After a three-year hiatus, John Picone is back at the market, bringing with him renewed curiosity, colour, and conversation. Known for his passion for the weird and wonderful, John grows more than 300 fruit trees, spanning tropical, subtropical, native, and rare varieties. His stall is less about selling fruit and more about helping people understand how to eat what they’ve never seen before.
One of the most striking offerings is torch ginger. When the stem is young and tender, it can be sliced into fine strips and sprinkled over a finished dish — prawn dishes, curries, or salads — adding bright notes of ginger, galangal, and lime. Even the tender stem is edible, ensuring nothing goes to waste.
Soursop is eaten much like a custard apple. Cut it in half and scoop out the soft white flesh, enjoying its gentle sweetness and slight tang. Green sapote is similarly simple, with rich, creamy flesh that’s often compared to a dense avocado with caramel notes. Black sapote, commonly known as the ‘chocolate pudding fruit,’ is scooped straight from the skin when ripe, its smooth dark flesh tasting remarkably like dessert.
The delicious monster fruit (monstera deliciosa) is only eaten when fully ripe, once the hexagonal segments fall away, revealing sweet tropical flesh reminiscent of banana and pineapple. Wax jambu is crisp and refreshing, eaten fresh like an apple, lightly sweet and perfect for hot days.
Even cactus has its place. Nopales, the young pads of the prickly pear cactus, are sliced and cooked like a vegetable, with a slightly tangy flavour and excellent grilled or added to salads. And of course, the prickly pears themselves are eaten once peeled, revealing jewel-coloured flesh that’s sweet, juicy, and full of flavour.
John’s return has been warmly welcomed – not just for the fruit he brings, but for the stories, guidance, and encouragement to taste something new. His stall is a reminder that food is an adventure, best enjoyed with curiosity and an open mind.
Find John Picone every Friday at Mullum Farmers Market from 7am to 11am at Mullumbimby Showground.
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