What's in season: January and February in Sydney
Posted by kathryn in Shopping Basket and What's in season
It’s half way through the month, and I’m only just putting up the current list of what’s in season! Given this, I thought I’d make it a January through to February edition.
We’re in full summer mode here in Sydney. Fruit is beautiful. And finally there seem to be tomatoes around that actually have flavour.
Fruit
- Apples – the new season apples start coming through in February, with galas one of the first to be picked.
- Apricots – beautiful at the moment
- Avocado
- Bananas
- Berries – blueberries have been amazingly cheap the last two weeks. Blackberries and raspberries are also excellent.
- Cherries
- Figs – coming into season in February
- Grapes – new season has started. Crimson (red) and Menindee (white, seedless) are both excellent.
- Limes
- Lychees
- Mangoes – Qld fruit are wonderful and still reasonably priced.
- Nectarines – white and yellow are in full swing.
- Oranges – the navels are from the US, but local valencias are okay and good for juicing.
- Passionfruit (Panamas)
- Peaches – white and yellow are both beautiful.
- Pears – new season pears are starting up. Over the next 6 weeks there will be Williams and Howells available
- Pineapples, especially Bethongas.
- Plums – coming into season. The next 6 weeks should see prices come down and the number of varieties available increase.
- Rambutans
- Rhubarb
- Rockmelons – prime season for rockmelons at the moment.
- Strawberries
- Watermelon
Vegetables
- Asparagus – green asparagus is available, but white will be hard to find.
- Beans – are very good at the moment.
- Broccoli
- Capsicum
- Corn
- Cucumbers
- Eggplant – excellent quality and good price at the moment. Italian eggplants are also available.
- Lettuce
- Okra
- Peas – fresh peas, snowpeas and sugar snaps are all gorgeous at the moment.
- Potatoes – chat and new season Dutch cream are the best.
- Radishes
- Rocket
- Tomatoes – all local produce and some good flavours are available, especially if you can get oxhearts.
- Zucchini – excellent quality and good sized zucchini flowers are also available.
- Lychee photograph by Meanest Indian under the terms of a creative commons license.
- Rambutan photograph by 9.81 metres per second squared under the terms of a creative commons license.
15 January, 2008
Comments
Hi Kathryn. Do you know how well fresh blueberries freeze? I think I want to stock up as our Harris Farm has 2 punnets for $5 at the moment.
While I’ve never frozen fresh blueberries, I don’t see any reason at all why they wouldn’t freeze really well. They’d probably lose some of the firmness of their structure – ie when you defrosted them, they may go a little mushy. But I think it’s a fine idea. I’m just cranky because I was out that way today and didn’t go to Harris Farm!
While I’ve never frozen fresh blueberries, I don’t see any reason at all why they wouldn’t freeze really well. They’d probably lose some of the firmness of their structure – ie when you defrosted them, they may go a little mushy. But I think it’s a fine idea. I’m just cranky because I was out that way today and didn’t go to Harris Farm!
Hi Kathryn and Fiona,
Blueberries freeze quite well! The trick is to freeze them while they’re spread out on a baking tray or something similar, not touching each other too much, so that they freeze individually. Then you can toss them into a bag together, and they won’t stick in clumps (which become mushy once thawed).
I’m jealous of your bounty Down Under! I was in Australia two winters ago and it was glorious to see the sun in January, not to mention eat fruits and veg that are nowhere to be found (in season) during those months ‘round these parts! Right now we’re living under the deep dark rainclouds of gloomy mid-winter here in Portland, Oregon. Ahh well…good thing I like potatoes and leeks.
Eva, thank you so much. I would never have thought about the clumping issue. I read so many blogs from the northern hemisphere, I always feel slightly out of kilter. I’m reading so many wonderful soup recipes at the moment, while we’re enjoying hot weather and sunshine – and soup is furthest from my mind! Thanks again for your tip.
the only asparagus i could find last time i did a veg shop was from peru! :( having that said, it may have just not been available that day.
Kathryn, what is a rambutan?? it sounds like a foreign country or something, hehe.
Lindsey – I’ve bought Australian asparagus this week, but I do think it’s on it’s way out. I noticed the price had gone up quite considerably.
Rambutans are a beautiful little tropical fruit. All crazy spikes and bright red skin on the outside. But inside, the fruit is very similar to a lychee.
I’ve posted a picture above.
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