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Archive for the ‘fruits’ Category

Red grapefruit

Posted in fruits, photo, tagged , on January 6, 2011| 4 Comments »

Red grapefruit from Broken J Ranch in Punta Gorda.

This picture — none of my pictures I took today — does not do justice to the deliciousness of the red grapefruit I picked up at the RITC market yesterday. This particular fruit is incredibly juicy, and tastes like real grapefruit. I’ve been savoring one a day to fill up on fresh vitamins. And I don’t like grapefruit! (The white ones from the store taste bitter, and the red ones are ok but not always around, and certainly are not as intensely grapefruity as these.)

Farmer Margie got these fruit from Broken J Ranch up in Punta Gorda, not too far from Worden Farm. From time to time, other natural, unsprayed citrus from there has appeared in the CSA boxes. Long time members may recall ponkans, a kind of tangerine with loose skin (sort of the shar pei of the citrus world) which came from Broken J also.

There’s still some grapefruit to be had. Look for them at market this weekend before they’re all gone. On Wednesday, Chef Michael Schwartz stopped by the RITC market and scooped up 30 pounds of the fruit. As a result, shrimp with grapefruit, and grapefruit meringue tart have appeared on the menu for a short time, so get while the getting is good!

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Rangpur lime

Posted in fruits, photo, tagged , on December 11, 2010| 9 Comments »

Rangpur lime on the left, and persian lime on the right. The rangpur is a bit bigger than a golf ball. No, it is not an orange, it’s a lime.

Rangpur lime is one of the more unusual fruits at the Redland Organics tent. The fruit is round and greenish-orange, bigger than a persian lime and about the size of a golf ball. Its flavor is both tart and sweet, similar to tangerine. These limes don’t look like limes, but they are. You could use this instead of the usual lime for a different twist on flavor, and once you taste the fruit, you’re hooked. Recently, I had the chance to taste pie made with rangpur instead of key lime, and it was amazingly delicious, with an almost orange-y flavor but still tart, making key lime pie taste almost too sour by comparison.

If you want to try some of these unusual limes, I saw Farmer Margie had a bin full of them at the Roots in the City Farmers Market on Wednesday. If she didn’t sell out, there might be some available on Sunday at the Pinecrest market.

Half-devoured rangpur lime pie. I had to work fast to photograph it before it was all gone. Yes, it was that good!

These rangpur limes were grown at Possum Trot Tropical Fruit Nursery but originate from Rangpur, India, thus the name. Robert Barnum says he has a couple trees which he’s been growing for about 30 years. He claims these lime trees seem to resist canker and “tolerate” greening, two afflictions that have had quite an impact on Florida citrus. He said that most of the citrus he has on his property have died from greening, but rangpur lime is about the only one that still stands up to it.

If you are interested in growing your own rangpur lime, Robert has a few seedlings available for sale. To propogate this tree, you can air layer or grow from seed. This lime is fairly sturdy and will tolerate heat up to 130 degrees, along with too much sun, rain, or salt air. The tree reaches a height of 6 to 8 feet and spreads about 12 feet wide. It can be trained or pruned, and grows well in a container on a patio or balcony. It takes about 3 to 5 years to come to fruit when planted from seed.

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Persimmons

Posted in fruits, photo, tagged on December 4, 2010| 7 Comments »

Triumph persimmons. Note the ripe one, it's much darker.

One of the less common fruits that you’ll find at the Redland Organics tent is the Triumph persimmon, the variety that grows well here. It’s a bit smaller than the Fuyu variety you’ll find at the grocery, the kind that’s shaped like a flattened ball.

The unripe persimmon is a light shade of orange, but its color darkens to a deep orange as it ripens. Patience is required with this fruit. Unripe, it has a very astringent taste. And, it takes several days to a week for it to ripen.

A couple weeks ago I got two persimmons to try out. One ripened in four days, the other took over a week. The orange color grew deeper, and the flesh became quite soft. “Just let it sit on the counter until it turns translucent and looks like orange jello,” Farmer Margie advised. Translucent? Lets light through? Never heard of fruit doing such a thing. Split open a super ripe one, then held it up to the light. Sure enough, light shone through its jelly-like flesh. When ripe, the skin slides right off. Little sacs contain a small seed, which is a bit more translucent and chewy. The persimmon was very sweet, but not overwhelmingly so. Wish I had gotten more!

Persimmons are a great snack, and would make a great pudding or mousse, maybe even a pie, along the lines of lemon pie. Bill, over at Tinkering with Dinner, made a persimmon honey ice cream that’s worth trying out.

Persimmon season is very short in this area, and is almost over. If you want to experience this interesting fruit, hurry down to the Pinecrest market this Sunday before they’re all gone.

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Packing avocados

Posted in comic, farm, fruits, tagged , , on November 6, 2010| 1 Comment »

Organic avocado grower Murry Bass of Wyndham Organics was packing avocados in the Bee Heaven Farm barn for most of the summer. His fruit was selling under the Uncle Matt’s brand at Whole Foods. Although Murray is done packing his avo’s, there are still some late varieties getting picked and coming to stores.

I made this little story to show you how the fruit gets from the tree to the store. Click on the image to see the full sized comic page. (I made the comic last summer, but the process is pretty much the same from year to year.)

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Avocado bliss

Posted in food, fruits, market, photo, tagged , , on July 31, 2010|

Seen at the the Pinecrest Whole Foods on Friday.

The time has come to pick avocados. Last week Farmer Margie mustered her crew of mostly volunteers and they went through the grove to gather the first of the season. Thirty bushels of certified organic Donnie avocados went straight to the area Whole Foods warehouse, and I’m told that the fruit just flew out of the stores. This week Margie’s crew picked again, and she took 30 more bushels to the WF warehouse on Thursday. I found her Donnie avocados at the Pinecrest Market on Friday afternoon. They are selling for $3.49 each, ouch! But even at that price, there may not be many left today.

But all is not lost. I’ve learned about Number Two fruit. Those are avocados that have scuff marks on their skins, superficial blemishes that that are bigger than a certain allowed size.  The fruit rubbed against a branch while it was maturing and it made for a dark mark. Stores don’t like blemished fruit, but they are just as good.

Last week I bought a half bushel of Number Twos to re-sell to friends and co-workers for $2.50 each. Like their pristine brethren that went to WF, these avocados sold very fast. This week I sprang for a full bushel of Twos. People wanted more, or saw they missed out and were calling me with orders.

This dramatic scuff mark is cosmetic, doesn't affect the flesh inside. Whole Foods doesn't want this fruit, but I do!

Local fruit makes people happy! Case in point, I took a half bushel of avocados to my doctor’s office. She is a holistic practitioner, and she and her hard working staff and patients know that avocados are good for you. I staggered in with the heavy box of fruit, set it on the floor, and everybody pounced. My doctor did the most interesting thing — she cradled a large green avocado to herself, stroked it with her hand, and giggled with delight. Other staffers were smiling as they sorted through the box. One woman picked out a fruit, then another, then went off with three avocados clutched to her chest. Altogether a dozen avocados found new homes so quickly I felt almost giddy.

I saw that grin, heard that giggle, and watched people pet and stroke the smooth, green shiny skinned avocados over and over on Thursday and Friday as I made my deliveries. And once you’ve actually eaten a Donnie from Bee Heaven, that’s it, you’re hooked on the creamy, nutty flavor. Last week a friend got one avocado, then ask me for four more this week. “Are you sure,” I asked. “Oh yes,” was her answer, said with a smile and sigh of bliss. “I want them. They’re buttery.”

Another thing I heard often is, “I’m going to eat the whole avocado for lunch.” Easy to say now, when the fruit is only about a pound and a half in size. Wait a few weeks when they have increased to three pounds — or more. Last summer a friend claimed that he could eat a whole three pound avocado by himself in one sitting. “That’s a pretty big avocado. I can only eat half or less at one time,” I cautioned. My friend boasted, “I’m a big guy, and I have a big stomach. I can eat it.” He took the avocado home and that was the last I heard of it. It’s quite possible that a three pound avocado defeated a 200 pound man.

So, I get a little crazed this time of year, phoning people — “Hey, I got some green crack*, let me know how many you want” — and driving around town with a bushel of avocados in my car. I do it because Margie’s fruit makes people happy, and I’m glad I can bring them a bit of joy. That’s the power of local food. Once you’ve tasted it, you know.

*That’s a Margie joke.

Nutrition facts and analysis for Florida avocados

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