In season early winter: Navel oranges
Oranges are such a staple fruit in New Zealand that they often aren’t...
In season early winter: Yams
These funny-looking knobbly tubers may not be the most attractive vegetable, but don’t...
In season late autumn: Passionfruit
Buying
Look for deep-purple coloured skins as these are most ripe and choose the...
In season late autumn: Leeks
Buying
Choose leeks with medium-sized stems. Look for fresh green tops and white fleshy...
Tips to prolong the shelf-life of food
A recent New Zealand survey of 1000 New Zealanders revealed 86 per cent...
In season mid-autumn: Nashi
In New Zealand, speckled and yellowy-green nashi are commonly grown in the Waikato.
They...
In season mid-autumn: Turnips
Compared to the larger, yellow or orange-fleshed swede, the turnip is usually smaller...
Are you really getting your five-plus-a-day? (And how you can tell)
By now, most people have received the five-plus-a-day message loud and clear, but...
In season early autumn: Celery, celeriac
Celery belongs to the plant genus Umbelliferae, along with carrots and parsley.
Celery
Buying
Choose a...
In season early autumn: Apples
Buying
Look for firm unblemished fruit with rich colouring. A damaged apple releases ethylene,...
In season late summer: Stone fruit
These summer fruit are characteristically fleshy with a stone (seed) in the middle...
In season late summer: Sweet corn
Buying
To determine whether sweet corn is ripe, gently pull back the husk. Corn...
Guide to mushrooms
HFG senior nutritionist Rose Carr looks at the variety of mushrooms on offer.
Mushrooms...
In season mid-summer: Strawberries
Buying
Strawberries are delicate and don’t ripen after being picked so choose plump, bright-coloured...
In season mid-summer: Tomatoes
Botanically speaking, tomatoes are fruit — but as tomatoes are used in savoury...
In season early summer: Avocados
The Hass variety is the most common variety of avocado grown in New...
In season early summer: Cucumbers
Cucumbers can come in a variety of colours (white, yellow, green), and sizes...
