Get ready for fresh Fruit & long, sunny days!
Seasonal favourites such as local strawberries and blueberries are of great value right now; blend them with creamy bananas supplied from Innisfail to make a refreshing breakfast smoothie. Supplies of seedless watermelon and tender rockmelons from Gumlu are also increasing. For a quick refreshing flavour burst, add some melon chunks to salads or thread a medley of them onto skewers to enjoy a fruity snack.
Apples, pears, avocados, late-season Afourer mandarins and navel oranges are all widely available; however, passionfruit and raspberries are running low.
Sweet eating papayas from North Queensland, zesty lemons from Dimbulah, and tangy limes continue to impress with their quality. If you’re a papaya fan, treat yourself to a delicious baked papaya topped with vanilla ice cream and a pinch of lemon or lime juice – it’s a sure winner!
Who can resist a juicy mango? Bursting with summery sweetness, Kensington Pride mangoes from the Northern Territory are eating magnificently. There’s nothing like peeling the skin off a mango and biting right into it, but if you’d prefer to use your knife and fork, slice it up to add to salads, or pair them with chicken or prawns on the barbie.
In vegetables, Gatton and the Lockyer Valley continue to fill the shelves with abundant supplies of cauliflower, broccoli, green beans and bok choy. Bok choy is delicious when steamed or tossed in a hot wok. Select bunches with crunchy pale stems and fresh-looking green leaves.
Crunchy and vibrant green celery is also in abundance this week – dice, slice or cut into small sticks and pair with hummus for an afternoon snack. Iceberg lettuce and Aussie asparagus represent quality buys, so make sure to pop some in your basket this week.
Salads are ready to be the star of the kitchen, with leafy greens such as rocket, spinach, kale, oakleaf and cos lettuce in ample supply. If you’re looking to bulk up your salads, try sweet potatoes from Bundaberg, pumpkins, and small-sized red washed potatoes. Red washed potatoes have pink skin with creamy white flesh, and are high in moisture and low in starch, making them an ideal salad addition.
While the supply of broad beans and sugar snaps from North Queensland has lightened, the quality is still good. The supply of Lebanese cucumbers is improving; however, corn is scarce and green capsicum supplies are dropping.
Zucchinis from Bowen are thriving right now. For something different, try chocolate and zucchini doughnuts or baked zucchini fries. In herbs, coriander, basil, parsley, mint, and thyme are in good supply. Other well-supplied tops buys include mushrooms, beetroot, leeks, rhubarb, spring onions, English spinach, parsnips, eggplants, and brown onions.
This week’s hero is the juicy pineapple, in heavy supply from the Sunshine Coast. Pineapples are sweet, delicious, and easy to incorporate into your diet as they can be added to both sweet and savoury dishes. Enjoy them on their own, in smoothies, salads, stir-frys, or serve hot on a grilled burger or… this is a little controversial… on homemade pizza! Choose pineapples that feel heavy for their size, have fresh-looking leaves, and smell the bottom of the pineapple to gauge its level of sweetness. Once cut, store it in the fridge in an airtight container.
Report supplied by Brismark