Apricots are here for a good time, not a long time. “We’re eating some really good Victorian ones at the moment, then towards the end of this month we’ll get into the Tasmanian ones,” says Graham Gee, senior buyer at the Happy Apple in Melbourne.
He’s selling them for $5 to $8 a kilo, depending on variety; his favourite is the Moorpark apricot. “They’re not the most beautiful to look at,” he says. “But the flavour is so rich.”
Michael Simonetta, owner of La Frutteria in Sydney’s east, says stonefruits of all kinds are “good value right now”.
At supermarkets, nectarines are about $5 a kilo and yellow and white peaches are about $4 a kilo. Make the most of stone fruit season with Helen Goh’s honey-roasted apricots with oat shortcakes, or in a summer punch with Rachel Roddy’s peaches and basil in wine.
Flat peaches are also having a moment. “They’re sweet and tasty, and hitting the mainstream,” Gee says. They’re more premium – about $10 a kilo.
Flat nectarines, relatively new to the Australian market, are about $1 each – but harder to find.
Lychees are also luscious and selling for $18 to $20 a kilo in supermarkets. “Look for the Erdon Lee lychees, sometimes called a dragons egg because they’re that big. They have a huge amount of flesh and good flavour,” Gee says.
Watermelon is also cheap, selling for a couple of dollars a kilo, Gee says.
Cherish cherries for a little longer
There’s still six to eight weeks to enjoy cherries, Gee says. “Because of the late season, we’ve still got lots of really good Victorian fruit coming through, varieties like Regina and Sylvia,” he says.
Simonetta says Tasmanian cherries are “really beautiful and very good quality”. He’s selling them from $20 to $50 per kilo. “The more expensive ones are of exceptional quality, very large,” he says.
Another highlight is strawberries, which are having a later season due to the cold spring months in Victoria, according to Gee: “Vibrant red, juicy sweet, great aroma!” He’s selling them for about $2 for a punnet.
But Gee is most excited about grapes. “In the last couple of years, we’ve seen farmers bring to market really good new varieties,” he says. The sweet globe is “such a good eating grape”, and keep an eye out for ruby rush, crispy dream and sweet sapphire – their good run will continue into autumn.
Sweet sapphires are about $5 a punnet at the Happy Apple, while varieties like candy snap are more expensive – about $8.50 a punnet at supermarkets.
Dollar corn and beautiful beans
Sweetcorn grown in South Australia and Victoria is starting to come into abundance, says Gee. “If you peel back the husk, the kernels should look nice and plump.”
He sells corn for about $1 each. At the supermarkets, they’re $1.70 to $2 each.
Make juicy kernels the star of a summer salad with Michael Rantissi’s sweetcorn and risoni salad, or grill them to make Georgina Hayden’s charred corn, chorizo and avocado salad.
Green beans, sugar snaps and snow peas are also beautiful this month, says Gee. His tip is to buy hand-picked green beans over machine-picked ones, if you can.
They’re pricier – about $8 to $10 a kilo – but are worth the cost, he says: “Machines bruise the beans a bit more.” A good green bean should feel firm and easily snap in half.
Supermarkets are selling green beans for about $6.50 to $7.50 a kilo. And it won’t be long before sugar snaps fall in price to about $10 a kilo, Gee says.
Use a kilo of green beans in Hetty McKinnon’s vegetarian green bean and tahini casserole, or make Alice Zaslavsky’s triple-threat stir-fry which features green beans, snow peas and sugar snaps.
“Tomatoes, of all kinds, are a very good buy at the moment, in plentiful supply,” says Simonetta. Depending on the type, La Fruitteria is selling tomatoes from $4 to $6 a kilo.
“Baby cos lettuce is also good value, selling from $2 to $4 a head,” says Simonetta. His favourite is iceberg, which is $2 to $3 a head in supermarkets.
Mangoes have lifted in price
Mangoes are still great quality, says Simonetta, but are “more expensive than before Christmas” because the Northern Territory season has wound up and the north Queensland season is nearing its end. You can find mangoes for $3 to $5 each.
Brussels sprouts, capsicums and lemons are in short supply, says Gee, although prices for lemons will drop as the Queensland season starts hitting shelves.
“Limes are abundant if you need a bit of acid in a drink or a dish,” says Gee.
Buy:
Apricots
Australian grapes
Avocado
Blackberries
Cherries
Green beans
Lettuce
Limes
Lychees
Mangoes – season is ending soon
Nectarines
Peaches
Plums
Tomatoes
Watermelon
Zucchini
Watch:
Lemons – supply will increase soon
Sugar snaps – likely to drop in price soon
Avoid:
Bananas – not a lot of supply
Brussels sprouts
Red capsicum
