Best if Used By 03/08/10

Eat This Now for Tuesday March 2, 2010 features: Red Grapefruit, Asparagus, Gold Pineapples, Premium Winter Apples, and Romaine Hearts.

1. Red Grapefruit

Need a ray of sunshine this week?  Refresh yourself with Red Grapefruit.  “But Produce Geek, Grapefruit take too much work to eat, plus – aren’t they sour?”  Good Grapefruit are sour… AND sweet.  Add sugar to peak of the season Grapefruit? – that’s like adding sugar to Frosted Flakes.  Nature has ‘em all sweetened up for you when the crop is at it’s best.  Right now Organic and Conventional Red Flame and Dark Red Grapefruit varieties from Florida are about as good as they come.  Texas Rio Star Grapefruit are high quality too.  Skin scars and blemishes do not impact flavor, so choose your Red Grapefruit by what feels heavy for it’s size to get ones packed with juice.

You’re right, Grapefruit are indeed tedious to cut and section, especially if you’re an impatient fruitivore like me.  Here are some videos of methods some folks use to get at the juicy goodness post-haste:

• Peel ‘n Section (in 2 min., but video takes 3 min?)
• Quick-Slice ‘n Section: (why sweat the membranes!)
• Halve ‘n Section (with Plastic Knife, umm -no spoon? are you on a plane?)
• Hack ‘n Chop (right up my alley, straight forward and fast)

2. Asparagus

Great price, great quality – why not go for it!  Give yourself a preview of Spring.  New crop Green Asparagus is abundant from Mexico right now and just begging to be steamed, sauteed, boiled, grilled or baked into your favorite casserole.  Organic Asparagus will be about as low priced as it ever gets in the next two weeks.

P.S. Garlic and Lemons totally dig hangin’ out with Asparagus in tasty recipes.

3. Gold Pineapples

Last call!  Super Sweet variety Gold Pineapples will be shorter in supply in coming weeks due to light supplies.  So why highlight them?  Well, there are still decent amounts of XL and Jumbo Gold Pineapples in the pipeline this week and lots of hot advertised specials in major supermarket chains to promote them.  Grab one or two before the price goes up.

4. Premium Winter Apples

Got hooked on Honeycrisp, but not sure what apple to buy now since they are done for the season?  Time to try something new, but not sacrifice on flavor and texture.  Here are four premium winter varieties you might find in that spot where the Honeycrisps used to be at your supermarket:

• Ambrosia: Fine-textured flesh, aromatic, very sweet – think Golden Delicious meets a marshmallow. (though crop is finishing soon)
  

   

• Jazz: Hard and crunchy, tart yet still quite sweet – interesting.
  

   

• Pacific Rose: Crisp, lightly sweet, juicy crunch – almost floral.
  

   

• Pinata: Crisp, clean flesh, old-time apple flavor with tropical undertones.
  

Hate mealy apples? Vote for your favorite Non-Mushy Apple below:

Campaign Against Mushy Apples – Who likes mushy apples? Exactly. Vote for your favorite NON-Mushy apple variety available in Winter, and Yes, there are some major varieties missing that can be way too inconsistent on texture this time of year. P.S. Alas, Honeycrisp are done for the season. And, yo – Gala and Granny Smith, you’re both on my mushy-watchlist this time of the year.

5. Romaine Hearts

Take advantage of heavy harvests and discounted pricing this week on Organic and Conventional Romaine Hearts.  Hearts are sweeter and crisper than the dark green outer leaves of Romaine.  Romaine Hearts usually hold up well in your refrigerator, but I do recommend that you use what you buy quickly this week.  These Romaine Hearts were subjected to lots of rain earlier in their growing cycle, loading them with water.  Excess water can turn to rib-rust or pick ribbing several days after the lettuce has been harvested, so don’t dilly-dally – fresh is best anyway!

Forward this to a friend if you think they’ll like it – Here’s to fresh produce!

The Produce Geek,
Jonathan K. Steffy

Best if Used By 02/15/10

Eat This Now for Tuesday February 9, 2010 features: Pink Lady Apples, Pummelos, Asparagus, Cara Cara Oranges, and Minneola Tangelos.

1.  Pink Lady Apples

Sappy romance movies should be mushy, NOT good apples.  Crisp, dense flesh with tart-sweet flavor, Pink Lady Apples are one of the best textured apples available in the late winter months.  This is a fantastic apple for snacking, and it’s also a good option for salads.  Look for promotions this week on Washington State Organic and Conventional Pink Lady Apples, a brand of the Cripps Pink variety.  The name does fit the theme for Valentine’s Day, but don’t kid yourself, guys – they are not a replacement for flowers and chocolate.

2.  Pummelos

Have you ever walked down the citrus aisle and seen a big honkin’ pale green to yellow thing that looks like a mega grapefruit?  That, my friend, is the Pummelo.  Pummelos, or Chinese Grapefruit, are the largest of all citrus fruits.  Their extra thick rind gives off a strong tropical aroma – intoxicating to me, overwhelming for others.  Inside, Pummelos are sections like grapefruit and have firm and juicy pink flesh that tastes similar to a grapefruit, only less acidic and quite sweet, more complex, almost floral.  The season on Organic and Conventional Pummelos is peaking in California.  Take one into work this week for a snack and create a stir.  You can just tell all the gawkers you’re getting ready for The Year of the Tiger (Chinese New Year begins 2/14).

3.  Asparagus

This should be your side dish for a special Valentines Day dinner at home or any meal this week – fresh Green Asparagus.  The new season of Organic and Conventional Asparagus has started in Mexico and imports from Peru continue to be available too.  The shorter length spears, called Asparagus Tips, can also be found for the first month of the new crop harvest.  Quality is excellent and there will be aggressive ad promotions to take advantage of.  Asparagus is packed with Folic Acid, Vitamins and Fiber.  It’s also really flavorful, so try it steamed, roasted, grilled, sauteed or blanched some night soon.

4.  Cara Cara Oranges

By the power vested in us by the Internet, we at ProduceGeek.com have named Cara Cara Navel Oranges the Unofficial Fresh Fruit of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.  Take that!, Canned Fruit in heavy syrup.

Here’s a summary of our decision:

• Sweet, Delicious, Low Acid
• Rich pink flesh, almost seedless
• Loaded with Vitamin C and tons of Antioxidants
• Definitely in Season this month
• Organic and Conventional from California
• Nicknamed “The Power Orange”

Cara Cara Navels may not improve your Freestyle Ski Jumping tricks or help you with your Curling technique, but they will give your immune system a boost and your taste buds a treat.  Go Team Fresh!

5.  Minneola Tangelos

OK, so you really enjoyed the Clementines in December and January, but this last box/bag you bought in February had a lot of soft ones that went bad and others that were dry inside.  There are still lots of good Clementines out there from Spain and Morocco, but quality is a little more hit and miss as the season winds down.  If you want an easy to peel, on-the-go fruit that is a bit more consistent than Clementines right now – try Minneola Tangelos.  They’re those dark orange skinned citrus fruits with the knob at the stem end.  Minneolas are tart-sweet and almost seedless.  Organic and Conventional ones from California are outstanding this month.  You may even be able to find Minneola Tangelos from Florida, called Honey Bells.

Forward this to a friend if you think they’ll like it – Here’s to fresh produce!

The Produce Geek,
Jonathan K. Steffy

Best if Used By 12/28/09

Eat This Now for Tuesday December 22, 2009 features: Gold Pineapples, Sweet Potatoes, Asparagus, Pacific Rose Apples, and Organic Navel Oranges.

1. Gold Pineapples

Super sweet, super special.  What better way to celebrate the holidays than with the symbol of welcome – fresh Gold Pineapples!  Fresh Pineapples can be cored into rings to dress up your holiday ham.  You can carve them up and serve them on toothpicks as an appetizer.  Add them to a fresh fruit salad.  You can bring one to a gathering as a host gift.  Cube them for a delicious snack for friends and family that “graze” in your kitchen.  Or just enjoy one by yourself – mmm!

Sometimes supplies get tight around Christmas, but this year fresh inventories from Central America are bountiful.  Stores are promoting super-sweet variety Gold Pineapples at great prices this week.  Organic Super Sweet Pineapples are in good supply and high quality right now too!  Organic “Pines” tend to have a greener skin and whiter flesh, but the sugar content of the flesh is outstanding!

Here are a few notes on choosing your Gold Pineapple. No waiting is necessary, Gold Pineapples are expertly harvested as ripe and do not really ripen after harvest. Sure, the color on the shell may darken or become less green, but the fruit is just getting older and less fresh. Cut it shortly after buying. Don’t let it sit on your counter forever hoping it turns yellow, it could end up black, brown and overripe, yuck! At the store, green versus gold shell color does not always indicate ripeness or sugar content, so pick one that is fresh looking, is firm and has a healthy crown. Pineapples are tropical fruit, store at room temperature, then refrigerate only after cutting.  An easy way to cut your Gold Pineapple is to slice the crown off about 1/2″ from the top and also cut the bottom 1/2″ off. Next, slice it quarters or eighths vertically. Cut off the woody core, then trim off the shell. Chop the spears into bite-sized chunks.

2. Sweet Potatoes

Awesome anytime in the fall and winter, Sweet Potatoes are extra special around the holidays.  Common orange-fleshed Yams, which are actually a type of Sweet Potato, should find their way into your shopping cart (fresh, no cans here) and onto your Christmas table this week.  Kiln-dried (to help them last longer) Sweet Potatoes from the fall crop are shipping from NC, LA, MS and CA.  The best reason to buy this week is because they are likely on sale at your store -stock up!  Organic Jewel and Garnet Yams from California are particularly nice right now too.

Check out www.ncsweetpotatoes.com or www.sweetpotato.org for great recipe ideas.

3. Asparagus

Need a great vegetable for the holiday dinner?  Fresh Asparagus has been nice out of Peru, buy some!  Look for advertised specials on Green and White Asparagus this week.  White Asparagus must be peeled before steaming, but is awesome served with butter.  Captain Obvious says, “Avoid Asparagus that has a bad odor or slime on the tips.”  Fresh Asparagus will be crisp, have tight tips and no aroma.

4. Pacific Rose Apples

Still in search of the perfect apple – one with crunchy texture AND really sweet taste?  Or do you just want to mix it up a little bit to take a break from the ol’ standbys?  With delicate rosy pink to to red skin, Pacific Rose Apples pack a crispy crunch inside.  Not only is their texture good, Pacific Rose Apples are extremely sweet.

This relatively new variety is a cross between Gala and Splendor apples.  The new crop of Organic and Conventional Pacific Rose Apples from Washington is available at some premium retailers and commands a premium price.  Find some and snack away!

5. Organic Navel Oranges

Seedless, sweet, flavorful AND grown without pesticides or synthetic compounds!  Prices are dropping as volume is increasing on Organic Navel Oranges from California.  Quality from most growers has been solid, so it is a great time to try some.

Forward this to a friend if you think they’ll like it – Here’s to fresh produce!

The Produce Geek,
Jonathan K. Steffy