Marketwatch: What's in season

JUICY, sweet-eating peaches and nectarines are plentiful and a choice buy this week.

grapes taste dec 17

JUICY, sweet-eating peaches and nectarines are plentiful and a choice buy this week.

Prices range from $3-$8/kg.

Tropical tasting golden-fleshed mangoes, $2-$4 each, are now being harvested in Bowen and Mareeba. Keep a look out for tray specials.

Celebrate the festive season with cherries at $5-$20/kg. For best quality, eat them within two or three days of buying.

A 2kg box of cherries makes a lovely healthy festive gift  - these are about $20-$30.

Exotic, flavoursome, fresh lychees are a sweet summer sensation and now is the best time for them at $10-$20/kg. Store unpeeled lychees in a sealed plastic bag in the fridge. 

Pop a large bunch of extra tasty menindee seedless, flame seedless, autumn royal or red globe grapes on the shopping list this week. At $6-$10/kg they are a thrifty buy. Store grapes in a plastic bag in the fridge and wash just prior to eating.

Victorian strawberries are plentiful and $2-$3 a punnet.

Blueberries and blackberries are $3-$4 a punnet each and Tasmania raspberries are $4-$5 a punnet. 

-- VEGETABLES

SWEET-flavoured and low GI, kumara is delicious roasted to serve hot with turkey or serve it cold in a salad. With pumpkin prices up this year, kumara is good value at $2-$4/kg.

Broccoli is selling for $3-$5/kg and snow and sugar snap peas are $8-$10/kg.

Carrots are a bargain at $1-$1.50 for a 1kg bag or loose carrots are $2-$2.50/kg.

Potato supplies are traditionally lighter at this time of year and this tends to increase prices. Desiree, pontiac and brushed potatoes are $2.50-$3.50/kg. Gourmet potatoes, such as kipfler and dutch cream, are $5-$6/kg. 

English spinach is $1-$1.50 a bunch and hand-picked green beans are $6-$8/kg.