In this edition
Welcome to this months edition of Fresh Perspective.

In this edition we take a look the month of March at the Markets, with our usual snapshot of fruit and vegetables.

We also talk to Pershouse's Cameron Kedwell about his new role as our 'point man' for rockmelons.

And, our newsletter wouldn't be complete without a really bad joke!

Happy Easter!

This Month in Vegetables
With the cooler weather approaching (as I write this article it is 29 degrees in Brisbane!!), vegetables are about to become the star attraction on the family table again.

Alwyn Weier, Pershouse's Vegetable specialist, says that many lines still represent good value, but until the Gatton season starts, there are a number of shortages too.

"Silverbeet is short and the market is strong. So the prices reflect that disparity. But this is the best silverbeet I have seen all season" said Al.

"Cauliflower, brocolli, chokoes and capsicums are also in short supply."

"But beans and cabbage are plentiful, as are eschallots."

"But we are just waiting for Gatton to start. At the moment there is a trickle of produce. It will be full tilt soon."

Tomatoes are also experiencing their season change of region with produce on the market now coming from Bundaberg, after a season out of Victoria.

On the heavy produce side, there are plenty of sweet potatoes to be found as well as onions, which are coming from Tasmania and South Australia.

Pumpkin prices are still a little higher than normal and there is no change expected on that front in the immediate future.

Pershouse new 'Rock' Star!
Our regular readers may recall that in our very first edition of Fresh Perspective we featured Cameron Kedwell.

At the time Cameron was building Pershouse's banana business - very successfully, and was looking forward to a long future in the industry. After all, it is in his blood!

Well today, Cameron not only handles Pershouse's bananas, but recently added one of our biggest lines to his portfolio - rockmelons.

"I am really excited about this," said Cameron when I caught up with him this week.

"Pershouse is one of Australia's largest rockmelon marketers, so I just jumped at this opportunity when it was offered.

"And I also get to look after our honeydew business too."

Cameron is looking to grow the business and intends to visit our major growing regions in the near future.

"I will take the same approach to melons as I did with my banana growers. Personal attention and also attention to detail. Managing the produce along the supply chain is crucial."

And how does Cameron plan to manage such a large fruit portfolio?

"I am lucky to have Kel Behan still working with me - we work well together. It all comes down to being organised and good communication."

And talking is one thing the we know Cammo excels at!

This month in Fruit
Apples are still the talk of the town with fair supplies out of Stanthorpe.

Plentiful supplies of Red Delicious, Granny Smiths, Fuji's and Royal Galas.

recent hailstorms have put a dent in supplies, but that won't affect the market until later in the year.

Pears are also making an appearance with the Williams variety excellent eating at the moment.

Bananas are mixed at best. Lots of fruit but a large variance in quality. Best quality is attracting high prices, but most product is very standard and the prices are reflecting this oversupply of pedestrian quality produce. Of course, this is all weather affected, and the fallout from this difficult season is expected to continue for a little while yet.

And of course, it wouldn't be easter without the first flush of Imperial mandarins appearing on the market. Lots more to follow in the coming months.

A joke for you...
I never promised that all of the joke contributions would be politically correct. Just clean fun!! If you are sensitive..STOP READING NOW!!!

A woman meets a man in a bar.

They talk; they connect; they end up leaving together. They get back to his place, and as he shows her around his apartment. She notices that one wall of his bedroom is completely filled with soft, sweet, cuddly teddy bears. There are three shelves in the bedroom, with hundreds and hundreds of cute, cuddly teddy bears carefully placed in rows, covering the entire wall! It was obvious that he had taken quite some time to lovingly arrange them and she was immediately touched by the amount of thought he had put into organizing the display. There were small bears all along the bottom shelf, medium-sized bears covering the length of the middle shelf, and huge, enormous bears running all the way along the top shelf. She found it strange for an obviously masculine guy to have such a large collection of Teddy Bears, She is quite impressed by his sensitive side. but doesn't mention this to him.

They share a bottle of wine and continue talking and, after a while, she finds herself thinking, 'Oh my God! Maybe, this guy could be the one! Maybe he could be the future father of my children?' She turns to him and kisses him lightly on the lips. He responds warmly. They continue to kiss, the passion builds, and he romantically lifts her in his arms and carries her into his bedroom where they rip off each other's clothes and make hot, steamy love. She is so overwhelmed that she responds with more passion, more creativity, more heat than she has ever known. After an intense, explosive night of raw passion with this sensitive guy, they are lying there together in the afterglow. The woman rolls over, gently strokes his chest and asks coyly,

'Well,how was it?' The guy gently smiles at her, strokes her cheek, looks deeply into her eyes, and says:

'Help yourself to any prize from the middle shelf'

Thanks to David Broadbent for this contribution!!

If you have a story or article that you think would make a great addition to Fresh Perspective contact;

Laura Koman
Ph: 07 3379 3034
Email: laura@pershouse.com.au