It’s a core month for pome fruit, with apples, pears and quince all heralding the start of autumn. “The first cab off the rank is the gala – a big sweet and juicy apple,” says Graham Gee, senior buyer at the Happy Apple in Melbourne.
Granny smith, jazz and kanzi apples will come in during March too, and “Australia’s most popular variety, the pink lady, generally starts in April,” he says.
Royal gala apples are between $5 and $8 per kilo at supermarkets. They’re $7 to $9 per kilo at Sydney’s Galluzzo Fruiterers, and Gee is selling them for about $3 to $5 per kilo; Spudshed in Perth is selling bags of prepacked new season apples for $3.99 per kilo. Early season pink lady apples are slightly more expensive, at $8.90 per kilo in supermarkets.
New season pears are also ripe for eating now. Beurré bosc, corella and nashi varieties are between $3 and $6 per kilo at Happy Apple. “In the green, we’re enjoying the williams bon chrétien (williams pear) at the moment, but that makes way for the packham, which is the green pear we enjoy for most of the year,” says Gee.
Williams pears are between $3.50 and $4.90 a kilo at supermarkets, or 63c each at Coles. If you want to bake with them, Benjamina Ebuehi’s pear and walnut pudding uses five ripe pears with vanilla and nutmeg for a light spongy dessert, or Helen Goh uses two in her fudgy pear, chocolate and hazelnut torte.
Juicy figs are another highlight, says Josh Flamminio, owner and buyer at Galluzzo Fruiterers. “People are buying whole trays, they’re beautiful. We’re selling them for $2 each.” Enjoy them fresh, or bake them with Yotam Ottolenghi’s fig and thyme clafoutis or Rachel Roddy’s fig, ricotta and orange tart. For something savoury, try Tom Hunt’s fig, radicchio, blue cheese and walnut galette.
Value avos
“Hass avocados are a really good buy at the moment,” says Flamminio. He’s selling large hass from Western Australia for $2.50 a piece. They’re between $1.50 and $2 each at supermarkets, and $1.49 each at Spudshed.
Gee is guiding customers to the smooth, green-skinned shepards from north Queensland. “The dyed-in-the-wool hass fans don’t seem to understand them, but you’ll find they’re as creamy and delicious.” He recommends giving the fruit “a slight press at the top … if it yields easily that will tell you it’s ripe”. Shepards are $2 a piece at the Happy Apple.
If you have a glut of ripe avocados, try Emily Kydd’s chickpeas and avo on toast. She flavours hers with a kick of cumin and paprika. Or, Alice Zaslavsky uses two ripe avocados in a zucchini salad paired with zucchini schnitzels.
Steady veggies
“It’s a nice and steady month for vegetables,” says Gee. “There’s good availability, prices are reasonable. Cauliflower, capsicum, broccoli, eggplant, zucchini – all good quality.”
Green beans are also steady at $2.99 for 500g bags, and half a cauliflower is $2.99 at Galluzzo. “With the heat and humidity, tomatoes are growing pretty well,” says Flamminio, who is selling roma and red tomatoes for about $6.99 per kilo. Truss is slightly more expensive at $7.99 per kilo.
Flamminio adds that “kale, cavolo nero, spinach and carrots are all still abundant”. Carrots are $2.40 a kilo in supermarkets and $2.99 a kilo at Galuzzzo; transform them into a warming salad in Rukmini Iyer’s 30-minute recipe for spiced roast carrots with feta, dates, bulgur and beans. Or blend them into an orange batter for Benjamina Ebuehi’s Brazilian-style carrot cake.
Sicilian eggplants – smaller and rounder than more common varieties, with white and light purple skin – are a highlight, says Flamminio. “They’re a lot sweeter, they don’t have seeds, or the acidity or sourness. They’re great for cooking baba ganoush.” He’s selling them for $9.99 per kilo.
Glasshouse eggplants are cheaper, about $7.99 per kilo at Galluzzo, and cheaper still in supermarkets at $4.90 per kilo or $2.21 each. Spudshed has them for 99c each. Use them in Felicity Cloake’s smoky baba ganoush, or roast them in Rukmini Iyer’s one-traybake of eggplant, chickpeas and pomegranate.
Not a berry good time
Berries have been hit hard by the fluctuating weather. “Blueberries are in very, very limited supply,” says Flamminio. “The main crops are coming out of Tasmania, and there’s not as much production.”
It’s a similar story for strawberries, says Gee. “Plants were affected by the extreme heat about a month or so ago,” he says. Hold out until May, he says, as Queensland’s strawberry season tends to bring prices down again.
Passionfruit is also expensive right now, going for $19.99 per kilo at Galluzzo and $2 to $3 a piece at the Happy Apple. “Passionfruit continues to be quite scarce, and as a result they’re quite expensive,” says Gee.
It’s also the end of the season for stone fruit, says Flamminio. “Peaches and nectarines get to that floury stage, they’re on their last legs,” he says. “Plums have the longest life, so if you’re after stone fruit I would say plums.” He’s selling premium plums for $14.99 per kilo.
Buy:
Avocado
Broccoli
Carrots
Capsicum
Cauliflower
Celery
Eggplant
Figs
Grapes
Green beans
Kale
Lettuce
Pears
Plums
Quince
Silverbeet
Spinach
Tomatoes
Watermelon
Zucchini
Watch:
Strawberries
Nectarines
Peaches
Avoid:
Passionfruit
Blueberries
