What’s in Season: Queen Garnet Plum

Queen Garnet Smoothie (Tart + Creamy + Fibre-Friendly)

Queen Garnet plums have a short, glorious season — and when they’re in, I love using them fresh while the flavour is at its peak. This time, instead of a salad or a cooked dish, we’re going the easy win: a smoothie that keeps the fruit front and centre, boosts fibre with chia, and rounds out that Queen Garnet tartness with ripe banana + a spoon of honey.

We were lucky enough to grab a box from Sam’s Farm Fresh Fruit & Veg in Cottonvale on our most recent Granite Belt run visiting our friends at Ballandean Estate — got to love local.

The hero ingredient: Queen Garnet Plums

Queen Garnets are a Queensland-developed blood plum cultivar, known for their dark purple flesh/skin and naturally high anthocyanin content (those plant pigments found in other dark fruits like berries).
They’re in season in Australia from late January to early April — so when you see them, grab them.

Linda’s fibre reminder (and why this smoothie makes sense)

Linda’s point still stands: most of us simply aren’t getting enough fibre day to day. Adults are recommended around 25g/day (women) and 30g/day (men)  — and CSIRO has highlighted that Australians, on average, fall short and many don’t meet fibre targets.

So here’s the “Chef logic” move:
whole fruit + chia + don’t strain it = a delicious way to nudge fibre up without turning breakfast into a chore.

Recipe: Queen Garnet Plum Smoothie

Serves: 2 (or 1 hungry legend)
Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 Queen Garnet plums (stones removed)
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 white peach (stone removed)
• 15g chia seeds
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp tea tree honey (or to taste)
• 300ml Alternative Coconut Barista milk (or swap to cold water)
• Juice of 1 lime
• A handful of ice

Method

1. Prep fruit: Stone the plums and peach. (Skins stay on — that’s flavour + fibre.)
2. Blend: Add everything to a blender and blitz until smooth.
3. Rest (best texture): Let it sit 5 minutes so the chia thickens slightly, then blitz again for 5 seconds.
4. Taste + balance: If it’s a bit tart (Queen Garnets often are), add a touch more honey or another half banana.

Chef’s tips

• Tart control: The riper the bananas, the smoother and rounder the finish.
• Fibre win: Don’t strain it. This is a smoothie, not a juice.
• Make it colder: Freeze plums (pitted) in season and blend from frozen later.

Variations (choose your own adventure)

• More protein: add Greek yoghurt or your preferred protein.
• More “breakfast bowl”: use less liquid, blend thick, pour into a bowl and top with fruit + extra chia.
• Swap the fruit: nectarines, mango, berries — Queen Garnet plays nicely with most stone fruit.

A Final Thought from Chef Ian

Seasonal fruit is one of the easiest ways to eat better without trying harder. Queen Garnets can naturally be a little tart - so we balance them with: ripe banana + a touch of honey + a squeeze of lime. Add chia for the fibre boost, keep the skins in, and you’ve got a smoothie that tastes like a treat but behaves like breakfast, lunch or just a quick pick me up. No fuss. Just good produce, used at its best.

Chef Ian