SEASONS change, and so should the fruits and vegetables you put on your plate! This week, we made our market rounds and found out what was in season.
While fresh rourou were in abundance so too were the $2 a heap or plate of hot chillies at the Suva market.
So what’s in season? Avocados!
Large in size varieties, have shiny, green skin and are lighter in overall natural oil content.
We spoke to Asinate Meke from Koro Island who has been around the market for more than eight years and also sells in-season avocados!
“One avocado is for $1, so usually I would buy about $60 to $70 of them and then sell at the price of $2,” said Ms Meke.
“I had to compare the avacados sold this year to last year. During cyclone Winston, there wasn’t much avocados sold here at the market and we could tell that most stalls were struggling but this year there is abundance of them and if you take a walk around — most market vendors are selling avocados.”
“With avocados you could eat for breakfast, make jams and even make juice — they’re healthy, affordable and people should make the most of them while they are in season.”
Ms Meke comes from a family of six and they have four stalls at the market. She adds the avocados they sell come all the way from Tailevu, Nadroga and even outer islands.
Website authoritynutrition.com reports avocado is often called “alligator pear,” which is very descriptive because it tends to be shaped like a pear and have green, bumpy skin… like an alligator.
“The yellow-green flesh inside the fruit is eaten, but the skin and seed are discarded,” reports authoritynutrition.com.
“Avocados are very nutritious and contain a wide variety of nutrients, including 20 different vitamins and minerals. They do not contain any cholesterol or sodium, and are low in saturated fat.”
