Short Black: The best seasonal produce

In now: Collect chestnuts and walnuts from under the trees at Kookootonga Nut Farm in Mount Irvine. It's open every day until the season ends in about six weeks.

Almost over: Enjoy mangoes for the next few weeks; when the trees in northern NSW are bare there'll be no more local mangoes until October.

Best buy: Pumpkin prices have been heading south for years, and are now below the cost of production, causing many farmers to swap crops. Make the most of cheap pumpkin; it can't last.

In the vegie patch: Throw a handful of blood and bone on the compost heap to keep it moving fast.