Brisbane Market Report 213

Brisbane Produce Report – 15 May

  May 15, 2020   strump

Ideal growing conditions in Queensland mean the winter produce season is well underway and that is reflected in the quality at the Brisbane Produce Market this week.

Citrus fruits are leading the way with excellent supplies of imperial mandarins from Gayndah, lemons from Mundubbera, limes from Bundaberg and locally-grown juicy new season navel oranges. Winter is the best time for baking with citrus and given the wide variety of citrus available in your local fruit shop, why not try baking a warm lemon pudding or mandarin and almond cake.

Apples are at their peak with varieties including pink lady, granny smith, royal gala and red delicious all readily available. Packham and corella pears are eating well, and hass avocados have well and truly arrived from North Queensland. For something different try a nashi which looks like an apple but carries the flavour of a pear. Nashis can be easily used in desserts, salads, platters or even eaten raw.

Great buys this week include raspberries, watermelon, pineapple, Australian kiwifruit, pomegranate and quince. Bananas and golden pawpaw are in moderate supply whereas blueberry and strawberry supplies are limited. Disappearing from our shelves are plums, grapes, custard apples and rockmelons – get in quick to grab the remaining stock.

The cooler days are gravitating us towards much-loved comfort foods such as soups, stews, casseroles and roast dinners. There is a great range of vegetables available at good value including Queensland-grown red cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, broccoli, pumpkin, washed potatoes, onions, shallots, chillies, carrots, parsnips, celeriac and capsicum.

Look out for Autumn favourites like beetroot, fennel, mushroom, leeks and silverbeet – they’re plentiful and are of good quality. New season ginger provides a zing to your sweet and savoury dishes – refrigerate it in a dry area to avoid moulding. In good supply there is wombok, lettuce, kale, spinach, eggplant, cucumber, green and yellow beans and okra. However, tomato prices are still variable.

Are you addicted to fries? Satisfy your craving with healthy baked sweet potato fries as Bundaberg-grown gold variety of sweet potatoes are in plentiful supply. Season them with parsley and thyme for added flavour and serve with a bowl of freshly made tzatziki.

This week’s hero are Queensland-grown navel oranges. Navels are one of the most popular varieties available during colder months. They are sweet, juicy, easy to peel, rich in orange colour and seedless. Look for a firm, smooth, thin-skinned fruit that is heavy for its size as the heavier the orange feels the riper the fruit. Use navels for baking muffins or meringues or simply add them to your salads for a fresh punchy flavour.

Brisbane Market Report

Posted by Brisbane Produce Market