Autumn marks the start of a season that features a variety of versatile fruit and vegetables. From juicy pears to beautiful beetroot, leafy silverbeet and crisp cabbage, there’s so many ways to enjoy this season’s best.
This is your ultimate guide to discover what Australian fruit and vegetables are in abundance right now!
Thanks to Woolworths!
PEARS
Autumn is a great time to enjoy juicy pears. This versatile fruit can be enjoyed on its own, grated into cake and muffin batters, sliced in salads, stewed as a topping for porridge, poached whole for an easy dessert, or roasted and served alongside meats. Popular pear varieties are Packham, William Bartlett, Corella, Nashi pears, and Beurre Bosc.
ROCKMELON
Rockmelon, also known around the world as cantaloupe, sweet melon, muskmelon or spanspek, can be enjoyed fresh with sweet or savoury flavour pairings.
Top Tip: Store whole rockmelons at room temperature. Once cut, store in an airtight container in the fridge
SILVERBEET
Now’s the season for silverbeet! This leafy green can be enjoyed in a myriad of ways, from being cooked in a tart or pie, blended into a soup, being sautéed for rissoles or wilted for an autumn salad. It’s distinguishing characteristic from English spinach is its stronger flavour. The leaves cook quicker than the stalks, so cook the stalks first to ensure they’re tender.
Did you know? Silverbeet is a source of iron, calcium and magnesium, as well as vitamin C.
BEETROOT
Autumn is the ideal time to make the most of beetroot’s rich, vibrant colour and sweet, earthy flavour. When choosing beetroot, pick those with a uniform shape, smooth surface and deep red-purple colour. They can be grated and enjoyed raw in salads, roasted as a side or even pickled to be used in sandwiched. The versatility of this root vegetable is truly un-beet-able!
Top Tip: To remove beetroot stains from chopping boards, generously coat the board in coarse sea salt and rub with the cut side of a lemon half. Rinse and repeat until stains are no longer visible.
RASPBERRIES
Bright crimson raspberries and ripe for the picking in Autumn. Store punnets in the fridge, and just before eating, gently rinse raspberries and dry with paper towels. You can also freeze raspberries to enjoy them all year-round. Frozen berries are delicious blitzed into smoothies or stirred through overnight oats. Have an abundance of raspberries? use them to make a delicious jam.
Did you know? The tiny hairs on raspberries are called ‘styles’ - they protect the berries from damage and are safe to eat. Raspberries are also high in vitamin C, folate and dietary fibre, as well as being a source of vitamin E.
ONIONS
So many recipes start with onion, and autumn is the optimal time of year to make the most of this bountable bulb. Be it pickled, fried, caramelised or enjoyed raw, there’s so many ways to enjoy onions. Brown onions are a staple due to their stronger flavour which is ideal for cooking. White onions are sightly sweeter and milder in taste and can be cooked or served raw. Similarly, red onions are mild, sweet and juicy, and can be eaten raw or pickled.
Top Tip: Too many onions? Save time and reduce waste by chopping and sealing in an airtight container. Store in the freezer to conveniently add to your future soups, stews and pasta sauces. Enjoy within 6 months for best flavour results.
CABBAGE
Distinguished by its coarse, ruffles leaves, cabbage is a leafy vegetable suited to be curried, sautéed, blanched, pickled or fermented to make sauerkraut. Raw cabbage leaves can also be used instead of flour tortillas or wraps. Varieties include savoy, wombok, red and green cabbage.
Did you know? Cabbage belongs to the brassica or cruciferous family, alongside broccoli, broccolini, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale and Asian greens.
LEEK
Autumn is the ideal time to enjoy leeks. A relative to onions, leeks have a similar mild and sweet flavour and are winners in an array of dishes, from potato and leek soup to pies, tarts, frittatas and stir-fries.
Top Tip: Leeks keep well for up to 2 weeks, unwashed and untrimmed, loosely wrapped with a clean tea towel or paper towel in the fridge.
APPLES
Autumn is a great time to enjoy apples. With a large range of varieties to choose from, such as Royal Gala, Pink Lady, Jazz, Kanzi and Granny Smith, there’s endless opportunities when it comes to enjoying this crisp fruit. From eating whole as a simple snack to sliced fresh in a salad or baked in an apple pie or cake.
Top Tip: Apples are a source of fibre and vitamin C. Fibre aids digestion, while vitamin C helps to keep skin and bones healthy, as well as support immune system function.*
*When eaten as part of a healthy and balanced diet
BANANAS
Bananas may be the ultimate lunchbox snack, but they’re also so much more! They can be baked into banana cake, used in pancake recipes, grilled or pan-fried to caramelise, blitzed in smoothies or enjoyed on porridge. It’s no wonder why this versatile fruit is so a -peeling!
Top Tip: Bananas are a source of vitamin B6 and Vitamin C, with potassium to contribute to healthy muscle function, and fibre to support a healthy gut*
*When eaten as part of a healthy and balanced diet
GREEN BEANS
Autumn is when green beans are at their peak. They’re so easy to prepare, simply steam and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and lemon, or step things up by adding them to stir-fries, salads or curries. They add colour and a delicious crunch to any dish.
Top Tip: To prepare green beans for cooking, simply snap or chop off the tip of the stem