Eating healthy doesn’t have to be complicated with a balanced diet of fresh fruit and veg. This week favourable growing conditions and seasonal availability have produced a fantastic selection of quality fruit and vegetables at your local fruit and veg shop.
Sweet and succulent rockmelons from North Queensland and watermelons are in good supply and a must-buy this week. The season for Thompson Seedless grapes is just getting started, whereas other grape varieties are eating well.
Kickstart your day with a gut-healthy breakfast as the new season favourites fresh, crunchy and attractively priced Royal Gala apples and William Bartlett pears are featuring prominently in your local fruit shops. Prepare spiced pear yoghurt and granola – mix diced pears into Greek-style yoghurt with cinnamon and ginger, use this mixture as a topping on granola base. Add walnuts if desired.
Increased volumes of Shepard avocadoes are taking over from Hass as the North Queensland season progresses. Did you know that the Shepard avocado’s skin stays glossy when ripe, its flesh doesn’t brown when cut, making them an ideal base for dips such as guacamole or hummus?
Berries are a bit of a delicacy lately given their tight supply due to the unpredictable weather, however, supplies of late summer fruit continue to be plentiful with nectarines, plums, peaches and mangoes, all are good eating. Try the late-season Keitt variety of mango from Mareeba, they have a gorgeous pink, red blush with yellow/orange flesh.
Also looking good this week are figs from Grantham, limes, lemons, pineapples and Pink Lady apples.
In vegetables, green beans, butternut squash, capsicums, Dutch carrots, eggplants, sweetcorn and zucchini are well-supplied and represent great value. Use them for roasts, stir-frys or cook up a veggie-loaded casserole. The shelves are currently overflowing with Stanthorpe-grown tomatoes, Gatton-grown onions and Bundaberg-grown sweet potatoes. So, make the most of these versatile veggies while you can.
Salads will benefit from good supplies of lettuce, kale, cucumber and baby spinach while new season ginger from Kirkwood will add flavour to your meals. Beetroot is an underrated vegetable that is often overlooked, but it is packed with fibre and its sweet, earthy flavour is delicious raw, cooked or pickled. They are good buying at the moment so make sure you grab a bunch to add some colour to your healthy diet.
This week’s top pick is dragon fruit currently arriving from Glass House Mountains and Bundaberg. Also known as pitahaya, this fruit comes in both red and white flesh varieties and has a mild flavour, similar to kiwifruit. Select fruit that is slightly firm with a bright pink skin and that is evenly coloured. Combine dragon fruit with other fruits to make a striking fruit salad mix, enjoy in smoothies, yoghurts or add to your favourite cheese platter.
– Produce report supplied by Brismark