Christmas is just around the corner, and across Queensland fresh food producers are ready for the advent season, despite grappling with wild weather, labour shortages, and the rising costs of living.
If you're planning a Christmas feast, it's high time to get your orders into suppliers for hams, seafood, and other festive delicacies.
And for those on a budget, producers say there are still plenty of options.
Cherries
In November, a Rabobank Australia report found consecutive La Niña weather events had increased the likelihood of a shortage of cherry supplies at Christmas.
Woolworths has had notes up in some supermarkets warning customers that cherries are delayed due to La Niña, when the season typically starts in November.
But Brisbane Markets spokesman Luke Leeson said the first deliveries of the beloved fruit are now being received, and there will be plenty in time for Christmas.
"We will see more and more cherries come through in time for Christmas," he said.
"If you see them out now, they are good, you can grab them.
"But we are expecting the quality of the produce to really pick up over the coming weeks."
Stone fruit
Queensland's major fruit-growing area is the Granite Belt, surrounding Stanthorpe near the NSW border.
"You're not going to find nicer stone fruit or berries this time of year than in the Granite Belt," Granite Belt Growers Association president Nathan Baronio said.
"A lot of our stone fruit growers are in early production, so they are in full swing at the moment, and they will be in full swing for another four weeks.
"Then probably at that point, when the Stanthorpe production drops off, a lot of the southern states kick off with that later production."
The region is still recovering from the 2019 drought that forced producers to spend up big carting water from Warwick, with many fruit trees still in recovery and producers fearful of losing water again.
But Mr Baronio said a silver lining had been the "chalk and cheese" experience for farmers who were desperate for workers during COVID now finding plenty of willing hands to pick and pack their produce.
Mangoes
It's also good news for mango lovers, with growers experiencing a bumper year compared to last.
Australian Mango Industry Association chief executive Brett Kelly said there would be no shortage of mangoes for Christmas dinner.
"The volume for this year overall is still going to be well up on last year, probably anywhere between half to a million trays more than last year," he said.
"We have heaps of volume — really good-quality mangoes that are hitting the markets and the retailers, and it's just perfect timing for Christmas."
Prices are expected to stay attractive, currently around $2–$3.50 each at major supermarkets, so for those on a budget mangoes could still be on the table.
Seafood
Seafood lovers should get their orders in as soon as possible, with some impacts expected for coastal seafood such as mud crab and estuary fish, Queensland Seafood Industry Association acting chief executive David Bobbermen said.
For wild-caught fish, prices are also expected to rise compared to last year due to short supply and rising costs.
Mr Bobberman said supply chain challenges had lingered after COVID in some areas, and labour had been a major challenge.
"If budgeting, some less-known species offer great value if you can get them," he said.
"Another tip is smaller prawns are just as good — just smaller and usually cheaper."
Australian Prawn Farmers Association chief executive Kim Hooper said for budget-conscious consumers, prawns were the ideal Christmas protein with cheap prices expected this season.
"We've got an abundance of prawns this Christmas; we've got another bumper crop so it's looking really good," she said.
"It certainly pays to shop around at your reputable suppliers and your retailers because there are some real bargains to be had this Christmas."
Ms Hooper said frozen prawns were also ideal for large family gatherings as they were as fresh and nutrient-packed as raw, and could be kept in the freezer until needed.
Meat
In Brisbane's south, Sherwood Rd Organic Meats owner Amy Tiller said she had had an influx of early orders for Christmas meats, particularly bone-in hams and turkeys.
"COVID was two really uncertain Christmases. No-one knew how many people they were going to be feeding, or where they would be," she said.
"There were very late orders and it was very difficult for people to decide what to order."
This year, she said, many of the shop's regular customers were not putting in orders as they were going overseas for the season.
"At first with the early orders, I thought, 'Oh my God, it's going to be a bumper year', but it's turning out to be fairly average for us," Ms Tiller said.
Being organic, many of the shop's offerings are on the higher price side, but Ms Tiller said their local suppliers have had a good year and were keeping prices steady.
"[Farmers] have been telling us very early on they're going to keep their prices the same," she said.
"They didn't need to put them up, and they're very sensitive to the challenges customers are facing with costs of living."
For those on a budget, a bone-in leg ham — selling at $26/kg at Sherwood Rd or about $8/kg in major supermarkets — is still a cost-effective way of feeding a large number of people, Ms Tiller said.
She said turkey had also increased in popularity, with many people putting in orders for rolled turkey breast or for whole birds.
