Best if Used By 07/12/10

Eat This Now for the week of July 5th, 2010 features: Variety Melons, Dark Sweet Cherries, Plums, Saturn Peaches, and Haitian Mangos.

1. Variety Melons

If you like Honeydew and Cantaloupe, you just might love the interesting shapes, colors, textures and flavors of Variety Melons. All Variety Melons are sweet and juicy. Some are sweeter, softer or crisper or denser than others, but they’re all fantastic in fruit salads or just by themselves for breakfast, snack or dessert. The first kind I had was a luscious, perfectly ripe Sharlyn Melon on the front porch of a bed and breakfast at the beach almost a decade ago. Which one will you try first?

The best way to learn about Variety Melons is to experience them for yourself. And now is a great time since Variety Melons are plentiful from California and will continue through the summer. The most popular types include Casaba, Crenshaw, Canary, Orange Flesh, Galia and Santa Claus. That’s an incomplete list, so go on your own Melon discovery trek. You’ll keep finding good kinds to taste like the Golden Kiss and Sugar Kiss Melons I tried last week – crazy sweet!

2. Dark Sweet Cherries

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Best if Used By 07/05/10

Eat This Now for the week of June 28th, 2010 features: Blueberries, Watermelon, Sweet Corn, Green Grapes, and White Peaches and Nectarines.

1. Blueberries

Morning, noon and night, with Blueberries this good right now… anytime is right! Jersey Blues, baby, they’re peaking! Create your own Blueberry Fest, stock up and freeze some extras, try a new recipe each day, overdose on anti-oxidants, turn your skin blue! Heck, a buddy of mine is already part-way into his 50 pints in 50 days goal and loving it!

Blueberries are available from some part of the world just about 365 days a year, but I still get psyched for the few weeks in June and July when New Jersey’s harvest is at its best. The store where you shop is likely to have a hot sale on full pint Blueberries (especially if you live in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast) – I’m talkin’ $2.99, 2/$5, Buy-One-Get-One-Free, $1.99, 2/$3 and maybe even a $.99 this week or the week after July 4th. And even more attractive than the price is the flavor on these big and plump berries: mmmmm, smoothly sweet with just enough tang to keep the back of your mouth interested. It’ll be a Red, White and Blueberry July!

2. Watermelon

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Best if Used By 06/28/10

Eat This Now for the week of June 21st, 2010 features: Cantaloupe, Yellow Nectarines, Portabella Mushrooms, Vine Ripe Tomatoes, and Yellow Peaches.

1. Cantaloupe

Now is an outstanding time to enjoy Cantaloupe – both Eastern Athena and Western round varieties! These melons are sweet and refreshing, and bonus!, are loaded with Vitamin A and C. Here’s what to expect:

Western round Cantaloupes are coming on strong in the deserts of Southern California. They have straw-colored rinds with tight webbing and good flavored flesh that is firm and dense. Organics from this area are particularly sweet right now!

Eastern oblong, Athena-style Cantaloupes (pictured here) are sizing up extra large in Southern states like Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. But jumbo size is not the whole story. The fruit is juicy and soft with sweet flesh that is simply addicting when you get a really good one.

2. Yellow Nectarines

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