Posted by kathryn in Uncategorized

Happy new year!

I’ve had a lovely, lovely break – but it’s also good to be back. I thought I’d start the year off with looking at which lovely fruit and vegetables are currently in season.

Eat more vegetables

January is often a time when people re-focus on their health. Too much eating and drinking in December means you may be feeling tired, sluggish and generally drained of vitality.

Is this you?

If so, then include more fruit and vegetables in your daily diet and you will start feeling the benefits quickly. Both short- and long-term, eating more vegetables is one of the best things you can do for your health.

31 Ways you can improve your diet

If you’re casting around trying to work out how to improve the way you eat, then take a look at my 31 Ways to a Better Diet. This is a series of posts containing 31 different challenges, which you can complete on a daily or weekly basis. Complete these tasks and you’ll be improving your health incrementally. To find out more look at the introductory post.

On to the list of what’s in season.

Fruit

• Apricots
• Avocadoes
• Berries: blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries are good value and good quality. If you keep your eyes peeled there are some great berry bargains.
• Cherries: they’re in season but rains in December caused major crop damange. I believe the NSW supply has dried up and most of the cherries are from Tasmania. But check with your local store to make sure.
• Figs: just sneaking into season, although still expensive
• Grapes: finally local grapes are in season and cheap
• Lemons
• Nectarines
• Oranges: the Australian oranges are currently quite green and sorry looking compared to the glossy American ones that are also on sale. But taste-wise they are delicious. Sweet and super, super juicy – so buy the local ones.
• Peaches
• Plums: some plum varieties are coming into season

Vegetables

• Asian greens
• Beans: green beans but also snake beans are remarkably cheap.
• Beetroot
• Capsicum: the red “Bullhorn” capsicums are particularly good. These are longer and thinner than the regular capsicum, but super-sweet.
• Celery
• Cucumbers
• Eggplant
• Garlic
• Lettuce
• Okra
• Peas: green, sugar snap and snowpeas all good quality and cheap. I’ve been using large handfuls of raw snap and snowpeas in salads.
• Potatoes
• Radishes: beautiful at the moment and I’ve been adding the greens to salads as well – they’re wonderfully peppery
• Tomatoes
• Wild rocket
• Zucchini

The monthly what’s in season guide is compiled from a number of sources, including: the Harris Farm Market and Fratelli Fresh market updates; Lettuce Deliver’s weekly shopping guide; the Sydney Markets seasonal guide; updates in Donna Hay and Delicious magazines; a range of books; as well as my own observations of what’s currently available and good value. I sometimes continue to make updates during the month, as fruit and veg availability changes.

Grapes by lanier67; woman and lettuce by Vika Valter.

14 January, 2009