"ideas on the freshest produce this season coupled with gourmet recipes for the freshest produce in town
What's fresh?
Mandarins
Imperial mandarins are now in season, offering great value and juicy sweetness at your local greengrocer. Incorporate mandarin segments into a vibrant citrus salad with mixed greens, avocado, and a light vinaigrette for a burst of flavour, or pack a mandarin in your or the kids' lunch box to boost their vitamin C.
From the crisp Granny Smith to the sweet Pink Lady and everything in between, like Golden Delicious, Kanzi, Jazz, Royal Gala, Bravo, Envy, Rockit and Mi, there's a perfect apple waiting for you. These apple varieties offer a satisfying crunch with every bite.
Creamy, extra-sweet custard apples are in season. A custard apple indicates ripeness when it yields slightly to gentle pressure. You will also notice the green skin becomes duller. These fruits are available both ripe and firm to the touch. If firm, allow them to ripen naturally over several days before consumption. Place the fruit in a brown paper bag with a banana to speed up ripening and leave it on the kitchen counter.
The flavour of a ripe, super-soft persimmon has overtones of apricot and honey. While the soft flesh can be turned into ice cream, a mouse, or a fool, the most popular way to savour this autumn favourite is to simply cut it in half and scoop out the flesh with a spoon
Fresh chestnuts are in season from mid-March through early July. They have a unique nutty flavour, and their flesh becomes soft and tender when cooked. Select chestnuts that feel heavy for their size with firm, glossy brown shells. Some varieties are easier to peel than others
Shepard avocados are plentiful and fantastic value. Press gently near the top of your Shepard avocado to check ripeness. If it yields to pressure, it's ready. For optimal softness, wait until the top nodule can be easily depressed. If it's firm, wait one to three days to ripen naturally. Refrigerate ripe avocados to keep them fresh.
Naturally, delicious pears are a smart buy. Pears are plentiful throughout autumn. Packham and Beurre Bosc are available at your local greengrocer this week.
Have you ever wondered which lemons or limes are healthier? Lemons surpass limes in vitamin C and antioxidant flavonoids, while limes boast slightly higher mineral and vitamin levels. Limes offer more niacin, calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium than lemons. Additionally, limes contain vitamin A, a nutrient absent in lemons. While lemons and limes are interchangeable in many recipes, lemons yield more juice, and limes are more bitter.
Eggplants boast high fibre and antioxidant content. A serving can fulfil at least 5 percent of daily fibre, copper, manganese, B-6, and thiamine needs, along with other essential vitamins and minerals
Carrots are full of vitamins and minerals and are delicious, cooked or raw. Try them roasted with garlic, grated orange rind, and fresh thyme. Mash carrots (just like potatoes) with a nob of butter and season salt and pepper, or microwave sliced carrots with a drizzle of maple syrup and orange juice. Small carrots are sold in prepared 1-kilo bags
Economical, healthy, and discreetly delicious, fresh celery is a staple vegetable that is rarely the hero ingredient, yet when teamed with carrots and onions, it creates a delicious flavour base for soups and casseroles. The best way to store celery is to trim bulbs, place them unwashed in a plastic container lidded with absorbent paper, and keep them refrigerated
Freshly picked green beans are tender and crisp. For quality, handpicked beans are best. Machine-harvested beans are good value but need to be used within 2-3 days of purchasing.
Fennel's mild aniseed flavour can be eaten raw or cooked. If using fennel raw, slice thinly, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and toss in a salad. It's delicious, combined with citrus. Slice or dice bulbs and braise to add to a casserole or roast wedges, or add finely diced to hearty vegetable soups.
Autumn is the perfect time to combine mushrooms with other seasonal favourites, like chestnuts, pumpkin, leeks, or Asian leafy greens. Team jumbo flats or mild-flavoured buttons in omelettes, sauté sliced mushrooms over crisp toasted bread, and top with a poached egg.
Pumpkins' golden flesh and natural sweetness offer so many possibilities. Team pumpkin with aromatic flavours like lemongrass, ginger and kaffir lime for a sweet Thai-style curry or soup. Roast with chopped sage and toss pumpkin through pasta, gnocchi or an autumn salad. Whole pumpkins are good value
