Queensland's big downpour is being welcomed by farmers and while prices and quality may be affected on some rain-affected produce in the weeks ahead, there is plenty of quality produce available now.
The cooler months are the best time for vegetable growth with good quality Asian vegetables, beetroot, brussels sprouts, capsicum, eggplant, silverbeet, onions and sweet potatoes at reasonable prices, and potatoes and pumpkin cheap.
However, dry conditions leading up to the downpour and unseasonal warm weather has meant that some categories are firmer in price for top quality produce including beans, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, celery, fennel, leeks, squash, zucchini and mushrooms.
Parsnips, sweet corn and Victorian snow peas are expensive.
Asparagus is imported and firmly priced.
In the salad line, hass avocados are in abundance prompting improved prices and can be teamed with value-for-money mixed salad leaf, cucumbers and a full variety of herbs.
However, all lettuce varieties are firmly priced. Most tomatoes will also cost you more with the exception of smaller varieties such as cherry and roma tomatoes sold in punnets.
Bananas are in over supply, tasty, good quality and cheap. Bananas are the biggest herb in the world and have twice as much Vitamin C than apples, pears and grapes.
Other value-for-money fruit buys include lemons, limes, smaller-sized mandarins for the best eating, navel oranges, New Zealand kiwifruit including the gold variety, rockmelon, average quality watermelon, delicate tasting honeydew, pineapples, passionfruit and pawpaw.
Berries have improved in quality and are reduced in price this week with the first of the Queensland strawberries the best buys and firmer priced raspberries and blueberry punnets available.
Apples may be firmly priced but jazz, pink lady and royal gala varieties are at their best.
For those who can't wait for the Australian season, USA peaches and nectarines are on the shelves but they are costly.
There are also plenty of custard apples, pomegranate, starfruit (carambola), persimmons, dragon fruit (pitaya), rambutan, corella pears, black sapote (chocolate pudding fruit) and rosellas about at this time of year.
Ask your local fruit shop about the quality of chestnuts before you buy them with a large number of this year's crop having their inside nut affected by black mold or pitted with black spots that must be discarded. Look for chestnuts with a rich brown outer shell; the "meat" inside should be a cream colour.
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