As we head back to school, there is plenty of great snacking fruit and vegetables available at your Local Fruit and Veg Shop that are perfect for the kids’ lunchbox! Summer is a great time to be picking up fresh seasonal fruits that won’t be around for much longer!
This week’s highlight is Grapes, which are beautifully sweet and available in several varieties, such as Menindee, Ralli, Muscatels, Sapphire, Flame and Black Beauty. Grapes are the best snack to pop into the kids’ lunchboxes and are a good source of vitamin C and vitamin A. Grapes are super refreshing, and we especially love eating them frozen – just put them in the fridge for a few hours and enjoy them as a nice cool snack!
Mangoes are reaching the end of their season, but there are still some varieties available, such as the R2E2 and Kensington Prides coming from Bundaberg in Queensland.
There is plenty of great stone fruit available, including several varieties of Plum such as queen garnet, red phoenix and sugar plums. We love eating plums just as they are as an excellent sweet snack, but you could also use them to make a plum sauce, perfect for savoury dishes like our Grilled Pork Chops with Plum Sauce!
There are also plenty of juicy Nectarines, Peaches and Apricots available this week at your local Fruit and Veg shop.
We are also seeing some new season Apples such as the delicious and well-balanced royal gala, perfect for chopping up and popping in the kids’ lunchboxes!
Cherries are reaching the end of their season, so snap some up before they’re gone! If you’re looking for ways you can use cherries, you could try them in our Duck Tacos with Cherry Salsa!
You will also find plenty of excellent quality Watermelon, Lychees, Pineapple and Rockmelon at your Local Fruit and Veg Shop. Limes are also in good supply at the moment and good value. For a great summer salad idea, try out this Watermelon Mint and Feta Salad with Honey Pepper Lime Dressing.
We love chopping up fresh Carrot and Cucumber as an easy snack for the kids’ lunchboxes, which go great with homemade Hummus!
Fennel is one of our favourite veggies, which are great to toss into summer salads to pack a nice little punch. We also love roasting Fennel, and it works as an excellent accompaniment to fish in our Salmon & Fennel Tray Bake.
There are also plenty of great quality Pumpkins available, particularly butternut pumpkins. Pick some up for your next roast, or better yet, turn them into our favourite Pumpkin Bread for a great afternoon snack!
Asian greens such as Bok Choy are plentiful at your Local Fruit and Veg shop, and are perfect for a mid-week stir-fry, or are perfect as a side dish to roasted meats. You will also find plenty of Baby Broccoli, Capsicum and Beans available, all great for a mid-week stir-fry!
Head to your local Fruit and Veg shop to see this week’s seasonal produce. The best way to shop and cook is to follow the seasons, and be sure to ask your greengrocer if you have any questions about what’s in season!