5 spring vegetables to enjoy this September
2019-08-29
Here are 5 spring vegetables which will make you bonkers this September.
One of the best parts of a new season is fresh seasonal produce popping up on shelves across Australia. It’s a great time to get crafty in the kitchen and enjoy the freshness and high quality of the produce we are blessed with Down Under.
Our top five spring vegetables are easy to try your hand at preparing this September - and tick all the boxes of a well-balanced Mediterranean Diet as well!
1. Chinese cabbage
From the same family as bok choy, Chinese cabbage is a must-try vegetable that grows quickly in spring.
Often marketed as Wong Bok in Australia, this veggie is a great basis for authentic Asian recipes and has made its way from its Chinese roots all the way to Australia. From 2011-12 Australia produced 11,000 tonnes of Chinese cabbage, and it is mostly grown across southern Western Australia and south east Queensland. It’s so versatile it can be eaten raw (such as in coleslaws) or included in soup, dumplings or stir fries.
2. Spring onion
It only makes sense that our spring veggies countdown features spring onion. Refreshing and healthy, spring onion offers the perfect flavour kick to many meals or side dishes.
Often confused with shallots, most agree that while spring onions are generally grown for their green leaves, shallots are grown mostly for their large bulbs. The good news is spring onions are produced all across Australia. Spring onion is ideal to eat raw in salads or cooked into a stir fry. Add some to your next batch of scrambled eggs and you won’t regret it!
3. Rhubarb
An underrated spring veggie, rhubarb is often overlooked by consumers due to a general misunderstanding of how best to enjoy it.
Rhubarb looks like a red stalk of celery, and offers an excellent source of fibre. Western Australia produces much of it. An important word of warning, however. While the stalks of rhubarb are the yummy bit you can eat, rhubarb leaves contain very high levels of oxalic acid - which is extremely dangerous in large volumes. So when preparing, remove the leaves immediately and throw them away.
Rhubarb has a very tart flavour, so is best sweetened with sugar. Most of us would have enjoyed stewed rhubarb or rhubarb crumble growing up, so take a trip down memory lane and whip up a batch!
4. Sweet potato
Sweet potato seems to have superseded the traditional potato as the starchy vegetable of choice - and there’s no doubt as to why!
We are also spoilt for choice in Australia, as there are four types of sweet potato widely produced across the country - gold, red, purple and white. However, the most commonly produced variety is the Beauregard (gold) sweet potato.
The options are endless for enjoying this veggie that is chock-full of vitamins, potassium, folate and calcium. Baked sweet potato is delicious loaded with coleslaw and other additions of your choosing, or you can make your own healthy sweet potato fries or wedges in a flash.
5. Corn
Corn is at its best harvested during the springtime, and sweet corn is produced all over Australia, with New South Wales producing more than half of national production.
Fresh corn can be prepared an endless number of ways, and is tasty served both hot and cold. An old fashioned corn on the cob can’t be passed up, whether you’re baking it or throwing it on the BBQ. Cold, fresh corn adds a beautiful splash of colour (and flavour!) to a green salad.
Spring is the perfect time to enjoy the fruits (or veggies!) of our countries hard-working farmers and food producers. Enjoy!
