Whether it’s a fruit salad for breakfast or some grilled vegetables for the barbecue, your local fruit and veg shop has got you covered this week with an incredible range of seasonal offerings.
Nothing says Aussie summer more than the smell of ripe in-season mangoes. So why not make the most of Queensland- grown R2E2, Kensington Pride and Keow Savoy varieties– all juicy and delicious eating. While mangoes are ideal on their own the Keow Savoy variety (green mango) can be shredded into a mango salad.
There is plenty of value in stone fruit as they approach the peak of their season, with prices dependent on size. Popular choices are white and yellow peaches, yellow nectarines and black ruby variety of plums. Deep-orange apricots are in their prime. Choose fruit that is firm but not hard, once ripe store apricots in the fridge.
Starting the season right are both white and red seedless grapes coming from Emerald. In exotics, the white variety of dragon fruit is in season and plentiful. To enjoy dragon fruit, slice it in half, scoop out the flesh with a spoon and eat it right out of the shell. Add some zest to your meals and drinks with tangy limes and lemons currently coming from Mareeba and Gin Gin respectively.
Raspberries and blackberries are in moderate supply whereas blueberries, cherries and strawberries are plentiful. Other top buys include bananas, pawpaws, sweet eating pineapples, avocadoes and watermelons from Tully.
Several vegetables are fantastic buying this week, including hand-picked beans, snow peas, eggplants, celery, zucchini, sweet potatoes, pumpkins and all varieties of cucumber. One of the best buys this week is fresh chilli from Bundaberg. Look for red, green, and yellow varieties to use in stir-fries, curries, and pasta sauces. Salads will also benefit from well-supplied beetroot, kale, spinach, lettuce and Dutch carrots.
Turn a simple meal into a show-stopping dish by adding edible garnishes including Cosmos, Oxalis Purple, Micro Confetti, Green Shisho and Lemon Balm. Ask your local fruit shop team for punnets of these beautiful edible flowers.
Herbs in good supply are chives, mint, dill and coriander. Staples such as onions, potatoes and tomatoes from South Australia are plentiful too. Supplies of broccoli and corn are decreasing whereas capsicum and cauliflower are well-supplied.
This week’s top pick is lychees from Far North Queensland. Choose fruit that is firm with red or pink skin. Store lychees in the fridge for up to a week or freeze peeled lychees in the freezer. Lychees are a good source of vitamin C and dietary fibre and can be used in fruit salads, drinks and desserts. For a simple dessert, serve peeled and deseeded lychees with vanilla ice-cream.
– Produce report supplied by Brismark