Don't know your Sumac from Zahtar? Asian sauces gathering dust in your kitchen?

A lot of people tend to avoid some of these wonderful products simply because they don't know how to use them. Here's the low down on some of the popular imported, and locally made, world tastes available at Moore Wilson's Fresh.

Asian, Mediterranean, American and South American flavours simply lend themselves to summer dishes. Take a step out of your comfort zone and stock up your pantry with some different spices, sauces and pastes - you won't look back!

Bulldog Tonkatsu Sauce A popular Japanese condiment, this flavour-packed sauce is made to be served with ‘Tonkatsu’ - a traditional breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet. It also pairs well with other meats.

S&B Nanami Togarashi Nanami literally means “seven flavours” in Japanese. This tasty blend is made up of chilli pepper, orange peel, black and white sesames seeds, Japanese Pepper, Ginger and Seaweed.

Urban Hippie Miso Paste Miso is one of Japan’s traditional fermented foods. This one is hand crafted in Nelson and fermented for more than 6months. Use for soups, stir fries, marinades, dips and more.

Obento Cooking Sake A rice based staple of Japanese cooking. Use to add extra flavour to meat, fish and vegetables. Combine with Mirin and Japanese Soy Sauce for a tasty dipping sauce.

Kewpie Japanese Mayonnaise Regarded as the best mayonnaise in the world. Made from egg yolks only rather the whole eggs plus rice vinegar, soy based vegetable oil and a touch of the flavour enhancer MSG.

Megachef Premium Oyster Sauce Made in Thailand from real oysters. All natural production methods contribute to an elusive savouriness known as ‘Umami’, the so-called fifth taste, which gives depth and length on the palate. Use for stir-fries, braises or marinades.  Contains no MSG, colour and artificial flavours.

Megachef Premium Fish Sauce Created using only the finest quality anchovies and sea salt. Natural fermentation of 2 years contributes to its rich briny saltiness, yet rounded and clean taste. Excellent for stir-fries, curries or sauces. Megachef Premium Fish Sauce is gluten free and preservative free, and contains no MSG and artificial colours.

Surasang Kimchi Hot Sauce  A spicy and sour Korean sauce. For something different, try as a dipping sauce with fried chicken or mix through your next batch of popcorn.

Huy Fong Sriracha  Made in California from sun ripened chillies, this is the original Sriracha sauce. A delicious, spicy addition to any meal.

Culley’s Buffalo Wing Sauce Auckland hot sauce producer Culley’s take on a classic USA Buffalo style wing sauce. Available in Mild and Hot (6/10 heat factor).

Alderson’s Smoky Morepork BBQ Sauce An all-natural (contains no refined sugar!), family friendly condiment that goes great with beef, pork, chicken, pizza and veggies.

Culley’s No1. Hot Sauce Culley’s award winning ‘Reserve’ hot sauce, made from a selection of the finest NZ grown chillies.

El Yucateco Annatto Achiote Paste A versatile Mexican seasoning paste made from high-quality annatto seeds, grown on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Use a generous amount to marinade chicken, beef and pork, or prepare a succulent “Cochinita Pibil” - a traditional Mexican slow-roasted pork dish.

La Morena Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce Smoky chipotle chillies in a tomato-vinegar sauce from La Morena, one of the top distributed brands in Mexico. Just add a few chipotles with a bit of the adobo sauce to soups, stews, and sauces.

La Boca Loca Salsa Verde Tangy tomatillo and serrano chilli salsas from Miramar’s Mexican experts. A must try with La Boca Loca’s authentic totopos (corn chips).

 Al Rabih Pomegranate Molasses A dark, tangy syrup made by reducing pure pomegranate juice. It has a sweet yet almost lemony/tamarind flavour. Use in dressings and marinades in place of vinegar and honey.

Al Rabih Rosewater  A vital ingredient for many Middle Eastern desserts and Turkish Delight.

Pariya Range An exclusive selection of Persian products that are unique, simple, elegant and delicious including Rose Buds, Barberries and Slivered Almonds. Pariya also produce a Wild Willow Water which is often used as an alternative for Rosewater and is great for use in
vodka-based cocktails and homemade ice creams.

Alexandra’s Tajine Spice A rich blend of 13 tasty spices, including sweet paprika, caraway, cumin, ginger and coriander. Increasingly popular for the Moroccan tajine or slow cooking.

Alexandra’s Zahtar A classic Middle Eastern herb and spice blend including thyme, sumac and sesame seed. Use with chicken or fish, or sprinkle onto pita breads with a drizzle of oil and bake in the oven for a true Mediterranean treat.

Le Phare du Cap Bon Harrisa Paste Harissa is a North African hot red sauce or paste. It’s main ingredients are chili peppers (often smoked or dried) and garlic. Though most closely associated with Tunisia and Algeria, it is a standard ingredient of North African cuisine.Harissa often contains seeds like coriander, caraway, or cumin, and usually olive oil. It is used both as a condiment and as an ingredient in recipes. A NZ made Harissa is also available from Adventure Kitchen.

 Equagold Aromatic Sumac A tangy lemon-flavoured spice, made from the berries of a wild bush that grows in the Mediterranean. Commonly rubbed on to kebabs before grilling and paired with fish or chicken. Equagold’s Sumac is imported from Syria and is of the finest quality.

St Andrews Limes Preserved Lemons Preserved in salt and vacuum packed. To use, discard flesh and slice finely. Great in potato, green & bean salads, rice, couscous and lamb dishes.

These are just some of the Asian, Mediterranean, American and South American products available - visit us instore for our full range and more great tastes from around the world!

One of the fastest emerging trends in New Zealand today is the increasing diversity of what we’re eating and cooking. Our interest in ethnic restaurants and ethnic foods has taken on a new dimension and there’s no doubt we’ve all become a lot more adventurous in our attitude.

This diversity is reflected in the range of ethnic foods available at Moore Wilson’s Fresh. For instance, we continue to expand the range of Japanese and Korean ingredients and condiments we have in available. The following is a guide to some of the most popular:

Belacan A fermented paste made from shrimp meat. A condiment that is common throughout Japan and Korea and is especially a feature of Malaysian cuisine. An essential ingredient in many sauces and curries. Recommended that you use it sparingly as it has a strong and pungent flavour.

Gochujang A hot pepper Korean fermented paste made with red pepper flakes, glutinous rice, soybeans and salt. Used in various Korean stews and soups and also to marinate meat. The most quintessential Korean condiment of them all.

Gochugaru  Made from coarsely ground sun dried red peppers and this is the ingredient that has given Korean food its hot and spicy reputation. The flavour is hot, sweet and slightly smoky.

Kimchi A traditional Korean side dish now available pre-prepared. Based on fermented cabbage and sometimes including daikon radish, onion, garlic, ginger and red pepper, it has recently been named as one of the world’s healthiest foods. While the Koreans serve Kimchi with just about every meal, there are lots of things you can do with it too. Use it to wake up your morning scrambled eggs, great as a wrap filling and a tasty way to top off a baked potato. Both Korean Kimchi and a locally produced version are available.

Kewpie Mayonnnaise Regarded as the best mayonnaise in the world. Made from egg yolks only rather the whole eggs plus rice vinegar, soy based vegetable oil and a touch of the flavour enhancer MSG.

Mirin Sweet Japanese cooking wine with a golden colour and made from glutinous rice. Not only adds sweetness but also gives a gloss or shine to a dish. Essential for teriyaki chicken and wonderful drizzled over salmon.

Miso A traditional Japanese paste made from fermented Soy beans. These are numerous types and textures available. Provides an intense almost meaty savoury flavour despite being a vegan-based condiment. As a general rule, the lighter the Miso colour the more mild the flavour. A New Zealand - made Miso is now being made using Nelson soybeans.

Nanami Togarashi Nanami literally means ‘seven flavours’ in Japanese. This tasty spice blend is made up of chilli pepper, orange peel, black and white sesame seeds, Japanese Pepper, Ginger and Seaweed.

Nori A type of seaweed that comes in in dark green/black sheets and most commonly used as a wrap for Sushi. Can be shredded or bought in a powdered form (called anori) and used as a garnish or flavouring for noodle dishes and soups.

Panko Breadcrumbs These Japanese-style breadcrumbs are light and fluffy and incredibly crisp. You can, in fact, use them in just about any recipe that calls for breadcrumbs.
Rice Vinegar: This is mild in flavour and is not as acidic as western vinegar. A pale yellow colour it is used as sushi vinegar and in making pickles.

Tofu Bean curd made from soy bean milk and formed into a block. Has a myriad of uses in salads, soups and can be eaten by itself. Available either firm or soft (silken).

Wakame Another form of seaweed, often used in Miso soup, noodle soups and salads. Wakame comes in dried or frozen form. When using dried wakame, soak in water to soften before using or just add a few pieces to soup. Be careful not to use too much as the pieces expand greatly in size. Frozen Wakame does not require cooking.

Wasabi This Japanese horseradish tastes very peppery and pungent. While fresh wasabi is sometimes available, it is mostly used in a paste or powdered form.

Soy sauce, Sesame oil, Fish sauce, Rice wine etc. are universally used in Asian cuisine and each Asian country generally makes its own version. Generally these base ingredients are inter-changeable irrespective of their country of origin. Simply use the version that most suits your personal taste.

Visit Moore Wilson's Tory Street Fresh Market for our full range of Korean & Japanese ingredients.

When Moore Wilson Fresh first opened in 1998, we were able to source delightful aged cheddar from the Koromiko Dairy Company in Marlborough.

Regrettably, as the Dairy industry rationalised and merged itself in search of global efficiencies, it was decided to close the Marlborough factory and send the Marlborough milk elsewhere. It was also decided that the aging of cheddar would be undertaken in a larger more efficient location. So it was bye bye to Moore Wilson’s favourite aged cheddar as it was absorbed into NZ’s centralised (but efficiently processed) cheddar mountain.

We spent some time searching the country to find a similar aged cheddar and quickly discovered that aging a decent volume of cheddar beyond 2 years wasn’t on anyone’s agenda.

Now anyone who knows cheese will tell you that good cheddar, like fine wine, simply gets better with age. The flavours sharpen and become more intense. Sometimes lactic crystals form in the cheddar adding a delightfully crunch to the texture.

As a result, we decided to age some cheddar ourselves.

This fine quality cheddar is aged for at least 30 months and has a distinctive character and sharpness. The cheddar is named Linkwater after one the earliest NZ’s cheese factories that was located in Marlborough. In the old days cheese produced at Linkwater used to be shipped by scow to Wellington from the Grove Arm Wharf - before being on-shipped to the UK. We also chose to use a Marlborough name to honour the Marlborough cheddar that first showed us what good aging can do for flavour.

In 2013 we released another cut and wrapped cheddar called Cullen’s Valley.

Cullen’s Valley is a quality mild cheddar, the ideal family cheddar with a mildness that all the family will love, especially the kids.

The name Cullen’s Valley comes from Marlborough and the Cullen family were early suppliers to the Linkwater Dairy factory, one of NZ’s first dairy factories.

Linkwater & Cullen’s Valley Cheddars are available from all Moore Wilson’s Grocery & Fresh Stores in retail and bulk 1kg+ sizes.

The new Moore Wilson's Recipe Collection is a compilation of recipes featuring popular products available from Moore Wilson's Fresh Market

The initial release of 32 recipe cards, themed and ‘Dinner’ and 'Baking', come in a limited edition tin and are full of inspiration for everything from simple yet delicious dinners through to decadent cakes and even some raw un-baked options.

Series 2 'Summer' and 'Festive' is available now to add to your tin.

Keep the tin handy on your kitchen bench and enjoy browsing recipes featuring quality brands including Regal Salmon, Loaf, Freedom Farms, The Fresh Grower, Whittaker’s, Fix & Fogg, Heilala Vanilla and many more.

New recipe card sets will be released over the coming months so be sure to keep an eye out online and in-store and add them to your collection!

The Moore Wilson's Recipe Collection Tin Set is available online now.

Don't be fooled by impersonators!

Hot sauce creator, David Tran, began his chili making mastery in 1975 in Vietnam. During his humble beginnings, Tran produced his first hot sauce called Pepper Sa-te. He filled his Sa-te sauce in recycled glass baby food jars that were delivered by family members via bicycle. In 1979, his astounding voyage began by departing communist Vietnam on a Taiwanese freighter that was registered in Panama, named Huey Fong. Later that name became the inspiration namesake of his beloved company, Huy Fong Foods.

After the United States accepted Tran as a refugee when no other countries would, he started right away doing what he did best -- making hot sauce. In 1980, he started his hot sauce legacy in a 5,000 square foot building near Chinatown in Los Angeles. His creations included his Pepper Sa-te Sauce, Sambal Oelek, Chili Garlic, Sambal Badjak and Sriracha Hot Sauce. He was quite content just to sell whatever he could produce each day and deliver them to Asian restaurants and markets in his blue Chevy van - often driving as far as San Francisco and even San Diego. At that time, little did Tran realize his delectable sauces, particularly the iconic Sriracha Hot Sauce, made from just fresh jalapeño chili peppers, would spread like wildfire.

Huy Fong Sriracha is literally the sauce that sells itself, to this day, the company still can boast that it has never advertised its products, nor does it employ one single salesperson - the existence of the sauce has spread worldwide by word of mouth alone. There are hundreds of producers trying to imitate Huy Fong’s success –the rooster on the bottle is the mark of Huy Fong’s original Sriracha.

Available from all Moore Wilson's Grocery & Fresh Markets.

Coconut (that humble hairy fruit we’ve always been aware of but have seldom taken seriously) now has a growing band of supporters who claim it is a superfood.

The claim for superfood status is based on new research and a recently released body of evidence that says coconut is not the fat laden nasty earlier dieticians believed it to be. In fact quite the reverse. Coconut and virgin coconut oil in particular, are now believed by many to have properties that can prevent, or even cure, a wide range of ailments ranging from heart disease to Alzheimer’s. Also coconut health benefits include increased energy, weight loss, natural antibiotic activity, cholesterol reduction and insulin stabilisation.

At Moore Wilson’s, we have always offered coconuts, primarily imported from Tonga, amongst our fresh fruit. One thing is for certain, however, there has been a remarkable surge of interest in a range of coconut by-products that extends way beyond the widely used Asian cuisine ingredients of coconut milk and coconut cream.

Virgin Coconut Oil (non-hydrogenated virgin coconut oil) is the closest plant-based oil to butter in that it stays solid when cold, softens slightly when at room temperature and liquefies when heated. When buying coconut oil it is important to look for virgin oil which is obtained by cold pressing rather than through chemical extraction. Coconut oil‘s high smoke point makes it fantastic for cooking. It also has a pleasant sweet mellow taste that adds a slight unassuming flavour to foods without overpowering other tastes. You can use coconut oil for just about anything from spreading it on your morning toast or pancakes to using it in place of butter in sauces and baking. Coconut oil is even used by some as a hair and skin moisturiser.

Coconut Flour is a soft flour produced from dried coconut meat. Low carbohydrate, high fibre and gluten-free, coconut flour is the darling in the world of wheat-free baking. A word of caution however: baking with coconut flour does require special techniques to produce good results. For instance coconut flour is extraordinarily absorbent so in some cases very little coconut flour is required to produce a recipe.

Coconut Sugar shouldn't be confused with palm sugar which is made from a different palm tree. Coconut sugar, made from coconut tree sap, is similar to regular sugar although it is claimed by the Philippine Dept of Agriculture to have a much lower glycemic (GI) index. It also contains additional minerals not found in normal sugar like iron, zinc and calcium.

Desiccated Coconut this traditional baking product has long been available at Moore Wilson’s and these days has been joined by a fine version and a chunky version that features larger coconut flakes.

Coconut Water is the clear liquid found inside young green coconuts. Much touted for its ability to replace electrolytes, coconut water is now widely used as a natural alternative to chemical laden sports drinks.

Coconut Sweetened Condensed Milk a vegan alternative to traditional condensed milk. Coconut Sweetened Condensed Milk is free from dairy, lactose, soy and gluten with a rich coconut flavour. Experiment with it in any recipe calling for condensed milk!

Coconut Milk and Cream Coconut milk has the liquid consistency of cow's milk and is made from simmering one part shredded coconut in one part water. Coconut milk is the basis of most Thai curries. Coconut cream is much thicker and richer. It is made from simmering four parts shredded coconut in one part water. The cream that rises to the top of a can of coconut milk is also considered coconut cream.

Coconut Ice Cream & Drinking Milk Little Island ‘Nice-cream’ is not only dairy and gluten free, it’s also vegan, nut free and soy free so it’s especially allergy friendly — and best of all, it actually tastes great! Containing less sugar and half the fat of regular ice cream, it’s a healthier dessert option too.

Little Island also produce a Coconut Drinking Milk - an experience similar to regular milk but without the dairy. It’s perfect for smoothies, muesli, coffee or drinking straight from the bottle. With the addition of the best Fairtrade organic cocoa, the Chocolate Coconut Milk is a rich but not-too-sweet treat.

Coconut Yoghurt another great alternative to dairy-based yoghurts. Coconut yoghurt has less sugar than most yoghurts and a unique flavour. At Moore Wilson's Fresh you'll find a range of thick and creamy coconut yoghurts including Coyo, The Raglan Coconut Yoghurt Co and Cathedral Cove.

See our full range of coconut products at Moore Wilson's Fresh Tory Street.

Superfoods, Paleo and Primal Diets and Clean Eating have certainly been big news in 2015. A number of top chefs have ditched refined sugar and nasty fats in their latest cookbooks. Here’s some of our top picks:

Brownyn Kan 'Whole'  Featuring recipes from premier wholefood bloggers and entrepreneurs, WHOLE is a book born from the demands for better food. Compiled by Bronwyn Kan, WHOLE explores the personal relationship between each contributor and the food they make. Drawing from their collective experience, the healthy wholefoods recipes within are simple to make and are designed to nourish body and mind.

Donna Hay ‘Life in Balance’ Australia's most trusted home cook is celebrating a fresher approach to eating. Each chapter, from breakfast to baking, has simple recipes enriched with nature's superfoods. And because we all need the occasional decadence there are a few yummy better-for-you sweets.

Hemsley Hemsley ‘The Art of Eating Well’ A number 1 bestselling cookbook by London-based sisters Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley. Featuring over 150 mouthwatering and nutrient rich recipes which are free from grain, gluten and refined sugar.

Jamie Oliver ‘EveryDay Super Food’ These are the recipes that helped Jamie Oliver lose two stone! Jamie's Everyday Super Food makes eating well exciting, delicious, easy and fun.

Lola Berry ‘The Happy Cookbook’ Lola Berry's cooking is fresh, vibrant and jam-packed full of flavour - a little like Lola herself! Based around nutritionally dense wholefoods, Lola's recipes are gluten- and wheat-free, with very little dairy and no refined sugar.

Nadia Lim ‘A Fresh Start’ A no-fuss approach to losing weight, getting fit and feeling your best. With over 100 nutrition-packed, calorie-controlled, deliciously satisfying recipes.

Pete Evans 'Fast Food for Busy Families’ Pete shares more than 100 of his favourite no-fuss Paleo meals for people on the go. This is fast food as you have never seen it before: fresh, delicious, nutrient-dense and ready in minutes.

Rachael Devcich ‘The NZ Paleo Cookbook: Eating Clean, Living Paleo’ Author Rachael Devcich, aka Cave Girl New Zealand, has been Eating Clean, Living Paleo for four years, and has been sharing her experiences on her popular blog. This book is written with kiwis in mind and is full of clean eating inspiration.

Sarah Dueweke ‘Primal Kitchen’ Primal eating offers the benefits of a paleo diet with fewer restrictions, with followers putting emphasis on natural ingredients and meals high in protein and healthy fats and carbohydrates. Sarah's innovative recipes show how you can enjoy home baking and treat foods and still find weight maintenance easy.

Sarah Wilson 'I Quit Sugar: Simplicious’ Sarah Wilson taught the world how to quit sugar in 8 weeks, then how to quit sugar for life. Now she strips things back to the essentials, simply and deliciously.

Featured Image: Turkish Lamb Kofte and Cauliflower CousCous from Nadia Lim 'A Fresh Start'.

Mexican food and ingredients are is popular year-round at Moore Wilson's,
but especially so around the time of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).

Day of the Dead (November 1st) is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico, in particular the Central and South regions (this is where the most colourful parties take place), and acknowledged around the world in other cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died, and help support their spiritual journey.

If you're planning your own Day of the Dead celebrations here are some essentials to look out for instore!

La Boca Loca A range from the popular Miramar restaurant including salsa, tortillas, masa flour and handmade totopos (corn chips). Create your own taste of La Boca Loca at home with their 'Collected Recipes from the Taqueria' cookbook available instore and online.

Culley's The Auckland based hot sauce producers have recently released a new Taco 'n' Burrito Sauce - perfect to add to any Mexican dish. A great range of hot sauces and grow-your-own chilli seeds also available.

La Morena A Mexican manufacturer of quality canned chillies, salsas and beans. Over the last 40 years, La Morena has grown to be one of the top three nationally distributed brands in Mexico and a widely known premium brand in the US and further abroad. Our range includes chipotle peppers, refried beans, salsas and jalapenos. 

The Lucky Taco Chipotle, Habanero and Jalapeno sauces from Auckland's popular Mexican food truck.

Rancho Gordo Made in Napa, California, Rancho Gordo's 3 original sauces are available from Moore Wilson's Fresh: La Paloma, mild and flavorful, Rio Fuego, full of fire and thickened with toasted pumpkin seeds, and Felicidad, with chipotle chiles and fruity vinegar. Mexican Oregano also instore, similar to European Oregano, but less sweet and with a slight citrus twist. Perfect for use in sauces, salsas and with grilled meat.

Estrella Tortilla Press Fresh home made tortillas are always the best, and they are made much easier with a quality tortilla press. Our top pick is Estrella - a sturdy cast iron press imported from Mexico. Not in Wellington? Buy one online!

Mexican Beers A great range of 'Cerveza' is available year-round including Corona, Pacifico Clara, Cave Creek Chilli Beer, Negra Modelo and Cerveza Mexicali. Local brewery Garage Project also release a special limited edition Day of the Dead beer for the occasion.

Tequila & Mezcal Top and specialty brands available at everyday low prices. Check out our full selection in our Tory Street and Masterton bottle stores or shop some of our top picks  online.

Image 'Three Quesadillas' from La Boca Loca Cookbook, photography by Nicola Edmonds. 

It wouldn't be a Kiwi summer without the juicy, sweet flavours of stonefruit!

Stonefruit, members of the prunus genus group of trees and shrubs, includes apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums and cherries.

While they've become an icon of the NZ summer, none are native to our land. Peaches originated in China, nectarines in Central Asia, apricots probably in China, while cherries are native to the Caspian-Black Sea area. Plums have both Japanese and European origins. These fruits spread across Europe along the trade routes and European colonists bought them to New Zealand.

There is no exact record of who introduced stonefruit to New Zealand, however groves of wild peaches known as ‘Maori peaches’ found growing alongside several North Island rivers are thought to have been originally planted by explorers or early 19th-century whalers or sealers.

PEACHES & NECTARINES
Available from December to March, peaches and nectarines come as either yellow or white flesh. In the early 2000’s the move to white flesh was quite pronounced and some special New Zealand varieties were developed. More recently there has been a swing back to yellow flesh.

The difference between white and yellow flesh are the acid levels. White-fleshed peach and nectarine varieties are less acidic and therefore sweeter. Between them, peaches and nectarines represent about 45% of all the stonefruit grown in New Zealand.

The peaches and nectarines you’ll find at Moore Wilson’s Fresh are from The Yummy Fruit Company. The range of varieties is greater than ever, including:

Classic Nectarine New Zealand’s traditional yellow flesh nectarine, full flavoured and tasty.
Hunny Yellow Nectarine A new variety - sweet, firm flesh with very low fruit acidity.
Pearl Nectarine White flesh, sweet eating and juicy.
Coconut Ice Peach Crispy white, sweet eating.
Flatto Peach A unique flat shaped peach. Deliciously sweet and juicy. Eat firm like an apple or ripe like a juicy peach. Rediscovered heirloom, grown in Central Otago and the ultimate lunchbox shaped fruit.
Flatto Gold Peach A new delicious peach added to the Flatto range. Flatto Gold is a yellow flesh, sweet eating flat peach with very low fruit acidity. It has the same small stone surrounded by juicy flesh as the Flatto White peach, but with a sweet melon-like flavour profile.

APRICOTS
Available from December to February. Apricots are New Zealand’s main stonefruit crop making up 30% of the annual stonefruit total. About 60% of locally grown apricots are exported. Traditionally apricots were mainly grown in Central Otago, these days Hawkes Bay is making an increasing contribution to total production.

PLUMS
Available from January to March. The European Greengage plum has traditionally been the most popular for canning and making jam. Of the Japanese plums, which are generally earlier flowering and larger, Burbank was the most popular although. Omega is the most widely planted plum in New Zealand with Black Doris a close second.

CHERRIES
Cherries have the shortest season of all the stonefruits and are only available from December to January. Only sweet varieties of cherries are grown in New Zealand and Dawson, a large black fruit, is the most popular variety. The demand for cherries is continuing to grow - and so are exports to Asia. Marlborough used to be NZ’s major cherry producer, but grape plantings have seen the amount of land devoted to cherries substantially decline. When they’re available, you’ll find Marlborough and Hawkes Bay cherries at Moore Wilson’s Fresh.

Peaches, nectarines, apricots and plums are great for your health and here are some interesting facts:

Apricots are an excellent source of vitamin A (from beta carotene) and a natural source of vitamin C. Vitamin C helps the body form collagen—the main protein of connective tissue in bones, muscles, cartilage etc. While Apricots are delicious raw their carotenoids (the anti-oxidants that give the flesh its orange colour) become more available to the body when cooked. Beta-carotene for one, converts to vitamin A that helps to maintain eyesight.

If you want potassium there’s no need to rely on bananas, two small peaches have slightly more of this essential mineral than a medium banana. Peaches are also an excellent source of vitamin C.

Red plums contain a class of compounds called anthocyanins. As well as giving fruit their appealing red colour, they are being investigated for a range of potential health benefits. Plums are an ideal fruit that fit into small hands - kids love them!

Adults only Summer Treat! Stonefuit Sangria: Chop up a selection of stonefruit into even bite-sized pieces. Put the pieces in a large pitcher. Add a dash of peach brandy or liqueur then top up the pitcher with rosé (and soda water if desired). Place in the fridge for an hour or so to let the fruit marinate. Add ice when ready to serve.