Best Fruit Now

Take this sheet with you to the market! Shop as if you have Tommy K at your side!
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Recommended Selections for January

• Best Now
• Avoid Now
• Try Now
• Fruit Odds

Best Now

Fuji Apples

Developed in Japan in the 1930's, the Fuji apple is by far the most popular apple in Japan. Over half the apples grown in Japan are Fuji's. The Fuji's parents are the common, American born Red Delicious and the less common, but also American born Virginia Ralls Gennet. Surely you have enjoyed the Fuji? If so, you know this is a smooth (read NOT tangy) flavored, crunchy and very sweet apple. Apples offer a great value for the consumer and the three best deals being offered NOW are on Red Delicious, Golden Delicious and Fuji. All three are excellent quality NOW; the Fuji was chosen as the lead recommendation only because it is a personal favorite. The key to buying apples is to buy from stores that have fresh inventory. You can tell easily with apples if they have been sitting around for long as they develop small dents or bruises indicating the flesh is softening. These small dents often are hard to see, so get a really close David Carp "Fruit Detective" like look before buying.

Here is a great recipe from our own Chef Melissa, featuring crisp apples like the Fuji, click here for the written and printable version.

Chicken Sausages with Apples:

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Florida Juice Oranges

Likely you have a juicer at home, well NOW is the time to dust it off and grace yourself with a true gift of nature, fresh squeezed OJ! Many people juice oranges all year. Those in the know will tell you that the Florida Juice oranges available NOW (Hamlin is the variety) are particularly delicious this season. So treat yourself and your family to something special this January. NOW is the best value of the season as well, prices will be rising in February as crop projections are for a smaller than usual crop of juice oranges. Fresh juice is perfect by itself, however the combinations are endless. I love mixing fresh OJ with fresh Pomegranate juice. Watch this video and you will be much more inclined to juice your own.

Q&A with Alissa Hamilton, Author of Squeezed -What you don't know about Orange Juice.

JANUARY 11TH: UPDATE: FREEZE DAMAGE TO FLORIDA ORANGES IS DEVASTATING, ORANGES WILL BE AVAILABLE BUT EXPECT HIGHER PRICES.

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Texas Rio Star Grapefruit

Texas Rio Star grapefruit are only available for a short time and NOW is the PEAK of the season. This may be the prettiest and most delicious crop in years! These Rio Star have a deep red interior and tangy sweet flavor. I usually enjoy them in the traditional manor; I cut in half and spoon out the sections. Be creative. Rio Star can be used in so many ways from drinks, salads, appetizers, desserts, sauces, and even in entrees. Texas Sweet.com has a great recipe section, check it out for ideas.

Here is a video recipe featuring Texas Rio Star Grapefruit Sorbet, found at the P.Allen Smith website.

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Avoid Now

Antique Fruits

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 January 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 grape packages over, looking for wetness. Bruising is a sign of age on apples, but actually is something I look for in apricots, peaches or nectarines. I generally avoid the actual bruised fruits, however a few bruised fruits in the display may indicate the fruit is actually ripe. Ripe is the only way to buy stonefruits.

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Grapples, Kiwanos, and Pepinos

Kind of sounds like a law firm, but make no mistake these are in fact fruits. The Grapple however, is nothing more than an apple (usually a Gala or Fuji) infused with chemical grape flavor. Yuck! There is no reason to buy these things. I know "kid's like them," but that's what parents are for, to tell kids not to eat fake flavored apples when there are plenty of delicious REAL apple flavors available! As for Pepino and Kiwano melons, yes called melons for some reason, avoid these unless you need something handsome for your still life fruit bowl in art class. At best these taste like poor Honeydews. Save your money. Your adventurous craving for some exotic fruit should be preserved for an exotic that is really special like the Lychee. Now those are good! I'll let you know when they are around. For something exotic now, consider the Star Fruit, see below.

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Try Now

Delmonte Gold Pineapples

This fruit is one of the most reliable lead off batters in the fruit lineup. Month in and out, you can almost never go wrong with the Delmonte Gold Pineapple. I am suggesting them THIS particular month because they are in abundance and thus prices have come down. Take advantage of the price dip and treat yourself NOW!

If you find a really good deal, keep in mind that pineapples store well in the freezer. Simply place your cut up pineapple chunks into a bag, squeeze out the air and place in the freezer. They will keep for months.

Here is a great post work-out smoothie recipe. Mix in a blendor,

1 cup light coconut milk

1 cup frozen pineapple chunks

2 scoops protein powder

2 cups low fat plain yogurt (frozen in ice cube trays)

and one teaspoon fresh lemon juice.

That’s it! Pretty simple and very delicious. You could use fresh yogurt and add ice if you would prefer.

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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 antioxident) that has been shown to be helpful in reducing inflammation? So aside from being very sweet and delicious they are 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! For a refreshing dessert consider this Blood Orange Granita recipe from Wandering Chopsticks:

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Star Fruit (aka Carambola)

Also known as Carambola, the Star Fruit is usually perceived as a garnish. Truth be told, the Star Fruit is a wonderful light and citrusy flavored, refreshing treat. I enjoy them in a salad soaked in Balsamic vinegar. Try these babies NOW!

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Fruit Odds for January

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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