Brisbane Market Report 228

Brisbane Produce Report – 4 September

  September 4, 2020  strump

Spring has sprung and there is no shortage of great value fruit and vegies at the Brisbane Produce Market this week.

Make this Father’s Day special – for Dads with a sweet tooth, the easy-to-make chocolate-dipped strawberries are a must.  Queensland grown strawberries are luscious and sweet with steady supply.  For a backyard barbecue lunch, why not try mango, lime and chilli marinated prawn skewers as the rich juicy fleshed kensington pride mangoes and limes for New South Wales are available in excellent quality.

Having a strong season are blueberries, avocadoes, pawpaw, rockmelons and apples – they are arriving in-market in excellent quality and are well supplied too.  Bursting with natural sweetness are ripe local pineapples. Make the most of this tropical fruit by tossing them into salads, desserts or adding them to burgers or a pizza. Pomegranates, grapes and raspberries are all priced at premium however both cavendish and lady finger bananas are available in large volumes at your local fruit shops.

Late season navel oranges from New South Wales and rich red blood oranges continue to impress while mandarins are nearing the end of the season, so grab them while you can.  In-season right now are chokos – belonging to the same family as pumpkin, melons and cucumbers.  Chokos are mild in flavour, pear-shaped and are pale green in colour.  Peel and remove the core, slice into large pieces and boil or steam.  Stuff halved chokos or use sliced in soups or casseroles.

We are seeing excellent supplies of vegetables this week including Asian greens, Lebanese eggplant, zucchini, red and green capsicums, carrots and mushrooms.  Cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower from the Lockyer Valley are well supplied as is fresh lettuce direct from Peak Crossing.

Great value buys this week include baby broccoli and green beans.  For a quick side dish, sauté them with olive oil and garlic until they are vibrantly green and tender, then drizzle over lemon juice and roasted peanuts for added crunch.

We’re seeing good supplies of fennel, leeks, spring onions, spinach, rocket, kale, celery, pumpkin and sweet potatoes as well as an abundance of chillies from Bundaberg.  Spotted a jumbo onion in your local fruit shop?  It’s likely they are new-season, Queensland-grown brown onions.  These onions have a strong aromatic flavour making them excellent for cooking.

This is the week to stock up on homemade pasta sauces as tomato varieties such as cherry, roma, mini and heirloom are in abundance.  In short supplies are snow peas, corn and kipfler potatoes, whereas Lebanese cucumbers and Australian asparagus are priced at premium.

This week’s top pick are herbs such as coriander, basil, mint, rosemary, thyme and parsley.  Fresh herbs are rich in flavour and nutrients and make beautiful garnishes.  They can be added to meat, fish, vegetarian dishes, salads, soups, stews and even desserts.  When choosing herbs look for bunches with vibrant colour and aroma.  To store herbs, place them in a container lined with paper towels in the crisper of your fridge for up to a week.

 

Brisbane Market Report