Date: 8 September 2011CarrotsIf you were walking through the markets and haven’t been game to pick up the yellow or purple carrot yet, you should. The Heirloom carrots available to today are sweet like the orange carrots you are used to.Carrots come from the same family as parsley & fennel & were used for the...
Date: 24 August 2011FennelNow is the time to grab some fennel. It will grow all year round locally, but is at its best in late winter to early Spring. Florence Fennel which is the bulb sold locally is the most common used for cooking. There is wild fennel which you may have seen along the railway lines this is used more for fl...
Date: 18 August 2011Globe Artichokes With the recent feel of Spring in the air the globe artichokes have started appearing at the markets. This would be one of the most asked about item I am asked about preparing. The globe artichoke is a thistle, not to be confused with the Jerusalem artichoke which looks like ginger. Th...
Date: 10 August 2011Garlic Shoots / Baby Garlic / Garlic ScapesPlant on the shortest day and harvest on the longest or if you are impatient and need a little garlic now to chase the last of the winter bugs out, this week end at the farmers market grab some fresh baby garlic. Garlic is harvested after the tops have died in late S...
Date: 1 August 2011RhubarbI was out at a farm in Wetherill Park last week and was taken back by rows and rows of Rhubarb growing, with there bright red stalks. Here in the Sydney basin they are at there best now through to the beginning of Spring. Rhubarb is a perennial and can be harvested for years.We are luck it is at its b...
Date: 27 July 2011 LemonIf your lemon tree is like mine it is full of lemons at the moment. I have a Lisbon variety and it fruits around 2 to 3 times a year but the larger crop comes in the middle of winter. The Meyer Lemon does this as well, it has a thin skin and is a little like a cross between a lemon and a mandarin, it g...
Date: 20 July 2011 PumpkinThe winter squash as it is also known, my favourite from this family of Vegetables. There are so many things you can do with a pumpkin and they are very good value at the moment. First you need to pick which type is best for your recipe. The main types I have seen at the farmer’s markets ...
Date: 13 July 2011 CeleriacIt looks like a celery plant that went wrong, with all the growing going into a big root bulb on the bottom of a small stringy looking bunch of celery growing out the top. Celeriac has a celery flavour and is from the same family. It is used as a root vegetable and the top has little use other than ...
Date: 7 July 2011 PersimmonsThe last few weeks there have been persimmons at the farmer’s markets. There are two types of Persimmons, and it makes a difference to which type, what they will feel like when ripe. Both are similar shape and colour (orange to deep red). The Sweet persimmon (known as non astringent) has a sl...
Date: 21 June 2011 PeasIs a pea a fruit or a vegetable? The pea is the seed of the pod, and sugar snap peas and a snow pea we eat the pod & seed. I don’t care they would have to be my most favourite green vegetable, fruit thing. I can’t help but eat a few while preparing them. They are even better if some...
Date: 15 June 2011 Sticky OrangesFeeling a bit low with all this rain and winter weather. You just need to start the day with a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice!Navel Oranges are in season now, we have already began picking them off our trees at home. I know they are sweet and ready at the first sign that the possums are ...
Date: 26 May 2011 TurnipsDon’t underestimate the turnip. As we head into winter turnips are your friend. Not only are they a great value for money vegetable, they are very versatile. A root vegetable that is harvested from 1cm round to 10cm (larger have a slightly stronger flavour). The common variety ...
Date: 20 May 2011 TrufflesThe kitchen team at Courtney’s took a trip out to Oberon on Monday to help a friend plant some oak trees, (just a few hundred) these had been impregnated with Black Perigrd spores (Truffles). Also last week the first truffles for the season were harvested from Oberon. The trees we were planting...
Date: 12 May 2011 CauliflowerThe good thing about the cold weather is that vegetables like cauliflower grow slower and have better flavour. The less sun they get the whiter they are as well. Cauliflower grown from seed take 10 to 14 weeks and can still be planted now if you don’t get too much frost.For any vegetable sou...
Date: 1 May 2011 LeeksIn the restaurant we use leeks on a daily basis, they form part of what we call mire poix (mîr-pwä) this is our vegetable base used for stocks, sauces, purees, soups and braised dishes. The basic mire poix is leek, onion, celery and carrot diced.You may see leek as that vegetable that yo...
Date: 29 March 2011 Pine MushroomsAs the weather changes, with the rain the past few weeks, the cool air in the morning and some nice sunny days . The climate for mushrooms in the pine forests has been good for wild “Pine Mushrooms”. Also known as Saffron Milk Caps .If you are in the Mountains or are heading acros...
Date: 25 March 2011 QuinceI was very excited as I walked through the farmers markets on Saturday to find a create of quinces. The ugly duckling of the fruit world, it may not be the best looking fruit, but when ripe has a powerful perfume. But if you were to bite into one you may be a bit shocked by its dry flesh and lack of ...
Date: 26 April 2011 PearsPears are a cousin of the apple, but the main difference is they are best harvested unripe. Pears that are ripened on the tree change texture and the flesh is a little gritty. Ripen your pears in room temperature, then store them in the refrigerator. For checking pears like most soft fruit and avocado...
Date: 12 April 2011 OkraI know Spring and leading into summer open up an abundance of fresh local ingredients, but as we head through Autumn into Winter there is still so much to choose from.Okra is not commonly used in Australia, but has been introduced and used by many countries, from American, Asian & African cul...
Date: 5 April 2011 ChestnutsThe Chestnut season here in NSW has begun. I was able to get some last week from Batlow. Chestnuts are ground harvested, Luck too as there are trees in Victoria that are 120 years old and 60m tall. They have an amazingly sharp case that looks like an echidna with very sharp fine needles.. Chestnuts...
Date: 25 March 2011 BeansGreen Beans 'Haricots Verts', (French Beans) Butter Beans 'Cherokee Wax, Purple Beans ' King Purple' Italian Flat Bean 'Polo'. There are so many varieties of fresh snap beans it gets a little confusing. You also have the climbers which grow up a wire or pole up to 2m ...
Date: 18 March 2011 Royal Gala ApplesNow is the time to grab an apple. Not just any apple, Local Royal Gala are being picked now. A medium sized apple, with the skin being a red blush with yellow through to orange stripes. They have sweet flesh and originated in NZ from a Kids Orange Red & Golden Delicious, they were intr...
Date: 3 March 2011 EggplantEggplant, like a tomato hang on a vine that grows around 1 metre tall. They come in many different sizes and colours but the most common grown locally are the pear/egg shaped ones with a deep purple colour. There taste and texture are all very similar. They should be firm and of good weight and ther...
Date: 24 February 2011 Sweet CornThe Hawkesbury, Nepean Valley and South West Sydney are producing some beautiful sweet corn. I grew up in the Hawkesbury area and you always new when corn was in because every green grocer had pallet size bins full out the front. Being grown local the shops get them direct and it is one of the...
Date: 15 February 2011 WatermelonWatermelon is the most common of all types of Melon. A Summer Fruit that is about 90% water. That could explain why it is so refreshing.Most of our watermelons are grown up north in Darwin where they can grow all year round, but our local ones are here now. It takes a good part of summer to gr...
Date: 10 February 2011 Zucchini & FlowersZucchinis had a late start this season with all the rain, with rain the Bee’s aren’t out to do their job and cross pollenate the flowers for production. (local honey was down in production as well) We have now had the heat and nature is back working hard.I am not sure w...
Date: 3 February 2011 TomatoesI am sure your tomato plants, like mine and the farmers, have been ripening at a great pace? The heat has ripened all the local tomatoes at once, so there is abundance in our local farmers markets. Talking to the Farmers they are sending plenty of beautiful tomatoes to the markets and...
Date: 27 January 2011 PlumsWe are now into the last few weeks for local Sydney Basin Plums. There are many types of plums grown locally. Blood plum with the dark skin and dark flesh are just coming to an end, as Angelina a small plum with a dark purple skin and yellow, firm, juicy, very sweet flesh will continues ...
Date: 19 January 2011 What the Farmers SayTalking to the Farmers from the Sydney Basin, Figs are now in season. Depending on the weather they should be around for the next 6 to 8 weeks. Figs will absorb the rain very quickly and split, but the flavour and size are very good at the moment. A ripe fig should h...
