Tomatoes triumph, peaches sweet: Australia’s best value fruit and veg this December
Summer produce is feeling particularly festive this month, as vegetables show off their red and green.
Tomatoes are going “gangbusters”, says Julio Azzarello, director of sales at Gourmand Providore in Sydney. “Buy tomatoes and bottle them now. Don’t wait till the end of the season. Roma tomatoes are absolutely amazing.”
Oxhearts, mixed colour tomatoes and Roma tomatoes in particular are ripe and in good supply. You can find them from $4 to $6 a kilo in supermarkets.
Try one of Nigel Slater’s abundance of summer tomato delights, such as a casual lunch of fried tomatoes with coriander mayonnaise; or zucchinis (also a highlight this month) with softened tomatoes, lemon and herbs.
Azzarello says eggplant (about $7 a kilo) is also a great option. Roast them with zucchinis for a low-fuss salad with toasted seeds and tahini dressing; or combine eggplant with silken tofu and crispy chilli for a flavour bomb.
Broccoli and broccolini are sought-after at Christmas, so you can expect them to go up in price due to high demand as the month progresses. For an affordable alternative, there is ample cauliflower around (about $3 a head), as well as lovely baby cauliflowers, a smaller variety about the size of an orange.
Brussels sprouts are sticking around at surprisingly good value. But watch out for expensive green beans, which have been damaged by wet weather and are quick to loose their lifespan once picked.
Rethink your roots
For a Christmas spread, potatoes can go to good use in pretty-as-a-picture potato gratin or make use of the fuller bunches of herbs and asparagus to serve a potato salad with coriander pesto.
While sweet potato is not so abundant, Azzarello says root vegetables need not be struck from your Christmas menu.
“Baby beetroot, baby turnips are in. Look for something that has a really lovely stalk.”
Use the whole thing with Anna Jones’ baked beetroot, roasted beet leaves, whipped feta and crisp olives (which can also be done on the barbecue), or save the leaves from your cooking to turn into chimichurri.
Gourds are also looking good: Jap (also known as Kent) pumpkins, butternut and grey varieties are great quality and value for money.
John Biviano, owner of Biviano and Sons in north-east Melbourne, says while most vegetables are “a-OK”, warmer weather may kick asparagus prices up and cause the stems to explode.
Related: Joys of the flesh: eight delightful recipes to make the most of cheap mangoes
Meanwhile, with crop yields dropping, “avocados have had us all on the edge of our seat”, says Biviano. Despite this, prices are expected to stay stable, at about $2.50 each throughout Christmas and into New Year.
Stone fruit pips berries
Biviano says now is the best time of year for fruit eaters, with stone fruit flourishing and more produce coming in earlier than expected. Figs, passionfruit and watermelon are on their way and, come Christmas, red papaya is expected to be a highlight.
For now, mangoes are unmissable. Azzarello recommends starting with kensington pride, closely followed by R2E2s, Calypsos and honey gold varieties, all under $3 each.
Despite a “speed hump” after a week of wet weather, Biviano says most items should bounce back quickly. Cherries may struggle, though; they hate the rain and the chances of damaged fruit are high, so Biviano says customers should expect to pay about $30 a kilo.
Good-quality yellow or white peaches and nectarines can be found for about $4 a kilo, or up to $7 a kilo for premium varieties.
Azzarello’s pick of the stone fruits is a doughnut peach. “I always say to people that it is your ready-made peach pie,” he says. “You knock out that stone in the middle, wrap it up in filo and bake it.”
Grapes are also starting to come in, getting bigger and better with warmer weather. Make the most of several star ingredients at once with Claire Thompson’s tomato, oregano, peach and grape salad.
For now, berries are cheap at about $3 to $4 a punnet in supermarkets, though they may suffer if there is more wet weather. Biviano thinks they will be at a reasonable price in time for the perfect Christmas pavlova, or to add a raspberry zing to Claire Ptak’s roast peaches.
Buy:
Beetroot
Blueberries
Blackberries
Cauliflower
Eggplant
Herbs
Lychees
Mangoes
Nectarines
Onions
Peaches
Potatoes
Pumpkin
Raspberries
Strawberries
Tomatoes
Zucchini
Watch:
Asparagus
Apricots
Broccoli
Broccolini
Cherries
Corn
Figs
Watermelon
Avoid:
Green beans
Honeydew
Sugar snaps
