19 - 25 AUGUST 2024 update Sydney Market that includes availability and price of seasonal fruits, vegetables and flowers. Also includes recipe suggestions.
FRUITS
Citrus fruits are still plentiful and taste great. Blood oranges, rich raspberry-red flesh and sweet flavour are perfect for juicing-grab them for $3-$8 while they're still in season. Navel oranges offer premium quality and excellent value at $2-$6 a kilo, while pink-fleshed ruby grapefruits are refreshing and available at ($3-$5) per kilo. Tangelos are vibrant and tangy ($4-$8) per kilo, and late-season mandarins ($3-$9) remain popular.
Few scents rival the aroma of fresh strawberries. With supply on the rise, a punnet can be found for $3-$10, depending on quality and size. Wash strawberries before hulling (removing the stalk) for the best flavour and to maximise keeping quality.
Fresh blueberries are a welcome seasonal change. Loaded with healthy-boosting antioxidants, they are coming down as supplies increase with the warming weather. This week, depending on the size of the berry, prices will range from $4 to $8 a punnet.
Take advantage of late winter lemons. Their juice and zest can enhance marinades, cakes, steamed puddings, or even be used to make your own preserved lemons. Choose lemons that feel heavy for their size, indicating they're full of juice. Lemons are priced at $3-$6 per kilo.
Luscious early-season Northern Territory Kensington pride and R2E2 mangoes are now available. Firm mangoes should be ripened at room temperature until the flesh yields to gentle pressure around the stem.
Golden fleshed pineapples are $3-$8 each, depending on size. Choose firm fruit that feels heavy for its size. Pulling a leaf from the top is not a good indication of ripeness or flavour. Pineapple does not ripen after harvesting; a perfumed aroma indicates good flavour. Whip up a quick and luscious fresh pineapple dessert or spicy pineapple and chicken kebabs.
Bananas are delicious and offer great value, ranging from $4-$5 per kilo, depending on size and quality. Despite their creamy texture, bananas contain no fat. A typical banana has just 120 calories (501 kJ), comparable to the same weight of cottage cheese. They are incredibly filling, making them a perfect choice for a mid-afternoon energy boost or whipping up a banana smoothie.
VEGETABLES
Locally-grown Asian leafy greens are a fantastic buy this week at just $2 -$3 per bunch. Enjoy fresh bok choy, Pak chok, choy sum, or gai lum,whether steamed or stir-fried. For a quick, flavourful dish, toss these leafy greens into a hot wok with crushed garlic and cook until just wilted.
Plump, flavoursome leeks are a top buy at $2.50-$3 each. Add leeks to a nutritious vegetable pack soup, a leek, mushroom and baby spinach risotto. For a healthy side dish, try these braised leeks with thyme.
Eggplants, glossy purple skin and creamy white flesh are easy to recognise and a staple in cuisines worldwide. Whether grilled, baked, stir-fried, or sautéed, they are always delicious. Field-grown eggplants are abundant and affordable at $3-$15 per kilo, while premium glasshouse-grown varieties are available for $8-$10 per kilo. Whip up eggplant schnitzels, or stuff eggplants with minced lamb and roast.
You can fill up a brown paper bag with mushrooms for $11-$14 a kilo. Mushrooms are perfect to have on hand to add to pasta dishes and salads, and they are terrific barbecued.
New-season Australian asparagus season has started. It's early days, but supplies will increase over the next few weeks as the weather warms up, and we will have more options for grades, sizes and prices. Asparagus this week is $4-$5 a bunch.
Kale is a versatile green that can be used just like English spinach or silverbeet, making it perfect for salads, soups, frittatas, smoothies, stir-fries, or a tasty sautéed side dish. As a nutritional powerhouse, kale is packed with vitamins A, C, and K and folic acid, potassium, copper, and iron-essential for healthy bones, skin, and eyes. From $3 to $4 a bunch, kale offers excellent value.
Diced, sliced, or cut into batons, versatile celery is delicious, eaten raw or cooked. It is a good source of potassium, which helps to control blood pressure and counteract the adverse effects of too much salt in the diet. Add celery to a stir fry with snow peas and asparagus. Depending on bunch size, celery will be $3-$4 a bunch this week.
Apart from their health benefits, one of the best things about Brussels sprouts is that they are delicious roasted, boiled, air-fried, microwaved, pan-fried, steamed, and grilled. Serve them whole, cut in half, wedges, or shredded. Look for Brussels sprouts this week at your greengrocers. They are $5-$7 a kilo.
Crisp snow peas offer a satisfying crunch with minimal cooking required. Whether steamed, microwaved, or stir-fried, they retain their texture. Use finely shredded snow peas in salads or briefly cook them to maintain a slight crunch. Handpicked snow peas are $12-$16 per kilo.
Vibrantly coloured beetroot comes into its own in winter. Select bunches with small to medium-sized bulbs with crisp, green leaves. Roast or boil whole beets. Serve fresh young leaves or boiled, diced beetroot in swish winter salads. Beetroot bunches are available at your local greengrocer for $3-$5. Larger-sized loose bulbs of beetroot are $3-$5 a kilo.
FLOWERS
This week, you are spoilt for choice with fresh-cut flowers of quality, range, and price. Seasonal blooms to enjoy this week include double-petal daffodils, jonquils, ranunculi, freesia, poppies, Pieris, pinwheels, leuadrenrum, delphinium, kale, violets, stock, sweetpeas, tulips, cherry blossom, carnations, protea, daphne, wattle, ornamental kale, and lavender at your local florist.
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 2024-08-19 15:50:03
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