Berry good news as punnet prices plummet: Australia’s best-value fruit and veg for October

For parents of young children (toddlers and preschoolers are prolific consumers of blueberries) there is good fruit news for October.

“The last couple of months blueberries have been very dear but they’re in abundance at the moment,” says Robert LoSurdo, the owner of LoSurdo’s grocery in Sydney’s Northbridge.

They can be found for as little as $2 a punnet and LoSurdo says prices will remain steady for the next couple of months.

Set some punnets aside for cooking – you’ll need 600g for Nik Sharma’s easy blueberry, ginger and lime cobbler , or make the berries last even longer by making a stock of blueberry jam (with a hint of whisky).

Strawberries are also cheap at about $2.50 a punnet in supermarkets and, while LoSurdo says there may be a gap in supply next month between Queensland and Victoria seasons, they will remain reasonable in price.

Raspberries are slightly more expensive at about $5 a punnet but blackberries are the real holdout – they’re not likely to get cheaper for a few weeks.

• Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning

The first of the kensington pride mangoes from Northern Territory are now priced at about $5 each but the season won’t start in earnest until the middle of November when they will come down to $2 to $3.

There is a late entry to the fading citrus season, with wrinkle-skinned summerina mandarins from South Australia coming on to shelves.

“They’re similar to the sumo mandarin – so not the best looking, but super sweet and easy peel,” LoSurdo says.

Lemons (about $1.20 each) and limes ($2 each) are creeping up in price, and will only become more expensive as summer approaches.

And stonefruit season is tantalisingly close.

“By the back end of October, we’ll start to see some plum varieties coming through, and some Queensland peaches and nectarines,” says Graham Gee, senior buyer at The Happy Apple in Melbourne.

Gee says bananas are recovering from a hard season, with wet and cold weather in Queensland dulling crops. Now, thanks to sunnier growing conditions, they are starting come down in price to about $4 or $5 a kilo. For a banana cake with zing, try Benjamina Ebuehi’s banana loaf with passionfruit and cream cheese icing.

Top tips and lots of lettuce

“Asparagus is the hero at the moment,” LoSurdo says, who adds that “beautiful and tender” spears can be found from $1.50 to $3 a bunch.

Try them in Anna Jones’ asparagus salad , where parmesan, walnut and breadcrumbs are scattered through the raw spears before the mix is dolloped with a lemony-yoghurt dressing.

Gee says salad leaves and lettuces are abundant, with iceberg lettuce going for as little as $2 each.

If you need to turn over a new leaf, you need Helen Graves’ secret weapon dressing . With a coterie of herbs, a whole avocado, two garlic cloves and dash of fish sauce, she warns “it’s not a demure dressing” – but it will transform a humble head of lettuce.

Fresh peas, found mostly in specialty grocers, are also in their prime, at about $6 to $7 a kilo, while snow peas are around the $20 a kilo mark.

There’s also lots of rhubarb about for $3 to $4 for a large bunch.

Tomato prices to tumble

Brassica prices are stable – cauliflower is about $4 a head, and broccolini about $2.50 a bunch.

Broccoli – previously as little as $2 a kilo thanks to delayed winter glut – is now a little pricier at about $5.50 a kilo.

And other MIA vegetables including zucchinis, capsicum and cucumbers are on their way.

Gee says save for some South Australian crops, which have been affected by a virus, tomato season is coming back: “Around that $5 [a kilo] mark, you’ll get a good tomato that has some life to it.”

Once the Queensland season comes into full swing in the next three weeks, they’ll come down to $2 to $3 a kilo.

Buy:
Asparagus
Avocado (a little more expensive than usual)
Bananas
Beetroot
Blueberries
Broccoli
Broccolini
Cauliflower
Capsicums
Cucumbers
Grapes
Lemons
Lettuce
Peas
Salad leaves
Strawberries
Raspberries
Rhubarb

Watch:
Blackberries
Cherries (coming in November)
Limes
Nectarines
Peaches
Plums
Tomatoes
Zucchini (becoming cheaper)

Avoid:
Brussels sprouts (finishing, now $15 a kilo)