Best Fruit Now

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Recommended Selections for July

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

Best Now

California Nectarines

This is one of the best years I can remember for California Nectarines, and this is the best month of the season. Look for nectarines that smell great and yield to gentle pressure at the stem end, never buy them rock hard. Shop at a store that you can trust for freshness! The only bad nectarine is a old and thus dehydrated nectarine. Also, look for Flat or "Saucer" Nectarines, just like the Donut peaches but without the fuzz, really sweet this season too.
Store the nectarines you plan on eating within a couple of days on the counter, otherwise juicy nectarines are best kept cold to reduce dehydration.

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Washington State Cherries

Washington State has a bumper crop of excellent quality cherries, so go find some good ones NOW. Bings are my favorite, however there are many new varieties of red cherries in stores now that are very good too. Look at your potential purchase very carefully, BE A SMART FRUIT SHOPPER! The cherries should be firm, not soft. Cherries should be dry and free of dents or cracks. Lift the bags and look at the bottom for any moisture. If wet, avoid that bag. You should be able to find top quality red cherries at $2.00 a pound or less. For cherries, that is a deal of a decade!

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Local Berries

I enjoy going to my local farmers market and buying delicious berries, mostly blueberries right now. Once you start going to your local farmers market, I’ll bet you get hooked on the variety of wholesome offerings. Look for berries that are firm and dry. In the Northeast, where I live, we have had quite a bit of rain. The main effect of rain is a shortened shelf life. Be smart, buy what you plan to consume THAT SAME DAY.

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Crenshaw Melons

Most melon experts will tell you that the CRENSHAW is the most sweet and succulent melon in the world. A hybrid cross of the casaba and cantaloupe, the Crenshaw melon is rounded at the blossom end and pointed at the stem end. The skin of a Crenshaw is dark green and, as it ripens, the skin becomes yellow. Thick orange flesh has a rich, refreshing flavor. These are great NOW! Also at the market and running excellent are Califorina cantaloupes. Honeydews are not as good NOW.

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Avoid Now

Old Plums and Pluots

There has been a glut of plums and pluots this year at the markets. This is interesting as the supply is actually lower than normal. My thinking is that plums and pluots fall lower on the demand scale than many other summer fruits, and in this time of frugality, the poor plum is being left on the shelf. Unfortunately, this problem only perpetuates itself as the slow sales lead to old inventory on store shelves, leading to disappointed customers and thus slower sales going forward. Yikes!

California Apricots

California apricot season is over and what I see around is pretty well "over the hill" and not worth buying. If you love apricots, perhaps you could search farmers markets for locals or just be patient as around mid month Washington State apricots will start arriving in markets and they should be excellent.

Asian Pears

Nothing fresh NOW, look for California and locals to start in around a month or so.

Try Now

Mango Nectarines

This is a great year for this slightly weird, blushless (no red coloring) nectarine. These were named Mango Nectarines, not because they contain mango genes, but because they resemble a mango in taste and appearance. Try one, you will likely go back for more, despite the fact they are a bit expensive.

New Zealand Golden Kiwi

Fresh from New Zealand, the Golden Kiwi is a great summer treat. Golden Kiwi are less fuzzy and more elongated than regular Kiwi. The flavor is very sweet and mild, a very healthful and refreshing change. I allow them to soften in my fruit bowl and then simply slice them in half and spoon out the goodness. Golden Kiwi are definately a fruit to TRY NOW!

Chinese Lychee

At first you may have an issue with the texture of Lychee as they pretty much feel like you are eating an eyeball. Once you have overcome that issue, you will buy them every time you see them; these are a true tropical fruit that can be enjoyed just as in the tropics. Most native tropical fruits dry out or rot by the time they travel to the U.S., but Lychee have a tough skin (almost can call it a shell) that does a marvelous job of protecting the fruit. I just pinch the skin a bit, tear it half open exposing the gel fruit, and suck it out. Careful! There is a pit in there. Enjoy the tropical fruit gel and then just eject the pit. Be adventurous, try the Lychee NOW. Avoid brown skins; look for a fresh looking pale red to deep red color.

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Fruit Odds for April

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.

Tagged as: apricots, asian pears, bing cherries, blueberries, chef, chef melissa, cherries, Mango Nectarines, Nectarines, plums, recipe