Premium peaches and luscious lychees: Australia’s best-value fruit and veg for January
Apricots are here for a good time, not a long time,“We’re eating some really good Victorian ones at the moment, then towards the end of this month we’ll get into the Tasmanian ones,” says Graham Gee, senior buyer at the Happy Apple in Melbourne,He’s selling them for $5 to $8 a kilo, depending on variety; his favourite is the Moorpark apricot,“They’re not the most beautiful to look at,” he says,“But the flavour is so rich.
”Michael Simonetta, owner of La Frutteria in Sydney’s east, says stonefruits of all kinds are “good value right now”.At supermarkets, nectarines are about $5 a kilo and yellow and white peaches are about $4 a kilo.Make the most of stone fruit season with Helen Goh’s honey-roasted apricots with oat shortcakes, or in a summer punch with Rachel Roddy’s peaches and basil in wine.Flat peaches are also having a moment.“They’re sweet and tasty, and hitting the mainstream,” Gee says.
They’re more premium – about $10 a kilo.Flat nectarines, relatively new to the Australian market, are about $1 each – but harder to find.Lychees are also luscious and selling for $18 to $20 a kilo in supermarkets.“Look for the Erdon Lee lychees, sometimes called a dragons egg because they’re that big.They have a huge amount of flesh and good flavour,” Gee says.
Watermelon is also cheap, selling for a couple of dollars a kilo, Gee says,There’s still six to eight weeks to enjoy cherries, Gee says,“Because of the late season, we’ve still got lots of really good Victorian fruit coming through, varieties like Regina and Sylvia,” he says,Simonetta says Tasmanian cherries are “really beautiful and very good quality”,He’s selling them from $20 to $50 per kilo.
“The more expensive ones are of exceptional quality, very large,” he says.Another highlight is strawberries, which are having a later season due to the cold spring months in Victoria, according to Gee: “Vibrant red, juicy sweet, great aroma!” He’s selling them for about $2 for a punnet.But Gee is most excited about grapes.“In the last couple of years, we’ve seen farmers bring to market really good new varieties,” he says.The sweet globe is “such a good eating grape”, and keep an eye out for ruby rush, crispy dream and sweet sapphire – their good run will continue into autumn.
Sweet sapphires are about $5 a punnet at the Happy Apple, while varieties like candy snap are more expensive – about $8.50 a punnet at supermarkets.Sweetcorn grown in South Australia and Victoria is starting to come into abundance, says Gee.“If you peel back the husk, the kernels should look nice and plump.”He sells corn for about $1 each.
At the supermarkets, they’re $1.70 to $2 each.Make juicy kernels the star of a summer salad with Michael Rantissi’s sweetcorn and risoni salad, or grill them to make Georgina Hayden’s charred corn, chorizo and avocado salad.Green beans, sugar snaps and snow peas are also beautiful this month, says Gee.His tip is to buy hand-picked green beans over machine-picked ones, if you can.
They’re pricier – about $8 to $10 a kilo – but are worth the cost, he says: “Machines bruise the beans a bit more.” A good green bean should feel firm and easily snap in half.Supermarkets are selling green beans for about $6.50 to $7.50 a kilo.
And it won’t be long before sugar snaps fall in price to about $10 a kilo, Gee says,Use a kilo of green beans in Hetty McKinnon’s vegetarian green bean and tahini casserole, or make Alice Zaslavsky’s triple-threat stir-fry which features green beans, snow peas and sugar snaps,“Tomatoes, of all kinds, are a very good buy at the moment, in plentiful supply,” says Simonetta,Depending on the type, La Fruitteria is selling tomatoes from $4 to $6 a kilo,“Baby cos lettuce is also good value, selling from $2 to $4 a head,” says Simonetta.
His favourite is iceberg, which is $2 to $3 a head in supermarkets.Mangoes are still great quality, says Simonetta, but are “more expensive than before Christmas” because the Northern Territory season has wound up and the north Queensland season is nearing its end.You can find mangoes for $3 to $5 each.Brussels sprouts, capsicums and lemons are in short supply, says Gee, although prices for lemons will drop as the Queensland season starts hitting shelves.“Limes are abundant if you need a bit of acid in a drink or a dish,” says Gee.
Buy:Apricots Australian grapes Avocado Blackberries Cherries Green beans Lettuce Limes Lychees Mangoes – season is ending soon Nectarines Peaches Plums Tomatoes Watermelon ZucchiniWatch: Lemons – supply will increase soon Sugar snaps – likely to drop in price soonAvoid:Bananas – not a lot of supply Brussels sprouts Red capsicum
Cream of the crop: small brewers take on Guinness with rival ‘nitro’ stouts
Famously, according to the advertising slogan anyway, Guinness is good for you. But for the past couple of years, Guinness has been practically inescapable.Backed by its owner Diageo’s £2.7bn marketing war chest, the brand has shaken off its “old man” reputation, becoming a staple of gen Z pub culture, exploiting its Instagrammable colour scheme and social media trends such as the “splitting the G” drinking game.The resulting increase in younger drinkers and women catapulted its market share in pubs to a new high of 17
Why Russia’s economy is unlikely to collapse even if oil prices fall | Phillip Inman
Pacing inside the Kremlin last weekend, as news feeds churned out minute-by-minute reports of Donald’s Trump’s Venezuelan coup, Vladimir Putin may have been wondering what it would mean for the price of oil.Crude oil has lubricated the Russian economy for decades – far more than gas exports to Europe – and so the threat of falling oil prices, prompted by US plans for control of Venezuela’s rigs, will have been a source of concern.Opinion is divided on how quickly the South American country’s creaking oil industry can be revived. But some analysts believe that Venezuela, home to the world’s largest proven reserves, could be pumping millions of additional barrels as early as this year, hitting the global price and squeezing Russia’s income.US sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil last year and a rise in the rouble, depressing income from oil sales in dollars, have already reduced receipts for Moscow
Behind the Somali daycare panic is a mother-and-son duo angling to be top Maga influencers
YouTube influencer Nick Shirley, whose viral video alleging fraud by daycare centers servicing Minneapolis’s Somali American community came days ahead of the Trump administration’s declaration of a national funding freeze, has for years published conspiracy-minded takes on hot-button rightwing issues.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.He also has close ties to the White House, Republicans, and to representatives of an earlier generation of rightwing partisan “ambush journalists” such as James O’Keefe
Elon Musk’s X threatened with UK ban over wave of indecent AI images
Elon Musk’s X has been ordered by the UK government to tackle a wave of indecent AI images or face a de facto ban, as an expert said the platform was no longer a “safe space” for women.The media watchdog, Ofcom, confirmed it would accelerate an investigation into X as a backlash grew against the site, which has hosted a deluge of images depicting partially stripped women and children.X announced a restriction on creating images via the Grok AI tool on Friday morning in response to the global outcry. A post on the platform said the ability to generate and edit images would now be “limited to paying subscribers”. Those who pay have to provide personal details, meaning they could be identified if the function was misused
‘It doesn’t really hit your socials’: is this Australia’s best kept sporting secret? | Sarah Guiney
If there is one thing Australians pride themselves on, it’s playing sport in the elements. From long days of cricket at the height of summer, the sun beating down harsh and unforgiving, to mud-soaked footy in the dead of winter. It’s a test of character, and Australians wear it like a badge of honour.So perhaps it is a surprise that Australia has yet to embrace ice hockey; tucked away in rinks so cold you need a puffer jacket just to sit and watch, even during summer. Combine that with its speed and brutal physicality, and it seems to tick every box
Coco Gauff beats Iga Swiatek but Poland best US to reach United Cup final
A statement victory for Coco Gauff over her great rival Iga Swiatek proved to be insufficient to the American’s hopes of leading her team into the final of the United Cup. Poland showed their depth in an excellent team performance to close out a 2-1 win over the United States at the Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney.Poland, who finished runners-up to the US last year, exacted their revenge courtesy of the doubles specialists Jan Zielinski and Katarzyna Kawa, who maintained their unbeaten run in the competition by defeating Christian Harrison and Gauff 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3) in the decisive third rubber. Poland face Switzerland in the final on Sunday after the Swiss defeated Belgium 2-1.The tie opened with another victory for Hubert Hurkacz, who continued his impressive comeback from injury by defeating the world No 9, Taylor Fritz, 7-6 (1), 7-6 (2)
Premium peaches and luscious lychees: Australia’s best-value fruit and veg for January
How to turn excess hard veg into fridge-raid sauerkraut – recipe | Waste not
Hurrah for veganism and Victorian sewers | Letters
What can I use in vegetarian curries instead of coconut milk? | Kitchen aide
Kenji Morimoto’s recipe for root vegetable rösti with crisp chickpeas
Adults in England eating as much salt a day as in 22 bags of crisps, study shows