Hot weather in the Northern Territory has been favourable for summer’s golden child.
“Everyone should be eating mangoes right now,” says Josh Flamminio, co-owner of Galluzzo Fruiterers in Sydney.
The mango abundance will continue throughout the month and will only get better as supply from Queensland increases. Flamminio is selling larger premium mangoes for $2.50 to $3 each, and smaller-sized ones for $1.50 to $2. Supermarkets are pricing them at $2.90.
Flamminio advises seeking varieties from Katherine in the Northern Territory, which has “the best of the mangoes”. These include Kensington Pride, Calypso and Honey Gold. The juicy varieties work perfectly in vodka and mango cocktails, or Ravneet Gill’s simple mango pots.
Cherries are also in season. Graham Gee, senior buyer at the Happy Apple in Melbourne, is setting the countdown for what he calls “100 days of Australian cherries”. According to Flamminio, their short season is due to cherries’ climate sensitivity.
They’re expensive at the moment as the season has just begun, with prices about $20 for a kilo, “but they will come down very quickly”, Gee says. By the end of the month and into December, Flamminio believes 2kg boxes will go for about $29.
Stone fruits such as peaches and nectarines are coming into season too but, if you’re looking for peaches worthy of their emoji, they’re still a bit dear in supermarkets at about $12.90 a kilo. As with cherries, this price will come down within weeks as supply increases.
It’s tomato time
After unusually high costs due to weather disruptions the past few months, sauce and salad lovers can rejoice as tomato prices fall back to earth. Flamminio and Gee believe truss tomatoes are the best value, coming in at $6 a kilo, down from $12 a kilo in September. Supermarkets are selling individual fruits for 51c or $3.90 per kilo. If you have an afternoon to spare, try oven-drying your tomatoes to make a pan bagnat – a French specialty.
Flamminio says by the end of the month round and Roman varieties from New South Wales will come down in price and dethrone the Truss.
Cucumber is still going strong and are “very very good value”, Flamminio says. They are $3 to $4 a kilo. Whether they are the shorter Lebanese variety or the longer continental ones, there’s plenty around and they are beautiful, Gee says. Maximise their crunch and fry them up in Ravinder Bhogal’s deep-fried sesame cucumbers.
This period – not too cold but not too hot – is the sweet spot for leafy greens such as kale, spinach, leek and fennel to thrive.
Fennel in particular is “humongous” and “really cheap”, Flamminio says, going for $1.50 to $2. For a fresh starter or side, use it in Ottolenghi’s fennel, orange and herb salad, or make them Roman empire-style with Rachel Roddy’s spritely combination of fennel, pistachio and anchovy.
Corn is also set to have an abundant yield, according to Flamminio. One of his farmers in Badgerys Creek, western Sydney, says that in two weeks’ time he will deliver corn cobs big enough to feed “two to three people” and he plans to sell them for $2 for the extra-large cobs.
Age of avocado
The brunch staple is not going anywhere and, at this time of year, there are plenty of options to choose from including from Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland.
Flamminio is selling four large avocados for $10 at his shop, with singles ranging from $1.50 to $2.50. For a non-breakfast treat, utilise their creaminess in Jamie Oliver’s avocado pastry quiche.
Lower yields and disease issues have made potato supplies patchy, Gee says. So it’s worth avoiding potatoes until their prices come back down.
Buy:
Apricots
Avocados
Celery
Cucumber
Corn
Fennel
Kale
Leek
Mangoes
Spinach
Tomatoes
Watch:
Blueberries
Cherries
Nectarines
Peaches
Plums
Avoid:
Apples (end of season)
Blood oranges (end of season)
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Figs
Green grapes (too early)
Naval oranges (end of season)
Passionfruit
Pears
Potatoes (low yield)
