Diet trends may come and go, but one thing we all agree on is that fresh fruit and vegetables are always a healthy option. Troppo’s Fruit Market & Deli stocks a huge assortment of quality fruit and vegetables – always fresh, always delicious. Here is your guide to what’s in season, and how to store it.
Troppo’s Fruit Market & Deli
Phone: 07 3800 3998

IN SEASON FOR SUMMER
Mangoes – Kensington Pride are best
New season peaches and nectarines
Apricots
Cherries
Summer berries
Summer herbs – basil and coriander
New season Australian asparagus
Cabbage
New season Australian garlic
New season Valencia oranges – great for juicing
Grapes

STILL IN SEASON
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Pineapples
Carrots
Mushrooms
Zucchini

STORING YOUR PRODUCE

Keep fruits such as apples, pears and bananas away from the rest of your produce as they naturally produce ethylene gas which will ripen the fruit and vegetables around them – especially if they’re in a closed environment such as a crisper or sealed container. On the flip side, if you want to ripen an avocado, place it in a paper bag with a banana to speed up the process.

If you have leftover limes or lemons, juice them and keep the juice in ice-trays in the freezer to add to drinks at a later date.

Store broccoli in a plastic bag in your fridge crisper.

Onions and garlic should be stored in a dark, well-ventilated space; they can be hung in a net in a dark corner of your kitchen so they’re on hand for cooking. As Aussie garlic is only available nine months of the year you can store garlic whole or crushed with a touch of salt submerged in good olive oil.

Unwashed potatoes and sweet potatoes are best stored in a cool dark place, such as inside a brown paper bag in the cupboard. However all washed potatoes that have clean skin (no dirt) such as Desiree’s or Nadine’s should be kept in the fridge crisper to stop them from going green.

To store iceberg lettuce, remove the core, wash and drain the leaves and place in a container or plastic bag in the fridge.

Capsicum will last up to a week in the fridge; given that plastic bags make them sweat it’s best to store them in a paper bag or crisper.

Mushrooms are best stored in a paper bag in the fridge.

Try and buy sweet corn still in its husk rather than already cut on a cling film tray as it stores best with the husk still covering the kernels.

Soft leaf herbs such as parsley, basil, chervil and coriander can be stored in the fridge for several days, they will last better if the stalks are in a tall glass of water and the leaves are covered with a plastic bag.

For longer periods, herbs such as basil and rosemary can be kept in the freezer and added to your cooking at a later date. You may lose some of the texture but the flavour will still be great.

Keeping bananas in a cool dark place to slow down the ripening process – if your bananas do go too ripe, use them to make a sweet moist banana cake.