Strawberry season ending

The strawberry season is fast coming to a close because of the intense heat all over Finland.

Annikki was pushing me to buy the strawberries,- I held off till I knew the  bottom had been hit.

On Wednesady I got 5 kg of Strawberries at just €15.90 (Old Finnish Markka 96) per kilo from Halpa Halli. This is as low as I have been buying it all these 26 years.

Annikki was amazed how I had held on as she had read in the newspapers of how the season was rapidly ending.

I ate my fill as I drove home with the box next to me in the car. in the evening, Annikki dished up a huge plate of strawberries and ice cream, reviving mychildhood  memories of the Nilgiris Hole in the wall on Brigade Road, Bangalore.

I am satisfied. I await the strawberry season of next year!

Strawberry prices down

Today Tokmanni is offering fresh strawberry 5 kg boxes at € 18.90, the lowest yet.

The only way you get them cheaper would be to go to a nearby farm growing strawberries and collect them yourself. YOu can eat as much as you want while collecting and pay only for what you want to bring home.

These farms are scattered around Oulu, near Muhos, Rukki, etc.

Tomatoes are cheap today

Look around for fresh Finnish tomatoes today. They are cheap in a couple of shops - € 0.89 per kg.

Those strawberries I bought yesterday at € 19.80 for a 5 kg box were delicious. No need for cream, ice cream or sugar. Was chomping on them for most of yesterday.

Some good buys today

Strawberries came on sale about 10 days ago at a price of € 29.90 for 5 kg. The prices stayed up and then dropped to € 24.90 at most shops. Nobody seemed to be giving way.

Then came yesterday's advertising leaflet from Halpa-Halli. They have three shops in Oulu, but only one does foodstuffs, the one at Toppila. They lowered the price to € 19.80 for 5 kg.

I went across today and bought a 5 kg box. I started nibbling at it while I was driving home. They were particularly sweet and before I knew it, I had consumed half the box.

The offer will continue tomorrow, but expect a rather heavy demand. Stocks may be over before noon.

At Citymarket, Fazer chocolates are on offer at € 3.00 for 2 x 200 gm bars. € 0.50 saving per bar. A great buy.

You can get a kilo of Euroshopper sugar at € 0.69 per kg in Citymarket. This is the time Finns need sugar to preserve their strawberries. Sugar prices are usually near a Euro, so this is a excellent buy for sugar lovers.

VIP brand Apple and Orange juices (no water added) are being offered to PLUSSA card holders at 2.00 for 5 cartons, just € 0.40 per carton. This is € 0.35 cheaper than the usual cheapest variety of the same quality. If they run out of VIP, Pirkka, the K-Group label, juices are being offered as an alternate.

You can also buy 5 x 1.5 litres of fizzy drinks (various flavours) at Euro 1 per bottle which includes 0.20 for the bottle. A particularly good offer.

If you are a chicken eater, chicken filet, 400 gm pack, is on offer with the PLUSSA card at just € 1.99 per packet. The usual price is € 3.49, a saving of € 1.50!

Happy shopping.