You might not think of winter vegetables as particularly verdant, but July is “pretty much the month of green,” says Matt Palise, the director of Red Rich Fruits, a fresh produce wholesaler. Brussels sprouts and wombok lead the charge in the best value vegetables.
According to Graham Gee, a senior buyer at the Happy Apple in Melbourne, wombok is “probably the cheapest option in the cabbage family at the moment.” Michael Hsu, the operational manager at Sydney’s Panetta Mercato, credits their low pricing to the warm winter in Victoria.
Wombok is selling for $5 a piece at Panetta Mercato, $4.20 at the Happy Apple, $3 at Perth’s Spudshed and about $7 at supermarkets.
If you have bountiful wombok and time, it’s kimchi-making season. Chef Jung Eun Chae’s recipe will take a minimum of two weeks to ferment, but once it’s ready it will keep indefinitely. For something more immediate, try Ben Delvin’s wombok salad with a ginger-spiked cashew dressing.
Brussels sprouts are good in quality and supply, says Gee. The Happy Apple is selling them for $6 a kilo, while they’re $7.50 a kilo at Panetta Mercato and $7.90 a kilo in supermarkets.
Alice Zaslavsky uses brussels sprouts in a buttery colcannon, which she describes as a “croquette without its coat”. For a sweeter take on the divisive sprouts, Matt Preston caramelises them with a fish sauce and lap cheong to create a “sticky party”.
Bring on the blackberries
If you have berries on the brain, buy blackberries. We’re still between seasons for strawberries and raspberries, says Hsu, with the season in Western Australia and Victoria finishing up. Gee says the Queensland strawberry season has started, but “there’s not quite enough to really push through massive volumes”.
Supermarket punnets of blackberries are $4; at the Happy Apple and Panetta Mercato they’re $6.
The berries are the jammy crown to Yotam Ottolenghi’s cinnamon and lemon rice pudding, while Benjamina Ebuehi combines blackberries with sage in these more structurally sound crumble bars that can double as breakfast and a sweet treat.
If you’re particular about pommes, pick pink ladies. Not only did they score highly in our apples taste test, but harvesters have “just finished” picking, says Palise. “They’re fresh off the tree.” You’ll find them for $7.30 a kilo at the Happy Apple and about $5.90 a kilo in supermarkets.
Gee and Hsu are excited about the dekopon, a citrus hybrid that is also sold under the name sumo mandarin, which Hsu describes as having a “big body” with a “small head.” Gee and Hsu praise the seedless dekopon for their sweetness and ease in peeling. Expect to see them at the latter end of the month.
Pretty in papaya
In a tropical twist, Hsu says there are a lot of papayas coming out of Queensland. “They’re nearly half the price they’re normally at, which is very good value,” he says. Panetta Mercato is selling them for $3 each, while they’re between $4.30 and $5.90 each at the supermarkets.
Serve the orange-fleshed fruit on top of Yotam Ottolenghi’s black rice pudding, but if you’ve left it too long to savour it sweetness, an over-ripe papaya is the key ingredient in Tom Hunt’s take on halwa, which can be eaten warmed, or cooled and rolled into balls.
Palise and Gee have noticed the warmer winter has encouraged tomato vines to thrive. “They are a particularly good buy,” says Gee. He’s selling small gourmet tomatoes for $3.70 per kilo. The roma variety are going for $6 a kilo at Spudshed, and you can find round or gourmet tomatoes for between $4.90 and $6.50 a kilo at supermarkets.
For a simple midweek winter meal, use them in Romy Gills’ Indian-style tomato curry and rice.
Broccoli, carrot, cauliflower, celery, pumpkin, zucchini – the “old faithfuls of winter” are also in good supply, says Gee.
Shelve the spinach
Palise says lately there have been challenges in growing spinach due to rainy weather. Gee says this is a similar story for basil, dill and tarragon, which are also going through a rough patch.
Spring onion season is shifting from southern Australia to Queensland, which means supply is “a little bit tight at the moment”, says Gee.
And if you’re looking for blood oranges you will need to wait a little longer. The first specimens will appear at the start of July, but with supply increasing through the month, says Gee. “They herald the arrival of the last lot of citrus fruit.”
Buy:
Apples
Blackberries
Broccoli
Broccolini
Brussels sprouts
Capsicum
Carrot
Cauliflower
Celery
Mandarins
Navel oranges
Papaya
Pears
Potatoes
Pumpkin
Silverbeet
Sweet potatoes
Wombok cabbage
Zucchini
Watch:
Lettuce
Strawberries
Avoid:
Basil (supply issue)
Blood oranges (too early)
Dill (supply issue)
Spinach (supply issue)
Spring onions (change in production)
Tarragon (supply issue)
