As temperatures start to warm up and the days get longer, take advantage of all the new season fruit and vegetables that appear in time for Spring.
Start enjoying lighter recipes and vibrant flavours using quality Australian-grown produce whether it’s getting your salad on with crisp cos lettuce and fennel, or baking an awesome apple tart. Here’s our essential guide to what’s in season for Spring plus five must-try recipes:
Apples – choose from Pink Lady and Royal Gala to Jazz, Envy, Kanzi and everyone’s favourite Granny Smith. Think beyond just a crunchy apple as a snack and make this recipe for ceviche snapper tostadas with coconut and apple as a great starter to a
Spring sunset alfresco dinner.
Cos lettuce – cos adds a flavoursome crunch to salads, sandwiches, rolls and wraps; use can also use the larger outer leaves just like spinach or bok choy in stir-fries, or steam to serve with an Asian-style dish. To keep your cos fresh for longer, wrap it in slightly damp paper towel and place in an air-tight container in the crisper section of the fridge.
Brussels sprouts – if you are cooking Brussels sprouts whole, use a small sharp knife to cut a shallow cross into the flat stalk end which will help them cook evenly. Marrying well with flavours including citrus, chilli, garlic and sage, the trick is to maintain the crunch and bring out their sweetness; try this recipe for Brussels, Romesco, whipped tofu and pickled daikon for a vegetarian family dinner winner.
Mandarins – juicy, seedless Delite and Afourer mandarins deliver an easy-to-peel lunchbox snack or mid-morning munch; don’t throw away the peel, remove the pith and place peel on a baking tray in the oven to dry. Use the dried peel in Chinese-style braised dishes or grounds as a flavouring for desserts, biscuits and cakes.
Silverbeet – make sure to wash the leaves under cold running water and drain well before cooking. Cut out the central white stalk and chop; when cooking add the chopped white stalks a couple of minutes before the leaves as they wilt much quicker.
Fennel – the strong aniseed flavour when raw mellows to a subtle sweetness when cooked and goes well with other fresh, bright flavours such as orange, tomato, mint, seafood, chicken and pork. This roasted fish, orange and fennel salad recipe makes for a quick and easy Spring dinner for all to enjoy.
Strawberries – look for plump, even-coloured fruit without soft patches. Refrigerate strawberries for up to two days and only wash them just before you are ready to use them.
Blueberries – perfect for both sweet and savoury dishes as well as being a delicious snack in themselves. Blueberries are high in fibre which helps to support a healthy gut when eaten as part of a healthy balanced diet.
Asparagus – often thought of as being synonymous with the start of Spring, look for firm, bright green spears that are uniform in size and tightly-closed clusters at the tip. Lemon, asparagus and salmon tray bake is a what way to serve this new season vegetable and so easy…
Tomatoes – our favourite salad vegetable is best kept at room temperature as they are sensitive to chilling injury when stored below 10 C, which can lead to reduced shelf life. Tomatoes are high in vitamin C, which helps support a healthy immune system.
Corn – whether charred on the BBQ, or made into brunch fritters, corn adds a burst of sweetness to savoury dishes. Keep the husk on until use as it helps keep the corn moist and juicy; make these chilli corn fritters for brunch this weekend and watch the smiles around the table.
