Brisbane Market Report 297

Brisbane Produce Report – 4 February

  February 4, 2022  adonaldson

As we head back to school, there is plenty of great snacking fruit and vegetables available at your local fruit and veg shop that are perfect for the kids’ lunchbox! Summer is a great time to be picking up fresh seasonal fruits that won’t be around for much longer!

Grapes coming out of Victoria, which are beautifully sweet and available in several varieties, such as Menindee, Ralli and Muscatels. Grapes are the best snack to pop into the kids’ lunchboxes and are a good source of vitamin C and vitamin A. Grapes are super refreshing, and we especially love eating them frozen – just put them in the fridge for a few hours and enjoy them as a nice cool snack!

Mangoes are reaching the end of their season, but Keitt mangoes coming from Mareeba are still available in good supply and a few Kensington Pride coming from Kilcoy.

There is plenty of great stone fruit available, including several varieties of Plum from Inglewood, Stanthorpe and Swan Hill in Victoria, such as queen garnet, red phoenix and sugar plums. We love eating plums just as they are as an excellent sweet snack, but you could also use them to make a plum sauce, perfect for savoury dishes like our Grilled Pork Chops with Plum Sauce!

There are also plenty of juicy Nectarines, Peaches and Apricots available this week at your local fruit and veg shop coming out of southern states and are eating well and well-priced. We are also seeing some new season Apples from Stanthorpe and Victoria such as the delicious and well-balanced royal gala, perfect for chopping up and popping in the kids’ lunchboxes!

Tasmanian Cherries are reaching the end of their season, so snap some up before they’re gone! If you’re looking for ways you can use cherries, you could try them in our Duck Tacos with Cherry Salsa! You will also find plenty of excellent quality Watermelon from Chinchilla, Lychees from Mareeba, Pineapple from Northern QLD and Rockmelon from New South Wales, Victoria and Griffith. Limes are also in good supply at the moment and good value. For a great summer salad idea, try out this Watermelon Mint and Feta Salad with Honey Pepper Lime Dressing.

This week’s highlight is highly nutritious Pumpkin, particularly butternut pumpkins out of Aratula, Gatton and Bundaberg. Pick some up for your next roast, or better yet, turn them into our favourite Pumpkin Bread for a great afternoon snack!

We love chopping up fresh Carrot from Tasmania and locally grown Cucumber as an easy snack for the kids’ lunchboxes, which go great with homemade Hummus! Fennel from Victoria is one of our favourite veggies, which are great to toss into summer salads to pack a nice little punch. We also love roasting Fennel, and it works as an excellent accompaniment to fish in our Salmon & Fennel Tray Bake.

Asian greens such as Bok Choy out of Victoria, are plentiful at your local fruit and veg shop, and are perfect for a mid-week stir-fry, or are perfect as a side dish to roasted meats. You will also find plenty of Baby Broccoli from Gatton, Capsicum from South Australia and Beans from Stanthorpe and Victoria available, all great for a mid-week stir-fry!

Head to your local fruit and veg shop to see this week’s seasonal produce. The best way to shop and cook is to follow the seasons, and be sure to ask your greengrocer if you have any questions about what’s in season!

Brisbane Produce Markets