OK, just to clarify, Kiwis aren’t actually obsessed with cucumbers (well, some of them might be but I’m not going there).
But they do seem very keen on talking about the price of cucumbers.
Now, I’m not certain as to why cucumbers have been singled-out, and we’ve not been here long enough to see for certain, but this ‘cucumber price’ thing has been mentioned by quite a few people since we arrived (including a friend from Leicester who moved here 15 years ago).
It’s because fruit and veg prices here are very seasonal. So, right now (mid Feb) they’re around $2.50 (£1.30 ish) each. By Brit standards, that’s pricey.
However, in the off-season (which I assume is winter here) they can be as much as $10 (£5.50) each, or so I’m told.
As a result of the number of people who’ve mentioned it, I’m now wondering whether they have more of an obsession with the price of cucumbers than they realise?
I’ll keep you posted.
Yikes! I’m a bit spoiled when it comes to fruit and veggie prices. Not to mention their availability. Visited my sister in Delaware this past summer and it was odd to see shortages and higher prices in grocery stores. However, your present situation tops it all. Never thought of a cuke as such an extravagant imported fruit. Are personal or community gardens a thing there?
Have to admit that I was really surprised at this. NZ is a very agricultural country but some things make no sense. e.g. New Zealand lamb is more expensive here than it is in Britain (12,000 miles away).
Most folks, at least in the cities, have nearly no garden. Houses are built as close as possible to each other. And I’ve not yet seen a community garden or allotment, largely because land here in Auckland is at a premium. If the land is spare they’ll build a house on it.
Hey Karl … set up a ‘cucumber farm’ ;) — they are so easy to grow by the way!
Gary
It’s tempting, really it is. The challenge is affordable land, or rather the immediate lack of it.