What's in season: March in Sydney
Posted by kathryn in Uncategorized
As summer gently winds down there’s been a subtle shift in the produce available.
Frankly I’ve given up on peaches and nectarines. While they’re still plentiful, I’ve had one too many flour-y, bland experiences with them in the last two weeks.
Plus heavy rains in February have disrupted the vegetable supply – meaning quality is down and prices are up.
But the new season apples are being picked. This is the time of year when they’re at their best. Plus plums are gorgeous, gorgeous, GORGEOUS.
And then the Harris Farm newsletter informed me this morning that the beginning of autumn means . . . figs.
So it’s not all bad news.
Fruits in season this month:
- Apples – galas and red delicious have been in the shops for a few weeks, while Jonathons are coming off the trees at the moment
- Avocadoes – Hass are finishing up, but Shephards are coming into season
- Bananas
- Berries – this is the end of the season, but blueberries and blackberries are still very good
- Figs
- Fuji fruit
- Guava
- Mangoes – Kensington Prides have finished but the end of season Palmer mangoes are beautiful
- Pears – William, Sensation and Bosc
- Pineapples – Bethongas are still great
- Plums are gorgeous at the moment – particularly radiance and I’ve seen the first of the tiny sugar plums
- Pomegranates – mostly still fruit from the US, but the local supply will start later in March
- Quinces
- Rhubarb
- Strawberries have been available at bargain prices, but whether that’s due to this report or an over-supply I couldn’t say
Vegetables in season this month:
- Asian greens
- Beans
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts – the season is just starting
- Capsicums are good and cheap
- Cucumbers
- Chestnuts should be coming in later in the month
- Chillies
- Eggplant – the long thin Italian eggplants are particularly good
- Lettuce – although they’ve been small recently
- Mushrooms
- Okra
- Potatoes – Dutch cream and Sebagoes are the best
- Snow peas
- Sugar snap peas
- Sweetcorn
- Sweet potato
- Zucchini – excellent small zucchini available at the moment
Photograph by Wendy Lefkowich under the terms of a creative commons license.
05 March, 2008
Comments
The zucchini are amazing at the moment. I nearly cried last time I ate a floury peach – how I managed to miss the season is beyond me… And chestnuts! Now that is something well worth celebrating.
That’s a beautifully chosen, seductive fruit image, by the way.
I think I am getting better with knowing fruit seasons – and I agree with you about plums and apples at the moment – I wish I could just manage to stumble across an inspiring fig recipe right before coming across some fresh plump juicy figs at the market – I want to buy them but can’t think what to do with them when I see them!
Lucy – I keep on being sucked in by the peach “bargains”, but have had one too many tasteless disappointing little suckers. So no more, whatever the price. I haven’t seen chestnuts in the shops yet, but according to everything I read they’re on their way. And isn’t it a lovely image – I do like seeing fruits on the trees.
Johanna – I’m not an apple fan normally, but at the moment they are beautiful. I often see lovely fig recipes. But although they’re in season, they’re still a more pricey fruit – so I rarely do more than eat them fresh.
We’re often rushed for time, so it’s wonderful that you’re giving us such helpful information on what’s in season and what’s looking good – thank you!
Johanna – Donna Hay has a couple of lovely (savoury) fig recipes, my favourite being the fig & goats cheese tarts. They are swoon-worthy. Or Google some recipes, there are some amazingly delicious recipes online with photos that can give you some inspiration ;-) Good luck!
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