#Adelaide Central Market Watch #42

Fruit and Veg

Be prepared for a very busy market until Christmas. Consider shopping earlier in the week to ensure your choice of quality and varieties. Banana prices have continued to go down and are $1.50kg week at Michael's, S53. Also in stock are seedless grapes for $8kg, Australian garlic for $2.50 each, mangoes are three for $5 and strawberry punnets are two for $4. Fantastic cos lettuce ($2.99) from an uncertified organic garden in Ashton Hills are now available at House of Organics, S34/35. Also, new season Riverland 'Black Genoa' figs are $25kg and local 'Sunburst' cherries are $19.99kg. Greensides, S56, has apricots, nectarines, local tomatoes and eggplants all at $3.99kg, while peaches are $2.99kg and cherries are $6.99 kg. Coco's, S20/21 has punnets of organic 'Silvanberries' from Cudlee Creek for $7 each, seedless watermelon is $1.95kg and punnets of fresh gooseberries for $6.95kg.

Meat and Poultry

All the vendors are geared up for Christmas and hams and turkeys are a priority. Feast Fine Foods, S15, has five types of hams to choose from. Consider the Saskia Beer, Black Pig Ham, on the bone for $38.50 kg or the Heritage Berkshire ham for $18.99 kg. O'Connell's Butcher on Gouger St has the gammon hams ($8kg) to cook at home in the webber with hickory.

Christmas Gourmet

Sevenhill, S75, is bulging at the seams with traditional season specialities from across Europe. A must-buy are the Dutch Detteer chocolate alphabet letters($4.50). Follow the tradition by attaching them to gifts under the Christmas tree to identify the recipient. Dough, S45, is now making a large rye, sour-dough baguette, loaded up with caramelized red onions and caraway seeds for $6.

Special

Lucia's Fine Foods Deluxe Hamper is a true foodie gift. Aged balsamic vinegar, white truffle oil, lemon infused linguini, brined yellowfin tuna belly, Italian lozenges and nougat, all wrapped up with ribbons and bows. $290 each.

#Adelaide Central Market Watch #20

Onions are the essential ingredient for full flavoured cooking. South Australia produces approximately 70,000 tonnes of onions per annum, 35% of Australian production. Farmgate value of SA grown onions to our state is over $65.5 million. Latest figures show SA will harvest 110,741 tonnes of onions comprising of 12% red and 88% brown showing an increase on previous years.

FRUIT & VEG



All the market F&V stalls have onions year round, but they are at their freshness peak now. Look for clean shiny skin, firm flesh and no sprouting. Prices start at $2.99kg and go down. Red onions are $3.99kg. For a great winter salad, combine onions, fennel and navel oranges with olive oil and seasoning. McMahons S47/48 has Riverland navel oranges $1.99kg and crunchy fennel bulbs from Aubergines S57 for $1.50 each

Seville oranges say marmalade me for $3.99kg and blood oranges say sorbet or salad, from House of Organics S34/35. Cocos S20/21 always has new season produce and this week the speckled borlotti beans are $12.95kg and tamarillos for $1.80 each. Mandarins are perfect, juicy , sweet and cheap throughout the market.

The best winter tomato flavour this week is the hydroponic, vine-ripened punnets of cherry tomatoes called the "sweet pearl" from McMahons and Greensides S56 for $3.50

SEAFOOD AND POULTRY

The King of SA seafood, King George Whiting, famed for texture, flavour, flesh ratio and a struggle on the hook, is at an all time low price at Samtass on the Gouger St end. Whole fish $26.99kg and double fillets $35.99 kg. Check Vegas Poultry, S62, for limited numbers of whole certified organic chooks $14.99kg.



SPECIAL



'Bling' is a sparkling non- alcoholic grape juice made from the locally grown Muscat Bordeaux Blanco grapes. The intense fruity characters are peach and nectarine. Look for the 750 ml champagne bottle with the diamote encrusted pendant on the bottle neck $11 at Gourmet to Go S42