It can be hard to know what’s seasonal and what’s not these days – thanks to technology and imported produce, you can buy almost anything all year round. But buying seasonally can save you money and assure you the freshest and best-tasting produce for your family. Here’s a list of the fruit and vegetables in season during summer, and ideas for adding them to your recipe repertoire.
Hass avocadoes Rich and creamy and full of good fats, avocado is a summer fruit. Dice and add to salads, mash and spread on sandwiches, or mix with lime juice and coriander for an easy guacamole. Mashed avocado is also a great first food for babies. Store ripe avocadoes in the fridge for two to three days, and sprinkle lemon juice over the cut side of a sliced avo to prevent it browning. And did you know you can speed up the softening of a hard avocado by putting it in the fruit bowl with ripe bananas?
Berries. Summer is the season of lovely fresh berries, like strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. Serve them fresh with cream over a pavlova, or puree them to make a fresh syrup to drizzle over ice-cream. You can freeze berry puree in Qubies and use it to flavour your baby’s rice cereal, porridge or plain yoghurt, or add to smoothies at breakfast time.
Eggplant. This purple vegie is delicious sliced and pan-fried, then added to pasta sauces or layered over schnitzel when making parmigiana. Thinly slice and chargrill to add to salads or antipasto plates, and if the kids are a little hesitant to give it a go, trying crumbing them and shallow-frying for a crunchy snack. Keep them in the crisper to preserve freshness.
Mangoes and stone fruit. Summer isn’t summer without a bowl full of mangoes, nectarines, peaches and plums ready to go at all times. Peel and mash with a fork to make a tasty puree for babies (and remember, “p” fruits like peaches, are great for keeping your bub’s bowel movements regular), or cut into fingers for older babies to chew. Freeze the puree in Qubies for a summer treat, or in cubes for smoothies.
Zucchini and squash. These colourful vegies are incredibly versatile. Grate zucchini (squeeze out the juice) and add to breads, muffins and slices. Or use a vegetable peeler to slice into ribbons and add to your favourite pasta dinner. One way to convince kids to try these nutritious vegetables is to slice into chips and oven bake – serve with chips made from potato, sweet potato and carrot, for a rainbow snack they’ll love.
Watermelon. This juicy pink fruit is a summer favourite. Can it get any better than a crisp wedge of watermelon offered on a hot day? Use a melon baller to make rounds of watermelon, rockmelon and honeydew melon, and thread onto skewers for a fun kids’ snack. You can freeze watermelon, but the texture becomes grainy when it’s thawed, so reserve for sorbets and smoothies (or cocktails!).