Brisbane Market Report 199

Brisbane Produce Report – 7 February

  February 7, 2020   lleeson

The sudden rain and excess heat aren’t necessarily bad news for fruit and vegetable lovers as there’s still a great selection of fresh produce this week from the Brisbane Produce Market.

Kensington Pride mangoes from Mareeba as well as R2E2 mangoes continue to be plentiful, with yellow peaches, blood plums, nectarines and apricots all still in good supply. One of our favourite fruits is the hybrid pineapple from Maryborough – it’s super sweet and low in acid, so it’s a great one for school lunch boxes or after school snacks and smoothies. Raspberries are good quality, but prices are at a premium, with strawberries from Victoria and a limited supply from Tasmania available.

Black Muscat grapes from Emerald are in good supply with the pick of the week being sweet, white seedless grapes from the Murray Valley in Victoria. Grapes should be plump and firmly attached to the stems, best stored in the refrigerator in a sealed bag for up to a week. Reasonably priced and great quality, they can be eaten as snacks, dried or juiced.

Queen Garnet plums from Victoria are also highlighted, with the fruit making a great lunchbox snack or the star ingredient in a delicious and unique summer smoothie. Try freezing some plums (after removing the stones) and then blending the frozen plums, along with some yoghurt, milk, flax seeds and ginger. Serve and enjoy!

Cavendish and lady finger bananas continue to be available, as well as Cara Cara oranges and both Panama and black varieties of passionfruit.

Good eating and in plentiful supply are both red and yellow varieties of pawpaw and all varieties of dragon fruit. The cherry season continues with Tasmanian cherries the pick this week.

Watermelon, rockmelon and pomegranates are all in good supply with a moderate supply of Nashi pears available. Pink Lady apples are slightly pricey, with new season Gala apples from Stanthorpe providing a good alternative.

Asian veggies are all in good supply this week, as are well-priced capsicums from Stanthorpe and South Australia.

Try a summer salad with rocket, spinach, kale or lettuce, avocados, spring onions, Lebanese or Continental cucumbers and crunchy celery, all in good supply. Good quality cauliflower is in moderate supply but would be great in a vegetable curry with garlic, coriander, sweet potato, eggplant and leeks, all in good supply.

Tomatoes are abundant this week and would be wonderful paired with basil, the pick of the herbs. Try a quick and easy summer tomato sauce to go with some pasta. Roast some beetroot, potatoes, mushrooms and zucchini as a great accompaniment to a meat or fish dish for a quick weeknight meal.

Snow peas and sugar snaps are in good supply from both Bundaberg and Victoria with onions, green and purple cabbage, lemons and limes all plentiful. Beans and broccoli are in short supply this week as are Brussels sprouts and fennel. Butternut pumpkin is beautiful eating this week. Enjoy the ultimate comfort food of tasty pumpkin soup with the addition of corn from Bowen, also beautiful eating this week.

You can buy the best of what the season has to offer at your nearest ‘Your Local Fruit Shop’. Locate your closest store at www.abetterchoice.com.au/store-locator/.

Check out the Your Local Fruit Shop Facebook page for the latest news from your local fresh produce experts at https://www.facebook.com/yourlocalfruitshop.

For further information, please contact Angela Hird, Business Innovation Manager, Brismark on (07) 3915 4226 or via email [email protected].

Brisbane Market Report

Posted by Brisbane Produce Market