As inflation hits 5.1%, shopping for the best value and quality groceries is high on the agenda.
The colder months also mean that getting maximum nutrition for your dollar, to ward against winter colds and flus, is important.
But what’s good and what’s not? And what should you grab while you see it, as produce shortages caused by lack of labour as well as unfavourable weather events continue to affect big supermarkets?
“All the green leafy vegetables are starting to come into season,” says Joe Mirabella, produce buyer at Boccaccio independent grocer in Balwyn, Melbourne.
“Think high-vitamin greens like silverbeet … at about $3.99 for a decent sized bunch.”
Pick of the month: brussels sprouts
A treat for those who like their vegetables tasty – the local season for baby brussels sprouts has just started, says Alan Li, from Fruits on Coventry at the South Melbourne market.
At markets, the price for half kilogram is about $4 and coming down, but at supermarkets the cost can be much higher.
Producer Scott Samwell, of Eastbrook Farms in Mount Barker, South Australia, says a wet spring and early summer followed by a dry Christmas and new year has affected yield, but all types of brussels sprouts including kalettes – a cross between red kale and brussels sprouts – now make good eating.
“Some, like the red brussels sprouts, are sweeter than others with a more classic, peppery taste,” he says.
While it’s easy to add silverbeet or spinach, wilted with a little olive oil or butter, to most meals, or turn them into something special like mushroom and silverbeet lasagne or spanakopita, brussels sprouts can seem a bit more challenging.
Chef Justin James, owner of Adelaide’s award-winning Restaurant Botanic says brussels sprouts taste best when combined with other strong flavours. Mash them with bacon or pancetta, he suggests. “Or roast them and toss them in olive oil and lots of lemon juice.”
“Sherry vinegar combined with brussels sprouts is also very good. You can marinate them in it, and add a little at the end.”
Veg to cook now: potato, slaw and mushrooms
With root vegetables coming into season, potatoes are a fantastic buy, says Georgina Dragwidge of Georgie’s Harvest. “My pick is Pontiacs, at around $5.50 a kilogram.”
Says James: “I love a good potato salad, winter or summer, because it goes very well with a lot of dishes.
“You can also add plenty of nutritious vegetables in to season it.”
After boiling the potatoes in salty water, lay them out in the fridge to cool and dry. “A waterlogged potato is the enemy of a good potato salad.”
James adds Kewpie mayonnaise, although any creamy mayo will do, olive oil, lemon juice, and finely chopped celery and apples.
Celery is down to about $4 a bunch and it is apple season. Says Mirabella: “With the cooler weather, apples straight off the tree are crunchy, sweet and tangy.” Expect to pay about $5.99 a kilo for a popular variety like Kanzis at markets and around 70c an apple at supermarkets.
Mushrooms are now in season with loose cups starting at $11.50 a kilo and portobello $14.50 a kilo. They’re delicious in stir-fries and casseroles, or pan fried with butter and garlic.
For those who love a bit of gourmet grub, now’s the chance to grab wild-foraged pine mushrooms and slippery jacks, about $40 a kilo, at farmers’ markets. “They are only once a season and they are absolutely delicious,” Dragwidge says.
“They have already started to feature on a lot of cook, chefs’ websites and will be found in most states except Queensland, which might not have the right weather.”
James suggests grilling them with a lot of dry heat to remove some of the slippery moisture. “They’re not for everyone,” he says.
Celeriac on the other hand, at about $5 a bunch, can be a crowd pleaser, especially when you shred it with carrots and apple for a coleslaw and add a dressing of apple cider vinegar, mustard, oil, salt and maple syrup. “Add a handful of chopped chives and parsley to season it,” says James.
Other good veggie drawer fillers: sweet potato, at about $4.50 a kilo, zucchinis, about $4 to $5 a kilo, and cauliflower from $4.50 for a whole head.
Seasonal fruit
“Grapes, especially Black Sapphire, are really fresh, firm and juicy right now,” says Dragwidge. Expect to pay from $5 to $13 for fancier varieties.
New season mandarins out of Queensland are sweet and a good size, for about $3.99 a kilo, says Li.
Navel oranges are down to about $1 each, but pears are cheaper as autumn is prime season. Varieties such as William Bartlett, Beurré Bosc and Josephine, are priced at about $3.50 a kilo.
Despite the Queensland floods, the current eating quality of pineapples is amazing, says Gavin Scurr from Pinata Farms in the Sunshine Coast. “It’s as good as it gets with awesome flavour and nice, big pineapples for $3 to $4.” For a special dessert, James suggests slicing them thinly and layering on mascarpone cheese flavoured with a little honey and lemon juice before rolling them up like a canoli.
Buy it
Brussels sprouts
Silverbeet
Spinach
Mushrooms
Potatoes
Celery
Celeriac
Cauliflower
Pears
Mandarins
Grapes
Pineapples
Skip it
Green Beans: expensive at $17 a kilo for handpicked stringless, says Li. While machine picked are only $7 or $8, quality and fridge life is poor.
Peas: at record prices of up to $25 a kilo for fresh because of damage early in the season and extreme heat late in January.
Blueberries: Out of season and expensive.
All prices are estimates based on information provided by vendors, and may vary depending on where you live and shop.
