Vegetables & Fruit
Despite some outback roadhouses being pretty well stocked, it's can be difficult to buy fresh vegies other than staples such as spuds and onions. One
solution is to limit yourself to the fresh vegetables that travel and store well. Potatoes, sweet potato, carrots, onions, eggplant, zucchini and fresh fruits (when available) like oranges, grapefruits, apples.
A useful tip for storing vegies out of the fridge is to wrap each individual vegetable or fruit in one or two sheets of newspaper and store them out of direct sunlight. A well ventilated, open cardboard, foam or wooden box is best. Cover with an old towel or blanket to help keep help the heat out. Avoid using plastic crates or eskies with lids as the fruit and vegie tends to get hot and sweat and ripen more quickly. Using this method, vegetables and fruit last for weeks. Note: boxes will be confiscated by WA Dept of Agriculture Checkpoints if you try to bring them into that State as they are banned from entering WA by road unless tested). There is a manned checkpoint on the
Eyre Highway and an honesty dump bin on the
Great Central Road.
Another option is growing your own salad vegies. Most health food shops sell the beans/seeds and they're very easy to sprout. You can use a plastic take-away style food container with a few holes punched in the lid. Line it with paper towel, then sprinkle with a generous layer of seeds. Next, wet your fingers and gently drip them with just enough water to saturate the paper towel and seeds. Don't drench the seeds - too much water will cause mould. Check your sprouts every day or so and add more water as required. They will need at least a moderate amount of sunlight but don't put them in direct, hot sunlight. They only take 7 days or so to sprout and can be eaten as early as 4 or 5 days. A great suggestion is to keep 3 containers at different growth stages on the go so you always have some ready to eat but not so many that you need to refrigerate them before they can be consumed. You can start them off at home before you go.
Reminder - many states operate strict quarantine procedures to restrict the movement of fruit and vegetables across state borders to assist in the control of fruit fly and other diseases. Please observe all signs and be aware that you may be asked to open your vehicle for an inspection. At this point you may declare and submit anything you are carrying - you will not be fined, however be aware that on-the-
spot fines apply for not declaring. See Quarantine