Seasonality

 

Why choose seasonal produce?

In almost every circumstance, if it’s Victorian fresh produce, it’s in season right now.

Seasonal produce suits the way we eat

Seasonal produce makes sense in so many ways. The dishes we cook at certain times of the year are based on seasonal produce. A winter braise served with carrots makes perfect sense as this is the time of year when Victorian carrots are at their very best. A summer berry pudding on Christmas Day made from berries grown in the Dandenong or Otway Ranges served with cream from Gippsland makes a stunning dessert.

Seasonal produce tastes better

Seasonal produce has not been forced to bear fruit or produce leaves or flowers by the use of hothouses or other means of making plants produce food. Seasonal produce tastes the way it should, is riper and more full-flavoured.

Seasonal produce makes economic and environmental sense

Produce comes into season around Victoria at roughly the same time, with regional variations. This means there is a glut on the market and the price plummets. Consider the difference in the price of a hothouse tomato from elsewhere in Australia in June from a tomato from the Goulburn Valley in summer and autumn. (Compare the taste as well!) Seasonal Victorian produce is cheaper, helping mums and dads save pennies and food service business owners with food costs. Victorian produce also makes better environmental sense. Consider the difference between cherries in spring that have only travelled an hour from the Yarra Valley or Mornington Peninsula, versus cherries in winter flown here from the Northern Hemisphere by aeroplane.

Fresh produce in season in Victoria

There are thousands of fruit, nut, herb and vegetable producers growing world-class produce across the state. Want to know when Victorian fruit and vegetables are at the peak of their season? Then have a look at our useful guide to seasonal produce, refreshed each summer, autumn, winter and spring. The guide shows the time of the year when the fruit is coming in fresh from the tree, vine or cane to the market.
Some fruit, like apples, are stored in coolrooms, making them available for a much longer period of time after their harvest. Depending on the weather and other conditions, fruit may come into season earlier or later than the time periods given here.

 

A local story in season: Spring lamb

Jenny Anderson grows lambs, some of the best in the state. On her family property near Wangaratta she raises her flock on a pasture and dry-land lucerne to produce lamb that is consistently plump and sweet. Not content to see her quality lamb sold through the markets, she set up a business with others to sells direct to the door of home customers and restaurants. “We raise over a thousand every year and have a very loyal customer base,” says Jenny. “We are also selling to butcher shops as well.” The lambs are poll dorset cross, a British breed of specialty meat lamb.

This dedication to producing quality lamb is core business for many farmers, and spring is the time to buy tender lamb from young animals. Born in autumn and raised on winter and spring grass, spring lambs are around the six-month mark when slaughtered. Although lamb in available all year, spring is the season that lamb is at its tenderest.

Victorian lamb is so highly regarded it is the lamb of choice for butchers right around Australia. Dine in top restaurants in Sydney and the lamb on your plate very likely came from Central Victoria.