Just like that, autumn is here. As we see many changes in the season, from leaves changing colour and weather getting cooler it is the perfect opportunity to enjoy the flavours of autumn. Remember that your local, independent fruit and veg shop displaying the A better choice! logo sources their fruit and vegetables from the Brisbane Markets at Rocklea. Meaning the produce your find on the shelves are fresh, quality, and seasonal.
This week’s pick of the week is Sheppard Avocado from North Queensland. Sheppard Avocados are known for their bright green skin and nutty flavour. They can be a little tricky to judge for ripeness, as their colour doesn’t change. Your Avocado is ripe when it is bright green and gives a little when you squeeze it. If your Avocados are still a bit firm and not quite ready to eat, here are a few tips for ripening your Avocados. Firstly, place your Avocados in your fruit bowl on the bench to ripen naturally. If you would like to speed up the ripening process, place them next to Apples or Bananas – these two fruits release a hormone called ethylene which is known to help Avocados ripen faster. Once your Avocado is ripe and ready to eat, you may find yourself only using half. A tip to keep the remaining half fresh and reduce browning, squeeze a little lemon juice over the surface, wrap in cling wrap, and of course store in the fridge. Now you are an Avocado expert, it is time to buy some Avocados.
Perfectly sweet, crisp, and juicy Plums from Victoria, New South Wales and Stanthorpe are also plentiful this week. Not only tasty, but packed with vitamins, antioxidants and fibre, making them a healthy choice for a mid-morning snack.
New Season Gala Apples from New South Wales are fantastic value. With the change of season comes many varieties of Apples that you will find on the shelves over the coming weeks, with Gala Apples being the first of the season. Gala Apples are perfect for pies, sauces and salads, and of course eating them whole. To keep your Apples fresh, it is best to store them in the fridge, rather than the fruit bowl, this keeps them nice and crisp. Here are some recipes if you find yourself with a few extra Apples, Apple Pie Smoothie, Cinnamon Apple Fries or Asian Style Sald with Chicken and Apple Slaw. Enjoy!
Zucchini’s continue to be in abundance this week from Bundaberg, Victoria, and South Australia. You may also come across some Lebanese Zucchinis which are also in plentiful supply from Bundaberg. Lebanese Zucchinis are light green and stubby vegetable, they also taste a bit sweeter and less watery than your average Zucchini. Zucchinis are commonly used for steaming, grilling, stuffing, or even swirling into noodles.
Make the most of the fragrant flavours of herbs this season. Sage from Victoria is worth highlighting this week. Sage is known for its earthy, peppery flavour, so as the evenings cool down it is the perfect excuse to use Sage on your roast veggies, paired with pork, or even used as a touch of flavour to a buttery pasta sauce.
Enjoy the flavours of Autumn by heading to your local, independent fruit and vegetable store displaying the A better choice! logo for a large range of fresh, quality, and seasonal produce. Know that by shopping at your local, independent A better choice! store your fruit and vegetables have been sourced through Queensland’s Heart of Fresh Produce, 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 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.
