Produce Report

This report brings you a summary of some of the fresh produce highlights for this month. We announce new seasonal varieties, special and unusual items and draw your attention to some great fresh produce eating experiences.

Our reports are drawn from first hand experience in the Markets early each morning, as well as from growers, wholesalers and retailers involved in the industry around the country. For detailed information on any of the items you can refer to our a-z produce guide.

PRODUCE REPORT – FEBRUARY 2010

GRAPES
Very good quality grapes are in plentiful supply this February; grapes are an excellent source of vitamin C and dietary fibre, keep refrigerated to maintain optimum quality.
Varieties available this month are –
Dark Seeded- Cardinal, Currants, Muscat and Red Globe
Dark Seedless- Flame
White Seedless-Menindee and Thompson (sultana)

MELONS
Watermelon Seedless and Long Seeded- when buying watermelon, look for melons with an attractive waxy bloom and a pale yellow underside. When tapped lightly, the melon should sound hollow, which is an indication of maturity.
Honey dew melon-when selecting honeydew, look for a deep golden skin or honeydew with an almost white skin.
Rockmelon-the rockmelon has a porous skin allowing the aroma to come through and the exotic smell is the best indication of ripeness for rockmelon.

SWEET CORN
Sweet corn is an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of dietary fibre, folic acid and phosphorus. Select corn with a fresh husk. Kernels should be plump, shiny and fairly straight.

ZUCCHINI
Local fruit are in abundance at this time if year, they are a great addition to summer cooked meals.
Zucchini are an excellent source of vitamin C and are low in sodium.

CAPSICUM
Local Red, Green and Yellow fruit are in plentiful supply this month. 100g of capsicum provides over seven times the daily recommended allowance of vitamin C and they can be eaten raw in salads; sliced for stir fry; diced or cubed for casseroles and ratatouille or halved and filled with meat or rice.

APPLES
New season Victorian apples are now being harvested; varieties include – Royal Gala; Sundowner; Early Gold and Ginger Gold. Red Delicious is being freshly harvested from Tasmania at the present time.

EGGPLANT
Eggplant or Aubergine is of excellent quality this month; they are a good source of dietary fibre and contain vitamin C and potassium. There two varieties available-
Long Tom –slender elongated, cucumber shaped
Black Bell –pear shaped

STRAWBERRIES
February is the month to buy fresh, succulent strawberries; they are an excellent source of vitamin C with 100g providing approximately twice the daily recommended allowance.

PEARS
New season Victorian William Pears are now being harvested; they are a medium to large fruit which is the major variety used for canning. They are light green in colour changing to a clear yellow when ripe; the flesh is white, smooth and juicy with a slight aromatic flavour.
Pears are an excellent source of Vitamin C and a very good source of dietary fibre.

STONEFRUIT
Summer stone fruit is in plentiful supply this month and a varied choice is available
Apricots - delicious when eaten fresh or they can be used in desserts, poached, stewed, or pureed in jams and chutneys.
Peaches - available white or yellow fleshed and are a good source of vitamins A, C and B3.
Plums - are ideal addition to lunch boxes, they can also be used in hot and cold desserts, stewed, grilled, baked or sautéed, or in fruit salads and pies.
Nectarines - new season white and yellow varieties are now at your local greengrocer.