PRODUCE: Bianca Keppel of Dylan's Fruit and Veg says the top vegetables available include summer-fresh baby spinach and rocket. They are perfect for salads, she said, adding a unique flavour, and are currently included in Dylan's deliveries. Bianca says Jap pumpkin is at its best at this time of year and is perfect for roasting. Readers will enjoy this recipe: Ingredients: 1 cup of feta, 70 grams of roasted pine nuts, one quarter of a jap pumpkin, plus baby spinach and rocket mix. Chop pumpkin into small pieces and roast in oven for 30 minutes on medium heat. Mix spinach, rocket, feta, pumpkin and pine nuts in a bowl and serve with balsamic vinegar.

Garlic bonanza

HARVESTS: Robin Powell from the Sydney Morning Herald says rockmelons are at their annual best and that NSW garlic growers are celebrating their best-ever harvest. "Unlike imported garlic, the local variety is not bleached, so it looks a bit different to the white heads in the supermarket," she said. "It also tastes different. The freshness of the local product makes it juicy and powerfully flavoured." She also recommends growing your own by planting cloves from an Australian-grown bulb in autumn! Plant in a sunny position with good drainage. Water through spring and harvest when the green tops die off in late spring.

Baker's cooking

AWARDS: Simon Powick of Engadine has been named as one of the leading bakers in Australia in a competition organised by Bakers Delight. Simon, 33, who works at the Bakers Delight store in Engadine Central, was nominated for the award by bakery operator Todd Marshall and is recognised as one of only 32 staff from more than 15,000 nationwide. Simon will now take part in a career development workshop, designed to foster talent at Bakers Delight, and has a chance to win a $3000 franchisee scholarship.