 each.
⭐️George Portelli has started a patch of silverbeet and beetroot.
⭐️New season chestnuts (although it might still be a little warm for that).

It’s divvy day tomorrow so the fridge was looking a bit bare. I had some beef mince from Saturday’s chilled delivery and some pumpkin that was still sitting in the fridge from a couple of weeks ago. Did a quick google and found a quick easy recipe that actually tasted really yummy.

Changed up some of the veggies and added in zucchini, onion and snow peas. Easy Monday night dinner!
Recipe in comments.

Lebanese Cucumber
Kim and Laks will be busy this week picking Lebanese cucumber: at $2.80 a kilo, we’ve ordered BIG.

Food For Thought

🥦As you may have seen on Four Corners earlier in the week, supermarkets are finding novel ways of squeezing suppliers and consumers. We hear stories from farmers who have shipments rejected on the basis of a couple of pieces of fruit that have turned in transit, and they are forced to pick up the shipment and find an alternative buyer. Meanwhile, perishable produce doesn’t get any better. The Four Corners segment quotes a cherry farmer who ended up having to offload a $90,000 shipment for less than $6000. That’s not even 7c in the dollar. It is also common practice for supermarkets to over-order from multiple growers because they don’t want to be short – and then to cancel what they don’t need, leaving the grower in limbo. As the cherry grower in the Four Corners program says: “The industry can no longer absorb their greed”.

🌽We now know of several growers who are getting paid less than 20c of every retail dollar the produce sells for. They are not making money, but because they rely on the supermarkets’ high-volume orders, they have no option but to accept it. By contrast, Box Divvy pays growers 60c of every dollar you spend.

🍉Box Divvy is now sharing with its Hubsters and members the price of every item paid to the grower or supplier. Our farmers deserve a fair go and consumers deserve transparency. There really has never been a better time to .

🥑Market Update🍒
Fruit
🍉Most fruit is again good value – nectarines, kiwi berries, nashi pears, Royal Gala, grapes, figs, limes, rockmelon, watermelon, Packham pears, passionfruit and even strawberries are either cheap or very reasonably priced.

🍎The apples season is picking up pace, with new season Fuji apples available now.

🥭In mangoes, Honeygolds are finished – but late season Keitt mangoes will go on for a few more weeks.

Vegetables
🥑As foreshadowed last week, we’re pausing Hass and we’re going for Shepards. Where Hass is nutty, Shepards are buttery. Oh, and almost half-price (80c). We’re not sure how long this will last, as the overlap between Hass and Shepards is bigger than usual – so stock up!

🌽Best value vegetables are the same suspects as last week: corn, cucumbers, celery, beetroot, Roma tomatoes, Sebago, zucchini, lettuce, pumpkin, potatoes and onions.

🥦Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, beans and red capsicum supply remain problematic – so don’t expect any price relief anytime soon. Washed potato quality has also deteriorated markedly, so we’re going for a better – and more expensive – grade.

🥬George Portelli is picking silverbeet, but wombok is out – and so is rocket.

🥗Manuel Xerri will have green cabbage again, but at a price.

Spaghetti Squash
If you’ve not tried this then here’s your chance. If you’ve got kids they will love this (I'll test it out on my kids😆)