23 - 29 January 2023 update Sydney Market that includes availability and price of seasonal fruits, vegetables and flowers. Also includes recipe suggestions.
FRUIT
With only a few weeks to go, snap up Tasmania cherries; the quality is superb, and cherries are $15-$50 a kilo, depending on size and variety.
Send the kids back to school with thirst-quenching grapes. Select from white, pink and black varieties with some of the sweetest eating grapes still coming from Queensland this week. You get what you pay for this week, with grapes ranging in price from $4-$20 a kilo.
Juicy limes are 40¢-$1 each, and your local greengrocer is sure to offer specials on bulk buys. To obtain the maximum amount of juice from a lime, warm the fruit in the microwave for 30 seconds or roll it firmly on the kitchen bench, then juice. This banana, lime and coconut cake is popular with kids, young and old.
Both red and yellow-fleshed plums are in peak supply and rich in flavour. Depending on variety and size, plums sell for $3-$15 a kilo. Toss sliced plums into a salad with watercress, toasted walnuts and goat’s cheese.
Late summer to early autumn is the best time to make the most of figs. Highly perishable flesh figs are best stored in the refrigerator until required. Serve fresh figs at room temperature with honey and ricotta cheese for a tasty, easy dessert. Add them to a salad, or serve them with soft cheese. Figs are $1-$3 each.
Juicy, sweet Queensland pineapples are naturally refreshing and a good source of vitamin C. Depending on whether you choose a pineapple (with a crown) or a topless variety and the size prices range from $2-$6 each. For a quick dessert, caramelise melted butter and brown sugar in a frying pan, add chunks of pineapple and warm through.
Peaches and nectarines are still plentiful, and the quality is outstanding. Expect to pay $3-$10 a kilo for small to medium-sized fruit and up to $10 a kilo for large fruit.
One of the best-flavoured avocados you will ever taste is the creamy, full-flavoured Reed avocado. Reed avocados from the Sunraysia area are only available until the end of February and are selling for $3-$5 each.
Late summer yields a plentiful supply of tangy–sweet passionfruit. Choose fruit that feels heavy for its size; having a slightly wrinkled appearance is quite acceptable. Avoid small, dry, withered and discoloured fruit. Passionfruit are 50¢-$1.50 each depending on the variety. Look for bulk buy specials at your local greengrocer.
Watermelon supplies are bouncing back. This week whole seedless watermelon is $1.50-$2 a kilo; once cut, watermelon is $2.50 -$4 a kilo.
Salad and Truss tomatoes eat nicely and retail at $3-$6 a kilo.
VEGETABLES
Eggplants at $3-$6 a kilo are superb this week. Fresh, young eggplants only require disgorging (salting) if you intend deep-frying. Cut eggplant into 1 cm slices, brush with olive oil and grill until soft and golden. Use in a vegetable lasagne, add to a salad, or a pizza topping or try this roasted eggplant, herb & feta salad.
Zucchinis are $2-$6 a kilo. Add grated zucchini to cakes, pasta sauces and meatloaf or thinly slice lengthwise and add to a salad. They are also delicious. Slice them in half and cook on the barbecue.
Freshly harvested sweetcorn from the Hawkesbury area and the Lockyer Valley in Queensland is a top buy at 70¢-$1 a cob. Send kids back to school with a healthy rainbow salad packed in their lunch box, made sweeter and more colourful with the addition of golden corn kernels.
Did you know that the average ear of corn has 800 kernels arranged in 16 rows?
Premium quality snake beans are good value at $2.50- $3 a bunch. There is no need to string, wash and cut into desired lengths to add to your favourite stir-fry, curry, or Asian dishes.
Asian leafy greens, such as bok choy, choy sum and gai lum, are a bargain at $1.50-$2.50 a bunch. Serve these nutritious veggies steamed and tossed in oyster sauce, or add them to a Chinese-inspired stir-fry like this bok choy & chicken chow mein.
Mushrooms make an Australia Day BBQ tastier and healthier. Sizzle up some large Jumbo flats, thread button mushrooms, and halloumi cheese on skewers and BBQ until just warmed. Mushrooms are $10-$12 a kilo.
Aromatic basil is at its tastiest in summer. Team basil with tomato-based dishes, blend a batch of homemade pesto to enjoy with fresh pasta or tear leaves and add to salads and dressings. Basil is $3-$4 a bunch.
FLOWERS
There is a fantastic selection of fresh-cut flowers in season in January. I recommend the Siam tulips, oriental lilies, gerberas, bouvardia, tuberoses, dahlia, lisianthus, sunflowers, celosia, locally grown roses, gum blossom, calla lilies, Singapore orchids, pineapple lilies and Arab’s eyes.
Prices quoted in this report are only relevant for the week of the report. All prices are estimates only as prices vary depending on variety, size and quality of produce and the trading area. For further information please contact Sue Dodd, Marketing Consultant on 0438725453.
Published On 2023-01-23 14:08:00
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