'Few pleasures of the palate can be compared to biting into perfectly ripened peach flesh and feeling the juice run down your chin.' Summer was one of my favourite seasons when I worked at the produce market, for the air was filled with the luscious scent of stone fruits. Peaches, together with nectarines and cherries, are making an appearance at local markets now. White fleshed peaches always seem to have more flavour to my palate, although there are some beautiful yellow fleshed varieties available as well. The best tasting fruit has been allowed to ripen on the tree and will have a full bodied aroma. Peaches bruise easily so look for smooth, unblemished fruit and handle them with care. Peaches are best kept at room temperature. Enjoy them as snacks, eaten fresh from the hand; grill or roast them and serve them with yoghurt or cream; use them in salads; or make one of my favourite and hugely popular jams (the perfect edible gift).
Somewhere in a family album there's a photo of me as a small child in a cool Summer dress, cherry stains all over the front of me, and my mouth and cheeks bulging with my favourite Summer treat.
Yay! It's cherry season now and Aussie cherries are available from early November through to late February. Australia produces an average of 12,000 tonnes of cherries annually, worth around $120 million, and producers are aiming for an average of 15,000 tonnes by 2015. The industry is spread over six states, with around 2,845 hectares under production and 485 grower enterprises currently operating. In New South Wales, Young is a key production area (Cherry Festival coming up!), as well as Orange and Bathurst. Other significant areas include the Dandenong Ranges and Goulburn Valley near Melbourne, the Adelaide Hills and the Riverland area of South Australia, the Huon Valley and Derwent Valley in Tasmania, and the elevated southwest region of Western Australia. Visit your local cherry farm and buy direct, or pick your own fruit. It's a great day out. Cherries are a power-packed food loaded with anthocyanins, the antioxidants responsible for their deep red colour; and other flavanoid antioxidants such as quercetin and kaempferol. They also provide a good source of Vitamin C, as well as potassium and fibre. And they're a guilt-free indulgence, with only 250 kilojoules per 100 grams! Cherries are picked fresh from the tree and do not continue to ripen once picked, so make sure you choose plump glossy cherries with smooth, unblemished skin. And look for bright green stems that are in good condition. Keep your cherries cool and dry to preserve the freshness, quality and shelf life. Store them in the fridge in an air tight container. There's lots of ways to use cherries, other than eating them fresh from the hand. Bake them, preserve them, or cool off with this refreshing Cherry Sangria. CHERRY SANGRIA 750mls red or white wine (a spicy shiraz or sauvignon blanc) 1/4 cup caster sugar 1 orange 1 lemon 1 lime 1 litre lemonade 300g pitted cherries, halved Combine the wine and sugar in a large jug. Thinly slice the orange, lemon and lime and add to the wine mixture. Stir in the cherries and chill for at least an hour (or up to three days). When you are ready to serve the Sangria, add the lemonade and serve over lots of ice. Alternatively, serve the wine and the lemonade in separate carafes and allow people to mix the Sangria themselves, to their taste. Serves 6. |
Market BasketGood Things in season and ripe for the market basket each month. |