Fruit and Vegetable of the week

Fruit of the week 
Lemon

The lemon is an oval shaped yellow fruit from the citrus family. The fruit is used for culinary and non culinary purposes throughout the world, although the exact origin remains a mystery. It is however thought to be of Asian origin
The beauty of the lemon is that the whole fruit except for the pips are usable and can be used in either sweet and savoury dishes. The average lemon contains approximately 3 tablespoons of juice, and allowing lemons to come to room temperature before squeezing makes the juice easier to extract.
A Lemon has approximately 121kJ per 100gm and contains vitamin C, vitamin A, B-complex vitamins, folate, iron, copper, potassium and calcium


Vegetable of the week
Zucchini

The zucchini or courgette (as my Scottish husband calls them) is a popular type of summer squash which can grow to nearly a meter in length, but which are usually harvested at half that size or less. The zucchini can be dark or light green, and have a similar shape to a cucumber, although you can get some round varieties. A related hybrid, the golden zucchini is a deep yellow or orange colour. The squash family originates from The Americas, but the modern day zucchini was believed to have been developed in Italy.
Zucchini should be stored not longer than three days as they are prone to chilling damage which shows as sunken pits in the surface of the fruit, especially when brought up to room temperature after cool storage.
The zucchini has approximately 60kJ per 100gm and contains of folate, potassium and vitamin A and manganese

Autumn

Autumn in Australia runs from the 1st of March through to the last day of May, and even though this season normally signals the commencement of cooler weather, Australia's amazing different climate zones means that we are still able to enjoy traditional Summer and Spring fruits and veggies all the way down here in Melbourne.

In Season

Fruit
Apples                     Avocados                   Bananas                    Blackberries

Blueberries              Coconut                      Custard Apple            Cumquats

Dates                       Dates                         Dragon Fruit              Feijoas    

Figs                         Grapes                       Grapefruit                  Guavas                  

Kiwifruit                   Lemons                      Limes                         Mandarins (Imperial)                
Mangoes                  Mangosteens              Melons                       Nashis                    

Olives                       Papayas                     Passion fruit               Peach                    

Pears                        Plums                        Pomegranate             Persimmons              
Quince                      Rambutan                   Rhubarb                     Strawberries

Tamarillo                   Valencia Orange


Vegetables
Artichokes                 Asparagus                   Barlotti Beans             Beetroot

Bok choy                  Broccoli                       Brussel Sprouts           Cabbage

Capsicum                  Carrots                        Cauliflower                 Celery

Chillies                      Cucumbers                  Eggplants                    Fennel                    
Leeks                        Lettuce                        Mushrooms                Onions            

Parsnips                     Peas                           Potato                        Pumpkin          

Silverbeet                  Spinach                        Squash                        Swede            

Sweet Potato             Tomatoes                    Turnips                        Zucchini


Nuts
Pistachio                   Peanuts                       Hazelnuts                    Almonds

Chestnut                    Walnuts                       Pecans                       Macadamia


Herbs
Basil                          Mint                            Bay leaves                  Chives

Dill                            Parsley                        Rosemary                    Sage

Tarragon                    Thyme

Welcome

Welcome to My Seasonal Table, a Melbourne based food blog(yes another one). How could there not be? After all Melbourne is regarded as the culinary capital of Australia, a country that is known not only for its natural beauty but also for its vast range of different climatic zones, from the hot humid north to the cool crisp south. So because of this Australia produces fantastic ingredients at different times of the year, and we are fortunate to be able to eat well, and decadently. 
My Seasonal Table will be based mainly on the glorious food that we have in my home town of Melbourne, focusing on seasonal produce and how you can use it, my favorite delis, bakeries, cafes and restaurants. I will be posting some of favorite recipes that I use myself and tell you about some great local eateries.
Remember that eating fruits and vegetables that are in season will be good for not only for local business, the environment and your budget, but most importantly your health. So warm the oven, get the mixing bowls out and the green thumbs ready-it's time to cook!