Finally, summer fruit is in not only in abundance in the local fruit store but it’s almost completely affordable. The other thing with summer fruit is that there is so much to choose from. In winter, it’s apples, oranges and pears season. And that’s it. You can get them the whole year round, but they are at their best only in June, July and August.
Same with summer fruit, except there’s so much more to choose from: figs, black, red and white grapes, all the stone fruit, from peaches to nectarines, apricots, cherries and plums. Then there’s all the melons, rockies, water and sugar melons, plus pineapples. And then there’s the kings of summer fruit, mangoes, the fruit all your visiting overseas relos ask for when they land at Kingsford Smith. You sort of hoped it would be a vegemite sandwich they’d be begging for, but no it’s sweet and juicy Queensland mangoes they’ve travelled 18,000 kilometres for. One relo snuck one on the plane to try to grow it back home. No prizes for guessing then where mangoes figure in our Top Five summer fruits:
Number 1: Mangoes. Well, how can you go past them, even though some nonfans reckon they smell like the petrol with lead in it. Slice half the side, cube it, cool it in the fridge for half an hour and then stick it in your face. It doesn’t get any better than that.
Number 2: Peaches. What a tough choice with some much to choose from, but the traditional yellow peach is almost as good as a mango when you get hold of a good one. At our place when you eat a really good one they are given a ranking, a la, peach of the day, week, month or the ultimate, peach of the year.
Number 3: Just has to be grapes, the seedless white ones, they are so more-ish when a slightly chilled bunch is put in front of you. Just can’t stop eating them, even though they’re stacked with sugar.
Number 4: Water or rock melon? Almost a joint winner here but have gone for the water melon because they are more consistent than their rocky cousins. Again, chill it after cutting, go outside and enjoy, spitting the seeds on the grass. A child with a piece of watermelon brings back so many memories.
Number 5: Apricots, plums, bananas even, but I’ve gone for the exotic taste of figs. It always surprises me to meet people who have never tasted a fig, but the record is 100 per cent after they have tried one. Just make sure it’s fully ripe, not the half ripe ones you get in the shops. For your first one it’s best to find one from someone who has a tree in their backyard. And peel at least half the skin gently from the top downwards, then hook in. Oh, and once again, chill for half an hour before eating, as it seems to be a summer fruit must do.
