As we get ready to pass the halfway mark of the Spring season, the warmer days are starting to produce some delicious seasonal favourites, and it will not be long until we start seeing the highly anticipated summer fruits sourced through the Brisbane Markets filling the shelves of your local, independent A better choice! store. But in the meantime, add some variety to your menu with this week’s top picks.
The pick of the week is Parsley from Bundaberg and Victoria. A sprinkle of fresh Parsley can elevate any dish; it can also help neutralise strong odours from other foods like garlic and onions, aid with digestion and help reduce inflammation in the body, particularly in the joints. Packed with vitamins A, C, and K as well as iron, magnesium, and calcium, look for Parsley that is a deep vibrant green colour. Trim the stems before storing it in the fridge in a jar of water and wrap the leaves with a damp paper towel before placing it in a resealable plastic bag. Change the paper towel and water every few days for the best results.
Blueberries from Caboolture and Coffs Harbour remain in great supply. Blueberries are also packed with vitamins A and C, helping to support your vision, skin, and immune system. To pick the perfect punnet, Blueberries should be plump and firm-looking. If you have a sweet tooth and find yourself with an excess of these delicious gems, you are sure to love this Banana and Berry ‘Nice-Cream’.
There are lots of Watermelons from North Queensland at the Brisbane Markets this week. Not only your usual red Watermelon, but also Yellow Watermelon! Yes, that is right, Yellow Watermelon! Beautiful and sweet, both red and yellow Watermelons are of perfect eating quality. To select the perfect Watermelon, give it a gentle knock, and when you hear the hollow sound, it means the Watermelon is ripe and ready to eat. As the days get warmer and you are looking to quench your thirst, give this Watermelon Crush a try.
Fennel from Victoria is in abundance this week.With its liquorice-like taste, this vegetable is great for roasting, making soups, and preparing stock, and it adds a nice touch of flavour to a bolognaise sauce. Whether you like to eat Fennel raw or cooked, this vegetable will provide your body with a great source of vitamin C. Look for a bulb with smooth, white skin and no brown spots.
If you are yet to grab a bunch now is the time, as Asparagus from Victoria is both excellent in quality and price right now. You may also notice white Asparagus on the shelves. Why are they white, you ask? Well, it is the sunlight that makes Asparagus green; white Asparagus is grown in tunnels to avoid sunlight. Both delicious and tasty when cooked in butter and garlic, you may notice that white Asparagus has a sweeter and softer texture than green Asparagus.
The fruit and vegetables (and herbs) you find at your local, independent A better choice! shop have been sourced from the Brisbane Markets, where retailers have access to fresh and quality produce from across Australia.
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.
