August 2025

Dekopon mandarins from South Australia, dark leafy greens from Victoria and tangelos are among the best of late winter produce, according to traders at Melbourne Market, Victoria’s wholesale fruit, vegetable and cut flower trading centre.

Citrus is the standout hero this August, with exceptional quality oranges, mandarins and lemons in plentiful supply at the Melbourne Market from key growing regions including South Australia, Mildura and along the Murray.

According to Umar Farooq, a Melbourne Market wholesaler from Louis Melbourne, “Citrus season is in full swing this time of year. We’re seeing a lot of great fruit coming from Loxton in South Australia. Dekopon mandarins are my pick of the bunch, coming a close second to Cara Cara oranges, which are a variety of navel with beautiful pink flesh. Blood oranges are terrific, too.”

Mandarin lovers should get in quick for the last of the Imperial mandarins, as the season wraps up. Meanwhile, Afourer mandarins from Mildura and South Australia are on their way and expected to hit peak quality by the end of August. Lemons from Cobram and limes from Queensland are also in steady supply.

Tangelos – a citrus hybrid with a slight tang and extra juiciness – are also eating beautifully right now, according to Carmel Dawson from Geelong Fresh Foods, which just won Victoria’s favourite greengrocer in the A better choice! Retailer of the Year awards.

“They're sweet and juicy – really beautiful,” she says.

Beyond citrus, leafy greens are flourishing. “Dark leafy greens like silverbeet and kale are thriving at the moment,” Dawson says. “They’re coming in really large, beautiful bunches – and they’re affordable. I’ve been making a lot of silverbeet, ricotta and fetta wrapped in filo lately – such a great winter meal.”

Domenic Mollica of MnN at Preston Market (Victorian runner-up in the Retailer of the Year awards) agrees that now is the time to embrace winter veg. “Winter is all about vegetables! It’s a great time to buy them because so many are at their peak,” he says.

Mollica suggests a simple winter favourite: “Roasted beet with red shallots, feta, chopped parsley, olive oil and black pepper – done!”

Root vegetables are in great supply and ideal for roasting or soups. Look out for pumpkin, parsnip, swedes, turnips and sweet potatoes, alongside an abundance of cabbage and kale.

Hass avocados from southern Queensland are currently coming through Melbourne Market, with tri-state supply from Victoria, South Australia and NSW expected to follow in August.

“The WA Hass season has started too, but we expect to see that supply in Melbourne later this month,” says Phil Basile from Sculli & Co.

Also just arriving are the first of the chokoes, a versatile vegetable sourced from North Queensland. “Chokoes can be boiled, stir-fried, deep-fried – even used in dim sum fillings,” says John Kapiris, third-generation wholesaler from Kapiris Bros.

FIRST OF: Afourer mandarins (Mildura/SA), Hass avocados from the tri-state region (Vic, NSW, SA), chokoes (North QLD)

LOTS OF: Citrus – oranges, lemons, mandarins; dark leafy greens; root veg including pumpkin, parsnip, turnips, swedes

LAST OF: Imperial mandarins (SA)

EATING WELL: Dekopon mandarins, Cara Cara oranges, tangelos, kale, beetroot

To find a local greengrocer, visit abetterchoice.com.au