Autumn 2026 on the bench: what was in season in Perth

This is our autumn 2026 bench note. For what’s in season now, see the journal.

Autumn in Perth was the easy season to shop. The summer gluts of stone fruit were tapering off, but the late peaches and nectarines were still around and they were cheaper than they’d been a month before. The first new-season apples were landing from Manjimup. And quietly, the leafy greens had stopped tasting like watered-down lawn and started tasting like greens again.

Here’s what we were putting on the front bench that week.

Late stone fruit: the bargain window

The yellow peaches were coming to the end. They were still good but they were noticeably softer when they arrived, so eat them inside two days. The plums (especially black diamond and queen garnet) were at their best that autumn. We were getting trays from a grower in Pemberton who picks them at full colour, which means they actually taste like something. Five for $10 most days that autumn.

Cherries were gone. Mangoes were gone (alphonso flew out in February, Carnarvon Kensington Pride finished mid-March). Apricots were gone. Don’t pay $14/kg for the limp imported ones; come back in November.

First apples of the season

That was the good news. Manjimup pink ladies were back, and the first royal galas had just hit. They’re crisp the way only an apple within a few weeks of being picked is crisp. We were selling them at a fair price; they were set to drop another dollar in May once volume picked up.

If you’ve only ever bought apples from a supermarket, eat one of these and the difference will sell itself. Cold storage doesn’t ruin apples, exactly, but a fresh one is just better.

Persimmons: try one

We get a small persimmon window each year. The fuyu variety (the squat, tomato-shaped ones) eats like a crisp pear and is sweet without being sticky. They were $4–5 each but worth the experiment if you’ve never had one. Slice into a green salad with feta, walnuts and a sharp vinaigrette and you’ll cook it again.

Salad greens that suddenly worked

Summer in Perth is hard on lettuce. The leaves bolt, the rocket gets bitter, the parsley gives up. From late March everything settles. We were getting beautiful butterhead, cos and oak-leaf from a grower in Manjimup, and the rocket was back to tasting peppery instead of soapy.

Pick lettuce up the day you’ll use it. Wrap any unused leaves in a clean tea towel inside an open bag in the bottom of the fridge; it’ll hold for four days that way.

What was good in the deli case

Through autumn the deli case had pre-built fruit platters, watermelon batons and fruit salad ready for collection most mornings, alongside a rotating selection of dips, cheeses and antipasto for easy entertaining. For what’s on now, see our fruit platters and pre-cut fruit packs.

Drop in or phone us if you’d like to know what’s on the bench tomorrow morning. We don’t post a stock list because it changes by the hour, but we’re happy to walk you through it on the phone.