November stone fruit season is here – and mangoes are first off the mark.
“There is an absolute abundance of stock in the market,” says Josh Flamminio, owner and buyer at Sydney’s Galluzzo Fruiterers.
“You can get beautiful small fruits for $2 to $3 apiece and larger fruits for $4 to $5. People are sceptical because they’re early but they’re absolutely beautiful.”
Kensington prides are cheapest at about $2 each, followed by calypsos ($2.50) and R2E2s ($4).
Beyond enjoying them as they are, Matt Moran’s mango ice blocks sound like a good idea for upcoming heatwaves; and, for a tropical twist on the Sunday roast, try Nigel Slater’s roast chicken with mango and ginger salad.
In other stone fruit news, yellow nectarines and white peaches are good quality but are still a little pricey at about $9 a kilo.
Lychees are also making an appearance.
“They’re a beautiful size, with quite a large seed,” Flamminio says. “But the price is borderline absurd. You’re looking at about $50 a kilo but hopefully by end of the month that will halve.”
Berries at their best
Cold-weather fruit such as mandarins, apples and pears are finished. But if you still need your lunchbox favourites pink ladies, granny smiths and packham pears (about $5 to $6 a kilo) are your best bets.
But berries are still in their prime and very affordable, with blueberries about $3 a punnet, raspberries $4 a punnet and strawberries from $2.50 a punnet. If you’re in the mood for baking, Felicity Cloake’s strawberry tart is a showstopper.
Watermelon prices are steady and set to come down, says David Hanno, a co-owner of Eden Garden Fresh Market in Melbourne.
But avoid rock melons and honeydew, which are short in supply, and passionfruit, which is fetching a high price.
Turn over a new leaf
November is a fine time for vines, with cucumbers, zucchinis and tomatoes in healthy supply.
In supermarkets Lebanese cucumbers are less than $1 each, while continental cucumbers are also affordable at about $1.50 apiece.
For an easy throw-together meal, Meera Sodha’s no-cook salad with cucumber, tomatoes, chickpeas and rose harissa is best eaten “on your lap in the sunshine”, while this simple combination of cucumbers, dates and pistachios is an ideal companion for barbecued meats.
Eggplant and capsicum are down in price, and can be found for about $9 a kilo each in supermarkets but are cheaper in grocers.
Avocados, however, are in between growing seasons – “I’ve even been seeing New Zealand fruit in the market,” Flamminio says – and prices remain higher than average at about $2.90 each.
But it’s still salad days. Iceberg lettuce is cheap at about $3 a head, which means it must be time to try Alice Zaslavsky’s mimosa salad, AKA lettuce “cake”. Serving up a whole head of iceberg might sound unusual; so too a dressing of condensed milk spiked with mustard, but it’s a retro revelation.
Herbs, baby bok choy, spinach and silverbeet are abundant, as is asparagus. The spears can be found for $1.50 a bunch, with supply expected to last until just before Christmas.
In Yotam Ottolenghi’s asparagus cannelloni with coriander pesto, the spears are draped in fresh lasagne sheets, layered with yoghurt bechamel and daubed with coriander pesto for a seasonal one-dish wonder.
For more spring greens, peas and beans are affordable and in good supply – sugar snaps and green beans work wonderfully in Alice Zaslavsky’s vegetable and tempeh stir-fry.
Winter veg such as pumpkins and onionshave climbed slightly in price. And don’t count on leeks either – they’re up to $3.50 each.
Buy:
Asparagus
Beans
Blueberries
Broccolini
Cauliflower
Celery
Cucumber
Lettuce
Mangoes
Peas
Pineapple
Raspberries
Strawberries
Watermelon
Watch:
Avocados
Cherries
Nectarines
Lychees
Peaches
Plums
Avoid:
Limes (up to $20 a kilo)
Melons
Onions
Potatoes
Passionfruit
