With the excitement of the State of Origin series now behind us and the FIFA World Cup entering the knockout stages, winter entertaining continues to bring family and friends together. Whether you are hosting a match-day gathering or preparing nourishing meals at home, your local independent fruit and vegetable store displaying the A better choice! logo offers a fantastic range of fresh, seasonal produce sourced through the Brisbane Markets.
This week’s pick of the week is Wombok from the Lockyer Valley, which is currently in excellent supply and offering great value. Also known as Chinese cabbage, Wombok has a mild, slightly sweet flavour and crisp texture, making it a versatile and nutritious ingredient for stir-fries, soups, dumplings, salads and slaws. When selecting Wombok, choose heads that are firm and heavy for their size, with crisp, tightly packed leaves free from browning. Store unwashed in the refrigerator, where it will keep fresh for up to two weeks.
White or Hawaiian Sweet Potato from the Lockyer Valley is in good supply and offering excellent value this week. Recognisable by its creamy white flesh and purple-red skin, it has a naturally sweet, nutty flavour and a drier, fluffier texture than orange sweet potatoes. It is perfect for roasting, mashing, baking or adding to soups and hearty winter dishes.
Red Capsicums from Bundaberg are in good supply and offering excellent value this week. Their naturally sweet flavour and crisp texture make them ideal for salads, Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry, roasting, stuffing, or adding vibrant colour to pasta dishes and pizzas. For an even sweeter option, keep an eye out for Mini Red Capsicums from Gumlu, which are also in season and perfect for lunchboxes, entertaining platters or enjoying fresh with your favourite dip.
New season Blueberries from the Darling Downs and Mundubbera have started arriving at the Brisbane Markets and are eating beautifully. Bursting with sweet flavour, these bite-sized berries are a delicious addition to breakfast, smoothies, lunchboxes or enjoyed as a healthy snack on their own. Naturally rich in antioxidants, vitamin C and fibre, Blueberries are a nutritious choice for the whole family. Why not make the most of the season by baking a batch of Blueberry Muffins. When selecting Blueberries, look for berries that are firm, plump and deep blue in colour with a silvery bloom, which is a sign of freshness.
New season Honey Murcott Mandarins from Mundubbera are now in abundant supply at the Brisbane Markets. Available for just six to eight weeks, these premium mandarins are renowned for their exceptionally sweet flavour and vibrant orange colour. Perfect for lunchboxes, afternoon snacks or fresh fruit platters, Honey Murcotts are also an excellent source of vitamin C, making them a delicious and nutritious winter favourite.
Keep your match-day menu fresh with quality seasonal produce from your local independent fruit and vegetable store displaying the A better choice! logo. With fresh fruit and vegetables sourced through the Brisbane Markets, Queensland’s Heart of Fresh Produce, they make it easy to enjoy healthy, delicious meals while supporting local growers, family-owned businesses and the communities they serve.
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.
