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 November

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

Best Now

Pomegranates

Hopefully you have enjoyed the pleasure of eating a fresh pomegranate at its PEAK of flavor! If not, NOW is the time. This is the best month since last December! These fruits have been cleaning human bodies of toxins for thousands of years; they are one of Mother Nature's original medicines. Treat your body to this ancient pleasure, you will not be disappointed. The fresh pomegranate is really only GREAT for a short period of time. To best enjoy this SUPER FRUIT try this trick.

To begin, get prepared by filling a pot, or large bowl, with water (at least 6 inches) and have your strainer at the ready. Using a sharp knife (adults only please) cut a circle around the top of fruit, kind of like you were cutting the lid out for making a Jack-o-lantern pumpkin. Cut only a quarter inch into the fruit and around a 3 inch diameter. Gently push and pull until this top comes off revealing the red arils (the real name of those gel coated seeds) inside.

Next, make four cuts from top to bottom along the "ribs", where the white membrane meets the exterior skin of fruit. Place your pomegranate into the water and use your fingers to gently push and pull the fruit apart and the arils from the white membrane. You will see that the flavor loaded arils sink the bottom of your pot and the membrane and exterior will float. When done separating, skim off the white stuff from the top of the water and then simply strain. You now have a large amount of arils you can place into a serving bowl. Chew the arils, seeds and all, that's the way we in the biz do it! Spinkle the arils into salads for a healthy crunch!

Nicolette points out an even easier way to get the arils out of a pomegranate. Simply cut the POM in half, around the mid section, hold the cut side down over a bowl and knock the arils out from above with a wooden spoon! This works well with small to medium sized fruit.

When buying pomegranates, look for fruit that has a round circumference as a sign of freshness. When the fruit dehydrates the fruit becomes less round and more square looking. Exterior scarring is no problem at all, but do avoid shriveled looking fruit.

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Ambrosia Apples

Have you tried the Ambrosia apple? I’ve noticed it in many stores this year and for good reason as it is very crunchy and sweet. I just love the way each apple variety has its own “personality” or flavor profile. The Ambrosia personality is distinctive: “clean” comes to mind for me, perhaps because the flavor seems very simple and pure, not very complex. The Ambrosia was the unplanned child of red and golden delicious varieties. The first small tree grew from a chance seedling in the Canadian orchard of the Mennel family. As the tree grew and bore fruit, the Mennels noticed that the crews picking apples nearby were practically fighting over eating the apples of this stray tree. This prompted investigation and eventually grafting and thus lots more trees! An interesting characteristic of the Ambrosia is that it oxidizes very slowly. This slow to browning trait makes Ambrosia an excellent choice for salads and fruit plates. Here is an excellent recipe for which the Ambrosia is perfectly suited:

Crunchy Coleslaw, courtesy of B.C.Tree Fruits Ltd.

Ingredients:

3 cups green cabbage, chopped

3 cups red cabbage, chopped

2 Ambrosia apples, coarsely grated

1 cup carrots grated

½ cup fresh parsley, chopped

2 green onions, chopped

Dressing:

½ cup reduced fat mayonnaise

2 teaspoons honey

½ cup apple juice

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

1 teaspoon poppy seeds

Directions:

In a large salad bowl, toss all the ingredients together, coat with dressing. This colorful salad is full of fiber and nutrients!

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Cranberries

November is Cranberry month! I actually just made that up, but why not! Cranberries are at their peak of quality and flavor in November. Cranberries offer so many health benefits I won't bore you with the details, let's just say your body can really use their powerful essence. Here is a video recipe featuring Hosea Rosenberg , Top Chef winner Season 5, from Whole Foods on making your own Cranberry Sauce at home. Learn to make, Orange Cranberry Sauce, Cranberry Pear Sauce with Vanilla, and Cranberry Sauce with Candied Ginger. I personally suggest using more sugar and trying brown sugar. The second video is from Good Housekeeping Magazine and it offers a sweeter base to work from. ENJOY!

And the Good Housekeeping recipe:

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Avoid Now

Raz, Black and Blueberries

The berries are sadly having a rough month. Save your money and avoid NOW! Instead go for the homemade berry jams available at your local farmer's market. If you can't find the real deal, you can order online from many jam makers. One of my favorites is Bethsfarmkitchen.com Try Beth's berry jams, you will not be disappointed.

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Cantaloupe and Honeydews

Melons were fantastic this summer! Thank you Mother Nature for another fine summer of these refreshing treats. However, the time has come to move on and look for alternatives. Occasionally you can get lucky, but odds are against finding great melons NOW.

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Try Now

Persimmons

Persimmons are running excellent NOW! There are two main types of persimmons. Hachiya are the tall, bullet shaped ones - these are best enjoyed soft. Fuyu are the flatter, hockey puck shaped ones- these are best enjoyed firm, but not rock hard. Persimmons are a true Fall fruit, if you have never tried one, go for it! Maybe for your first time go with the Fuyu as they are easier to find right as they can be eaten firm. ENJOY!

Watch this video to see just how soft the Hachiya must be to be eaten:

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Heirloom Apples

These can be a bit tough to find, but if you do find them be sure to try the Esopus Spitzenberg, Thomas Jefferson's favorite! Or perhaps, try my favorite, the Lamb Abbey Pearmain. Both have a great flavor, with that sweet /sour combo going on... Most of the Heirloom apples frankly disappeared for being unprofitable. Perhaps they are just too ugly (Asmead's Kernal) or a poor storer (Pomme Grise.) Whatever the reason, most of the ones you will be able to find today are being brought back for good reason, they have interesting flavors! Try a few varieties and pick your own favorite. If you can't seem to find these then treat yourself to an old variety that is still very well produced - the WINESAP! This is a truly great, earthy tasting apple that has a real "home grown" look, feel and taste.

Here is a video on the history of apples in Jefferson County Virginia. Note how the Winesap market was very profitable from the late 1800's till the 1920's.

Have you ever heard of the band "The Apples"? This is a great song called "Energy" by The Apples...

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Comice Pears

These pears derive their name from the phrase, Doyenne du Comice, meaning, “top of the show,” as they are often celebrated as the best pear variety. Originating in France, these are the same pear sold by Harry and David and many gift fruit shippers. These pears are great NOW! These pears are for the person who likes SUPER JUICY fruit, do not buy these and eat them when they are hard. If you like to eat your pears hard, go for the Bosc or Seckels. The Comice should be left on the counter until they yield to gentle pressure. When ready, these pears are AWESOME, worthy of their name.

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Fruit Odds for November

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.

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Tagged as: ambrosia apple, comice pears, cranberries, crunchy coleslaw, fuyu, hachiya, heirloom apples, persimmon, pomegranate, super fruit, the apples, winesap