Fresh Fruits & Vegetables in Autumn - Sydney Markets

Autumn

WHAT'S NEW AT YOUR GREENGROCER?

Papples

This juicy new star in your greengrocer is a pear dressed as an apple. Developed in New Zealand and now grown in Victoria, this round fruit is a cross between the Asian and European pear varieties.

Crisp and juicy like a nashi pear, the papple is deliciously sweet and low in acid. It fully ripens on the tree but has a long shelf life and keeps well. It’s best stored in the fridge.

QUICK WAYS TO SERVE PAPPLES

  • Thinly slice and serve on a cheese platter with chutney.
  • Chop and toss through an autumn fruit salad with seedless grapes, pineapple, Valencia oranges and passionfruit pulp.
  • Add slivers to an autumn salad comprising rocket, radicchio and parmesan. Dress with a honey and mustard vinaigrette.

Cucamelons

Also known as a Mexican cucumber, this small juicy morsel resembles a tiny melon and is about the size of a large grape. It tastes like a cucumber with just a hint of sourness.

Refreshing cucamelons are sold in 100g punnets in your greengrocer. Look for them in the refrigerated section.

Choose plump cucamelons with shiny, firm, mottled-green skin. Store in the fridge and use within 3 days.

TOP WAYS TO USE CUCAMELONS

  • For a zesty Mexican salsa, combine halved cucamelons with cherry tomatoes, jalapeno chilli, red onion and coriander leaves.
  • Pickle whole cucamelons in apple cider vinegar and sugar.
  • Add chopped cucamelons to your favourite taco fillings.

Queen Garnet plums

Delivering over seven times the antioxidants and four times more vitamin C than other plum varieties, the Queen Garnet certainly takes the crown! Its deep purple juicy flesh is sweet and delicious.

The nectar from this plum may have anti-inflammatory properties that could help optimise brain and heart function and lower blood pressure.

Developed in Queensland, the Queen Garnet plum is available in February and March in your greengrocer.

Picked ripe and ready to eat, to optimise flavour leave the plums in a single layer at room temperature for a day or two until they yield to gentle pressure around the stem.

Sweet potatoes

Sweet potatoes are a tuberous root vegetable rather than a true potato. This highly versatile vegetable is deliciously sweet and tender when cooked.

Sweet potatoes are low GI therefore slow to digest. They are also very nutritious, providing vitamins A, C and B6, dietary fibre, potassium, folate, niacin and calcium.

Store sweet potatoes in a cool, dark and ventilated area (not in a plastic bag) for up to a few weeks. Gently scrub or peel before cooking.

VARIETIES

Kumara/orange sweet potato is the top selling variety. It has burnt orange skin and sweet bright orange flesh. It is perfect for roasting, mashing, soups, and making wedges and fries.

Red sweet potato has reddish purple skin with white mildly tasting purple or white flesh. This smooth fleshed variety is delicious mashed with butter.

White sweet potato has creamy white skin and flesh. Roast these in a honey and cinnamon glaze and toss into a warm salad with rocket and shredded cooked chicken.

Fresh and in season

What's best in ...

March
Fruit Veggies
  • Apples
  • Bananas
  • Dates
  • Figs
  • Finger limes
  • Grapes
  • Guava
  • Kiwifruit
  • Limes
  • Mangosteens
  • Nashi
  • Oranges: Valencia
  • Passionfruit
  • Papaw
  • Pears
  • Plums
  • Pomegranates
  • Quinces
  • Tamarillo
  • Asian greens: Bok Choy
  • Beans
  • Broccoli
  • Capsicums
  • Chestnuts
  • Cucumbers
  • Eggplant
  • Eschallots
  • Kale
  • Lettuce
  • Mushrooms
  • Okra
  • Onions
  • Potatoes
  • Pumpkin
  • Sweetcorn
  • Swiss chard
  • Tomatoes
  • Witlof
  • Zucchini
April
Fruit Veggies
  • Apples
  • Avocados
  • Bananas
  • Custard apples
  • Dates
  • Dragon Fruit
  • Finger limes
  • Grapes
  • Guava
  • Kiwifruit
  • Limes
  • Mandarins: Imperial
  • Nashi
  • Pears
  • Passionfruit
  • Persimmons
  • Pomegranates
  • Quinces
  • Tamarillo
  • Asian greens: Bok Choy
  • Beans
  • Broccoli
  • Brussels sprouts
  • Cabbage
  • Capsicums
  • Cauliflower
  • Chestnuts
  • Eggplant
  • Eschallots
  • Fennel
  • Kale
  • Leeks
  • Mushrooms
  • Okra
  • Potatoes
  • Pumpkin
  • Silverbeet
  • Spinach
  • Swiss chard
  • Turnips
  • Watercress
May
Fruit Veggies
  • Apples
  • Avocados
  • Bananas
  • Custard apples
  • Dates
  • Grapes
  • Kiwifruit
  • Lemons
  • Mandarins: Imperial
  • Nashi
  • Oranges: Navel
  • Pears
  • Persimmons
  • Pomegranates
  • Quinces
  • Rhubarb
  • Asian greens: Bok Choy
  • Broccoli
  • Brussels sprouts
  • Cabbage
  • Carrots
  • Cauliflower
  • Celery
  • Celeriac
  • Chestnuts
  • Eggplant
  • Fennel
  • Kale
  • Ginger
  • Leeks
  • Mushrooms
  • Okra
  • Parsnips
  • Silverbeet
  • Spinach
  • Sweet potato
  • Swiss chard
  • Turnips

Avocado, Sweetcorn & Tomato Salsa Salad Cups

Prep 25 mins | Cooking 4 mins | Makes 6

Munch on a seasonal salad brimming with veggies and creamy avocado. This colourful dish is ideal for school lunches.

3 sweetcorn cobs, husks and silks removed
2 ripe avocados, halved
1 tbs lemon juice
350g tomato medley, halved
½ cup mild tomato salsa sauce
½ medium Iceberg lettuce, shredded
Coriander leaves and corn chips, to serve

STEP 1 Place corn in a microwave safe container, cover and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Uncover and set aside for a few minutes to cool. Slice off the kernels and set aside.

STEP 2 Spoon avocado flesh into a bowl. Drizzle with lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Mash until just smooth. Set aside. Combine tomato medley and tomato salsa sauce in a bowl. Set aside.

STEP 3 To assemble the salads, layer the lettuce, sweetcorn, tomato mixture and avocado into serving cups. Top each with a coriander leaf and serve with corn chips.

Choko, cabbage & chicken laksa stir-fry

Prep 25 mins + marinating time | Cooking 15 mins | Serves 4

600g chicken thigh fillets, roughly chopped
⅓ cup laksa paste
500g small chokos
2 tbs peanut oil
3 green onions (shallots), thinly sliced
1 cup chicken stock
½ small Chinese cabbage (Wombok), trimmed and shredded
1 cup reduced fat coconut cream
⅓ cup mint leaves
½ cup coriander leaves
Rice noodles, lime wedges and extra sliced long red chilli, to serve

STEP 1 Combine chicken and ¼ cup laksa paste in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or longer if time permits). Using a small sharp knife, peel chokos, quarter lengthways, remove centre core and thinly slice. Set aside.

STEP 2 Heat 2 tsp oil in a wok over high heat. Add half the chicken and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes or until chicken is golden. Transfer to a plate. Repeat using 2 tsp oil and remaining chicken.

STEP 3 Heat remaining 1 tbs oil in the wok over high heat. Add green onions and remaining 1 tbs laksa paste and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add stock and chokos. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes or until chokos are almost tender.

STEP 4 Add chicken, cabbage and coconut milk to wok. Stir-fry until cabbage just wilts. Top with mint and coriander. Serve with rice noodles, lime wedges and extra chilli.

Red Cabbage

A powerhouse of nutrients and vitamins, crisp red cabbage is packed with antioxidants. It is perfect for autumn slaws, salads, stir-fries and pickling.

Use raw red cabbage to maximise the super nutritional benefits. Alternatively, cook rapidly using high heat to retain vitamins.

BUYING AND STORING

Choose vibrant cabbage with tightly-packed deep purple-red leaves with no yellowing. Trim and discard the outer leaves and store whole or cut red cabbage in an airtight reusable plastic bag or airtight container in the fridge. It’s best used within 2–3 days.

SHREDDED RED CABBAGE DISHES

  • Team in a super-slaw with chopped kale, thinly sliced red onion, shredded carrot and roasted almonds.
  • Toss into a stir-fry with garlic, chilli, green onions, lean pork and char-sui sauce.
  • Pickle in apple cider vinegar and sugar. Add to a poke bowl with brown rice, avocado, cucumber, carrot, green onions and miso tofu or chicken.

Chokos

The humble choko is back in vogue. A favoured garden staple of yesteryear, the choko is full of potential.

  • The firm flesh becomes tender once cooked and absorbs flavour. Chokos team brilliantly with robust curries, spicy stir-fries, creamy blended soups and buttery potato mash.
  • Choose firm chokos that feel heavy for their size. Store in the fridge for up to 2–3 weeks.
  • The skin is firm so use a sharp knife to remove it. Halve and scoop out the seed then chop or slice as you wish.

Good for you

  • A source of vitamin C which contributes to collagen for the normal structure of cartilage, bones, teeth, gums and skin.
  • A source of folate, a B vitamin that is necessary for normal cell division and formation of blood cells.
  • A source of dietary fibre, that contributes to regular laxation.

 
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