APPEARANCE 5 out of 5 stars

It’s flesh is PINK! Oh-my-goodness-shocking-bright-lipstick PINK! Seventies-disco PINK! (I don’t know what that means either, just go with it).

AROMA 5 out of 5 stars

This is the strongest smelling apple I have ever been around. I have about ten of them, and the sweet, appley, cotton candy fragrance keeps sneaking over and tickling my nose. They smell crazy good.

TEXTURE 4 out of 5 stars

The first time I tried these a few years ago, the texture was just so-so. Some were relatively crisp, but some weren’t and they all melted in to a mealy bite. Definitely not my favorite texture. But this batch was all crisp and delightful! Moral here – make sure and get them fresh, keep ‘em cold and don’t wait too long to eat them. (as if you wouldn’t bust these out at the first chance you had to show them off.)

TASTE 3 out of 5 stars

A little bit tart, a little bit sweet, a little bit blah. They basically remind me of a grocery store Red Delicious but with a little more tartness. They also leave a slightly filmy or tannic taste.

OVERALL 4.25 out of 5 stars

So I would never buy this apple again if it was normal looking – meaning if it had white or beige flesh. They are good, but not great. But it is very clearly NOT normal and so I am hooked for life. I mean if you want to be the instant cool aunt or uncle, whip one of these out for the kiddies at your next family get-together. Tell them its magic or blood or a Barbie apple! Bring it along with a Willy Wonka DVD. You can not go wrong here. Trust me. Plus the taste is fine, the smell divine, (yes I like to rhyme), and the texture and aftertaste problems go away when you cook them for some time (ha).

FRUIT

Apple

VARIETY

Hidden Rose

PEAK

Fall-Winter

ORIGIN

Origin

GROWN

Dragonberry Produce
Clackamas, Oregon

PURCHASED

Specialty Produce

NOTES

This apple has only been commercially available for the last few years. It is one of many red-fleshed varieties. Various internet reviews of this apple (largely by people selling it) indicate it is a great snacking apple and that it tastes like strawberry lemonade. I’m thinking they are drunk with love for the pinkness of it because I don’t think it tastes one bit like lemonade, but I’m no lemonade expert.

Also, I am posting a candied apple recipe that uses black candy that would be soooooo cool with these pink apples. (You should definitely at least look at that picture – spooky and awesome.) I know it isn’t halloween anymore and most of you are thinking about Christmas and Hanukkah now, but I can’t help it – I LOVE HALLOWEEN. And I guess you could adjust and do red and green apples, which could be cool too – not as cool, but still cool.

RECIPES

Red and Black Candy Apples
Free Form Apple Tart

APPEARANCE 4 out of 5 stars

Fuschia pink ball with dark, soft spikes. There is a translucent eyeball of flesh inside.

AROMA 4 out of 5 stars

Very mild, subtle sweetness with an earthy undertone.

TEXTURE 2.5 out of 5 stars

Gelatinous, firm and juicy. There is a prominent seed in the middle and the skin of the seed seems to like to stick to the fruit bits, which is annoying.

TASTE 3.5 out of 5 stars

Mild and sweet; Reminds me of apples and cotton candy.

OVERALL 3.5 out of 5 stars

These are certainly a little bite of adventure. I loved digging my thumbs in to the hairy shells and then popping out the gelatinous globe. My inner adolescent was dying to run out of the house screaming and holding my eye in order to terrify the neighbor kids by popping it in my mouth. But alas, Mr. Maven beat me to it.

FRUIT

Rambutan

VARIETY

Unknown

PEAK

Winter/Summer

ORIGIN

Southeast Asia

GROWN

Unknown

PROVIDED BY

Specialty Produce
…

NOTES

I only had four of these and for some reason (we’ll call it excitement), I was too impatient to research these prior to eating all of them. Yes, all of them. Had I done so, I would have realized these were slightly past their ideal season (Dec/Jan), which probably explains the slightly dark patches. Nonetheless they were delicious. You can see more cool pictures of them and similar fruit here. As a sidenote, I liked them much better than longan.

RECIPES

Asian Tropical Fruit Salad
Rambutan Drink

WHERE TO GET THEM

When in season, you can buy Rambutan at most asian grocery stores and online here. If you get them online, a small amount will go to support the Fruit Maven. So thanks in advance!

APPEARANCE 5 out of 5 stars

Fairly small orange, about 1.5-2 inches across. Orange skin with red blushing. Deep crimson flesh that bleeds dark pink juice.

AROMA 5 out of 5 stars

Sweet and perfumy orange. I find the scent to be completely intoxicating.

TEXTURE 5 out of 5 stars

Insanely juicy with just a couple seeds. Soft, giving flesh.

TASTE 5 out of 5 stars

Orange and raspberry fruit punch with perfect acidic balance.

OVERALL 5 out of 5 stars

This is my very first five star review and when I realized that I went back and actually looked for flaws. I couldn’t find them. I completely love this fruit. It looks good, smells good, tastes good, and the juice! Oh my – the juice! Let’s throw in one more exclamation point for the juice! Wowza. Find these where you live and if you live in San Diego go to the farmer’s market and get them. A-maz-ing.

FRUIT

Blood Orange

VARIETY

Sanguinello

PEAK

Winter

GROWN

Sweet Tree Farms
Dinuba, CA

PURCHASED

Farmer’s Market

NOTES

I am so smitten with the juice of this orange that I made a little slide show to commemorate it. I’m not saying its a spectacular slideshow or anything, but I have watched it over and over because I’m a little obsessive and (I’m not sure if I mentioned this already) I LOVE THIS JUICE. You could also juice it with a juice extractor like the Breville  Juice Fountain Elite, which will get you a lot more juice in a lot faster time.

APPEARANCE 4 out of 5 stars

Grape size balls with rough scaly green and brown skin, flesh is translucent with a large chestnut colored seed.

AROMA 1.5 out of 5 stars

Medicinal.

TEXTURE 2.5 out of 5 stars

Very gelatinous and gooey.

TASTE 1.5 out of 5 stars

Boozy, earthy and slightly medicinal. Vaguely reminiscent of sweet bean paste.

OVERALL 2.38 out of 5 stars

I don’t like it, but I keep eating it. It’s weird because I don’t really recommend it except that it is unusual and kind of creepy looking, which means I want everyone I know to try it – but do I think it is “good”?  Well, no. Not really. And yet I have purchased it three weeks in a row.  It is compelling and boozy and weird.  You should try it.  Definitely.  But don’t say I didn’t warn you because I did.  Also, don’t taste red wine right afterward because it seriously changes the taste and not in any good way.

FRUIT

Longan

VARIETY

Unknown

PEAK

All Year

ORIGIN

Southern China

GROWN

Creekside Tropicals

California

PURCHASED

Farmer’s Market

NOTES

Similar to the lychee. Also called Cat’s Eye and Dragon’s Eye.  They can be frozen in their skins.  This would make another great halloween fruit.  I cannot wait until next year to peel these and have them floating in a punch bowl.

Can. Not. Wait.  So creepy.

RECIPES

Longan and Lotus Seed Dessert Drink
Sweet Potato and Longan Soup

APPEARANCE 5 out of 5 stars

This fruit wins high marks just for the creep factor – long, bumpy yellow monster fingers. Green at first, then ripens to a nice lemony yellow – white pith and no flesh (some do have a small amount of flesh, but this one didn’t)

AROMA 5 out of 5 stars

Intoxicating, perfumy, lemony goodness. I’ve been considering picking my boogers with it, except that then it isn’t in my nose for very long. But seriously – doesn’t it seem like someone should market this for that purpose?

TEXTURE 3.5 out of 5 stars

Dry, soft pith that feels a bit like ultrasuede to touch, like a slightly soft, though still crunchy, radish in the mouth

TASTE 3.5 out of 5 stars

Complicated lemon flavor that isn’t sour. The peel has only the tiniest bit of bitterness, the pith is fairly mellow. Very nice actually.

OVERALL 4.25 out of 5 stars

I have bought Buddha’s Hand many times and never ever have I considered biting in to one raw before now. I always chop them up and throw them in to some sugar water for candying and using in cookies. Nothing about this particularly ghoulish fruit screams out “eat me raw”. However, now that I have bitten in to the thing – I am shocked. I like it. I feel like Mikey in that old Life Cereal commercial. “Maven likes it! Maven likes it!” That being said, I can’t be bothered with eating this thing – it is way too fun to use it as a fake claw and chase people around. Now that I know I can happily bite off one of the fingers – all the better.

FRUIT

Citron

VARIETY

Buddha’s Hand

PEAK

Fall

ORIGIN

India

GROWN

California

PURCHASED

Farmer’s Market

NOTES

Also known as Five Fingered Mandarin, Fingered Citron and my personal favorite, Goblin Fingers. History

RECIPES

Melon Salad with Mint and Buddha’s Hand
Buddha’s Hand Citron Liquer