Local kiwi fruit full steam ahead
Kiwi fruit are remarkably good for your digestive system so please enjoy as many as you can for the next several months.

Other Victorian delicate perfection
Also from around the Swan Hill parts come some of the best quality, preponderant and reliable beetroot and shallots.

Please learn to appreciate wonderful beetroot. Full steam ahead and guaranteed perfection for many months to come.

A lull for corn
Ears of corn from Cowra are fine.

Popeye eat your heart out!
English Spinach perfection for the next coupla weeks. Barring weather related catastrophe, please go for your life. A very successful crop from Dapto, just south of Sydney is in top form.

Dutch carrot perfection
Welcome to that magical time of year where Tim and Lee Burrell from Swan Hill, Victoria produce consistent, reliable perfection year after year.

Slim perfection. Just staring for the season. highly recommended, with perfect tops. The kids will adore them for their lunch boxes or a snack. Perfect to sauté with ginger, honey and sesame seeds. Please enjoy this fine quality offering!

Patience for worthwhile oranges
Valencias are fine but too early for the early winter Navels. Meanwhile at local Anthony Wallis’s Navel orchard, just west of Sydney, things for this autumn /winter are looking excellent, plenty to come some time May.

Summer fruits
Stonefruit season in full swing - plums, nectarines, cherries, apricots, peaches  - and all the berries.

Go for your life with blueberries, figs, passionfruit, paw paw, and pineapples. These have been fantastic and will continue.

The grape season is upon us particularly the crimson grapes; fresh and crunchy. They will be available for a while. The white sultana grapes are coming in.

New Zealand kiwifruit is still brilliant.

We have to pass on the watermelon. We have not had much luck over the last few weeks with overripe, floury melon.

Cherries - full steam ahead
The first dribble is always a little bit more in price but now the cherries from Young are excellent and shoiuld continue to have a better price. Depending on the temperature, rain and daily supply, price and robustness are a lottery but so far, excellent. Warm weather will push things along rapidly, so please just get into the cherries because all of a sudden, the season is over.

Keep your cherries dry and cold. Non fungicide treated organic cherries do not like moisture as it leads to brown rot, brown blotches on the skin. Don’t pre-rinse your cherries before storage, simply rinse just prior to eating. Keeping your cherries cold in the fridge provides an environment that slows the progress of any attack of the dreaded fungi.

Peaches + nectarines
The best stone fruit comes from Young and Swan Hill in Victoria and it is great tasting at the moment.

She ain't apples!
The last "fresh apples" where picked months ago. Although some varieties store surprisingly well, by now we really are pushing our luck and it is far too late to expect total satisfaction. Keep your last apples in the fridge, away from your vegetables.

We are expecting brand new Qld apples in January.

Cherries take the inside lane
Ok, ok the mango agitation is most annoying, it might well be that the spectacular cherry season will sneak up and overtake the mangoes entirely. The first few boxes of cherries are here but they are expensive. This year’s yields are magnificent and my crystal ball says prices must fall very, very soon. So whilst mangoes continue to be stubborn in their early pricing, cherries may be full steam ahead within days. I would not be surprised to see them 5 star, full steam ahead by the middle of next week.

Onions that make you see red
The onion famine is now officially over and it is full steam ahead for very well cured, perfect and brand new sweet Spanish (red) onions. Go for your life.

Cloves of class
I have a special treat for you. Patrice Newell has harvested the finest crop of garlic in Australia and after a few more days of patience whilst it dries, it will be sent to Dynamic Organics. We expect it here in the next 10 days or so. Stay tuned for one of my favourite ingredients of the entire year.

The relentless fruit famine
With every week it goes on, we get closer to the promised fruit paradise of summer. So please hang in there folks! Mangoes are still expensive and early Queensland stonefruit is not up to par. The last NZ kiwi fruit, perfect bananas and new valencia oranges can keep you going. The good news is the mango bubble could burst at any time from now and cherries only days away.

‘Tis the season for onions fa la la la la la la la la la la
Onions and closely related garlic are just starting to gather momentum. The rare white onions have been consumed and brown and Spanish (red) onions are back. Brand new season onions are sweet, moist and full of flavour. This is the only true real fresh time of the entire year for onions as they are a once per annual crop. Once fully cured they keep well and are bullet proof for nearly the entire year. Farmers are keen to satisfy the early market and are getting their onions to the market as early as possible. You will notice how the skins are not fully dry and well formed. They taste great, but must be kept somewhere dry and well ventilated. The ventilation helps keep them drying. On your kitchen counter is perfect. Definitely not in the fridge!

Basil on its way
Basil begins when minimum temperatures are reliably in excess of 14 degrees celsius. Although we have had a coupla surprise freezing nights (and the odd day), local plantings have started. Up north the odd bunch is getting very close to ready. So watch the website – basil any day.

Strawberry surprise
Thank the fruit and vegetable gods for the Western Australians strawberries. The spring Queensland strawberries have ground to a halt. Usually it is a blast of hot weather that spells the end, this year it has been rain. Luckily, Western Australia seems to be starting up with some very nice strawberries. They easy make the trip across the nation arriving as very nice quality. Available most days, so a perfect distraction from this annual fruit famine situation.

Rockmelon migration
Although I will begrudgingly purchase a hatful of very early Northern Territorian melons, the superior Queenslanders around Gatton are making very pleasant progress. Now fingers crossed, for the last 2 years, hail storms have struck and catastrophe has been the result. So far they look good, due end of November.

It's raining veg
Way up north in places like Yeppoon, where it stays consistently warm through the year, things are now warming up to a point that late summer crops are leaping from the ground. So although it is merely spring here in Sydney, many great, late summer offerings like perfect pumpkin, red capsicum, eggplant and cucumbers are falling from the sky!

No more navel gazing
Anthony’s navel oranges have been struggling and now it is too much to bear. We are into the brand new season Valencia’s from brother, Jeremy’s patch. The earlier pickings have quite a nice zing so make the most of them now as they are best early rather than later.

Get "steamy" with asparagus
The above says it all. Now in full swing and at an ‘everyday make the most of it’ price. Asparagus is best served simple and uncomplicated. Steam and serve with hollandaise sauce (there are very good premade hollandaise sauces at your local deli). Toss in olive oil, salt and pepper, grill or roast and then drizzle over balsamic vinegar. Boil asparagus until tender, drain and refresh under cold water and top with a lemon and garlic butter. Melt butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, crushed garlic, salt and pepper and simmer for 2-3 minutes. To serve, arrange asparagus, baby spinach leaves and mint on a plate and spoon over butter.

However you cook it, please make the most of this best spring vegetable in the house.

Asparagus has a fascinating history. Earliest records of asparagus cultivation trace it back to Greece some 2,500 years ago. The ancient Egyptians also cultivated it, but it was highly prized by the Romans.

As early as 200 B.C. the Romans had directions to grow asparagus. To eat it out of season, it was dried and then rehydrated by putting it in boiling water for a short time. They would often serve asparagus with one of their renowned fermented fish sauces.

Roman emperors maintained special asparagus fleets to gather and carry the choicest spears to the empire. In the first century fast chariots and runners took asparagus from the Tiber River area to the snowline of the Alps where it was kept frozen for six months until the Feast of Epicurus.

The Emperor Augustus coined the saying, "velocius quam asparagi conquantur" which translates into telling someone to get a job done as quickly as you can cook asparagus.

Asparagus didn't become popular in Europe until the reign of Louis XIV. Louis called it the "king of vegetables." He gave land and a title to his gardener who built "stove houses" or greenhouses and heating the beds inside to give his monarch asparagus year round.

Stone fruit ETA
Whilst suffering the annual spring fruit famine, please let the promise of cherries and peaches give you faith. Within a matter of weeks, I guarantee you will wonder what all the fuss over lack of variety was ever about.

Spring fruit famine
This happens every year. The last winter citrus, apples and pears are in agony. QLD strawberries are down to the last hat full and we are waiting for the WA season to begin; mangoes are yet to start. It is that difficult time of the year.

Kiwis – best fruit in the house
Thank goodness for great bananas and kiwis during the spring fruit famine. A very nice batch of firm New Zealand kiwi fruit have hit the decks having made it quickly through customs. They are a very generous size and a good price. So please go for your life on these kiwi fruit for next week.

Intermission for strawberries
The Queensland early spring strawberry season is grinding to a halt. We experienced good quality and consistently priced strawberries, however there was no spectacular crop yield “flushes”. The last hat full will cost more. The summer southern season is just around the corner, so strawberries will be taking a short break and will be back soon.

Onions to bring you tears of joy
Thank you for your patience, the annual onion and garlic famine is coming to an end. Already the first white, all purpose sweet and delectable onions have arrived from up north. This is a limited crop, so please make the most of just this hatful of perfect white onions for the next coupla weeks. Forget the non existent organic brown onions and stop using the sprouty Spanish onions. Please enjoy these perfect brand new season white onions, satisfaction guaranteed.

Holy guacamole
Everything in the fruit and vegetable cosmos is now. With the arrival of brand new season white onions and garlic everything is perfectly aligned for the creation of the finest in season guacamole of the year.

My secret ingredients are avocadoes, white onions, garlic, salt, Barambah sour cream, lemon juice, tabasco sauce and hard boiled eggs.

Hang 10 for mangoes
The odd hatful around organic town are outrageous in price so I’m pleading for abstinence on early premium mangoes from NT. Mangoes are on the trees, but do not be distracted by the far too early offerings.

It all comes down to my ‘mango price bubble theory’. When the first few mango trays enter the mango pipeline, any price is possible. Then the rate of pickings accelerate and mango laden semis start causing havoc at Homebush and agents start to stock up and offer serious quantities. At first a significant price decrease from the early, limited supply will keep some buyers interested. But in smaller markets, such as the organic market growers and agents try to hold onto fantasies of the early huge prices.

Mangoes store well so they can afford to be stubborn for a coupla day, particularly because the growers are picking slightly earlier to catch the premium prices. At some point more mangoes arrive adding more to their supply that have not yet been sold due to their stubborn price fantasy. The mango bubble begins to inflate. As the picking gathers pace, the pressure mounts and the bubble inflates further. The less mangoes we buy now, the faster the bubble inflates. At some point somebody has too much and begins to panic, they drop their price to move the stock and the bubble bursts. Other agents, many who are also gathering stock have to match the market.

Glorious garlic
Thanks for your patience, the new season garlic harvest is just commencing. The first few premium garlic bulbs are in the warehouse, plenty of even better to come, by mid November.

Beware that the very last stragglers of the old season, well past its use by date Russian or Elephant variety are still lingering around organic town. Do not make a mistake, insist on the finest possible, new season offering!

Best ‘pea’ you will have all year
Peas are in top spring form but for a limited opportunity. All it takes is a coupla hot spring days and these delicate morsels will be sizzled and the opportunity will be no longer.

Take time to enjoy our magnificent organic peas. Real peas are an excellent source of thiamine, niacin & vitamin C. They are also pretty useful for fibre, phosphorous and iron.

Go on, try one straight out of the pod. Assemble the kids for some pea-shelling and talk about their day. Ah yes, that is what life’s simple pleasures are all about. Good old fashioned, family values.

Please forget Grandma and her over-boiling ways, these peas just need a gentle steam. The natural taste of our real peas will take you back to when a pea was a pea.

One of the best ways to enjoy peas is rapidly blanched (boiled then plunged into flowing, cold water) for just a couple of minutes and served with butter & mint. Serve with pasta and fetta cheese for a modern twist. 10 minutes (once your diners have shelled the peas) is all recipe will take. Whilst the pasta is boiling, fry a bunch of mint in butter and olive oil till it goes nice and crispy. Drain pasta and toss thru blanched peas, mint, cubed fetta and olive oil. Serve with a salad or a couple of lamb chops.

Stone fruit paradise coming soon
Patience please as mangoes, cherries and perhaps even apricots are just around the corner. Plenty by the end of the month – so hang in there!

So far things look good for the NT mangoes and many cherry crops have had an excellent flowering. Lots of flowers equals lots of fruit however nature is unpredictable but so far perfect progress.

Last days for apples, oranges and pears
The inevitable decline of apples, oranges and pears has arrived. Times for the next coupla weeks are getting hard.

For the purist who can live with a lack of variety, fastidious Roger says survive on bananas, strawberries, avocadoes, honey murcott mandarins and ruby grapefruit. However, for those who must indulge please do not expect perfection for navel oranges, apples and pears.

Dutch carrots are back
Tim and Lee Burrell, from just out of Swan hill are back into a few rows of perfect quality Dutch carrots. Bugs Bunny, go for your life.

Broccoli about to head south
Delightful spring temperatures are pushing the last remaining rows of southern Queensland’s vegetables along very, very rapidly. Broccoli although still excellent quality for this cooler weather vegetable, time is running out. Remaining rows are growing to a harvestable size in phenomenally quick time and there is now an end of season glut of this fine vegetable. Please make the most of this situation for the next coupla weeks at best.

Soon it will be too hot and the Queenslanders will be kaput. No cause for panic as the southerners with their cooler climates are almost ready to go.

Billons of Cherry Tomatoes
A bit further north, tomato magnate Kevin Black of Childers is also enjoying delightful warm spring temperatures. For the next coupla weeks he has billions of perfect cherry tomatoes that are ripening up rapidly and cherry tomato production is out of control! They need good homes right now. So please make the most of these top quality and inexpensive cherry tomatoes.

Crackerjack Jap
Even further north, it is getting even hotter faster and summer is delivered here to Sydney from Tungamull, just near Rockhampton. At Silverado Organics, the Japanese (Jap) pumpkin have had a very good spring in our winter and a warm summer in our early spring. Yes, space just doesn’t permit to explain more thoroughly, please just accept, it is late summer and there all of a sudden plenty of late summer pumpkins coming down our way from up north. Again, like the cherry tomatoes and top quality and excellent value. What a treat!

Late winter citrus
With the last of the navel oranges and any quality Imperial mandarins are long gone, there are several late winter citrus approaching fine form. Honey Murcotts are already in the house, Tangelos are almost here and Ruby Grapefruit has arrived.

This pink fleshed version of the good, old fashioned yellow grapefruit has a much more pleasant, sweet taste. The colouring is from a higher level of lycopene which if you ask a nutritionist is extremely good for you. Please get into them, top quality, highly recommended.

Spring onions are the seasons choice
All the stockpiles of organic brown onions have been all snapped up. There simply are no more left until the first earliest crops are cured which is still a coupla weeks away, at the least.

The last of the Spanish onions are in a sprouty state, still perfectly useable, however the odd harmless sprout. As this happens this time every year, there is no point struggling against or complaining about the situation.

However prematurely picked, non cured onions, ie spring onions are an agronomically sensible selection at this time. Spring onions offer the cook a freshness and juicy sweetness that dry, year-round onions lack. Enjoy them raw in salads, baked or sautéed like a regular cured onion.

Blooming bulbs of garlic
We are still surviving on last years garlic harvest, however the earliest, harvested new season garlic is already starting to surface. For garlic, it will be full steam ahead into sensibly priced, quality, real fresh new season offerings within weeks.

More Kiwis coming to Australia
We have sold the last of the brilliant Aussie kiwi crop and now we have to hand over to the Kiwis. However, you can’t beat the Kiwis on kiwis. This year’s crop are a great size and great eating.

Kiwi fruit is one of the few organic items we import. From a food miles point of view, sea freight is relatively carbon footprint friendly and there is a fair bit of vitamin C satisfaction per kilo.

Whilst kiwi fruit represents the bulk of New Zealand’s horticultural exports we wonder whether it matches the number of expats gracing our shores?

Au revoir swedes
We have enjoyed roasting you, mashing you and adding you to our soups. You have made our evenings by an open fire more satisfying. Thank you for your exceptional quality and flavour.

We are down to the final hatful of David Ross’s swedes so please say your final farewell for this season.

Saving the best for last
The Honey Murcott Mandarin is the late season variety of choice for mandarins. It ripens late in winter and well into spring and thus is now gathering momentum. It is unsurpassed for the sweetness and flavour of its juice.

These mandarins have a tighter skin and contain seeds. For those (complacently) used to the easy to peel, seedless and no mess Imperial mandarins, please read the fine print for this challenging to handle, but delectable variety of mandarin - ‘treat like an orange and cut into segments’. Highly recommended.

Spring – make or break
Although spring doesn’t offer exactly a plethora of new fruits it is the defining period of the summer fruit extravaganza. In the next coupla weeks, fruit trees for stone fruit and next years pome (apples and pears) begin to form flower buds and the critical job of flowering commences. Poor weather like high winds or rain can knock off or damage the flowers. No flowers - no fruit!

Abundance spring vegetables
Although nothing much happens on the fruit front for spring, there is plenty of excitement for vegetables.

Brassica heads up
Firstly, the winter vegetable favourites like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage do very well as warmer conditions push along the final plantings at a speedy rate. So make the most of the last and preponderant winter vegetables. However, if it gets too hot, too quick, they will begin to bolt and therefore struggle. So far everything is just perfect.

Leaping leafy greens
Leafy greens like lettuce, bok choy, spinach and particularly baby English spinach love an extra bit of warmth. However, they do not like it too hot and or windy as their delicate leaves cannot keep up the moisture demands. Somehow we survived winter just on a daily dribble of progress for these plants, although they like mild conditions, spring marks a vast improvement in their growing conditions. As part of your spring dietary makeover, we highly recommend salad season.

Asparagus standing tall
Although the battle has hardly begun, a barrage of spring asparagus spears is rapidly approaching. The first few premium priced spears are on the way, but by the end of the month full steam ahead for this spring vegetable of choice. Dust off your favourite recipes and prepare for what looks at this stage to be a most promising asparagus season.

Vunerable alliums
Fingers are crossed for the annual garlic and onion harvest. These family of vegetables have been in the ground from autumn and have endured life in the paddock through a miserable winter to be harvested at the end of spring and into summer for our enjoyment. Please spare a thought for these under thanked vegetables. Should we suffer torrential downpours of rain through September and October, all their hard work can be drowned. The result, an attack of the dreaded fungi. Just like for the fruit trees, too much rain in spring is very bad news!

The tide turns on winter fruit
Please enjoy the gradual but inevitable decline of the winter navel oranges, apples and pears.

Although the oranges have kept quite well on the trees over the winter on Anthonys orchard, by this stage the skins have lost their protective oils and the skins are starting to gradually tarnish. The fruit itself has gathered maximum sweetness, but now the skins cannot protect the fruit as well. With damp weather beware for the odd orange totally loosing the plot and exploding in a coat of perfectly natural fungi. Keep your last oranges in the fridge.

The awful truth is that the last apples and pears where picked months ago. Although they store well in controlled atmosphere storages, they are now beginning to loose their flavour and robustness. As with the oranges, they need to be kept in the fridge.

Quantarrine your late apples and kiwi fruit
Late apples and late kiwi fruit produce a lot of perfectly natural ethylene. Ethylene promotes ripening of some fruits, like bananas, tomatoes and avocadoes. So for the scientists amongst our diners keep these ethylene belching apples and kiwi amongst your less than ripe fruits. Add a little warmth, voila! Perfect for speedier ripening.

Even in the fridge these fruits emit ethylene and this can damage your vegetables, particularly leafy greens and more specifically lettuce. Broccoli is also extremely vulnerable.

In the Dynamic Organics warehouse, we have built a separate cool room for these ‘dangerous’ apples. In your own domestic environment, Roger suggests keeping your apples and kiwi fruit, segregated in their own crisper. The other vegetables will have to cram into your remaining crisper for their own safety.

For those curious to see for themselves, try this experiment using two heads of broccoli. Keep one head safely separated with your vegetables and the other head with some apples in the other crisper. Wait a coupla days and all of a sudden you will most likely see our usual bullet proof broccoli brown quicker, its natural senescence pushed along to an untimely death by these villainous apples!

Chilli August
This August in Sydney has been the coldest. The 150 year average minimum at the Bureau of Metrologies Observatory Hill station is 8.9 degrees for the month of August. So far this August it has averaged a mere 8 degrees and 0.9 degrees is significant. There have been a coupla of very unpleasant 4 degree dawns at Sydney Markets!

Interestingly, nobody is talking about global warming this week!

Slow progress for winter vegetables
All the usual winter vegetable suspects, like broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower although making slow progress, are perfectly possible. Albeit market prices are 25 to 50% higher than they should be. Quality, still perfect.

No Bikinis for Zucchinis
However those wishing for say a zucchini bargain this week, you may as well pack your bags and go for better luck at the snow fields. Zucchini prices last week broke historic records, for next week, supply of organic zucchini is looking quite unlikely. Zucchini is a summer, hot weather vegetable and even up north it is pretty mild at best. Please enjoy broccoli for your greens.

Crushing news for garlic
Welcome to the most agonising time of year for garlic.

Garlic is an annual crop. Sown in autumn it slowly grows through the winter and spring and is harvested in summer, then cured. Even the earliest new season crops are not expected until late October at best.

Although garlic does store very well for the first 6 or so months after harvest. Once it turns to autumn the stored bulbs receive the message to begin to grow for the next crop. And so we have all seen the odd sprouty garlic (and onion too).

But by now, the last of the last of last years harvest is starting to disappear. What is left is the very bottom of the stack. The busted up (but perfectly useable) cloves broken off the bulbs. The irony is we are now paying more for less, patience please, we are almost at the new season (8 agonising weeks!)

Last days for Australian kiwi fruit
It is starting to get late for local Australian kiwi fruit as it is beginning to soften slightly faster. One of the few organic produce items we import is the New Zealand kiwi fruit. It transports very well and is usually pretty good value. From a food miles point of view, sea freight is relatively carbon foot print friendly and there is a fair bit of vitamin C satisfaction per kilo. Compared to those diabolical Northern Territory Melons, saintly!

Anyhow, still a coupla weeks for the Australian kiwi, so please go for your life on the last.

Cool cucumbers
Despite the gloom of winter, one summer vegetable miracle form the most unlikely of freezing places is the glass house grown Lebanese cucumber.

The talented glass house growers way down freezing south at Murray Bridge can come up with perfect cucumbers in the middle of winter. So yippee, keep an eye out for cucumbers back on the menu any day.

The pumpkin gravy train ride is over and Roger told you so
Pumpkins are naturally a late summer harvest. Although they do keep very well, by now all of late last summers crop has been sold. Pumpkins will no longer be reasonably priced!

Luckily we have the far north Queenslanders and Northern Territorian at our service; for a price! Way up north they are now harvesting brand new season pumpkin in the middle of our freezing winter. But it is expensive business and freighting long distance doesn’t help either.

However, pumpkin at even twice the price is delectably good value, so for those who enjoy pumpkin in the middle of winter, no worries.

Awesome avocadoes
Like the oranges, it has been a great year for the avocadoes produced by Anthony Beutel at Googa Farms. The Hass avocado is at its very best next month and September. Already the fruits have matured and developed a high natural oil content for great flavour and reliable ripening. No matter how green and unripe these avocadoes arrive, they will now ripen reliably to perfection. Keep a stock on hand so you can enjoy this great winter fruit at your leisure.

Crops need warmth + sunlight to grow
The freezing weather has headed south to Gatton. Minus temperatures has ground broccoli and cauliflower production to a dribble. Further north, tomato and zucchini production is struggling.

Roger has worked overtime to procure limited supplies and although times are hard, there is still plenty of interest to be found in our organic fruit and veg departments. Spuds, carrots and most of the fruits, no worries. Except the Glass House mountain strawberries, their supply has been ground to a dribble along with the vegetables.

The juice on oranges
So far it has been an exceptional season for Anthony’s navel oranges. Quality is excellent and with a reasonably dry winter and cool conditions, the skins are in top form to protect the vitamin c packed flesh. For the next several weeks, the fruit is at its optimum. The ½ box of slightly marked or smaller fruits is very good value and the flesh is the same, peerless quality. Please go for your life on this best fruit in the house!

Thumbs up to coriander
Coriander is jumping from the ground, it just loves the mild weather. Right now in the middle of winter is when it does best and currently local coriander from Dapto is doing particularly well.

Don’t forget to make the most of using the roots of your coriander bunch in your cooking too, it has a great flavour.

Tomato torment
Growing summer crops in winter is always going to be fraught with potential problems. Already this year, there has been the odd hiccup on the odd cooler week. But this cold snap has made times hard for tomatoes. Prepare to pay more for less particularly for cherry tomatoes. The odd miracle crop does surface but it is a daily lottery. Stay tuned.

Unearth a beetroot
If you've only ever eaten canned beetroot, Roger recommends that you try it fresh and currently beetroot is in perfect form. Please consider this marvellous vegetable.

Beetroot is one of the most misunderstood and underutilised vegetables in the house. The flavour of beetroot is a mixture of sweetness; from its relatively high sugar content and a pleasant bitterness derived from its ancestor the wild sea beet.

Beetroot is one of the stars of a healthy cooks ingredients. It is great for the heart and has a unique cholesterol fighting capability. Full of useful carotenoids and folates. It supplies a great source of soluble fibre and it also provides a sustained release of its energy.

Fresh beetroot is easy and convenient to prepare. The rule is not to overcook it. Beetroot can be boiled or steamed for 20-60 minutes depending on its size. It is cooked when you can pierce it easily with a skewer. Bake beetroot by wrapping each bulb separately in foil and place in a moderate oven for about 40 minutes. After cooking, allow to cool and the skins will just slip off.

No need to discard the leaves, they are rich in Carotenoids such as beta carotene and are delicious. They can be braised slowly in butter with onion and garlic, giving a tender side dish not unlike buttered silverbeet. Alternately, the braised leaves can be tossed through freshly cooked pasta.

The Swede Revolution Continues
Congratulations! Our swede sales are enviable and our growers David and Beth Ross from Walcha, are truly impressed. Roger suspects many of you converted to the delectable mashed swede option when he revealed that Swedes only contain 25% of the carbohydrates of potatoes. Plenty more to come. If you have not tried these sweet, low GI vegetables, it is not too late.

Qld - perfect one day, rainy the next
The weather the last coupla weeks in places like Yeppoon, Childers and Bundaberg has been diabolical. These places are where we rely on summer conditions in our winter for tomatoes, eggplant and capsicum. With storms, 50 and poultry maximum temperatures many crops have taken a bruising.

The awful weather is also creating havoc down south. Gatton for the bullet proof broccoli and cauliflower is going tediously slowly. The Glass House Mountains for the delectable strawberries is just going ok, but no over supply meltdowns expected.

Eleventh hour on pumpkins

The pumpkin stockpile is starting to rapidly diminish. Astute diners have snapped up Rogers hoardings and now he is finding it slightly harder to find continued perfection. For the next coupla weeks we have another “final” quality stockpile of some excellent Jap pumpkin. At some point in the next 3 or 4 weeks all stockpiles will be gone, so go hard on pumpkins for the next few weeks and get the family sick of them so they want any more until next season!

Tatter talk
As announced recently, the southern Queenslanders are running early and to perfection for great quality new season potatoes. Whilst some retailers continue to penny pinch with sprout prone Victorian and Tasmanian old season spuds, no expense spared here at Dynamic Organics.

The deep black soils of the Lockyer Valley are perfect for potatoes and many other vegetable crops through the winter.

Dave and Tammy Litzow of Black Crow Organics have been farming at Tenthill for twenty years. Desiree potatoes are currently being harvested and they are looking and tasting, absolutely beautiful. The Litzow’s put an enormous effort into the production side of their cropping, and doesn’t it show! The photo is one paddock of Desirees at flowering stage, looking exceptionally healthy.

The Desiree is a very versatile potato. It is a pink skinned, yellow fleshed, waxy potato that is high in moisture and sugar, but low in starch. It can thus hold its shape and remain firm when boiled. Perfect for salads, roasting and mashing.

Cool cucumbers
Agricultural miracles for the next coupla weeks are true. The talented glass house growers way down freezing south at Murray Bridge can come up with perfect cucumbers in the middle of winter. So yippee, keep an eye out for cucumbers back on the menu any day.

Perfect Packhams
One of the best quality pears of the season are now full steam ahead. Please enjoy the perfect crop of packhams from way down south west Western Australia. Perfection and satisfaction guaranteed. Please read our web site for handling and final ripening of a pear, they are a tricky fruit to handle in that they ripen from the inside, so you really need to keep an eye (or more appropriately your nose) on them.

Cold weather – the fine print!
Recently we announced the mid winter solstice. What we didn’t mention is that although (theoretically) we are now on our way out of winter as days get long longer, the worst of the cold comes a little later. Land and sea water temperatures lag behind the season. It takes around 3 or 4 weeks for the land to sequest its stored warmth over the summer, so now is actually the most unbearably cold time of year. As for sea water temperature, they continue to plummet for many more weeks. Life in the snow fields gets better whilst in the paddock it gets worse, recent weeks have been awful!

More than a touch of frost
Sydney, last week and in fact the entire nation as per the text book was freezing. Frosts galore in all sorts of agricultural areas and so progress has ground to a crawl in many crops.

Queensland also felt diabolically low temperature around last Wednesday and Thursday. Gatton experienced lows of minus .3 degrees and maximums as miserable as a mere 15.6 degrees. Yeppoon has had lows of 4.3 degrees and maximums of 17.8 degrees. This is no temperature to grow ‘summer in our winter’ crops like zucchini and tomatoes

Some crops love a cold snap
Some winter crops actually can thrive on the cold; swedes will just get sweeter with a good punishment by frost and oranges love and actually require a good winter chill to bring out the colour of the skins. Standard winter crops like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbages can handle the cold to a point. So far no worries, they remain full steam ahead.

Self shell peas
From Coleambally in our north west, a nice crop of good old fashioned peas u shell. They revel in mild weather. Make the most of this crop before any localised frosts takes hold.

Queensland carrots to the rescue
A coupla weeks ago, Roger sprouted that Queenslanders were ready with their new season potato crops way before being stuck with the last of the seasons Victorian and Tasmanian sprouty potato offerings.

As with the potatoes and any other choice, quality is always the number one priority.

And so we are proud to announce brand new season, squeaky spotless and sweet carrots from Gatton that are nice and early. Whilst we had no complaints over the last of our southern carrots, but if you where to compare them to this weeks new season Queensland carrots the improvements become obvious.

Many ordinary retailers continue to sell the southern carrots who will remain in suspended animation in their freezing conditions for many more months to come. We have spared no expense as our diners are worthy of only the finest possible carrots in the nation!

The Winter Crunch For Zucchini
As predicted, it appears that those ‘must have’ summer vegetables are becoming slightly less reliable. Zucchini has doubled in price, a reflection of reduced pickings. Expect the odd, sorry not available day.

Lethargic Leafy Greens
Leafy greens, although they like mild weather make slow progress when things get too cold. Frosts and even very low overnight temperatures grind progress to a halt. Also expect the odd, sorry not available day.

Mid Winter Is Not Onion Season
Onions, like closely related garlic are a very slow growing annual crop with only one harvest per year. Onions and garlic are planted in autumn and harvested in summer. So now we find ourselves at the most diabolical time of the year; mid winter. Those onions that remain out of the ground are sprouting trying to grow next summers crop. The red, Spanish onions are already sprouting and brown ones are also starting to harmlessly loose the plot too. Hopefully you have already got used to garlic’s sprouty situation!

However for your soups and casseroles many of us “must” continue to use these perfectly naturally sprouty onions. Simply cut in half, top to bottom and remove the green shoot if you wish. Some argue the green shoot is slightly bitter in taste. Roger likes using the shoot as it has a great onion taste.

Try not to hoard your onions for too long, we will try to keep them moving along here as well. But no matter what, onions at this time seem to be growing overnight!

Dutch carrot perfection.
Welcome to that magical time of year where Tim and Lee Burrell from Swan Hill, Victoria crank up for their delicate Dutch carrot season. Consistent, reliable perfection for year after year.

Slim perfection. Just staring for the season. highly recommended, with perfect tops. The kids will adore them for their lunch boxes or a snack. Perfect to sauté with ginger, honey and sesame seeds. Please enjoy this fine quality offering!

Other Victorian delicate winter perfection
Also from around the Swan Hill parts come some of the best quality, preponderant and reliable beetroot and shallots of the year.

Please learn to appreciate wonderful beetroot. Full steam ahead and guaranteed perfection for many months to come.

Beetroot is a healthy cooks star ingredient. It is great for the heart and has a unique cholesterol fighting capability. Full of useful carotenoids and folates. It supplies a great source of soluble fibre and it also provides a sustained release of its energy. No need to discard the leaves, they are also rich in carotenoids such as beta carotene.

Beetroot 101 ways - juice, pickle, boil, bake or raw. For the purest, tasty and very simplest use, try grating raw in your salads or wraps. Beetroot salsa is great with burgers or steak. Chuck a coupla bulbs in the families roast or roasted beet salad with

Peak Season for Citrus
We have past the winter equinox and therefore it is officially mid winter.

Mid winter is Sydney’s local citrus season and Anthony Wallis local navel oranges can keep you and your family bullet proof.

Yes, yes, the Queenslanders have spoiled us rotten with early and great quality citrus from early autumn, but it is right now that local citrus is truly in its best natural season. Mid winter is the peak season for the best suited and our relatively local climates for citrus fruit.

Roger, our bullet proof fruiterer, wear shorts out to the Sydney Markets at 3am each morning and still swims everyday at Bilgola Beach ocean pool – how does he do it? - Simple! Natures winter gift, the citrus family!

Time To Eat Local Winter Vegetables!
For those who are committed to enjoying what is in season and understand that natures local offerings are best for this time of year, the local winter vegetable preponderance is in top form.

We have a plethora of local, top quality, winter vegetables;

• Leeks from Richmond continue
• Perfect Cauliflower from Dapto
• Perfect Beetroot from Cowra
• Broccoli from all directions
• Local leafy greens from Mangrove Mountain
• Lovely Dapto coriander
• Also from Dapto red radishes

Avocados Full Steam Ahead
The avocado season is getting better and better. So good already and the peak is not until September!

Googa farms are full steam ahead! Googa Farms at Blackbutt, north west of Brisbane is run by the Beutel family. They have been enthusiastic, motivated and professional in the development of the nations leading organic avocado orchard since the early 1960’s.

The predominant variety is the superior Hass. This is the one that reliably changes it skin colour to a dark mauve to indicate ripeness. Take your time to allow to ripen, store in the fridge and this will allow you a coupla more extra days to consume.

Mandarin paradise continues
Last week Roger announced the end of the reliable and robust Queensland mardarins and he was slightly paniced if he would find the same quality elsewhere.

Excellent and not ordinary mandarins have been found just outside Robinvale, Victoria (just over our NSW border). This new southern crop from Ian Keens and his family are absolutely perfect. Your mandarin supply will continue to be reliable, delectable and bullet proof. What’s more, at a far more appetizing price than the Queenslanders. Please continue to go for your life! Satisfaction guaranteed!

Swede-licious
Now hear this! Absolutely surprisingly delectable guaranteed!

When the promised crop of David Ross’s swedes arrived early this week Roger set out to further research, discuss and experiment with this remarkable and reliable winter vegetable.

Tuesday’s night experiment was roasted swedes as recommended by Anthony Wallis, our navel orange grower and fellow gastronomer. Finely chopped and roasted with pumpkin, garlic cloves, onion and thyme. Serve on a bed of lettuce, fetta, olive oil and balsamic. The result, delectable. Roasted perfection!

Wednesday night was the mashing test. Swedes have only 25% of the carbohydrates (and therefore calories) of potatoes which makes it great low GI. As they have plenty of moisture, no need to add milk after boiling, but of course, Roger couldn’t help but add a (generous) dollop of butter. The result, again delectable. A very pleasant colour, texture and taste. And yes sweet!

Roger is very excited over Swedes and please do not disappoint him and try ½ a kilo yourself.