It’s back-to-school season and we know it can be a challenge to pack healthy lunchboxes during busy mornings, but don’t despair as a wide range of snackable fruit and nutritious vegetables are arriving at your local fruit and veg shop this week, so you can be confident when creating quick, fun and healthy lunches for your kids.
Let the produce be the hero in lunchboxes with new season Royal Gala apples, as supplies have started to arrive from Stanthorpe. These apples, freshly picked, are crunchy, juicy and ready to eat. Other child-friendly choices include William pears from Shepperton, plump cherries as well as sweet eating red seedless and Menindee grapes.
Summer favourites such as passionfruit and mango are great value right now, blend them with lime juice to make a refreshing after school smoothie. Supplies of strawberries and blueberries are tight, whereas lemons from Dimbulah and beautiful figs from Childers are plentiful.
Brimming with natural sweetness are delightful lychees that can be enjoyed as an afternoon snack or made into sorbets. Choose from varieties such as Kwai Mai Pink (small seed) or premium Erdon Lee (larger with more flesh).
Continuing with their impressive quality this week are stone fruit. Look out for Snow Princess white peaches coming from South Australia, or nectarines, apricots and sugar plums from Victoria, which are all good eating.
Thanks to stable growing conditions, most vegetables are picking up in supplies this week. Tuck some well-supplied baby spinach, cherry tomatoes, carrots, cucumber and pair with hummus, in a tortilla for a tasty and healthy vegetarian wrap. Create bite-sized salad sandwiches for the little ones including lettuce from Stanthorpe, rocket, wombok, beetroot and spring onions as they are all in good supply.
Other great value buys include eggplants, machine picked green beans, pumpkins and gold sweet potatoes. Supplies of root veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage are increasing from Stanthorpe. Corn from Victoria and capsicums from Bundaberg are plentiful and calling out for mini pizzas to be loaded with fresh veggies.
Fun fact: Did you know capsicums start their lives green in colour? As they mature, they change their colour to red or yellow.
This week’s top pick is the ultimate refreshing Continental cucumber. Currently, in abundance, cucumbers are arriving from Gatton, Greenbank, Bundaberg and South Australia. They add a cool, mild flavour and snappy crunch to salads and sandwiches. Look for firm, dark green cucumbers without soft spots and store in the fridge. Dice cucumbers, crush garlic and mix with yoghurt for a tasty dip or infuse it with lemon in your daily water intake.
– Produce report supplied by Brismark