Think seasonal

Fresh fruit and vegetables are often more available and less expensive to buy during their regular growing seasons, which explains why eateries regularly offer seasonal menus.

Many foodies also adapt their eating to enjoy seasonal produce, swapping out an item or two here and there. For instance, try swapping tomatoes for orange slices or strawberries in a salad.

Spring is a time of abundance for greens such as cabbage, lettuce, and spinach, and also for growing delicacies such as asparagus, avocados, peas, radishes, and strawberries. Citrus is plentiful; think of oranges, tangelos, grapefruit, lemons and limes.

Imported fruits include bananas and pineapples, which are often less expensive in spring.

September to November is also the best growing season in New Zealand for vegetables such as artichokes, beans, beetroot, blueberries, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots, celery, courgettes, cucumber, eggplant, herbs, kumara, snow peas, spring onions, tomatoes, and watercress to name a few.

Many of these are also plentiful during summer, from December to February, along with pumpkin varieties, mushrooms, sweetcorn, and fruits including apples, apricots, berries, cherries, melons, peaches, pears,
and plums.