Stop overpaying: 7 seasonal super-savers to add to your grocery trolley this week
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Supermarket shoppers hoping to save at the checkout are being spoiled for choice when it comes to affordable fruit and vegetables this autumn.
While adverse weather conditions have led to tomato, beetroot, and potato shortages, and subsequent price hikes, those same weather conditions have resulted bumper crops and some out-of-season surprises.
Anton van den Berg from fruit and vegetable supplier Box Divvy has spoken to nine.com.au about the most affordable fresh produce available at supermarkets over the coming weeks.
Supermarket shoppers hoping to save at the checkout are being spoiled for choice Getty
Fruit
Berries
Berries are enjoying an extended season this year thanks to warmer than expected weather in growing regions.
"Berries are a very good buy, which is unusual for this time of the year," van den Berg said.
"The market is awash with raspberries, blackberries, strawberries. They are all around $3 a punnet and this is unusual.
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Berries are enjoying an extended season this year thanks to warmer than expected weather. Nine
"This time last year there were virtually no berries at all.
"So that means that the Victorian strawberry season is stretching a lot further than it used to, and that's because of the fine weather and good growing conditions."
Pomegranates
"The other one that has come down in price is pomegranates. We're selling them for $3 or less," van den Berg explained.
Pomegranates are selling for '$3 or less'. Getty
Majority of Australia's pomegranates are grown in South Australia thanks to the long, hot, and dry summer weather combined with low humidity.
"Pomegranates are probably one of the few things that are doing well," he added.
Citrus
Peak citrus season is almost upon us and there have been some early surprises for shoppers in the form of robust lemon supplies and the first Imperial mandarins of the season.
Peak citrus season is almost upon us and there have been some early surprises for shoppers. Nine
van den Berg said both are "currently in good supply" and are coming out of Queensland.
"The Imperial mandarins are amazing," he added.
Grapes
It has been an incredible season for grapes this year, and there are still plenty of affordable, sweet and crispy grapes in supermarkets at the moment.
t has been an incredible season for grapes this year. Nine
This has been thanks to a drier growing season than in previous years.
van den Berg expects this to continue until mid-May.
Avocados
Shepard and Hass avocadoes are continuing their bumper seasons with plenty of affordable avocadoes in supply across major supermarkets.
Both varieties are affordable and plentiful, according to van den Berg.
Shepard and Hass avocadoes are continuing their bumper seasons. 9Honey
These go very well alongside the bumper season for lemons. Bring on the avocado toast!
Vegetables
Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbages, kale
There are multiple vegetable crops doing very well out of growing regions in the Hawkesbury in Sydney, according to van den Berg.
These include broccoli, cabbages, kale and cucumbers.
There are multiple vegetable crops doing very well out of growing regions in the Hawkesbury in Sydney. 9Honey
And these aren't any ordinary broccoli heads. The broccoli being stocked in supermarkets is huge! As are the cauliflowers and cabbages!
"We've got broccoli out of the Hawkesbury, and local cabbages for $2.50. We also have kale selling for about $5 a kilo," van den Berg told nine.com.au.
Cucumbers
Both popular varieties of cucumbers are also selling for lower-than-normal prices this autumn thanks to excellent crop conditions in multiple growing regions across the country.
Both of the most popular varieties of cucumbers are also selling for lower-than-normal prices this autumn. 9Honey/Jo Abi
"Cucumbers are also cheap. Continental cucumbers are $1.50 each and Lebanese cucumbers are around $4 a kilo," van den Berg said.
Continental cucumbers, which are traditionally wrapped in plastic to protect their thinner skin, have much less seeds than Lebanese cucumbers.
Lebanese cucumbers usually come with a thicker skin and are sweeter in flavour.
Pumpkins and sweet potatoes
Kent and Butternut pumpkins are "really good value" and more than make up for the continuing shortfall and price hikes being seen with traditional potatoes which are still recovering from a terrible 2025 growing season.
Kent and Butternut pumpkins are 'really good value'. 9Honey
"Kent are about $2.20 a kilo at the moment so that's really good value and celery is under $3," van den Berg said.
Eggplants are also doing well this year and selling for "around $5".
And sweet potatoes are "selling for under $3 a kilo".
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