Fruit
Cherries
Round or heart shaped and packed with flavour, Cherries‘ colours may range from pale golden yellow to deep red to almost black, depending on the variety. Cherries contain vitamins A, C, and some of the B vitamins, as well as some minerals, especially potassium.
Selection: Buy cherries that have been kept cool and moist, as flavour and texture both suffer at warm temperatures. At the market, pick a handful of cherries at a time and only select the best fruit. This may be time-consuming, but the reward will be better cherries. Good cherries should be large, glossy, plump, hard and dark-colored for their variety. Buy cherries with stems on — they should be fresh and green. Reject undersized cherries or those that are soft or flabby. Avoid fruit that is bruised or has cuts on the dark surface. If you find many damaged fruits at the market, consider buying cherries somewhere else, as a number of spoiled cherries will start the others to decay.
Tags: Stone fruitApples
Apples
Apples are a great addition to anyone’s diet being very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. They’re also a good source of Dietary Fiber and Vitamin C.
Braeburn
A firm fleshed apple with a semi-sweet taste and that good old fashioned crisp and juicy white flesh. Distinguished by a bold red stripe on an orange-reddish background. These are available from late March and store really well in the fridge.
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Herbs
Rosemary
Rosemary
Rosemary with its piney, resinous with a hint of lemon flavour works well with basil or thyme. Rosemary is used to bring out the flavour in meat.
Growing: Rosemary is a perennial that likes a light limey well drained site in full sun. Cut rosemary stems and leaves as you need them throughout the year. For best flavour, harvest mornings and during the period prior to the plant’s flowering. Cut 8-10cm from one branch rather than cutting a 2cm from a number of branches.
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Thyme
Thyme
Thyme is one of the best known and most widely-used culinary herbs. Thyme has a slightly pungent, spicy, savoury, clove-like flavour. It blends well with other herbs especially rosemary. A delicate looking herb with a penetrating fragrance, its leaves are curled, elliptically shaped and very small. The upper leaf is green-grey in colour on top, while the underside is a whitish colour.
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Sweet Marjoram
Sweet Marjoram
Sweet Marjoram, also known as knot marjoram and knotted marjoram, has downy grey-green leaves with mellow and delicate flavour that can best be described as spicy with a hint of scent. It has small white flowers and reddish-brown stems that, carry its sweet and spicy scent. The dried flowers are excellent for use in pot pourri. It blends well with most other herbs, especially oregano, thyme, parsley and sage, and combines well with a tomato base.
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Peppermint
Peppermint has a deep purple or green square stem and deep green leaves. It produces small pink, white, or purple flowers at the end of each stem. Peppermint, which is a cross between watermint and spearmint, has very high menthol content. This menthol is what gives it its strong minty aroma and flavour. This is a common and fast growing mint that makes a great tea. Easily recognisable, the taste of peppermint is refreshing and cooling on a hot summer day.
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Bay Leaves
Bay Leaves
Bay leaves, also called bay laurel, are the leaves of the evergreen sweet bay or laurel tree native to the Mediterranean, and have a woody, floral, slightly bitter flavour. The bay leaf is oval, pointed and smooth, 2.5-8 cm long. When fresh, the leaves are shiny and dark green on top with lighter undersides. When dried the bay leaf turns a matte olive green.
Tags: HerbsMint (Spearmint)
Mint
Fresh spearmint, also called mint, common mint and garden mint, is the perfect ingredient for a great summer meal. Whether it’s served in a fruit salad, spring roll, fruit punch, or paired with a vegetable, this versatile herb is a great complement to a warm, sunny day.
Tags: HerbsSpeciality Items
Kefir Grains
kefir grains
Kefir grains for culturing your own kefir!
Kefir is a refreshing, cultured-milk beverage which originated in the northern slopes of the Caucasus Mountains, believed to date back at least 1,000 years. Kefir has a uniform, slightly creamy consistency, a sour refreshing flavour, with a slight subtle aroma of fresh yeast [or a very subtle beer-like aroma]. Kefir also has a slightest hint of a natural effervescent zesty tang. The pro-biotic health benefits of kefir are numerous. It contains a far greater variety of useful micro-organisms as compared to yogurt. Traditional, authentic kefir can only be prepared by culturing fresh milk with kefir grains. Traditional kefir is easily prepared at home. Full-cream, low fat or non-fat milk is put in a clean suitable container with the addition of a smaller portion of kefir grains. The content is left at room temperature for about 24 hours. The resulting developed cultured-milk is strained in order to separate, and retrieve the kefir grains from the liquid-kefir. The grains are added to more fresh milk to repeat the simple process for the next batch. This procedure can be performed on an indefinite basis… for kefir grains last forever.
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Vegetables
Heirloom Harvest Bag
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Red Onions
Red Onions have red-purple skin and dark red-purple flesh with white lines. They are sweet and juicy enough to eat raw, and they’re often used to add colour to salads. They are also excellent grilled or lightly cooked. A source of vitamin C and dietary fibre, red onions also contain small quantities of many other vitamins and minerals.
Selection: Choose onions that are clean, well shaped, have no opening at the neck and feature crisp, dry outer skins. Avoid those that are sprouting or have signs of mould. In addition, onions of inferior quality often have soft spots, moisture at their neck, and dark patches, which may all be indications of decay.
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Leeks
Leeks are a milder member of the onion family and resemble over grown spring onions but the leaves are thick, flat and folded. They have a smooth texture and distinctive taste which makes an appetising side vegetable with or without a cream sauce. Leeks are a good source of vitamin C, B vitamins, vitamin E, as well as folate, copper, potassium and iron.
Selection: Leeks should be firm and straight with dark green leaves and white necks. Good quality leeks will not be yellowed or wilted, nor have bulbs that have cracks or bruises. Large leeks are generally more fibrous. Try to purchase leeks that are of similar size so as to ensure more consistent cooking if you are planning on cooking the leeks whole.
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Lettuce – Cos
Cos Lettuce
The Cos Lettuce is an old-fashioned winter lettuce that is also called “Romaine”. It forms an elongated lightly compressed head and has a stronger, more pungent flavour than the other varieties. Their colour range from standard lettuce green to heavily shaded in deep red with creamy yellow inside leaves. They are a good source of vitamin A and C and folate.
Selection: When buying cos lettuces, look for leaves that are crisp and free of wilted leaves, slim or dark spots). Make sure that the edges of the lettuce leaves have no brown or yellow discoloration. In addition, go for ones whose compact heads and stem ends are not too brownish. The lettuce should smell fresh, not sour.
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Spring Onions
Spring Onions
Tender and mild with a long white slender neck and hollow green tops, Spring Onions are often thought to be immature white onions, but they’re actually a separate variety. They are milder than brown onions which make them ideal for eating raw and using in salads. The green tops of spring onions are often used like chives to garnish dishes. They are also known as scallions, green onions and salad onions.
Selection: Look for light and bright green leaves which are fresh, not limp. The onions at the root should be quite small and firm. Avoid any that look shriveled or have slimey outer leaves.
Storage: Storage of spring onions varies from the rest of the onion family as they need to be refrigerated.
Tags: BulbsMizuna
Green & Red Mizuna
Mizuna is a wonderful salad green also known as Japanese greens or spider mustard. The fine leaves are a decorative, light green, with deeply jagged leaves. Mizuna has a mild mustard flavour and is high in carotene and vitamin C.
Selection: Mizuna is generally sold in bunches. Look for fresh and vibrant green leaves that aren’t wilted.
Frank van Steensel talks about Mizuna
Tags: Leaf CropsLettuce – Buttercrunch
The butterhead lettuce, also called buttercrunch, has a softly compressed head with loose leaves which have a delicate buttery feel and flavour. The colours range from classic lettuce green to red to almost magenta coloured outer leaves, contrasting with the pale green to cream interior leaves untouched by the sun. Butterhead lettuce is a good source of vitamin A, K and folate.
Selection: Look for clean, crisp tender leaves, free from decay or dirt. The leaf should snap into two crisp pieces whent bent, and the outer leaves should be as crisp as the inner ones. Check the growing point where the leaves emerge, which should be moist and white.
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Kale, Red Russian & Lacinato
Lacinato
Kale, or borecole, is a type of cabbage that grows loosely furled leaves rather than forming a head. Kale tends to be a little bit bitter in flavour, although this is tempered by washing, cooking, and using younger leaves. Kale is high in Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Magnesium, Iron, and Zinc.
Selection: Look for smaller leaves and a fresh look, avoiding yellowing or brown leaves. Check the stems as well as these are also edible.
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Garlic
Garlic Field
The taste of garlic is like no other – it hits the palate with a hot pungency that is shadowed by a very subtle background sweetness. The most common varieties of garlic contain 10 cloves with white skin on them. Other varieties have pink or purple skin and larger cloves. As a rule, the smaller the clove, the stronger the taste. Garlic supplies vitamins, particularly vitamin C and B6 and has an assortment of minerals in small but useful amounts.
Tags: bulbFennel
Fennel Bulb
Fennel, also known as “Sweet Anise”, has a sweet, mild licorice flavour. The feathery fronds can be used as an herb like dill to flavour soups and stews. The broad bulbous base is treated like a vegetable.
Selection: Good quality fennel will have bulbs that are clean, firm and solid, without signs of splitting, bruising or spotting. The bulbs should be whitish or pale green in colour. The stalks should be relatively straight and closely superimposed around the bulb and should not splay out to the sides too much. Both the stalks and the leaves should be green in colour. There should be no signs of flowering buds as this indicates that the vegetable is past maturity. Fresh fennel should have a fragrant aroma, smelling subtly of licorice or anise. Fennel is usually available from autumn through early spring.
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Courgettes
Courgette growing
Courgettes, also known as zucchini, are very versatile and can be eaten either raw or cooked. They are succulent and tender with a delicate, unassuming flavour. Courgettes have a high water content and are low in calories. They are a source of folate, are rich in potassium, as well as in vitamins A and C.
Selection: Choose courgettes that have glossy blemish-free skins. Avoid any that show signs of softening or withering.
Tags: fruitChicory Dandelion (Puntarella)
Dandelion
Puntarella is a delicious vegetable that is often mistaken for a weed. A member of the chicory family, puntarella has a bitter undertone and its stems are tender yet crisp. Punterella can be eaten raw as a salad vegetable, added sliced to stir-fries, or braised and served with different sauces. It also makes a yummy soup when teamed with tomato and chicken stock. Punterella is a rich source of vitamin A, vitamin C and beta carotene.
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Chicory Radicchio
Radicchio
Shaped like a small cabbage Radicchio is a member of the chicory family. It has a bitter and spicy taste, which mellows when grilled or roasted. Radicchio is rich in vitamin A, vitamin C and calcium, and provides a source of dietary fiber.
Selection: Choose radicchio heads that are firm and dense with shiny, crisp, colourful leaves free of cracks, bruises and blemishes. Severe damage to the outer leaves is suggestive of worm damage or decay that may reside in the inner core as well. There should be only a few outer loose leaves attached to the stem. If not, it may be an indication of undesirable texture and taste. Avoid buying precut radicchio, either halved or shredded, since once cut it begins to lose its valuable vitamin C content.
Tags: Leaf CropsChicory Sugarloaf
Sugarloaf
Chicory Sugarloaf, a member of the Chicory family, is similar to Cos Lettuce with the leaves folding into a dense head that are green on the outside and light yellow inside. It has a nutty bitter that becomes milder as it ripens. Sugarloaf is a good source of vitamin A, C & K, and iron. more »
Frank van Steensel talks about about Sugarloaf
Pumpkin
Pumpkin
Crown Pumpkins, also called grey pumpkin, have a hard blue-grey skin, with a rich orange flesh. They are generally 30cm in diameter, 10cm deep, and about 4kg whole. Pumpkin is a source of vitamin A & C, folate, potassium, niacin and dietary fibre.
Selection: Pumpkin is prone to decay, so it is important to carefully inspect it before purchase. Choose ones that are firm, heavy for their size and have dull, not glossy, rinds. The rind should be hard as soft rinds may indicate that the pumpkin is watery and lacking in flavour. Avoid those with any signs of decay, which manifest as areas that are water-soaked areas or mouldy.
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Silverbeet
Young Silverbeet
Silverbeet, also known as chard, has green savoyed (crinkled) leaves with white veins and broad white stems and a slightly bitter taste. Fresh young leaves can be used raw in salads. Mature leaves and stalks are typically cooked so their bitterness fades. Silverbeet is a good source of vitamins A, C and E, and folate.
Selection: When buying Silverbeet, choose bunches with large leaves, since the leaf is the most tender part of the plant. The leaves should be fresh and crisp dark-green and the ribs stiff; the stems should be creamy white and should not be cracked or dried.
Tags: Leaf CropsCarrots
Carrots
Amsterdam Carrots are small and cylindrical with a rich deep orange red colour and almost no core. They are a sweet flavoursome carrot that is ideal for boiling, steaming or stir-frying. Carrots are high in Vitamin A and beta-carotene, and rich in antioxidants. Chantenay carrots are dark orange and are shorter than other carrots but have greater girth and are very sweet. Our Baby Carrots are immature carrots that have been harvested early for your eating pleasure, not mature carrots that has been cut and peeled in the “baby-cut” style.
Tags: rootGreen Cabbage
Savoy Cabbage
Green Cabbage is round with layers of superimposed leaves with the inner leaves often lighter in colour than the outer leaves. The colour ranges from pale to dark almost grey green. Green Cabbage have a defined taste and crunchy texture.
Cabbage is an excellent source of vitamin A, B and C as well as fibre. more »
Beetroot
Beetroot
Sweet, succulent and adaptable, Beetroot (a member of the spinach family) adds colour and vibrant flavour to dishes. Mature leaves can be eaten in the same way as spinach.
Beetroot contains antioxidants and is a good source of the B-group vitamin, folate.
Tags: rootKohlrabi
Kohlrabi in field
Very young and tender, the small bulbs of baby kohlrabi, or cabbage turnip, taste like a mixture of cucumber and mild broccoli and have green white flesh. The firm flesh of this immature vegetable offers a very agreeable, delicate mustard flavour and is juicier, sweeter, crispier and more delicate than a turnip. Peel, slice, dice or julienne for salads. Shred or grate to add extra flavour to slaws and sauces. Steam, boil, braise, sauté or stir-fry. Leaves can be cooked like collard greens. Kohlrabi is very high in Vitamin C and Potassium.
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Kowiniwini Potatoes
Kowiniwini
Frank van Steensel talks about heritage Potatoes and the Kowiniwini.
Perpetual Spinach
Perpetual Spinach
Perpetual spinach, also called leaf beet has a slightly bitter taste but is milder than spinach. Fresh young leaves can be used raw in salads. Mature leaves and stalks are typically cooked or sautéed as their bitterness fades with cooking, leaving a gentler flavour which is more delicate than that of cooked spinach. Perpetual spinach is high in vitamin A and C and and dietary fibre.
Frank van Steensel talks about Perpetual Spinach
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Endive
Endive
Broad-Leaved Endive or Escarole has broad, pale green leaves and is less bitter than the other varieties. The outside leaves of an endive head are green and bitter, the inner leaves are light green to creamy-white and milder flavoured. Endive is rich in many vitamins and minerals, especially in folate and vitamins A and K, and is high in fiber.
Frank Talks about broad and fine leaved endive.
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Chinese Cabbage
Chinese Cabbage
Chinese cabbage is one of the most common Asian vegetables found in New Zealand and is also known as Peking cabbage, Napa cabbage, wong nga pak, wong nga baak and wong bok It has an elongated head with tightly packed crinkly pale green leaves. Unlike the strong-flavored waxy leaves on round heads of cabbage, these are thin, crisp and delicately mild. Chinese cabbage is a rich source of vitamin C and folate and a source of vitamin A.
Frank van Steensel talks about the versatile Chinese Cabbage
Tags: Leaf CropsBroccoli
Broccoli
Broccoli provides a range of tastes and textures, from soft and flowery (the floret) to fibrous and crunchy (the stem and stalk).
From salads, pasta dishes, omelettes, quiches and soups to simple accompaniments, broccoli has got to be one of the most versatile vegetables.
Tags: brassica