We are well into the summer season and the warm weather has meant that we have a wonderful selection of beautiful, fresh fruits and vegetables that are currently in season.
Shopping seasonally has fantastic benefits. In season produce is fresher and it tastes better. Furthermore, the produce has been naturally ripened on the vine or tree, which results in fruits/vegetables that have much more flavour and increased nutritional benefits. The antioxidant value in fruits/veggies can decline rapidly if picked and stored for a long period of time. So, it’s a great choice to purchase produce that has been picked and hasn’t travelled far to get to our market shelves.
Shopping in season also cuts down on your weekly grocery bill as the produce requires less travel time, and therefore lower transport costs. Seasonal produce is also more likely to be cheaper because there is an abundance of it, so markets/supermarkets likely have excess that has a short shelf life.
It also helps our Aussie farmers. When people buy in season produce It reduces the demand for out of season produce which may be coming from overseas. This encourages more local produce, which in turn supports our farmers.
Here is a list of some of the fruits/vegetables that are at their peak currently.
Fruits
- Apples, blueberries, raspberries, grapes, blackberries, strawberries, lemons, mangoes, peaches, pears, pineapples, watermelon, avocados and nectarines
Vegetables
- Broccoli, broccolini, tomatoes, capsicum, zucchini, carrots, celery, corn, cucumber, lettuce, potatoes and pumpkins
We’ve also included five delicious @28bysamwood recipes to get you cooking with some of these amazing fruits/vegetables.
BBQ CORN & HALOUMI SALAD
Serves 3
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Ingredients
1 1/2 corn cob (sweet corn)
150 grams Dodoni halloumi cut into 2cm thick slices
3/4 cup(s) kidney beans (canned) drained and rinsed
3/4 onion (red) sliced
15 cherry tomatoes quartered
3/4 cucumber(s) diced
3/4 capsicum (green) diced
3/4 avocado(s) diced
4.5 tablespoon(s) coriander (fresh) roughly chopped
3/4 lime(s) juiced
Method:
- Heat a barbeque grill on medium heat and cook corn, turning regularly for 12 minutes or until softened and browned. Set aside to cool.
- Add halloumi and grill for two minutes each side.
- Using a sharp paring knife remove corn kernals from the cob and place in a bowl.
- Add kidney beans, onion, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, capsicum, avocado and coriander. Season well and toss to combine. Lay the halloumi slices on top of the salad.
- Squeeze the lime juice over the salad to serve.
ZUCCHINI VEGETABLE BAKE WITH ROCKET SALAD
Serves 4
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Ingredients:
8 free range egg(s) whisked
1 cup(s) sweet potato(es) grated
2 zucchini grated and water squeezed out
1 onion (brown) finely diced
4 clove(s) garlic crushed
2 teaspoon(s) baking powder (or gluten free baking powder)
300 g ricotta cheese
6.0 tablespoon(s) almond meal
4 tablespoon(s) parsley (fresh) roughly chopped
4 tablespoon(s) dill (fresh) chopped
Ingredients for Salad
4 teaspoon(s) pine nuts
4 cup(s) rocket leaves
12 cherry tomatoes cut in half
4 teaspoon(s) lemon(s) juice
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180°C and brush a 18cm square baking dish (or smaller for single serve) with oil.
- Heat a small fry pan over low heat and toast pine nuts, tossing often for a few minutes to brown. (Careful, they burn easily!) Set aside for salad.
- Gently combine tart ingredients in a bowl and transfer to prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes (or until just cooked, when an inserted skewer comes out clean) then rest for a few minutes before serving.
- Combine salad ingredients, top with pine nuts and serve with tart.
GLAZED HALOUMI & MEDITERRANEAN COUS COUS
Serves 4
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 12 mins
Ingredients:
2 teaspoon(s) olive oil (extra virgin)
2 teaspoon(s) rice malt syrup
200 grams Dodoni halloumi sliced
Ingredients for Mediterranean CousCous
2 teaspoon(s) olive oil (extra virgin)
1 cup(s) pearl cous cous (quinoa for gluten free)
360 millilitres vegetable stock
1 cup(s) water
2 zucchini grated
2 cup(s) cherry tomatoes halved
1/2 bunch parsley (fresh) finely chopped
4 tablespoon(s) almonds (raw and unsalted) roughly chopped
1 lemon(s) juice and zest
salt & pepper to taste
Method:
- First prepare Mediterranean Couscous. Add olive oil and couscous to a medium-sized saucepan on low-medium heat. Lightly toast couscous for 1 minute until light brown. Add in stock and the water and bring to the boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, while the couscous is cooking, prepare the halloumi. Add olive oil and rice malt syrup to a small bowl and stir to combine. Add in halloumi pieces and coat well.
- Heat a small frying pan over a high heat. Add halloumi and allow to cook for 2 minutes until golden. Pour any juices left in the bowl over the halloumi. Flip, fry for a further minute, until golden.
- Once couscous has absorbed the liquid, remove from the heat and stir through zucchini, tomatoes, parsley, almonds and the lemon juice and zest. Top with glazed halloumi pieces and season with a little sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to serve.
PEACH & RASPBERRY CRUMBLE
Serves 4
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Ingredients:
4 peach(es) cut into 2cm chunks
1 cup(s) raspberries (fresh or frozen)
2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
1 teaspoon(s) cinnamon (ground)
4 pinch sea salt
8 tablespoon(s) rolled oats (or quinoa flakes)
6.0 tablespoon(s) almonds (raw and unsalted) roughly chopped
2 tablespoon(s) chia seeds
8 tablespoon(s) coconut flakes
4 teaspoon(s) butter melted
6.0 tablespoon(s) Greek yoghurt for serving
Method:
- Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 4 and lightly grease a small baking dish.
- Place the peaches and raspberries in the baking dish. Drizzle over vanilla extract and sprinkle over cinnamon and salt. Toss with your hands to coat the fruit.
- Evenly sprinkle over the oats, almonds, chia seeds and coconut flakes and drizzle over butter. Place into the oven to bake for 20 minutes until the top is crispy and golden.
- Serve with a dollop of yoghurt.
WATERMELON & FETA SALAD
Serves 4
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 5 mins
Ingredients:
2 cup(s) cannellini beans (canned) drained and rinsed
2 cup(s) watermelon cut into cubes
100 grams Dodoni feta cheese crumbled
8 radish(es) thinly sliced
1 onion (red) thinly sliced
4 tablespoon(s) walnuts (raw) roughly chopped
4 tablespoon(s) mint (fresh) finely chopped
Ingredients for dressing
2 tablespoon(s) olive oil (extra virgin)
2 teaspoon(s) raw honey
1 lemon(s) juiced
Method:
- Combine all of the ingredients for the salad together.
- Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing and then pour over the salad to serve.