4 - 10 March update Sydney Market that includes availability and price of seasonal fruits, vegetables and flowers. Also includes recipe suggestions.
FRUITS:
Celebrate the onset of autumn by indulging in succulent plums. Adding a burst of flavour and colour, their sweet, red or yellow flesh makes them a perfect addition sliced into salads. You can roast them with pork belly or bake them into pastries and cakes for a delightful twist. Depending on the variety, plums are available at your local greengrocer for $3-$13 a kilo.
Juicy and flavourful figs are now in season and available for $1-$3 each. Enjoy them with rocket, toasted walnuts, fresh burrata and a drizzle of olive oil and sherry vinegar for a savoury delight. Try them in a clafouti for a sweet indulgence.
Indulge in the irresistible flavours of the new season's Royal Gala, Mi, Fuji, Jazz, Tango, and Red Delicious apples. These apples are exceptionally crisp and bursting with taste. Grab a juicy apple this week, priced between $2-$8 per kilo, varying prices depending on the variety and size.
Treat yourself to the delicious Williams' pears, available at a great price of $2-$4 per kilo. Roasting these pears makes for a fantastic addition to roast pork dishes and pairs wonderfully with parsnips. When selecting pears, opt for firm, mature ones, as they continue to ripen after harvesting. Let them ripen at room temperature for the best flavour. For poaching or roasting, firm pears work best to achieve optimal results.
Roasting grapes enhances their natural sweetness, rendering them syrupy and irresistibly delicious, perfect for topping desserts like tarts or cheesecakes. They also serve as a delightful addition to a bitter-leaf salad, providing a burst of sweetness to balance the dish. With so many different varieties, it's a fabulous time to enjoy white, red, and black grape varieties, with prices ranging from $4 -$26 a kilo.
Get ready for the sweet persimmons season! These delightful fruits, also known as Fuji fruit, resemble traditional persimmons but come with a unique twist: you can enjoy their firm and crispy. Their vibrant tangerine-coloured flesh adds flavour to salads or cheese boards. Prices typically range from $2.50-$4 each, varying based on size and quality.
Hurry! kiwiberries, are only available for 2 to 3 more weeks. These grape-sized delights are green, fuzz-free, and resemble regular kiwifruit when sliced open, featuring emerald green flesh and tiny black seeds. Their flavour is akin to kiwifruit, perhaps slightly sweeter. Get your hands on a punnet for $5-$6.
Avocados continue to be a delicious and quality buy. New season Shepard avocados have started, but there continues to be good value in Western Australia Hass and South Australian rich and creamy Reed Avocados. Prices range from $1.50-$3 each, depending on size and variety.
VEGETABLES
In the cooler months, carrots shine in various dishes. Utilise vibrant carrots for roasting, mashing, stir-fries and salads. Opting for a kilo bag is a thrifty choice, priced between $1.50-$2.50. Alternatively, larger premium carrots are available at $2.50 to $3 per kilo.
Autumn heralds the peak season for high-quality eggplants. Look for firm, heavy eggplants with taut, glossy, deeply coloured skin and a fresh green stem. They can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week, but handle them carefully as they bruise easily. Eggplants are available for $3-$6 per kilo.
Reimagine your salads with fresh, hydroponically grown lettuce varieties like oak leaf, mignonette, coral, and butter. These greens are available abundantly and affordable at $2.50-$3 per head. Mix and match them to create exciting flavour combinations and elevate your salads to new heights.
Sweet potato Immune-boosting kumara (orange sweet potato) is packed with vitamins and fibre. Delicious roasted, chopped orange sweet potato (kumara) with red onion wedges in olive oil flavoured with cumin and coriander for 30 minutes or until tender. Kumara is $2-$4 a kilo.
The alluring aroma of fresh caramelising onions is guaranteed to please. Barbecues are incomplete without onions served with snags, or add pickled onions to a steak sandwich. Grab a kilo of brown onions for $3-$4 a kilo and red onions for $3-$5.
Bag up a kilo of firm and flavoursome Hawkesbury-grown mushrooms for $10-$14 a kilo. For a delicious and quick meal, try threading button mushrooms and diced ling fillets onto skewers and cooking them on a hot barbecue or char-grill until just cooked.
This week, Asian greens boast top quality and unbeatable value. For optimal flavour and freshness, make it a habit to purchase Asian greens regularly and cook them until just tender. You can find Asian greens priced between $2.50-$3 per bunch, making them a budget-friendly choice.
Jap pumpkins shine when roasted for salads or incorporated into pasta dishes, adding a golden hue and delightful nutty sweetness. Whether in a Massaman curry, risotto, or frittata, their bright orange flesh and sweet, nutty flavour enhance every bite. Pick up a whole pumpkin; these versatile gems cost just $2-$2.50 per kilo.
Chestnut season has started. Fresh chestnuts are a taste sensation. While most nuts contain 50% fat, chestnuts contain 2.7%. TO ROAST CHESTNUTS, cut a cross in the outer shell, place chestnuts in a tray, and cook at 200o oven for 15-20 minutes or until the shell splits. Large-quality chestnuts are $10-$16 a kilo. Add chestnuts to salads; toss with steamed beans, Brussels sprouts or broccolini.
Victorian and Tasmanian broccoli prices have eased a bit; expect to pay $4-$8 a kilo, depending on quality.
FLOWERS
Treat yourself to a vibrant bunch of lisianthus, dahlia, carnations, flamingo celosia, oriental lilies, pineapple lily, Peppercorn berry sprigs, Snowberry, Siam tulips, sedum, paper daisies, queen Annes lace, sunflowers, local roses, tulips, chrysanthemums, hydrangea, hanging amaranth, smoke bush, tiger lily, Easter daisies, carnations, gerberas, bouvardia, or tuberoses. Embrace the top-quality blooms of autumn by visiting your local florist.
Please note that the prices quoted in this report only apply for the current week and are subject to variation based on product variety, size, quality, and the trading area. For more information, please feel free to contact Sue Dodd, Marketing Consultant, at 0438725453
Published On 2024-03-04 15:56:00
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