Navel gazing: oranges, mandarins and persimmons top Australia’s best-value fruit and veg for May
“Sweet, low seed, and great for snacking”, imperial mandarins have just started their season, says Josh Flamminio, owner and buyer at Sydney’s Galluzzo Fruiterers.The tangy-sweet citrus is selling for between $2.99 and $3.99 a kilo in major supermarkets.At Galluzzo, Queensland-grown imperial mandarins are $3.
99 to $5,99 a kilo, “depending on quality”,Larger varieties, like afourer and daisy, are more expensive but offer slightly different flavour,“Daisies are really fleshy and even tastier than imperials, in my opinion,” Flamminio says,Along with mandarins, Australian navel oranges are also back on shelves.
“It’s a sea of orange in store,” says Graham Gee, senior buyer at the Happy Apple in Melbourne,Both grocers are selling them for less than $5 a kilo, depending on size,In supermarkets, navel oranges are between $3,30 and $5,50 per kilo, or roughly $1.
50 a piece.Make use of the citrus bounty with Benjamina Ebuehi’s recipe for orange, grapefruit and bay jelly, or Ravneet Gill’s portokalopita (Greek orange cake), or Claire Ptak’s orange upside-down cake (pictured above).Persimmons are another highlight.Fuyu, mostly grown in Queensland and New South Wales, is the firmer variety, explains Flamminio.“The other is soft, more custardy.
” He’s selling three persimmons (of either variety) for $10.They’re about $2 each at Coles and Woolworths.Try the firmer fruit in Alanna Sapwell’s persimmon tarte tatin.It’s prime time for apples, says Flamminio.“Pink ladies, granny smith, kanzis, jazz – all brand-new season, straight off the trees,” he says.
“Super sweet and crunchy” missile apples are his pick, which are more expensive at $10,99 per kilo, and up to $15 a kilo at the Happy Apple,But as they’re smaller, “the cost per piece isn’t so high”, says Gee,Spudshed in Western Australia has all varieties of apple for $4,99 a kilo.
In general, gala and granny smith are the cheapest apples, Gee says, going for between $4.90 and $7.90 a kilo at the supermarkets.But you can’t go wrong.“All apples are good at the moment,” he says.
Green and gold kiwifruit is now in season, but still expensive, the grocers say.You’ll find green kiwifruit for $1 a piece, and gold for between $1.50 and $1.80 a piece at major supermarkets.They’re about $15 a kilo at smaller grocers.
But prices of kiwis, blood oranges, pink navel oranges and red-fleshed cara cara oranges will all come down in the coming weeks, says Gee.“Brussels sprouts are beautiful, and you don’t need to cook the hell out of them,” says Gee.Though prices were high at the start of the season, they’re now selling for $5 to $7 a kilo at the Happy Apple.Galluzzo has them for $9 a kilo, and they’re $12.90 per kilo at the supermarkets.
Alice Zaslavsky uses green and purple sprouts in her recipe for brussels with apple and smoked pork belly, Georgina Hayden pairs them with anchovies and parmesan in her roast sprout salad, and Thomasina Miers double-cooks the sprouts with soy and miso before adding them to silken tofu and soba.“New season hass avocados have just started.You’re looking at $3 for a large one or $2 for a smaller grade,” says Flamminio.Pricing is steady, says Gee, as the north Queensland supply has just come to market.Shepards are still good value too, at $1.
30 to $1.50 each in supermarkets.Silverbeet is “gorgeous at the moment” and “good value for money”, says Flamminio.He’s selling bunches for $3, which are “humongous”.Green beans and snow peas are also in good supply.
“Machine-picked beans are $3.99 per kilo, and hand-picked beans are about $13.99.That’s the best of the best,” he says.Pumpkin is also plentiful, whether it’s butternut, kent or the Queensland blue variety.
“Expect to pay less than $3 a pumpkin now or very soon,” says Gee,Try José Pizarro’s recipe for pumpkin pisto, a squash-y spin on the Spanish vegetable stew, or Alice Zaslavsky’s winter comfort dish, pumpkin, sweet potato and coconut dal,“It’s hard to crystal ball where everything’s going, but there’s a good supply of most key lines,” says Gee,That includes broccoli ($3 a kilo), kale ($3 a bunch), cauliflower ($5 a head) and cabbage ($5 a head),At Spudshed in Western Australia, cabbage is even cheaper – $2.
99 per head,Cabbage is super versatile,Try it in Thomasina Miers’ recipe for cabbage, artichokes and chestnuts, Alex Elliott-Howery’s quick pickled cabbage, or Meera Sodha’s white cabbage, peanut butter and gochujang noodles,Chestnuts are a real focal point for the next three months, says Flamminio,“I cooked them the other night, they’re gorgeous.
” They’re between $5 and $8 per kilo, or up to $12.99 a kilo for jumbo size.“I like to spend extra on the bigger ones, as you get more of that nutty flesh in them,” says Flamminio.Hill Street Grocer in Tasmania has a step by step guide for roasting chestnuts.Make sure you score a cross in the shells so steam can escape, and minimise the chance of exploding chestnuts.
Yotam Ottolenghi uses cooked chestnuts as stuffing for roast poussins with pancetta and pear, and you can also use them in risotto, hummus, soup and carbonara.Coles and Woolworths are selling large chestnuts for between $11.90 and $12.90 per kilo.Gee’s top tip: “Store them in a paper bag in the refrigerator.
Don’t keep them in the pantry as they’ll lose their moisture and won’t be as pleasant to eat,”Blueberries are expensive and not the best quality, says Gee,They’re between $8 and $10 for a 125g punnet at supermarkets and grocers, “which is a lot”,It’s best to buy frozen or hold out until supply picks up, he says, but the Coffs Harbour region season will see supply pick up soon,Asparagus is best avoided, Flamminio says, as most is imported at this time of year.
“Get snow peas or sugar snaps instead,” he says, as they’re more reasonably priced.Red capsicum prices are fluctuating.“It can be a rude shock if you pick up a capsicum and it’s $5 or $6 dollars a piece,” says Gee.But with the Queensland season coming, “we should see some relief soon”.Buy:Apples Avocado Broccoli Brussels sprouts Cabbage Cauliflower Carrots Cavolo nero Celery Chestnuts Fennel Grapes Green beans Kale Lemons Mandarins Oranges Persimmons Pumpkin Silverbeet Snow peasWatch:Kiwis – prices high Red capsicums – low supplyAvoid:Asparagus – imported Blueberries – expensive Zucchinis – end of season
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