Fresh Food Club - What's in season?

Build up your immunity with Brussels sprouts; they are packed with vitamin C! For something a little different, finely shred Brussels sprouts and stir-fry with, pine-nuts and garlic

The natural goodness of Chinese cabbage shines in winter. Sautéed, steamed or tossed in a hot wok, this easy-to-prepare vegetable requires minimum cooking.

Versatile carrots are a thrifty buy.Enjoy carrots raw and julienned, then sprinkled into a salad or intensify their sweetness by roasting halved carrots with a sprinkling of harissa, then toss with currants, coriander and crumbled feta for a super tasty salad.

Celery is another winter staple to be used in stocks and casseroles. Select firm, pale green celery with crisp stalks and fresh-looking leafy tops. Avoid celery with split or damaged stalks.

Pop a snow-white cauliflower on the shopping list this week. Cauliflower stars in the kitchen, during cooler weather. This adaptable vegetable is delicious roasted, braised, fried, mashed and steamed. Add raw to salads and slaws. Have you tried making a pizza base from cauliflower?

Winter is the peak season for celeriac. This tasty root veg packs loads of flavour and is ideal for adding chopped to soups, casseroles and roasts. Team celeriac with potatoes to make a creamy mash. Grate raw celeriac and add to a winter slaw, it would be delicious served with fish or pulled pork

Orange fleshed sweet potato, also known as kumara is good value. Delicious mashed, diced and roasted or bake whole until soft and scoop out the centre and refill with kumara and embellish with cheese, tuna, avocado or lentils.

Vibrant coloured beetroot comes into its own in winter. Select bunches with small to medium-sized bulbs with crisp, green leaves. Roast or boil whole beets. Serve fresh young leaves or boiled, diced beetroot in swish winter salads.

Highly nutritious broccolini is a superb choice for winter cooking. Select bunched broccolini, with crisp, vibrant green stems, store in the refrigerator for 2-3 day in a plastic bag to maximize freshness

Antioxidant-rich kale is a tasty and thrifty buy. Sauté chopped kale in olive oil and chopped garlic and serve as a side dish or add to your favourite juice to kick start your day with 100% of your daily requirements of vitamins A,C & K.

Zucchini may be mild tasting however, this attribute also makes them extremely versatile and perfect for combining with a myriad of flavours to creating scrumptious home cooked meals

Aromatic and flavoursome strawberries are also a good source of fibre. Between June and October, approximately 33% of Australia’s strawberry harvest comes from Queensland

There are good supplies of papaya. Grown around Innisfail, papaya is deliciously refreshing, and one of the best sources of protective carotenoids and rich in vitamin C. It is also a good source of fibre and aids digestion. Papayas are the perfect breakfast fruit, served with granola and coconut.

Ruby-fleshed juicy blood oranges have a rich raspberry-like citrus flavour. They’re smallish in size compared to Navel oranges. Fruit with ruby-red tinged skin generally has the deepest coloured flesh, although the intensity of colour depends on variety, the fruit’s exposure to sunlight and growing conditions. Choose firm blood oranges that feel heavy for their size.

Grown in Australia, Cara Cara navels are delicious oranges with a deep rosy-orange juicy flesh. This naturally sweet variety is low in acidity and has a refreshingly tart taste, similar to cranberry. Cara Cara navels are seedless with vivid orange thin skin and resemble the common Washington navel orange. They’re in season from mid-June to July

Tropical tasting pineapples are tangy and sweet and a good buy this week. Toss pineapple pieces into a stir-fry with pork and vegetables. For a quick dessert; warm chunks of pineapple in butter and brown sugar and serve with a dollop of cream.

Make the most of inexpensive blueberries, while they are so plentiful

Quality Hass avocados are super value this week and a healthy alternative to butter with toast at breakfast.

Tangelos are a cross between a grapefruit and a mandarin; they are sweet, tangy and easy to peel. Fruit should feel heavy for their size, as this indicates an excellent juice content

Smooth and creamy Queensland bananas are top value