Welcome to the Year of the Dog! After celebrating Chinese New Year at the Brisbane Produce Market, we’re seeing diminished supplies of Asian vegetables such as bok choy, choy sum, coriander, enoki mushrooms, and oyster mushrooms.
So popular was wombok cabbage that prices increased as much as 400% on previous weeks!
Also in low supply are heat-affected broccoli, beans, spinach, lettuce, herbs, and cauliflower.
That might seem like a long list, but we’ve got plenty of well-priced alternatives for your dinner plate this week: carrots, potatoes, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, corn, garlic, ginger and onions are all great buying.
Want something green? Your best options are peas, salad leaves, and zucchinis — although use zucchinis quickly as their shelf life is shorter at the moment.
February is one of the best months for vitamin-A rich rockmelon and the bumper crop from Chinchilla and Griffith means that prices have entered bargain territory.
Also withstanding the heat are watermelon and honeydew melons, so this is the week for a colourful platter or a lunch box of sliced mixed melons, or an Italian-style starter of rockmelon wrapped in prosciutto.
White-fleshed nectarines are the pick of stonefruit at the moment, although good quality peaches and New Zealand-grown apricots will be around for a few more weeks.
The sensational summer run of figs is continuing, while limes, William pears, and grapes also represent great buying.
Get in quick to find the last of the lychees, Kensington Pride and Calypso mangoes, and cherries.
Berries are expensive, so get your antioxidant intake in new variety plums like Black Aussie Bell, Candy, and Queen Garnets — this variety contains between three and six times the amount of antioxidants found in berries!
This week’s top picks are apples, with great supplies of Fuji and Royal Gala apples arriving from Stanthorpe and Victoria. Pop Royal Galas in the lunch box or slice for salads and snacks, while the crisp, firm-fleshed Fuji lends itself to baking and cooking in pies, stews, cakes, sauces and crumbles.
You can buy the best of what the season has to offer at your nearest Your Local Fruit Shop. Go to www.yourlocalfruitshop.com.au to locate your closest store. Check out the Your Local Fruit Shop Facebook page for the latest news from your local fresh produce experts at https://www.facebook.com/yourlocalfruitshop
Brisbane Produce Market