Brisbane Market Report 223

Brisbane Produce Report – 31 July

  July 31, 2020  strump

Favourable weather and stable growing conditions have produced a consistent supply of both fresh fruit and vegetables at the Brisbane Produce Market.

Crunchy apples, rockmelons, passionfruit and pineapple are excellent buys this week. Supplies of custard apples and blueberries have improved, however, raspberries are becoming harder to find.

Tasty Queensland strawberries are one of the bestselling fruits this week along with avocados. For a quick snack, spread smashed avocado on toast, top it with sliced strawberries, fresh basil and sprinkle over sea salt to bring out the sweet and salty flavour.

Nothing beats a classic citrus baked treat to warm your soul in winter. With abundant supplies of mandarins from Victoria, blood and navel oranges, tangelos, grapefruit, lemon and limes, now is the time to whip up those lemon tarts, orange cakes, mandarin muffins, grapefruit marmalade, tangelo pudding or simply load your pavlova with a variety of citrus for a bright pop of colour.

Aside from eating them fresh from the tree, sweet and juicy pears taste delicious when roasted, poached or baked. Select from packham, corella and bosc varieties as these are in season and plentiful at the moment. Cold weather has moderately impacted the supplies of banana, kiwifruit and watermelon.

In vegetables, handpicked beans from Gympie, broccoli from Lowood, eggplant from Mount Tamborine and tomatoes from Bowen are all well supplied, whereas zucchini, cucumbers, corn and celery are scarce. Mushrooms supplies are good and are a wonderful addition to a risotto along with snow peas that are also in good supply.

Throw together a salad or make a quick stir-fry with green or red capsicums, fresh chillies from Bundaberg, spinach, kale, silverbeet, cabbage and spring onions as they are all well supplied. Try oven-roasting cool climate vegies such as sweet potatoes, carrots, Victorian fennel, Butternut pumpkins, swedes, parsnips and Brussels sprouts as they are plentiful and eating beautifully. Add some fresh Aussie garlic or a selection of herbs particularly coriander or parsley from Queensland. In short supplies are okra, kohlrabi, rhubarb and shallots.

This week’s hero is cara cara navel oranges from New South Wales. Cara cara may look like a normal navel orange from the outside but inside hides a rich, reddish-pink colour due to the presence of antioxidants. They are seedless and have a sweet yet tangy flavour similar to a berry. Look for firm, smooth, shiny-skinned fruit that is heavy for its size as the heavier the orange feels, the riper the fruit. Eat them fresh or use them in salads, add to a bed of greens, make salsa for meaty dishes or dip them in chocolate fondue.

Brisbane Market Report

Posted by Brisbane Produce Market