With winter drawing to a close and spring just around the corner, fresh seasonal produce is bringing colour and variety back to the family table. From crisp vegetables to sweet, juicy fruit, your local independent fruit and vegetable store displaying the A better choice! logo has a fantastic selection of quality, fresh produce sourced through the Brisbane Markets.
This week, our pick of the week is Green Zucchini from Bowen, Bundaberg, and Coffs Harbour. With plentiful harvests making them a standout buy, Green Zucchini is mild in flavour and wonderfully versatile for grilling, roasting, stir-frying, baking or spiralling into noodles. When selecting a Zucchini, look for ones that are about six to eight inches in length, are a vibrant bright colour and have a moist stem, indicating they were recently picked. For a simple, family meal, try Caramelised Zucchini, Olive, Lentil and Almond Salad.
Red Cabbage from Gatton and Toowoomba is arriving in strong seasonal volumes and excellent quality. Its bright colour and crisp texture make it ideal for salads, slaws, stir-fries and hearty meals. Rich in fibre and vitamin C, it is an easy way to add colour and nutrition to the family table. If you are looking for a nutrient-packed side dish, try this Red Cabbage Sauerkraut for something a little different.
Fresh Pak Choy from Gatton is a great addition to the weekly shop. With tender leaves, crisp stems and mild flavour, Pak Choy is perfect for stir-fries, soups and noodle dishes, or simply steamed and served as a side. This low-calorie cruciferous vegetable is packed with essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that help to fight inflammation, aid digestion and support heart health.
For something a little more different, look out for Chokos from the Sunshine Coast and Bundaberg region. Mild in flavour and crisp in texture, Chokos can be steamed, boiled, roasted or added to soups, stews and stir-fries, readily taking on the flavour of sauces, herbs and spices. A ripe Choko should feel heavy for its size, and it should have a firm, smooth, light-green skin fruit that has no soft spots or wrinkles. Try a Spicy Choko Soup to warm yourself up on these cold, end of winter nights.
Strawberries remain plentiful, with supply coming from theSunshine Coast, Moreton Bay, Wide Bay-Burnett and Southern Downs. With such strong supply, prices are very attractive for consumers, so now is a great time to stock up. Sweet, juicy and bursting with flavour, Strawberries are perfect for lunchboxes, breakfast, desserts or being enjoyed fresh from the punnet. Make the most of the season with a Chia Pudding topped with Strawberries.
Make the best of the changing season and access quality, fresh produce by shopping at your local, independent fruit and veg store displaying the A better choice! logo. Doing so means that you are supporting Australian growers and family-owned businesses who source their produce through the Brisbane Markets, Queensland’s Heart of Fresh Produce.
About Brisbane Markets
As Queensland’s only central fruit and vegetable market, the Brisbane Markets is the state’s most important centre for the marketing and distribution of fresh fruit and vegetables. It records an annual trade of over 700 million kilograms of produce valued at more than $2 billion.
An important economic and employment hub, more than 4,500 people work or do business at the markets each day through over 170 businesses. This includes over 45 wholesalers who receive fresh produce from over 7,000 growers and trade five days a week to more than 800 registered buyers.
About Brisbane Markets Limited
Brisbane Markets Limited (BML) is the owner of the Brisbane Markets site and is responsible for its ongoing management and development.
BML provides infrastructure and services to facilitate the marketing of fresh food, flowers and other ancillary products for fruit, vegetable and flower wholesalers, retailers, provedores, secondary wholesalers, food processors, transporters, exporters, industry organisations and market support businesses.
More information can be found on our website: www.brisbanemarkets.com.au.
About A better choice!
The A better choice! retailers are hardworking local family business owners, who are passionate about fruit and vegetables, they are our experts in their field and provide excellent customer service… with a smile.
Here’s the thing: no one can match A better choice! fruit and vegetable retailers for FRESH! Every morning, they hand pick a diverse selection of high-quality fresh fruit and vegetables from the Brisbane Markets, sourced from thousands of Australian farms.
Make your first choice A better choice! with local retailers throughout Southeast Queensland including Brisbane, Ipswich, Toowoomba, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast and Tweed Heads. Please click on the link to find your local fruit retailer www.abetterchoice.com.au/store-locator/. By shopping at your local fruit and veg shop, you are making A better choice!
About Brismark
Brismark is a member organisation which represents and serves the needs of the wholesaling sector of the fresh fruit and vegetable industry – in particular, the primary wholesalers that operate out of the Brisbane Markets at Rocklea. Brismark provides industry representation, and a range of financial and business services to support the wholesaling sector of the fresh fruit and vegetable industry and their associated businesses and actively contributes to strengthen the Central Market system. Brismark also oversees the A better choice! retailer program in Queensland.
