Wharf prices, and what you can actually get today.
It is august – october and the farm is at “seeding twine in the hatchery”. Fresh blade is a four-day product that exists in April and May; everything else on this list is last season’s crop, held frozen or dried, and we say which is which.
01
Fresh blades, whole
$2.40 per lb, 20 lb minimum
When
April to early June only. It is a fresh product with a four-day life.
Who buys it
Restaurants and a handful of grocers within a day's drive.
02
Blanched and frozen, 5 lb blocks
$3.10 per lb
When
Year round, until the season's pack runs out — usually February.
Who buys it
Kitchens that want it out of season, and every wholesale enquiry we get in autumn.
03
Dried whole leaf
$18.00 per lb, dried weight
When
Year round. Eleven pounds of wet blade makes one pound dry.
Who buys it
Retail packers and spice houses.
04
Cut stipe, frozen
$2.20 per lb
When
Year round while stock lasts.
Who buys it
Picklers. The stipe is the stem and it behaves like a vegetable, not a leaf.
05
Bulk wet, ungraded
$0.55 per lb, one tonne minimum
When
Late May and early June, once the fouling starts.
Who buys it
Biostimulant and feed buyers. Not food grade and not sold as such.
The one that is not food
Bulk wet is what comes off the lines at the end of the season once the bryozoan has settled on the blade. It is sold ungraded to biostimulant and feed buyers, it is priced accordingly, and it is not sold as food. A farm that quietly moves late crop into the food line is a farm you will hear about eventually.