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What foods are in season in spring?

In partnership with Dr Sandro Demaio

Wherever you are in Australia, spring is a great season to appreciate our beautiful country – the wildflowers are in bloom, the temperature is moderate and there’s an abundance of fresh fruit and veg.

When using spring produce, you can expect a colourful array of sweet, flavoursome fruits – from cherries to mulberries – and crunchy, crispy greens like fennel, green beans and bok choy.

With so many options, there’s no excuse not to enjoy in-season produce, because not only is eating locally-sourced seasonal produce a great way to help the environment, it’s also often cheaper!

Not sure how to combine the strong flavours of spring produce? We’ve partnered with medical doctor and author of The Doctor’s Diet cookbook, Dr Sandro Demaio, to get the lowdown on what you should add to your spring shopping list and simple ways to use these ingredients.

Spring vegetable shopping list

Artichoke

Fennel

Asian Greens

Lettuce

Avocado

Mushroom

Beans

Onion

Beetroot

Peas

Broccoli

Potato

Cabbage

Spinach

Carrot

Sweet potato

Cauliflower

Tomato

Corn

Turnip

Eggplant

Zucchini

With the weather heating up, it’s the perfect time to use this fresh produce to create a zesty salad. Sandro suggests combining a base vegetable with a citrus fruit, like grapefruit or orange to really bring out the best of the flavours.

“This simple salad uses a couple of springtime ingredients, it’s ready in a couple of minutes and feeds an entire crowd.”

“Chop half a fennel into long, thin-shaped shavings. Then peel an orange and a grapefruit. Slice these into thin rings as well.”

"Layer the chopped fennel, orange and grapefruit on a platter."

“Top it off with a generous amount of green fresh olive oil, and of course a little sea salt.”

Spring fruit shopping list

Apple

Orange

Banana

Papaya

Cherry

Pineapple

Grapefruit

Rhubarb

Honeydew

Strawberries

Lychee

Starfruit

Mango

Watermelon

Mulberries

When it comes to spring fruits, the flavours truly speak for themselves – give them a rinse and you can eat them straight away! Alternatively, check out this apple & cinnamon lunchbox bar recipe or this yummy tropical upside-down pineapple cake to get some tips on baking with spring fruits.

Related: Fresh vs frozen: Which vegetables are best?