We lined up to buy some shelled vacuum-packed macadamia nuts from a stall at the Capital Region Farmer's Markets yesterday and will enjoy them as an Australia Day treat, roasted and spiced with some wattleseed from Herbie's Spices.
Mangosteen is one of those tropical fruit indulgences that contains morsels of flesh that melt in the mouth. This little fruit is perfect in a fruit salad and also great eaten fresh from the hand. Availability is generally from February to April, however you will find it available earlier in the year.
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. Oh dear. I have just eaten an entire punnet of raspberries by accident! After taking this photo, I decided to pop one into my mouth. It was, quite simply, so perfect and so fine, I just couldn't resist having another. And another. Just one more. And... oops!
Rapsberries really do not need an accompaniment, but if you must do so, then serve them with a light dusting of sugar or beside a meringue; or with a small dollop of home made vanilla ice cream (sublime!), or double cream, yoghurt or mascarpone. Prices seem to have come down recently, but with Christmas coming they are sure to go up again, so pop some into the market basket (or between your lips) this week. Tonight's berries were grown in the Corindi region of New South Wales and from the look and taste, they must have only just been picked, packed and shipped. We are also enjoying the award winning Raspberry Vinegar from Montrose Berry Farm. Owners, Bruce and Fiona Robertson, had a marquee at Floriade. The vinegar is lovely as a salad dressing and marinade, but also makes a refreshing spritzer when mixed with mineral water and is delicious drizzled on ice cream. One of the stallholders at the Capital Region Farmer's Markets in Canberra sells the most amazing baby button squash, alongside his strawberries and broad beans. Button squash is sometimes seen as a boring little curcubit, a has-been in the world of vegetable trends, but this is not so at our place.
The best ones are home grown or bought direct from the grower at your local farmer's markets. If you're wanting to grow button squash, just bear in mind that they need warm soil and plenty of sunshine. Plant them in raised beds that has rich soil laden with plenty of organic matter. Water well, particularly during Summer. When it comes to cooking these beauties, very little work is required. You can leave button squash whole, or cut them in half or slice them into delicate chunks. Then simply boil, steam or microwave until just tender, literally just a few minutes, no more. Drain, serve with a squeeze of lemon juice, a little dot of butter and some salt and pepper to taste. For a side serving of daily goodness, add some home-grown baby carrots, peas and baby asparagus. Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella would most probably have sung along in merry agreement with Joe Cocker’s song, 'The best things in life are the simple things'. Columella (AD4–70), thought to have been the most important agricultural writer in the Roman Empire, wrote that the Romans ate their asparagus fresh-cooked with a pool of melted butter, pepper, salt and a squeeze of citron. Yes! Simple and delicious, I'm with you Columella, that’s the best way to serve and eat asparagus.
According to the Australian Asparagus Council, asparagus cultivation began more than 2,000 years ago in the eastern Mediterranean region and the vegetable was widely cultivated for its tender, succulent, edible shoots. With its sophistication and unique herbaceous flavour it is no wonder that the popularity of fresh asparagus has stood the test of time. Joe Vizzarri, President of the Australian Asparagus Council is looking forward to a good season. “The start of the 2011 season is looking pretty good. White and green asparagus is in full swing and purple asparagus should also be soon available with the warmer weather in October/November.” And, Mr Vizzarri reminds us, although most people think of asparagus as a Spring vegetable, not many are aware that the Aussie growing season extends from September to March. Asparagus is not only delicious, but it’s also packed with nutritional goodies, such as fibre and folate. Aussie asparagus growers are encouraging us to ‘Throw a Spear on the Barbie’ this season, so snap, brush, sprinkle and cook! Simple. Snap off the woody ends, brush the spears with olive oil, sprinkle with salt flakes and cook on a hot barbecue until tender, just 1-2 minutes per side. Peter and I often enjoy a light lunch or dinner of steamed or grilled asparagus with a soft boiled egg and ham. Add a little toast for a more filling meal. Asparagus is also lovely as antipasto, chargrilled and wrapped in prosciutto and served with roasted tomatoes, cheese and char-grilled Turkish bread. Asparagus and strawberries compliment each other beautifully, especially in salads. Try my Spring salad with Smoked Chicken, Asparagus and Strawberries. Another of my favourite Asparagus and Strawberry salad recipes is from Cooking with Asparagus by Lena Raab (DuMont 2001). Sadly, this book is no longer in print and I think I might have the only copy in the country. Rinse a bunch of asparagus, snap off the ends and cook quickly in water seasoned with salt, sugar and a little strawberry vinegar (to taste). Remove the asparagus and rinse in icy water. Arrange in a dish. Make a marinade with the asparagus water, strawberry vinegar, oil, salt, white pepper and a pinch of sugar. Pour over the asparagus. Wash a punnet of strawberries and puree 40g of them. Cut the remaining strawberries into quarters and mix with the puree. Pour this over the asparagus. Serve. According to the Australian Banana Growers' Council (ABGC), bananas will be returning in good supply to supermarkets from the end of September. My fruit bowl, for one, will be truly thankful!
To herald the return of fresh banana supplies, an event titled Banana Bounceback will be held in Martin Place, Sydney, on Tuesday, 27 September. A pallet of bananas donated by Innisfail grower, Steve Lizzio, will go on auction. The bananas are from Mr Lizzio's first crop. All proceeds from the auction will be donated to the McGrath Foundation. ABGC President, Cameron Mackay commented that growers 'are over the moon' that supplies of Australia's number one fruit will once again start to satisfy customer demand. "We'd like to thank consumers for their patience and understanding during this time of re-growth. Production levels are on their way up and this is good news for everyone," Mr Mackay said. The Australian banana industry suffered a devastating hit in February, when Tropical Cyclone Yasi swept through the Tully and Innisfail region in Queensland, wiping out 95 per cent of production in that area; ten per cent on the Atherton Tablelands and a further 100 per cent in the Kennedy area south of Cardwell. A Federal recovery package was announced by the PM in February. The Banana Bounceback auction takes place at 8.30am on Tuesday, 27 September. Be there, if you can, to support the initiative. There was Kohlrabi galore at the Farmer's Market this morning, bringing back memories of a vegetable that my mother cooked with quite frequently. Kohlrabi looks much like a turnip and has a flavour not dissimilar to cabbage. As such, it's one of those versatile vegetables that can be eaten cooked or raw; in soups, casseroles, mash, or in salads, such as coleslaw. Trim away the stalks and cut off the base, then either cook in its skin, or peel and use whole or sliced or diced. Choose young specimens, as these require little cooking.
Yes, we have no bananas in the market basket this week, but the countdown is on, according to Stewart Lindsay, banana growing expert and Queensland Government adviser to the banana industry.
Bananas from cyclone affected Tully and Innisfail will be back in stores in late September. This is great news for many growers who have had no income since February. Four and a bit weeks and counting. Until then, I'm using snap frozen bananas from last season in all my baking, although, I have heard reports of bananas (which are selling for around $11.00 per kilo in supermarkets) being on sale at farmer's markets and some greengrocers for around $5-6.00 per kilo. This is great news! Indulge if you find them. |
Market BasketGood Things in season and ripe for the market basket each month. |