20 - 26 May 2019
VEGETABLES
Select brilliant cauliflowers with compact heads. Caulies are a good source of vitamin C. Add cauliflower to curries or roast until tender and serve is a salad. Cauliflowers are a top buy at $2-$4 a head creamy cauliflower & chestnut soup
Chokos are an old-fashioned favourite that absorb flavours. Appealing when simply steamed and served with butter and pepper or add to a choko, cabbage & chicken laksa stir-fry . Chokos are $3-$4 a kilo.
Leafy kale is versatile and tasty. Wash leaves; remove the stem and shred finely. Toss into a hot pan and cook until just wilted. Kale is a top buy at $2-$3 a bunch
Carrots are plentiful and selling for $1.50-$2 a kilo, bag and $2-$2.50 a kilo of the stack. For a quick serving idea simmer or microwave sliced carrots in freshly squeezed orange juice and a drizzle of honey.
It is the ideal time to make the most of aromatic fresh herbs. Enjoy sage with fish, pork, duck, cheese, bread, potato, pumpkin, peas, leeks, veal, chicken and mushroom. Thyme is wonderful teamed with chicken, roast vegetables and casseroles and soups, lemons, parsnip, potatoes, zucchini, squash and sausages. At $2.50-$3 a bunch, fresh herbs are a top way to add flavour to your cooking.
Victorian grown fennel is at its prime. The aniseed flavour is stronger when raw and becomes milder when cooked. Sautee, bake or add to casseroles and soups. Fennel is delicious married with milder cheeses and is a tasty addition to risotto and casseroles like this braised fennel, lemon & thyme chicken . Fennel is retailing for $1.50-$2 a bulb.
Versatile mushrooms can be combined with just about anything to produce a tasty, ‘quick & easy’ meal. Firm, mild buttons are excellent in pasta dishes and salads, while full flavoured jumbo flats are scrumptious grilled or barbecued. Keep mushrooms in a paper bag in the refrigerator. Mushrooms are $10-$12 depending on size. Exotic mushrooms range from $4-$6 a punnet. Try this mixed mushroom & crispy sage gnocchi
Brimming with fresh produce, stir-fries are the perfect meal for busy people. Toss a medley of Asian leafy greens such as bok choy and choy sum with marinated meat or chicken tonight for a quick and easy meal. Asian greens are $1.50 -$2.50 a bunch. This nourishing and filling choy sum, pork meatball & noodle soup is easy to make.
FRUIT
Use Granny Smith or Golden Delicious apples at $3-$5 a kilo to make tasty and fast apple desserts like apple & sultana tarts or a delicious apple and golden syrup pudding . Pink Lady and Fuji are both popular eating apples that are in season and available for $4-$8 a kilo depending on size.
Succulent and juicy pears are plentiful. Serve pear s poached or baked or slice semi-ripe pears and toss rockets, toasted walnuts and shaved pecorino cheese. Packham pears are $2-$4 a kilo.
The Cavendish banana is the favourite banana among Australians with more than one billion eaten each year. This large dessert banana is selling for $2-$3 a kilo this week Treat yourself with this easy dessert bananas with salted caramel fudge sauce
Juicy Imperial mandarins are easy to peel and kids adore this citrus fruit so pack a “mandi” into their lunch box, they are rich in vitamin C. Imperial mandarins are $2-$5 a kilo.
Delicious fresh Medjool dates have soft sweet flesh with a caramel-like flavour. Eat them fresh for a sweet snack or deseed and chop them and add to cakes and puddings or porridge. Choose plump, shiny, dark brown Medjool dates.
Dates are retailing at $12-$24 a kilo, depending on grade and size. Try this sticky date muesli bars
Fragrant golden skinned quinces have a musky flavour and there is something quite alluring about the way their pale flesh transforms to a soft pin to rich claret colour on long slow cooking. Discover the charm of quince this week for only $3-$4 a kilo
The lush flesh of the kiwifruit offers a delightful tang and a good source of vitamin C. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon for the perfect snack. Green kiwifruit is in plentiful supply and a bargain at $3-$5 a kilo gold kiwifruit is $5-$8 a kilo.
The dynamic colour, tangy nectar and abundant seeds of the pomegranate have made it a symbol of love and plenty, in many cultures. Used in classic rice and couscous dishes of the Middle East, and in ground meat dishes of India and Pakistan pomegranates are in season and available for $1-$5 each.
Versatile lemons are a kitchen essential. Add a dash of lemon juice or a sprinkle of lemon rind to your cooking for a refreshing contrast to the richness of meat or poultry casseroles and soups. There are also delicious turned into a scrumptious easy lemon curd . Good quality lemons are $3-$5 a kilo.
FLOWERS
Early cheer and paper white jonquils are in season, poppies, Asiatic and lilies, tulips, long-stemmed freesias, stock, sweet peas, celosia, lisianthus, asters and tuberoses, asters and the first of the season’s daffodils are available. Plus you will also find chrysanthemum, mini roses, protea, bouvardia and gladioli.
Published On 2019-05-21 11:05:00
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