1 - 6 July 2019

VEGETABLES

Vegetables Tasty celeriac shines in winter. Add chopped celeriac to soups, casseroles and roasts. Team celeriac with potatoes to make a creamy mash. Grate raw celeriac and add to a winter slaw or a classic French remoulade sauce to serve with corned beef, fish or crab cakes or whip up a creamy celeriac, leek & smoked fish chowder Delicious and versatile celeriac is $8-$10 a head.

The nutrient-packed kalettes are a delicious cross between leafy kale and tiny Brussels sprouts. Small, frilly, purple-tinged kalettes have crunchy loosely-packed leaves with a slightly nutty flavour. Quick cooking for crunch Halve kalettes and toss into a stir-fry with meat or chicken. Finely-shredded kalettes bring colour and crunch to salads and winter slaws. They team particularly well with Asian inspired dressings.

If you like cauliflower, you'll love Fioretto! Also known as cauliflower blossom, it has crunchy long stems and tiny white edible florets which have a delicate cauliflower flavour. Rapidly cook Fioretto to retain its colour and crunch. Use it in any recipe as an alternative to broccolini.

Highly-nutritious broccolini is a superb choice for winter. Select bunched broccolini with crisp vibrant green stems. The crunchy stem and mini broccoli-like top can all be eaten, so no wastage! Warm up with a tasty bowl of broccolini & chicken teriyaki noodles.

Elongated, crisp Chinese cabbage is mild tasting with white to pale green leaves. This Asian green is also known as 'Wombok'. Finely shred Chinese cabbage into minestrone and other winter vegetable soups. Toss chopped Chinese cabbage leaves through stir-fries. For a tasty dinner, stir-fry chopped chicken, garlic, ginger and green onions (shallots) in a wok. Add Chinese cabbage and snow peas. Finish with a drizzle of oyster sauce and serve with rice.

Fennel at $1.50-$2 a head is top value. Try pan-frying slices of baby fennel in oil and garlic until tender. This easy grape tomato, prawn, chilli & fennel linguine is a tasty mid-week meal.

Grab a handful of scrumptious roast chestnuts. Perfect for adding to soups, hearty casseroles, sauces and puddings Team with pumpkin mushrooms or cauliflower to make a scrumptious soup. Chestnuts are $8-$14 a kilo, depending on size and quality.

FRUIT

Fruit Grown in Australia, these delicious oranges have deep rosy-orange juicy flesh. This naturally sweet variety is low in acidity and has a refreshingly tart taste, similar to cranberry. Cara Cara navels are seedless with vivid orange thin skin They're in season from mid- tossed orange segments into a winter salad with shaved fennel and baby spinach. Squeeze the juice over crepes and use to soak bircher muesli. Cara Cara navels are selling for $5-$6 a kilo.

Avocados are in peak supply and that means great value and quality. Expect to pay $1-$3 each for a Hass avocado. Look for bulk buys.

Delicious fresh Medjool dates have soft sweet flesh with a delicate hint of caramel. Eat dates fresh for a sweet snack or add seeded, chopped dates to cakes, puddings or porridge. Choose plump, shiny, dark brown Medjool dates. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for several months, or freeze for up to 12 months. Try this Medjool date & banana self-saucing pudding. $20-$24 a kilo.

Winter's the perfect time for crisp, vivid-green Granny Smith apples which are ideal for roasting, stewing and baking.

Choose plump, even-coloured, rich red strawberries. Before buying, check the underside of punnets, and avoid berries that are squashed. For optimum storage, transfer strawberries to a plate lined with paper towel. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge. They're best used within 2 days. Strawberries are $2.50-$4 a punnet.

Fill your fruit bowl with juicy winter lemons. Drizzle tomato-based casseroles and soups with a little lemon juice before serving to enhance flavour. Add a strip of lemon rind and lemon juice to sugar syrups for poaching apples, pears and quinces.

Packed with vitamin C, mandarins are sweet and juicy and a choice buy at $2-$4 a kilo. There are plenty of varieties to choose from including Afourer, Monarch, Imperial, Taylor Lee and Hickson.

Pears are plentiful and good buying at $2-$4 a kilo. Thinly slice firm pears and add to a salad with rocket and parmesan cheese or poach pears for a quick dessert.

Quince requires cooking before eating. Once peeled, quince discolour quickly so plunge into lemony water to prevent discolouration. Then bake or poach until soft and the flesh has turned an attractive shade or pink. Snap up the last of Quinces are in season for around another four weeks so enjoy them while stocks last, expect to pay $4-$5 a kilo.

FLOWERS

Flowers With a dazzling range of freesia, tulips, cymbidium orchids, lilies, stock, sweetpea, protea, banksia, poppies, purple iris, kale, delphinium, bird of paradise, lavender, snapdragon, protea, iris, Leucadendron, geraldton wax, cotton, asters and roses are a popular choice. For fragrance take home lavender, hyacinth and oriental lilies, while the jonquils and daffodils are a thrifty buy. Imported peonies are also a winter favourite. Mix your flowers with interesting foliage to create a stunning display

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, Retail Support Manager on tel 0438 725 453. If republishing please credit www.sydneymarkets.com.au.

Published On 2019-07-01 17:25:00