Fruit Maven » spring

Loquats

Fruit Maven — Mon, 21 May 2012 17:54:44 +0000

I’ve been trying to get my hands on some loquats for somewhere around two years. They aren’t that exotic and I’ve somehow procured far more difficult items, but the lowly loquat has always eluded me.

Lots of people have these in their yards in southern California, just none of my friends apparently. And while I’ve ~~stolen~~ saved fruit from going rotten before, I never knew enough about loquats to try it. This hesitance baffles even me, since I appear to have a penchant for putting practically poisonous things in my mouth before I know much about them.

I have to say, I thought the loquats were great and I am baffled by their shy presence. I liked them far more than apricots for example, which seem to be everywhere. There is a great recent article in LA Times about them, which points out that they are a pome fruit related to apples and pears and are related to kumquats (thus the name I’m assuming). I found this surprising since they seem more reminiscent of stone fruit to me. The article also states that they are so ubiquitous in backyards that there isn’t a market for them in California, but I would wager a guess that 90% of my friends haven’t even heard of them.

My little batch did bruise easily and they aren’t the most attractive fruit, so I guess that’s something in this vain little world we live in. But are they really that much uglier than mulberries (which look like maggots in my opinion) or citrons (which often just seem like deformed lemons)? I think not. Let’s start demanding more loquats people! Don’t let a little bruising deter you.

APPEARANCE 3 out of 5 stars

Muted yellow, oval shaped fruit with intermittent brown spots. Only about an inch long. Yellow flesh with a shiny chestnut brown seed. (I was told they are sweeter as they get more yellow, and the green are more bitter or acidic – so beware.) Don’t shy away from the bruised ones, sweet and yummy.

AROMA 5 out of 5 stars

Delightful honey fragrance.

TEXTURE 5 out of 5 stars

Tender and firm with a slight amount juice. Similar to firm plum or melon flesh. Slight fuzz on the skin. Pleasant snap as you bite in to it, but not at all crunchy.

TASTE 5 out of 5 stars

Not overly sweet or complex. Reminds me of honey water, not that I have ever had straight honey water.

OVERALL 4.5 out of 5 stars

This was a refreshing little fruit, with lots of appeal. If you like all the stone fruit, you’ll love these simple treats. I’m a fan.

NOTES

Loquats are far more common in China and Japan, where there are reportedly hundreds of varieties. I was lucky to find this small batch at the market and the saleswoman couldn’t name the variety for me. I find this is common with some of the more obscure fruit much to my detail loving dismay.

OTHER STUFF

My new book, Fruit is Fabulous: An Alphabet Book came out last week and much to my pure delight briefly popped right up to #2 on Amazon’s list for most popular paid kindle products for preschool and kindergartners. If you love fruit (and I know you do), this is a great way to spread the love to little ones. Check it out!

FRUIT Loquat	PEAK Spring	PURCHASED Farmer’s Market
VARIETY Unknown	GROWN California

Pixie Tangerine

Fruit Maven — Tue, 08 May 2012 18:46:00 +0000

I just ate three pixie tangerines for lunch without batting an eyelash. And they were good — really good. Don’t worry, I’m not going all fruitarian on you, I can barely succeed at simple things like limiting dairy. Last night I had macaroni and cheese for dinner and the meal before that included fries and a cheeseburger. It’s just that I recently moved and most of my food is still at the old house. The four things I couldn’t leave without though, were three cartons of jumbo blueberries, a bag of pixie tangerines, a carton of milk and some hummus. Not sure what I’m planning to do with that hummus. But it made the cut so maybe a hummus/blueberry experiment is up next.

I received these pixies from Melissa’s last week and I worried they would go to waste as I was so engrossed with moving. Alas, I was dead wrong. They have satisfied my growling belly and I’m sure kept me healthy. I’ve eaten at least two every day.

Pixies were one of the very first tangerines that I tried a few years ago, where they were so good that I made a point to remember the variety. They are sweet and succulent with the perfect acidity; And while they don’t have one of the easy zipper peels, they are seedless. Bonus! The pixies in this lot are a couple inches in diameter. I’ve had them as small as a golf ball when I visited Ojai last year (where they largely grow) and they are all delicious. Supposedly they are available starting in February, but I’ve never run into them until much later. Every year I fear I will be tangerine fatigued by the time they arrive, but it never ever happens. Get thee to the store and get some of these before they run out!

APPEARANCE 4 out of 5 stars

Typical tangerine looks: medium sized, with sunny orange flesh.

AROMA 5 out of 5 stars

Bright, sweet orange scent. I would love a candle that smelled like this. Mmmm.

TEXTURE 5 out of 5 stars

Juicy and luscious, seedless flesh. Lovely.

TASTE 5 out of 5 stars

Sweet and full tangerine flavor. Lightly and ideally acidic.

OVERALL 4.75 out of 5 stars

For me, this is one of the very best tangerines to eat, plus it has an adorable name. Pixie! Pixie! I’ve never had one at the same time as a Shasta Tangerine, so I can’t do an adequate taste test, but one of these two is currently my favorite.

OTHER NONSENSE

True confession: I also like the band, Pixies and the candy, Pixy Stix. So it is altogether possible that I just have a thing for the word pixie. Hard to say.

FRUIT Tangerine	PEAK Winter/Spring	PROVIDED BY Melissa’s
VARIETY Pixie	GROWN Ojai,California

Star Apple (Caimito)

Fruit Maven — Thu, 03 May 2012 18:36:53 +0000

I love brightly colored fruit. It takes what I already think is super fun and just multiplies it times a billion. Plus I’m a sucker for star patterns in fruit, so I was ecstatic when Specialty Produce let me know they had gotten a few of these in stock.

Star apples, or caimitos are also related to the mamey sapote, which I tried for the first time last week and enjoyed. This group of tropicals must be coming in to season as we start spring. Yay! Because the wait for all the summer fruit is basically killing me.

Unfortunately, the star apple was all promise and no pizzazz. It was horribly difficult to cut in any pleasing way. I could not for the life of me get that star to look great. And it’s covered in a light bit of latex, which tastes bitter and will coat your mouth in an awful way. When you try this fruit, be sure to rinse the fruit even after cutting. I have a history with latex and jackfruit, so I was relieved that my fingers didn’t stick together this time–but still a pain.

All in all, this is a super fun fruit for showing your friends and seeking out if you are a fruit adventurer, like me (and you)? But the flavor was mediocre at best. I’d reach for a longan, lychee, rambutan or even a grape way before a star apple.

Star Apple

APPEARANCE 3.5 out of 5 stars

Slightly bigger than a golf ball. Purple, rust and green skin. Fuschia to deep purple flesh with a white center and black seeds that form a star pattern.

AROMA 4 out of 5 stars

Sweet, herbal and faintly tropical.

TEXTURE 1.5 out of 5 stars

Chewy, gelatinous and slightly fibrous. Not dense and luscious like the best longans, lychees and rambutans. Similar in texture to a peeled grape. I scooped the flesh easily with a spoon.

TASTE 2.5 out of 5 stars

Slightly sweet and a bit herbal – dangling right on the edge of bitter. Some bites reminiscent of an apple, which I probably mainly think because the name of the fruit gives that away. Leaves a slight film in my mouth.

OVERALL 2.88 out of 5 stars

This is a cool looking fruit, with the range of purple and pink colors and the promise of a star pattern in the flesh. Plus it is unusual, which always wins points with me. But it has latex, was hard to cut in an appealing way, tricky to eat and wasn’t all that delightful. I can’t imagine going out of my way to get one of these again. Let me know if you’ve had one of these and loved it. Did I miss something?

FRUIT Star Apple	PEAK Spring	PROVIDED BY Specialty Produce
VARIETY Unknown	GROWN Florida

10 Ways to Cook with Blueberries

Fruit Maven — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:44:07 +0000

I’m feeling a little blue today, which is due in no small part to the fact that I would prefer to be announcing the availability of my alphabet book today, but due to some technical difficulties with Amazon, I can not. And I don’t know for how long things will be delayed. Sad, sad face. I’m sure it will get all sorted out eventually but for now: frustrating.

However, this does give me an opportunity to dive head first into the blueness and talk to you about one of my very favorite fruit: blueberries! I’ve gone on about them before, so I won’t bore you too much with how much I love them except to say that until this weekend I had never seen one’s like these.

Those gigantic blueberries surrounding that small normal blueberries are from Melissa’s and are called Jumbo Blueberries. They are practically the circumference of a quarter. Jumbo! They aren’t a specific variety, but are just held and protected on the vine for a longer period of time. This apparently makes them especially delicious. Whereas normally blueberries are a crap shoot – some sweet and luscious, some tart and eye scrunching, these are all full flavored, firm and tender. Yum. I didn’t realize I could like blueberries more than I already did. In fact, I like them so much that I might consider growing my own. (Plants everywhere are cowering in fear at that statement.) Just look at this photo of them on the plant: adorable. How can I resist?

It’s the very beginning of blueberry season, so we have plenty of time to play. Here are some ideas beyond adding them to muffins and cold cereal. Enjoy!

10 Ways to Cook With Blueberries

..
Blueberries are light but have an intense, distinct flavor when perfectly ripe. Favorite flavor combinations include cinnamon, nutmeg, mint, lemon, banana, stone fruit (plum, nectarine, peach), berries and cheeses, such as blue cheese, ricotta and cream cheese.

Appetizer: Replace the tomatoes in your favorite salsa fresca recipe with blueberries. Or swap out the mango in a mango salsa. Serve with tortilla chips.
Roasted: Sprinkle fresh blueberries with a tablespoon or two of sugar and some vanilla bean seeds (if you have them). Spread on sheet pan and roast at 450 degrees for 20 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve over pancakes, cake, ice cream, pie, etc. (You can include other berries as well, if desired.) Or just eat them as is, topped with a bit of whipped cream.
Snack: Mix a handful of fresh blueberries with salted cocktail peanuts and eat raw (as discussed here).
Salad: Toss in your favorite salad. Consider romaine, blue cheese, apple, and red onion or a mixed berry salad with strawberries, blackberries, feta and pecans. Top with a poppy seed dressing.
Frozen kabobs: String on to a skewer, roll in fresh yogurt and freeze — like this.
Fresh kabobs for kids: String on to skewer or toothpick, alternating with mini marshmallows.
Main dish: Saute your favorite sausages on the stove top until just brown, then combine with raw blueberries that have been mixed with a touch of olive oil and salt. Roast at 475 degrees for 15-20 minutes. (Very similar to this dish done with grapes.)
Simple syrup: Mix one cup each of blueberries, sugar and water. Bring to boil and then reduce and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain and cool. Use syrup to flavor iced tea, lemonade, or maple syrup.
Cocktail: Mix a bit of the simple syrup with seltzer water, rum and crushed mint. Serve over ice.
Side dish: Mix blueberries with chopped mango, cucumber and a bit of Italian parsley. Drizzle lightly with a dressing made of olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper. Stir and add to cooked and cooled quinoa, rice, or barley.

What do you do with your blueberries?

Mamey Sapote

Fruit Maven — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 03:34:28 +0000

It was an innocent Monday afternoon and I placed my latest prize on the table. I cut in to the one that looked the closest to perfect: a slight give in the skin, no obvious bruising, heavy flesh.

It was a gorgeous orange and I ran my spoon in to the soft flesh as it gave easily. Pausing briefly to take in the yeasty aroma, I tucked a small bite in to my mouth. It softened on my tongue and the texture quickly changed to a powdery substance. Suddenly my lips were smacking like a dog who had eaten peanut butter. The mumbling and cussing began, “What the? Did someone just swap out my mamey sapote for a poisoned cotton ball?”

I headed directly to Google noting this was not the first time I’ve come close to being poisoned from my fruit ventures. My lips and tongue were still smacking. The tannic coating was everywhere. This could not be right…

Luckily, the internet delivered, as it often does, with information that would have been useful prior to me shoving the fruit in my mouth. Apparently this one, with its gorgeous orange flesh wasn’t quite ripe. The skin should be a slightly deeper color, closer to red and the texture on the outside should give very easily when pressed. Luckily I had another one and while the flavor here was quite good, the texture was a mix of perfectly soft pudding and cooking string. I think this one was a day too late. I ate a few bites and then scooped the rest to freeze for a milkshake. I only had access to two of these and they were a generous gift from my friends at Specialty Produce, so I don’t blame the fruit at all for my failures. If you can get your hands on one, my advice would be to get some insight from whoever is selling or giving it to you on when to eat it because the flavor is very promising.

APPEARANCE 3.5 out of 5 stars

Brown sand paper, leathery pod, about the size of an average man’s full hand. Orange/red, salmon flesh with a large, shiny brown seed.

AROMA 3 out of 5 stars

Strong sweet potato and yeast combo. Slightly sweet. Neither good nor bad.

TEXTURE 3.5 out of 5 stars

Soft texture. Dense and smooth in some spots, stringy in others (like a mediocre avocado). Slippery in your mouth.

TASTE 4 out of 5 stars

Cooked sweet pumpkin or sweet potato with a nutty undertone.

OVERALL 3.5 out of 5 stars

While this first foray in to the world of the mamey sapote was a bit dicey, I would definitely look for more of these. I adore pumpkin and sweet potato and pudding so somewhere in here there is bound to be a favorite fruit. I just know it.

FRUIT Mamey Sapote	PEAK Spring	PROVIDED BY Specialty Produce
VARIETY Unknown	GROWN California

OTHER NONSENSE

Mamey Sapote is the national fruit of Cuba, which leads me to wonder about the national fruit of the United States. Apparently we don’t have one. WHAT a travesty! Why aren’t fruit growers canvasing the streets? Why aren’t our presidential hopefuls talking about this grave absence? Where is the dignity?