Fruit Buying Guide – February 2010
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Shop as if you have Tommy K at your side!
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Recommended Selections for February
Best Now
Kent Mangoes
Kent mangoes, available NOW, are one of the most delicious fruits of all time! That is a big statement coming from a guy who has lived and breathed fruit every day for 25 years! My 9 year old, who is a spoiled fruit lover, said “Dad, WHERE did you get these?” We then ate an entire case in a few days! The Kent variety is often overlooked because it's unripe color is very green. As the fruit ripens it usually turns a multicolored blend of reds, oranges, greens and yellows. But, usually on the store shelf they will appear dead green. Ask the produce clerk if you can see the case the fruit came in and look for KENT variety; it is always listed on the case. Aside from the fantastic flavor of the KENT, this variety is also great because it is practically string-less. You know that stuff that gets caught in your teeth! Not with these babies! Enjoy them, NOW!
Here is a great recipe prepared by our own Chefs Theo and Melissa!
Best Fruit Now Fruit Blog version with written instructions.
Red, Green and Black Seedless Grapes
Have you noticed that certain times of year grapes are better then usual? In Chile, where the grapes are coming from now, the harvest is in it's full glorious peak! Chile is very similar to California in that it borders the ocean and has mountains framing the east and west. What makes Chilean grapes so special is that Chile is even skinnier than California and this narrowness lets the cold Pacific Ocean air settle in it's valleys in the evenings. These cooler temperatures at night make the grapes sweeter, so Chile is simply geographically advantaged to grow great grapes. This sugary vantage can also be Chile's Achilles heel when Pacific ocean storms come through. So far, so good with this year's crop. We are seeing sales booming on grapes because the quality is excellent NOW. Green, Red and Black are all running very good and sweet. When selecting green grapes I notice that many people seek out the very green fruit, however the fruit that is more creamy colored or even has a hint of yellow will usually be the sweetest. Overall the size on grapes this season is a bit smaller than usual. Often the more medium sized red grapes are sweeter than large berries. I call these smaller grapes "nature's jelly beans." Grapes are great served in so many ways. I love them cut or whole, in my salads.
Some scientists believe that Resveratol, a chemical present in the skin of red grapes, will some day be a miracle drug, once it's power is harnessed.
The CBS show 60 Minutes did a segment exploring the topic. Check it out here.
California Navels, Delites and Cuties!
When navels are at their best they seem to have a deeper sweetness, a refreshing, light honey-like flavor. Packaged by nature in an easy to remove wrapper, the seedless navel is a convenient and delicious snack. My favorite size navel is a 72 size which means there are 72 per case; this size has an average diameter of just about 3 inches. I think these tend to be the most perfectly mature. Simply look for navel oranges that are around 3" in diameter rather than real big, medium or small. Although this year ALL sizes are excellent!
Navels should be firm; if they can be squeezed easily it is a sign of dehydration. With age, all fruit begins to dry out, so good firm navels are best. You likely know already that navel oranges are an excellent source of antioxidants like vitamin C, that they also offer an array of healthful Flavonoids, and contain lots of system cleansing fiber. But did you know navels are an excellent source of folic acid, a crucial B vitamin, essential in fighting heart disease and preventing birth defects?
Another excellent orange choice at the market NOW is the super sweet Afourer Mandarin sold in brands DELITE or CUTIES. Look for these sweet treats in colorful 3lb bags.
Here is a great salad recipe that I have enjoyed. Give it a try!
Ensalada Valenciana, a salad of Valencia Spain, courtesy of Daisy Martinez of the Food Network.
Ingredients:
1 head Romaine lettuce
2 large navel oranges
¼ cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
¾ cup olive oil
Kosher or fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium red onion, cut in half, then into ¼ inch slivers
1 cup Calamata, oil cured, or Sicilian olives, pitted
Directions:
Choose fresh looking romaine and separate into individual leaves. Trim the center, thick ribs from the romaine leaves, and tear the rest of the leaves into bite sized pieces. Wash and dry the lettuce, preferably in a salad spinner.Cut the tops and bottoms off the navels using a knife. Trim off the skin, removing as much white pith as possible. Remove the sections from between the membranes. You are to peel the membranes off the sections. Work over a small bowl to collect any juice released from oranges. Set these segments aside in a small bowl.Wisk the collected orange juice (if you didn’t collect any, make a little) with vinegar, honey, and thyme. Wisk in the olive oil in a thin stream until blended. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.Toss the lettuce, onions and olives together in a serving bowl with the dressing. Scatter the orange segments over the salad and serve.
Avoid Now
Old Fruits and Freeze Damaged Oranges
The "Fruits to Avoid" section should always feature this category, "Antique Fruits." Be a smarter fruit shopper, read the "Rules of Fruit Shopping." Avoiding Antique fruits, simply means to avoid fruits that are dehydrating on the store's shelf, aging not so gracefully. Wrinkles add character to people, but are a sign of trouble in fruit. In February that can be any fruit in the store. Even winter fruits like pears and apples can be "antiques" in some stores. If the produce buyer is the "hands on" type - you should be OK. "Should" is the key word; always be critical when buying fruits. Turn your berries and grapes over, looking for wetness. Be wary this month of extremely aggressive prices on Florida oranges. Although there are still excellent lots of some Florida oranges, many semi freeze damages lots will be pushed throught he system this month. Freeze damaged oranges will usually have a very brown circle around the stem end of the fruit and will taste terrible. Florida Honey Tangerines are likely to be your best bet for quality!
Cherries and Apricots
Chilean Cherries and Apricots are pretty much done for the season; prices are very high and the odds of buying top quality are very low. As always, I will get an email from someone saying how they had excellent cherries TODAY. YES, this is possible. I have some excellent lots in my wholesale store now. But the fact is they are very rare NOW. If you need a summer fruit NOW go for the Lemon plum or Dapple Dandy pluot if you can find them! See below for more info on the Lemon plum.
Try Now
Lemon Plums
We in the business call this plum the Chameleon plum. It starts out green in color, then ripens to a bright yellow, then takes on hints of red before becoming a full orange red. So, the hard part is getting them just right. I suggest buying them yellow and eating them right away or you can wait until there is a hint of red. Usually by the time the color becomes full red the inside is starting to dry out.
Cherimoya
Cherimoya, also known as the Custard Apple is possibly the most under appreciated fruit in the U.S.A.! The famous writer Mark Twain loved Cherimoya and you should give it a try NOW. This very tropical, heart shaped fruit looks to be a cousin of the artichoke and this I believe confuses people. Confusion leads to apprehension and thus this site and others like it are here to take the fear out of the unknown. This fruit makes a delicious dessert all by itself; just wait until the fruit is ripe (soft and browning) cut and spoon out the delicious flesh. The Cherimoya has many large inedible seeds; if you spoon a seed into your mouth, just spit it out, no big deal. The ripe Cherimoya has a flesh with the texture of a ripe peach and a mellow flavor with hints of mango, pineapple, banana, and papaya.
Here is a Strawberry-Cherimoya Smoothie recipe courtesy of Melissas.com
Blood Oranges
Blood oranges have a short season and are thus often sold too early or too late, but right NOW they are just right! Did you know that the red color in the blood orange contains Anthocyanins (a powerful antioxidant) that has been shown to be helpful in reducing inflammation? So, aside from being very sweet and delicious they are an excellent preventative medicine. Blood oranges are smaller in size than regular oranges. There are several varieties of Blood Oranges; the variety with the most red interior is the MORO. But, even the other varieties are excellent. I think they have a hint of raspberry flavor. Enjoy them NOW!
Here is a delicious way to enjoy Blood Oranges, from Martha Stewart. Fresh squeeze Blood oranges and simply mix 3 tablespoons of fresh juice into each flute before serving. A twist on the Mimosa!
Champagne Blood Orange Cocktail
Fruit Odds for February
These are the percentage chances of blindly buying excellent quality fruit off the store shelf this month. Click on the headers to re-sort the list.
| Name | % Chance | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Apples | 90 | Fuji and Galas are running great NOW! |
| Avocado | 70 | Look for Mexican for best quality. |
| Blueberries | 60 | Quality is good, buy NOW as prices will be doubling soon!! |
| Kiwi | 80 | Excellent quality NOW. |
| Limes | 50 | Quality is varied, prices are higher than usual due to cold weather in MX. |
| Mango | 80 | There are some very good mangoes around now, look for KENT variety from PERU! |
| Nectarines | 40 | Chilean are here and can be found good, avoid green color, and always buy nectarines ripe. |
| Pineapple | 90 | Quality excellent and prices are reasonable. |
| Strawberries | 50 | Continued cold weather in Florida is limiting supply and driving up prices! |
| Asian Pears | 20 | Look for Korean Singo pears. |
| Cherries | 01 | Chilean are done! |
| Grapes | 60 | Prices are way up and going higher due to earthquake. |
| Oranges | 80 | Look for California navels and Delite or Cuties mandarins. |
| Apricots | 10 | Chilean are finished, New Zealand are priced like Silver. |
| Cantaloupe | 70 | Look for Honduran, excellent year they are having for flavor! |
| Grapefruit | 80 | Florida quality is excellent any freeze damaged fruit is gone by now, so buy and enjoy! |
| Honeydew | 70 | Quality is very good. |
| Lemons | 70 | Look for shiny bright lemons, prices going up, avoid lemons that are old and browning. |
| Peaches | 30 | Chilean peaches can be found good, but remember only buy peaches ripe - good luck with that. |
| Clementines | 30 | Spanish and Moroccan clementines are finishing and taste off, look for Delite and Cuties mandarins. |
| Plums | 50 | They are around from Chile and make nice paper weights, look for Lemon plums and Pluots. |
| Pluots | 40 | Look for Dapple Dandy variety. |
| Pears | 70 | Bartletts are an excellent choice now. |
| Specialty Pick | 80 | Maradol Papaya are running great now! Try these! |
| Value Pick | 90 | Cantaloupes, quality is excellent and prices are down! |
| Watermelon | 40 | Quality is good, prices way too high. |
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