As Autumn settles in, many households across Melbourne’s southeast are already harvesting the seasonal produce they’ve grown at home. Using what’s in season supports household budgets, increases nutrient intake, reduces food waste, and strengthens our community’s food security.
Below is your guide to the most flavourful Autumn fruits and vegetables, plus their nutritional benefits and easy ways to enjoy them every day.
Autumn Fruits
| Type | Benefit | Use |
| Avocado | Healthy fats, fibre, vitamin E, potassium | Spread on toast, wraps or crackers, mash into guacamole or slice into salads |
| Berries(Blackberries, Raspberries, Strawberries) | Antioxidants, Vitamin C, Fibre | Great fresh as a snack, add to porridge or add fresh/frozen to smoothies |
| Pear | Water, fibre | Great fresh as a snack, or add to porridge, yoghurt or salads |
| Citrus(Lemon, Lime, Mandarin, Grapefruit) | Vitamin C, antioxidants | Add to salad dressings or marinades, use as a natural flavouring in still/sparkling water or teas |
| Feijoa | Vitamin C, fibre | Eat fresh or bake into muffins |
| Fig | Fibre, calcium, potassium | Add to salads, toast or porridge |
| Grapes | Antioxidants, vitamin K | Enjoy fresh, frozen or sliced into salads |
| Kiwi Fruit | Fibre, Vitamin C, Potassium | Enjoy fresh, Slice over yoghurts, cereals or porridge |
| Persimmon | Fibre, Vitamin A | Slice into salads or enjoy fresh |
| Pomegranate | Antioxidants, potassium | Sprinkle on salads or dips |
| Quince | Fibre | Poach, cook into a jam or paste or bake for desserts |
| Stone Fruits(Peach, Plum, Nectarine) | Vitamin A & C | Have fresh, grilled or stewed |
Autumn Vegetables
| Type | Benefit | Use |
| Beetroot | Folate, antioxidants, magnesium, potassium | Roast, grate or dice into salads, or blend into dips |
| Capsicum | Vitamin C | Add in stir fries, salads, dips, pasta or use to fill with other ingredients including rice, other vegetables and meat |
| Celery | Water, fibre | Soups, salads, dips, pasta, stir-friesCelery snail recipe |
| Cucumber | Water, fibre, vitamin K | Add to salads, sandwiches, smoothies, diced/grated into tzatziki |
| Eggplant | Fibre, antioxidants | Enjoy grilled, baked, added to curries, salads, pastas, made into dip |
| Fennel | Fibre, Vitamin C | Braised, roasted, baked, slice raw in salads, caramelised, use seeds for pickled vegetables |
| Leek | Prebiotic fibre | Use in soups, stir-fries, casseroles |
| Leafy Greens(Lettuce, Silverbeet, Spinach) | Iron, folate, vitamin K | Use in salads, sauté silverbeet or spinach |
| Parsnip | Fibre, Vitamin C & K, Folate | Enjoy roasted, mashed, grated in fritters, added to soups, stews, curries |
| Pumpkin | Fibre, Vitamin A | Use for soups, roasting, salads |
| Tomato | Vitamin C, Lypocene | Use in salads, passata, sandwich filling, cracker topping |
| Zucchini | Fibre, Vitamin C, antioxidants, water | Add in stir-fries, baking, grilling, grated in fritters/frittata/quiche |
~By Chantelle Erwin, Dietitian at Baker Heart & Diabetes Institute
Food from Home 