Brisbane Market Report 267

Brisbane Produce Report – 25 June

  June 24, 2021  strump

We’re spoilt for choice with substantial supplies of fresh fruit and vegetables at the Brisbane Produce Market this week. Now is the time to take advantage of the beautiful winter produce and try new recipes.

In fruit, luscious strawberries from Wamuran remain a fantastic buy along with sweet-eating pineapples from the Sunshine Coast. Combine them with a little sugar and lemon juice to make a delicious fruit salsa.

Succulent rockmelons and excellent quality pawpaw from Far North Queensland are plentiful – layer the fruit with fresh berries and yoghurt for a breakfast parfait, or use excess fruit with lemon juice to make a jam.

There’s currently a glut of Australian-grown hass avocados, so grab them while you can. Spread it on some sourdough toast, smash it into guacamole, or combine with chocolate to make a healthy chocolate avocado mousse.

The standout citrus this week is red-fleshed grapefruit; grapefruit pairs well with seafood dishes, and also make stunning desserts. Other value buys include cara cara navel oranges from South Australia, and seedless limes and lemons from Mundubbera. There’s an overlap of mandarin varieties at the moment, with imperial, daisy, and murcott floating around in the Market – all are eating well. Blueberries from New South Wales are starting to return to the shelves; however, bananas and passionfruit are short.

In vegetables, the highlights this week include glossy red capsicums from North Queensland, butternut and kent pumpkins from Bundaberg, Brussels sprouts from Stanthorpe, fennel, leeks, and green beans from Gatton.

Highly nutritious cauliflower and broccoli are in heavy supply from the Lockyer Valley region. For a hearty side dish, try a cheesy broccoli and cauliflower bake.

There is an abundance of sweet potatoes at the moment, which means they are a great value buy this week. Stock up and cook them your way – roast, mash, steam, bake, fry or barbeque them. Load them up with black beans, corn kernels, diced capsicum, jalapeno, and spring opinions for a comforting dish.

If you’re looking for veggies that require less cooking time, then your options this week are well-supplied wombok, pak choy, cabbage, and snow peas from Welcome Creek.

New-season parsnips from Victoria are a seasonal delight and they make for a richer, creamier mashed potato alternative. Tomatoes and cucumbers are priced at a premium due to inconsistent supply, while mushrooms, zucchini and corn are short due to cold and frosty weather.

Prices are easing for lettuce, and other leafy greens such as kale, rocket, and baby spinach are also picking up in supply, but silverbeet has been impacted by the cold weather.

This week’s top pick is the ultra-versatile brown onion. Currently arriving from Gatton and Tasmania, brown onions have brown or almost yellow skin with creamy flesh and a strong flavour. They’re excellent for cooking and are the most widely used onion in Australia. Onions can be roasted, pickled, caramelised, and deep-fried; or consumed raw as garnishes, or in salads and sandwiches. Our team has tried and had success with the following onion tear-avoiding methods:  run your hands under cold water or put a piece of bread in your mouth before cutting onions. Good luck!

Brisbane Market Report