The fruit aisle provides the best bargains this month, with citrus and apples the best of the bunch, says the owner of wholesaler Red Rich Fruits, Matt Palise.
“You can get two kilos of apples or citrus for the same price as a packet of chips,” he says.
July is the month for royal honey murcott mandarins, which can be bought for between $3 and $4 a kilo. Empress, afourer and imperial varieties are also available, and sumo mandarins are on their way.
Oranges are also in their prime, says Dean Lamb, owner of Watts Fresh in Kyneton, Victoria.
“The marmalade cooks love their Seville oranges but there is a very limited season,” he says.
Seville orange marmalade can add jammy goodness to breakfast, dress a winter salad or feature in parfait – so don’t hesitate to make it in bulk.
Only a small volume of Seville oranges are produced, which is why they cost about $5.99 a kilo. However, navel oranges are still in season (about $2.50 a kilo on special) and pink flesh cara cara oranges go for as low as $1.99 a kilo. Blood oranges should become available in the next week.
Crunch time
Apples, including pink ladies and royal galas, are the next-best staple to look out for, costing between $3.50 and $4.50 a kilo.
Keep an eye out for the cosmic crisp, a new variety of apple grown in south-west New South Wales and the Yarra Valley. They are sweet, tart, crunchy and don’t brown when cut, and will be available at Red Rich Fruits and large supermarkets.
Try pairing apples and citrus with a savoury staple – brussels sprouts – in Nigel Slater’s vibrant winter salad.
In Victoria, Lamb says mini-sized missile apples are very popular despite their higher price tag of about $11.99 a kilo.
“They’re sweet, crisp, crunchy and have an interesting little tang,” says Lamb, who often hands them out to shoppers to try. “People come back and walk away with a bag every time.”
Meanwhile, berries remain pricey at about $5 a punnet. Victorian strawberries have hung on, with the Queensland season off to a slow start. Try roasting your strawberries to give over- or underripe fruit new life.
Green light
Palise says if he had one rule for veg shopping in July, it would be: go green.
Celery, brussels sprouts and beans are all in good supply, as are brassicas.
Cauliflower is cheap at about $3 a head, with the low price expected to last through August. Couscous is the pairing of choice for both Nigel Slater’s roast cauliflower with harissa and Meera Sodha’s cauliflower and kimchi couscous salad.
A cold snap could change the quality of produce and is already affecting broccoli prices, says Palise, but not enough to be detrimental.
“Things like silverbeet and English spinach will probably tighten up a little bit. At the moment they’re in good supply,” he adds.
For something a bit different, Lamb recommends kalettes – a cross between brussels sprouts and kale. Sold in punnets for $3.99 to $4.99, they can be fried in the pan with a little oil.
Another winter staple you can always count on is potatoes, Palise says. Transform a boiled potato into these skin-on, smashed Portuguese potatoes, or crisp them on the grill to pair with a curry yoghurt sauce.
“You can get a 2kg bag of potatoes for $4,” Palise says. “Sweet potato and pumpkins and carrots are all very good value. Carrots are a year-round winner.”
Alice Zaslavsky has just the thing for your gourds – a one-tray roast pumpkin, sweet potato and carrot soup with a selection of distinct garnishes to try each time you make a batch.
Buy:
Apples
Beans
Beetroot
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Kalettes
Mandarins
Oranges (Seville, cara cara and navels)
Potato
Pumpkin
Sweet potato
Tangelos
Watch:
Asparagus (just starting its Victorian season)
Lettuce (fluctuating in price)
Spinach
Silverbeet
Strawberries
Avoid:
Blueberries
Grapes
Raspberries
