School is out for 2025, and with just under two weeks left until Christmas Day, school holiday activities and end-of-the-year celebrations means lots of yummy (and probably not so healthy) foods will be on a lot of menus in the coming weeks. So, there is no time like the present to remind everyone that festive fruits and vegetables can also be just as yummy and healthy! To get a variety of fresh, quality produce, head to your local, independent fruit and veg store where the produce has been sourced through the Brisbane Markets.
This week’s pick of the week are Plums from Stanthorpe and Victoria. Feature Plums on your plate this Christmas by serving up Grilled pork chops with tangy plum sauce with a side of this fantastically festive salad, also featuring Plums. To serve the best Plums over the Christmas period, look for one that is plump and yields to gentle pressure, is free of bruises, and has a sweet smell. If your Plums are a bit firmer, leave them in your fruit bowl until ripe, and then you can store them in the fridge for up to five days.
A Christmas treat that everyone enjoys are Cherries! Right now, Cherries are coming from growing regions in New South Wales and Victoria and are an easy, tasty, and festive dish for all Christmas celebrations. Remember, Cherries are not just for Christmas day; make the taste of Christmas spread throughout ALL of December with the sweet and juiciness of these ruby gems. When you are selecting your Cherries this week, make sure to select the Cherries that are unblemished, plump and have a green stem. Remember, the greener the stem, the fresher the Cherry.
Another bite-sized gem that is starting to come into season is Green Grapes from Stanthorpe, the Darling Downs, and Victoria. Just like Cherries, the sweet, juiciness, and satisfying pop as you take a bite make them the perfect fruit choice for the hot summer months. Grapes are packed with vitamins A and C, as well as fibre and potassium, making them not only a perfect fruit choice but a guilt free snack.
In the vegetable department, Zucchini supply is picking up from Lockyer Valley, North Queensland, Stanthorpe and Victoria. This versatile vegetable can be steamed, roasted, spiralised into noodles, or even air fried – try these Parmesan Thyme Air fryer Zucchini fries.
Cherry Tomatoes are also of fantastic value this week. Bundaberg and Victoria are providing the Brisbane Markets with an abundance of Cherry Tomatoes. Beat the summer heat and munch on a chilled Cherry Tomato for a refreshing snack. They are the perfect size for stacking on a skewer or to add a burst of sweet flavour to a tossed salad. You will not be able to resist buying a punnet this week.
Kickstart your 2026 healthy eating habits by grabbing your favourite produce lines from your local, independent fruit and veg store where you see the A better choice! logo, knowing the produce has been sourced through the Brisbane Markets!
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
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.
