Fresh Fruits & Vegetables in Spring - Sydney Markets

Spring

Tomato medley

Sold by the punnet in greengrocers, tomato medley is a colourful array of small tomatoes in various flavours, sizes and colours.

It usually includes cherry, grape, mini roma, tear drop andkumato varieties.

Roast tomato, rocket & chorizo spaghetti

Preparation 10 mins | Cooking 12 mins | Serves 4

400g dried spaghetti
1 tbs olive oil
2 chorizo sausages, finely diced
400g tomato medley, halved lengthways
(chop larger tomatoes)
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ small bunch rocket, trimmed
125g Greek feta cheese, roughly crumbled
⅓ cup pitted kalamata olives
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
Ground black pepper

STEP 1 Cook spaghetti in a large saucepan of boiling water, following packet directions, until al dente.

STEP 2 Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add chorizo and cook, tossing often, for 5 minutes until golden and crisp. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. Add tomatoes and garlic to the pan, cook, tossing often, for 4-5 minutes until very tender.

STEP 3 Drain spaghetti and return to the pan. Add tomato mixture, chorizo, rocket, feta, olives and extra virgin olive oil. Season with pepper to taste. Toss over low heat until hot and well combined and serve.

Blueberries

Nature’s superfood, sweet nutrient-packed blueberries are one of the healthiest snack foods. Low in kilojoules, blueberries are high in antioxidants and support brain health.

Half a punnet (75g) of blueberries supplies 10mg of vitamin C (25% RDI) and only 165 kilojoules! Blueberries also contain fibre and are low GI.

CHOOSING

Choose bright and even-coloured blueberries with a light frosty blush. Inspect the underside of the punnet for squashed fruit or oozing juice.

BEFORE USE

Wash blueberries just before use. Rinse in cold water then gently roll the blueberries on paper towel to dry.

Fresh Green Peas

Bursting with sweetness, just-picked green peas define spring freshness. Grab some from your local greengrocer today!

Select plump green peas with bright green intact pods. Once picked, green peas rapidly deteriorate and lose sweetness as the sugars convert to starch. The pod protects the delicate peas so remove just before cooking. For optimal flavour, cook peas on the day of purchase.

Easy to pod

Kids especially love podding fresh green peas so get the whole family involved in this fun and memorable task. Simply use your thumbnails to pry open the pod lengthways and remove the peas.

For the easiest of side dishes, rapidly boil podded green peas in salted water for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain, return peas to the pan and gently smash. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil or butter, season with salt and pepper then serve.

Bananas

This naturally sweet fruit is a storehouse of carbohydrate, vitamins and fibre.

The ever-popular Cavendish variety is great all-rounder whilst the smaller sweeter Ladyfinger is perfect for snacking and fruit salads.

Bananas & mangoes with palm sugar cream

Preparation 20 mins | Cooking 5 mins | Serves 4

½ cup ready to pour (or grated) palm sugar
¼ cup water
½ cup light coconut cream
1 tbs lime juice
4 just-ripe small mangoes
2 ripe bananas, sliced diagonally
Shredded toasted flaked coconut
and lime wedges, to serve
Olive oil cooking spray
2 garlic cloves, halved lengthways

STEP 1 To make sauce, combine palm sugar, water and coconut cream in a small heavy based saucepan. Stir over medium heat until mixture comes to the boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in lime juice and set aside to cool.

STEP 2 To serve, cut cheeks from mangoes, remove skin and thickly slice. Peel and diagonally slice bananas. Arrange fruit on a serving platter or plates. Drizzle with sauce and serve with lime wedges.

Fresh For Kids

Breakfast toast toppers

Colourful and nutritious, these great toast toppers are perfect for a quick breakfast for busy kids on the run.

Avocado & feta smash - Place ripe avocado on toast then gently mash with a fork. Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese and serve.

Banana, peanut butter & honey – Spread toast with crunchy peanut butter and top with sliced ripe banana. Drizzle with honey and serve.

Strawberries, blueberries & cream cheese – Spread toast with reduced fat cream cheese and top with halved strawberries and blueberries. Sprinkle with toasted coconut flakes and serve.

Tomato, egg & spinach – Spread toast with butter or margarine. Top toast with baby spinach, sliced tomato and a soft boiled egg and serve.

Fresh and in season

What's best in ...

September
Fruit Veggies
  • Apples: Lady Williams
  • Berries: Strawberries
  • Grapefruit
  • Lemons
  • Mandarins: Honey Murcot
  • Mangoes
  • Oranges: Blood
  • Papaya
  • Papaw
  • Pineapples
  • Pomelo
  • Tangelos
  • Asian greens
  • Asparagus
  • Beans: Broad
  • Beans: Green
  • Beetroot
  • Broccoli
  • Carrots
  • Cauliflower
  • Chillies
  • Fennel
  • Garlic, fresh
  • Globe Artichokes
  • Kale
  • Lettuce
  • Mushrooms
  • Onions: Spring
  • Onions: Green (Shallots)
  • Peas: Green
  • Potatoes
  • Silverbeet
  • Spinach
October
Fruit Veggies
  • Avocados
  • Banana
  • Blueberries
  • Strawberries
  • Grapefruit
  • Mangoes
  • Melons
  • Oranges: Valencia
  • Papaya
  • Papaw
  • Passionfruit
  • Pineapples
  • Pomelo
  • Tangelos
  • Asian greens
  • Asparagus
  • Beans: Broad
  • Beans: Green
  • Beetroot
  • Cabbage
  • Chillies
  • Cucumber
  • Fennel
  • Garlic, fresh
  • Artichokes: Globe
  • Kale
  • Lettuce
  • Mushrooms
  • Onions: Spring
  • Onions: Green (Shallots)
  • Peas
  • Potatoes
  • Silverbeet
  • Spinach
  • Watercress
  • Zucchini
November
Fruit Veggies
  • Avocados
  • Bananas
  • Blueberries
  • Mulberries
  • Youngberries
  • Cherries
  • Grapefruit
  • Loquats
  • Mangoes
  • Melons
  • Oranges: Valencia
  • Papaya
  • Papaw
  • Passionfruit
  • Pineapples
  • Asian greens
  • Asparagus
  • Beans: Green
  • Cabbage
  • Chillies
  • Cucumber
  • Artichokes: Globe
  • Lettuce
  • Onions: Spring
  • Onions: Green (Shallots)
  • Peas
  • Potatoes
  • Silverbeet
  • Spinach
  • Sweetcorn
  • Tomatoes
  • Watercress
  • Zucchini
  • Zucchini flowers

Asparagus

Packed with flavour, with a delicious nutty crunch, Australian-grown asparagus is now in season.

When buying, look for firm asparagus with even-sized spears and tightly closed tips. Then simply snap or slice off the woody end from the spear before using. Asparagus is best cooked rapidly to retain its colour and crunch. About 1-3 minutes (depending on thickness) is all that’s required.

So easy to cook...

  • Plunge asparagus into a saucepan of gently boiling water for 1–3 minutes. Drain and either serve steaming hot with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, or refresh in cold water, pat dry with paper towels and add to a salad.
  • Brush asparagus with olive oil and barbecue, turning occasionally, over medium high heat. Serve with aioli and a drizzle of sriracha hot chilli sauce.
  • Toss chopped asparagus into stir-fries or roast whole spears brushed with olive oil.

For a crunchy raw option...

  • Using a vegetable peeler, thinly shave asparagus lengthways into ribbons. Add these crunchy morsels to all sorts of salads.

How to store... Fresh Herbs

  • Remove any rubber bands or ties from the bunched herbs.
  • Loosen bunches and place the unwashed herbs in an air-tight plastic container lined with damp paper towel. Ensure the herbs are not too cramped.
  • Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Most herbs are best used within 3 to 4 days.

Papaya

Nature’s own bowl food! For a nutritious start to the day, team delicious papaya with fresh blueberries, crunchy granola and yoghurt.

Delicately sweet, papaya is one of the most nutritious fruits! It is rich in both vitamin C (200g would provide 2–3 days’ supply) and beta carotene which the body converts to vitamin A.

Whole papaya continues to ripen after harvesting so it is best to leave it for a few days at room temperature to fully ripen. It’s ready to eat when the fruit loses its greenish hue and yields to gentle pressure around the stem.

For cut papaya, choose the fruit with vibrant pinkish-orange flesh without any bruising. Cover with plastic wrap or place in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Papaya breakfast boats

Preparation 10 mins | Serves 4

2 small (about 600g each) ripe papayas
1 lime, juiced
1 cup thick natural Greek-style yoghurt
1 cup granola or toasted muesli
125g blueberries
¼ cup chopped pistachios
honey, for drizzling
lime wedges, to serve

STEP 1 Halve papayas lengthways. Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds. Place papaya halves flesh-side-up onto a board. Drizzle with lime juice.

STEP 2 Top papaya with yoghurt, granola, blueberries and pistachios. Drizzle with honey. Serve with lime wedges.


 
Download PDF