Show-stopping: Alice Zaslavsky’s strawberry stracciatella. Photograph: Eugene Hyland/The GuardianView image in fullscreenShow-stopping: Alice Zaslavsky’s strawberry stracciatella. Photograph: Eugene Hyland/The Guardian

‘Tons of mangoes’ are also coming through, with more stone fruit on the way towards the end of the month

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Golden mangoes and juicy strawberries are to be relished this month, with the warmer weather bringing on the fruits, says Michael Hsu, operational manager at Sydney’s Panetta Mercato.

An unexpectedly early start to the strawberry growing season in Victoria has yielded a “glut”, Hsu says. Dean Lamb, owner of Watts Fresh in Kyneton, Victoria, says they are “really good” quality for early fruit. Depending on the size of the strawberries, punnets are between $2 and $4.99 at Watts Fresh. At Perth’s Spudshed they’re $3.99 a punnet.

View image in fullscreenAnna Jones’s strawberry shortcakes. Photograph: Matt Russell/The Guardian

Strawberries are a versatile fruit for any bring-a-plate function. For a savoury option, Alice Zaslavsky has a show-stopping strawberry and stracciatella salad with orange and star anise dressing – which can be assembled at the final location. And for a sweet bite, Anna Jones has a strawberry shortcake recipe with creme fraiche.

Graham Gee, senior buyer at the Happy Apple in Melbourne, is seeing “tons of mangoes coming through”, with supply coming from the Northern Territory and Queensland. At the Happy Apple and Panetta Mercato, kensington prides are $4 each and, at the supermarkets, they’re $3 apiece.

View image in fullscreenSabrina Ghayour’s mango, lime and chilli chicken. Photograph: Phoebe Pearson/The Guardian. Food styling: Hanna Miller. Prop styling: Louie Waller. Food styling assistant: Isobel Clarke.

Nail dinner with Sabrina Ghayour’s one-tray mango, lime and chilli roasted chicken or Meera Sodha’s 20-minute vegan Kerala-style mango and coconut yoghurt curry. For a zingy treat try Helen Goh’s pineapple and mango paletas – Mexican fresh fruit ice blocks, which Goh has sprinkled with tajin. You can buy specific paleta moulds, otherwise Goh says paper cups and wooden sticks work just as well.

A toast to tomatoes

There’s “lots of juice” to the big supply of tomatoes coming out of Queensland, Victoria and South Australia, Lamb says. Prices are $5.99 per kilo for truss tomatoes at Watts Fresh and about $3.90 per kilo at the supermarkets.

View image in fullscreenTrine Hanne’s tomato tart with rygeost. Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian. Food styling: Emily Kydd. Prop styling: Jennifer Kay. Food styling assistant: Isobel Clarke.

If a speedy midweek meal is what you need, Jamie Oliver delivers with his tomato and feta lentils that have a cook time of 20 minutes. Have a slice of Euro summer with Trine Hahnemann’s Scandinavian tomato tart.

After a rough October, Lebanese cucumber prices have “come right back”, Hsu says. There’s “an influx” of them now due to more favourable growing conditions and supply coming in from his local area in New South Wales. He’s selling them for $2 per kilo. At Spudshed they’re $4.99 per kilo. Sarah Pound’s uncomplicated tuna, risoni and feta salad makes the most of the seasonal produce without breaking the bank.

View image in fullscreenRukmini Iyer’s roasted red pepper and pistachio orecchiette with ricotta. Photograph: Ola O Smit/The Guardian. Food styling: Sam Dixon. Prop styling: Anna Wilkins.

There’s also “an abundance” of red capsicums, Hsu says. At the Happy Apple, they’re going for about $6 or $7 per kilo, and at the supermarkets about $8.90 per kilo. Oven-roasted capsicums have a starring role in two recipes: Rukmini Iyer’s orecchiette with pistachios and ricotta. And atop Alice Zaslavsky’s papula – creamy Balkan white bean dip.

Gee says prices for cucumber, tomato and capsicum will become “quite affordable” as we move further into “peak salad season”.

Great grapefruit

There’s plenty of grapefruit around that is well priced and in good shape, Hsu says. “They’re probably around one-and-a-half times the size of your fist.”

To Gee, a good grapefruit must have a firm and bright exterior. He says dullness in the skin suggests it’s older. Grapefruit is selling between $4 and $5 per kilo at the Happy Apple and $4 per kilo at Panetta Mercato.

View image in fullscreenBenjamina Ebuehi’s grapefruit yoghurt cake. Photograph: Laura Edwards/The Guardian. Food styling: Benjamina Ebuehi. Prop styling: Anna Wilkins. Food assistant: Julia Aden.

If you’re not a fan of grapefruit’s tartness, try Benjamina Ebuehi’s yoghurt loaf cake, which balances it with sweetness. Make like Paddington bear and soak the pink fruit with meyer lemons to create Camilla Wynne’s marmalade.

Lamb says the “big news” is the start of stone fruit season. “It’s early days but the fruit has good flavour and the sugar [levels] are up … it looks like it’s going to be a good season.” Prices are expensive at the moment, with Lamb selling nectarines and peaches at about $10 per kilo, but he says they will halve by the end of the month.

Hail the kale

While kale may be considered a winter staple, it’s currently in good supply and very dense, Gee says. “You get a fair bit out of a bunch by the time you cut it up.” It’s going for $4 a bunch at the Happy Apple and Watts Fresh. At the supermarkets, a bunch is about $4.50.

View image in fullscreenYotam Ottolenghi’s stir-fried kale with tahini, chilli and soy. Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian

For a “simple and delicious saute”, follow Yotam Ottolenghi’s lead and stir-fry kale with tahini, chilli and soy. Anna Jones blitzes the hearty green into a vibrant pasta sauce.

Lamb and Hsu both say zucchinis have come down in price the last month as supply has picked up in NSW and South Australia. Zucchini is $3 per kilo at Panetta Mercato and at Watts Fresh they’re being sold for $5.99 per kilo.

View image in fullscreenGeorgina Hayden’s zucchinis with preserved lemon and herby couscous. Photograph: Issy Croker/The Guardian. Food and prop styling: Kitty Coles. Food styling assistant: Grace Jenkins.

Georgina Hayden’s zucchini and preserved lemon herby giant couscous ticks the box for comfort food without the post-meal drowsiness. Or try shallow-frying zucchini until golden brown in Meera Sodha’s black bean and goat’s cheese tacos. Sodha says to keep an eye on them once they hit the pan.

Bye bye bananas

All three grocers note bananas have climbed in price. Hsu and Gee have both increased their prices for bananas by a dollar per kilo. “Good-quality fruit is still available, just not in the volumes that we normally like to see,” Gee says. He cites the supply in Queensland being in “a bit of a lull” but believes it will pick up by the end of the month.

Moving away from winter means saying goodbye to oranges and pears. Lamb recommends looking for firm fruit and only buying what you can use within a few days. “The longer they’re out of the cool store, the more quickly they’ll break down.”

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