Just this once, you can liken apples to oranges, as the two fruits dominate May’s best produce.
“May is the start of the winter season fruit, so apples are at their best,” says Hannah Ghassan at Hilltop Fruit in Merrylands, western Sydney.
Her pick of the crop is the granny smith. “They’re a start of season apple,” she says. Ghassan sells them for $5.99 a kilo and says they are likely to come down to $2.50 a kilo by mid-winter.
Granny smiths are one of the most versatile apples: good for eating, and in sweet and savoury dishes. Apples in pastry is a no-brainer – see Yotam Ottolenghi’s apple butter galette – as is this triple-threat toffee apple cake.
Granny smiths’ tartness works wonders in rojak, the Malaysian mixed fruit salad that comes sharply dressed with tamarind, chilli and belachan; and the green apple gives balance to this rich potato and gruyere pie.
Pink ladies will come down in price throughout May. Currently they are in supermarkets for about $5.50 a kilo, alongside other seasonal varieties like kanzis and fujis.
At Summer Hill Village Fruit Shop in Sydney’s inner west, the co-owner Sonia Elias also recommends “sweet and crunchy” bravo apples – if you can find them. Their season started about a week ago, but the purple-skinned specimens aren’t as widely available as their red cousins.
When it comes to winter citrus, fleshy, good-eating navel oranges are currently about $7 to $8 a kilo in supermarkets, but are expected to become cheap and plentiful at the end of May and early June. It’s hard to go past Yotam Ottolenghi’s chocolate and orange fondants, where the mini molten mounds come spiked with chipotle chilli.
Grapefruit – a more divisive citrus – are about $5 a kilo in supermarkets, while lemons and limes are currently $1.50 each. About three limes will do for Belinda Jeffery’s pistachio and lime syrup cake with pomegranate.
But winter’s highly anticipated headliner is mandarins. Imperials are about $3 a kilo on special in supermarkets, while fleshier and sweeter afourer and honey murcott varieties are expected to come to fruit towards the end of May.
Steer clear of stone fruit (gone), grapes (going) and berries (becoming expensive). If you must buy berries, blackberries are the best value. And while you will still find good-quality watermelons and grapes, prices will rise as they become harder to source.
Root for these vegetables
Plentiful potatoes, pumpkins, carrots and leeks means soup season is here.
“As soon as the cooler months come, pumpkin is a big hit in our store,” says Ghassan, who is selling pumpkin at $2.50 a kilo. You’ll need a hefty 1.5kg for Felicity Cloake’s pumpkin soup, which is boosted with chilli, sage and nutmeg; while Yasmin Khan’s recipe is fragrant with cardamom, ginger and coconut milk. For something to chew on, try Nigel Slater’s baked pumpkin with spiced chickpeas.
Potatoes and sweet potatoes are about $4 a kilo in supermarkets (or less on special) and supply remains steady, despite last year’s wet weather.
Keen for greens
At Signorelli Balwyn in Melbourne’s east, the owner, Steve Signorelli, says a hardy green like silverbeet remains a safe bet at about $4 a bunch. In supermarkets, broccoli is selling for $4 a kilo, cauliflower for about $5 to $6 a head, and leeks are about $2.50 to $3 apiece.
If you have choice paralysis, combine all the above (and then some) in Thomasina Miers’ potato, leek and cavolo nero soup, with bonus parmesan croutons.
Tomatoes and cucumbers will fall in price when winter crops begin. But while supply of eggplant remains steady, prices are starting to creep up (they can be found for up to $9 a kilo). However, smaller, more delicate veg such as asparagus, broccolini and brussels sprouts will soon take over grocery shelves.
Treasure chestnuts
After months of fluctuating prices, avocados are now much cheaper and better quality. Hass avocados are available in some stores, though the polarising Shepard variety is still the most plentiful at $2 to $3.50 each.
But give a big, warm welcome to chestnuts which are in abundance, and ideally roasted around a bonfire if you have the time and skills, and an oven if you do not.
“They are a very hearty nut,” says Ghassan, who has a high turnover of chestnuts at her Merrylands shop. “It’s a nice winter warmer, roasted or boiled.”
At Ghassan’s grocery they’re going for $9.99 a kilo, and you can find them in good supply in supermarkets for about $12 a kilo. To prevent chestnut-scented explosions (and to make them easier to peel), cut a cross in each nut before boiling or roasting to enjoy their flavour unadulterated. To take your chestnut consumption to the next level, try them in Rachel Roddy’s risotto-like recipe for rice with pumpkin, sage and chestnuts.
And now for something a little different …
For cold-weather fruit that’s nice, different or unusual, Signorelli name-checks nashi pears ($2.50 each) and golden kiwi fruits (about $1.50 each) which will fall in price over autumn, as well as custard apples (about $6 or $7 a kilo or $4.50 each in supermarkets). Persimmons also remain in their prime (Signorelli sells them at two for $5) and their season is from May to early June.
Buy:
Apples
Asparagus
Avocados
Broccoli
Broccolini
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Chestnuts
Grapefruit
Kale
Leeks
Lemons
Limes
Mandarins
Onions
Oranges
Parsnips
Persimmons
Potatoes
Pumpkin
Silverbeet
Sweet potatoes
Zucchinis
Watch:
Brussels sprouts: on their way
Cucumbers
Oranges
Pears: on their way
Tomatoes
Avoid:
Blueberries
Eggplant
Grapes
Stone fruit
Watermelon
