North Queensland is producing many of our summer favourites including lychees, KP mangoes, papaya and bananas all great eating so get into your local fruit and veg shops to make the most of these summer beauties.
All varieties of Queensland-grown melons are well supplied this week – watermelon, rockmelon, orange candy melon and honeydew melon – with orange candy melon being a standout pick this week as supply is plentiful, they are good eating and very reasonably priced, making them a quick and low-cost snack for kids.
Topless pineapples coming from Yeppoon and the Sunshine Coast are cheap and eating well too. Pineapples can be left at room temperature for 2-3 days until they achieve your preferred skin colour. If they are ‘just right’ already, they can be stored in the fridge for 4-5 days until you’re ready to eat. If cut, store in an airtight container for up to six days.
Apples are in full swing this week – enjoy them as a snack, add slices to salads and, if you have a sweet tooth, try a warm apple pie great to go with this weather. Australian navels have finished but citrus fruit coming from the southern states include seedless Valencia oranges, grapefruit, mandarins and limes, all of which are great eating and good value.
There’s plenty of value in stone fruit too as they are approaching the peak of their season, with prices dependent on size. We recommend apricots, yellow peaches, white nectarines, as well as many varieties of plums.
Hass avocados continue to be great eating and value coming mainly from Western Australia and New Zealand. Blueberries coming from NSW and QLD-grown raspberries continue to be great eating although supply has lightened so expect to pay slightly more.
It hasn’t been a great week for veggies with both local and interstate supplies affected by rain, meaning you can expect to pay a bit more for cauliflower, broccoli, silverbeet, pumpkins, onions, sweet potatoes, Asian vegetables, chillies, zucchini, spinach, snow peas, sugar snaps, capsicum, and gourmet tomatoes.
However, we are seeing good supply, quality and value for asparagus, cabbage, carrots, beetroot, corn, cucumber, garlic, ginger, brushed potatoes, shallots, cherry, truss and grape tomatoes.
This week’s top pick is mushrooms, thanks to the excellent supplies button, flat, and Swiss brown mushrooms arriving from Woodford. Look for firm, fresh-smelling mushrooms and store in a paper bag in the fridge for up to a week. Mushrooms + Mince = The Blend is a simple cooking technique to make minced meat dishes like spaghetti bolognaise, tacos and burgers instantly healthier, while enhancing the meaty flavour. The blend is simple, just add mushrooms to mince makes the perfect blend for any minced meat dish. The blend makes meals more nutritious and delicious.
Report supplied by Brismark